Thinking about blogging your photography sessions?  

Yikes! I can feel your tension oozing through my screen.  This is exactly why I invited one of my business besties, Michelle Gifford from Beauty Revived, to write a guest blog post!  This girl knows her stuff and has been super successful!

Blogging your photography sessions can be tricky! Sure, you can take pretty pictures but writing a post that is compelling and meets all of the search engine requirements can be exhausting.  And, how many different ways can you describe how adorable that baby is or how much inner beauty that senior has? I know, I get it. It gets old. But blogging your photography sessions doesn’t have to be hard, it can be simple and I’m going to show you how.  

Five things to know about blogging your photography sessions:

1. Understand why blogging your photography sessions is not optional.

Blogging helps you organically reach your audience.  If you do it correctly, when your client searches for a photographer in your area, your photography will come up.  This is huge! The exact client you want could find you, you don’t have to find them. And on average, companies with blogs produce 67% more leads per month than those without.  If you aren’t blogging your photography sessions then you are leaving money on the table.

2. Know how many words you need:

The search engines (think Google and Bing) like you to have at least 300 words in your blog post. This shows the engines that you are writing valuable content, which will make it easier for you to rank higher.  If you haven’t already done it, make sure you spend some time learning about SEO strategies – they will really help you out!

3. Consider what should you write about:

The biggest mistake photographers make when writing about their session is that they write ABOUT their session.  The sun, the perfect family, the lighting, blah, blah…I know, I know, what else is there to write about? Your photography is meant to tell the story of the person you are photographing, so instead of focusing on the details of the session, focus on the details of your client?  Tell the story of your client. They do have a beautiful story to tell. (I believe that so much I started a non-profit all about it; come check it out here.) This simple shift will make blogging your photography sessions super easy because you can do it before the session.

4. Learn how to write the article before the session:

Before every session, create a client questionnaire that your client fill out and sends back to you.  A lot of photographers do this to get the basic information about their clients, but they don’t include questions that will make it easy to write a blog article about them.  Answering a few key questions will help you get those 300 words written really quickly. This makes blogging your photography sessions a snap!

5. Know what questions should you ask:

Blogging a bunch of “yes” and “no” answers to questions gets boring and it is no way to reach 300 words.  The goal of these questions is to tell the story of your client(s). Asking open-ended questions that encourage your clients to tell their story is best.  This will help you accomplish your goal of enough words and telling your client’s story.

Think about your brand and what kind of information would be good for you to tell about on your blog.  Are you a fun, bright photographer? Then, ask fun, bright questions, like what is your favorite childhood candy or what makes you shout for joy?  Are you a more thoughtful, moody photographer? Then ask more thoughtful, moody questions, like what has been your biggest impact on the world or who has had the most impact on your life.

Your questions should reflect you.  If you need a little jump start on which questions to ask, here is my list of go-to questions.    

Family sessions:

• Tell me about you and your family.
• What is the best adventure your family has been on?
• What is unique about each of your children?
• What do you love about this time of life?
• How did you and your husband meet?

Couple sessions:

• How did you meet?
• Tell me about your first date.
• What made you say yes to the second date?
• What do you want to remember about yourselves right now?
• What are some of your hobbies?

Newborn sessions:

• What does your child’s name mean?
• Why did you choose that name?
• What were you most excited about when you were pregnant?
• Any special events happen when you were pregnant with your baby?

Senior sessions:

• What was your favorite part of high school?
• Where will you go after high school?
• What are your big goals and aspirations after high school?
• What is one memory you want to always remember about high school?
• Who do you want to thank for your accomplishments?

Yay!  I’m excited to see you getting out there and blogging your photography sessions.  

If you are convinced you need to start blogging, but aren’t sure how or where to start, I have a few blog posts written just for you.

• How to build your blog in 30 minutes or less.
• 10 Things every successful blog should have
• 3 Things to consider before you start a blog

And, if you want my complete blog checklist, click here. This gives you a walkthrough of everything you need to have to make sure your blog post gets found.

Was this helpful?  I’d love to know which questions you use!  Leave me a comment below.

xoxo,
Michelle

Michelle is a fun photographer who chases the light and her five kids.  Through her non-profit, Beauty Revived, she helps photographers tell the stories of amazing people doing amazing things.

She is a business coach to awesome women who are ready to change the world. You can find her over at www.IamMichelleGifford.com and www.BeautyRevived.com.