Maybe you’ve had a blog on your photography website for years. Maybe you’re debating whether you need to create one. Regardless of where you are in your blogging experience, maintaining a blog on your site is essential to marketing your business. It can give you an opportunity to educate your clients, grow your brand and even boost your SEO.
Before we dive into how to craft a blog post, let’s start with why blogging is important for photographers.
Establish yourself as a resource
No matter the industry or field, potential clients are more likely to work with a business they trust. By blogging consistently, you’re giving readers the chance to get to know you and your brand. You are also establishing yourself as a provider of educational content and free resources, allowing potential clients to feel that they can go to you for help, tips and advice and know that you will answer any questions they have about your services. In fact, questions from previous clients can be great topics for future blog posts and give you content to provide to clients who may have similar questions.
Build and strengthen your brand
Consistently posting on your blog can help you solidify and strengthen your photography brand. Why is this important? Your brand is how you set yourself apart from your competitors. It’s what makes you stand out in the photography world, what keeps previous clients coming back to you and makes new clients want to work with you. A strong brand is a sign to anyone who visits your website that you know what you’re talking about, that you’re trustworthy and that you know how to create work that not just satisfies but thrills your clients.
Improve your SEO
If search engine optimization isn’t a key part of your marketing strategy, it should be! SEO is how Google and other search engines rank websites and decide which ones to show on the first page of search results. The better your SEO, the better chance you have of connecting with potential clients. Regularly posting to your blog allows you to expand your reach, and blogging about your photography specialties is a great way to help your site rank higher for specific keywords. For example, if you’re a senior photographer, and you want to rank for keywords related to senior photography, like senior portraits and senior photo session, writing a blog post about how to find the right photographer for your senior session allows you to utilize these keywords in a natural way, giving your blog and your website a better chance at being found by local searchers.
So, now you know that you definitely need a blog on your photography website. But it’s not enough just to have a blog—you need to post consistently and regularly and provide a variety of content that visitors want to read. While posting about previous sessions is a great way to show off your photography skills, it’s not enough to make your blog really work for you. You should also post guides and tips on topics like what to wear for a senior session or how to prepare for your maternity photoshoot. This type of content gives you more opportunities to use those keywords that you want to rank for and allows you to expand the resources you provide to visitors.
What should my blog posts be about?
I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard photographers say, I don’t know what to write about or I feel like I’m just saying the same thing over and over again. When the goal is creating enjoyable, educational and sharable content, photographers can get frustrated because they don’t have a lot of free time to create blog posts, much less brainstorm new ideas. It can be hard enough to keep up with client blog posts, and while you definitely have the knowledge to create additional content and guides for clients, you may not often have the time.
However, your marketing strategy is a critical part of your business. It’s how you attract clients, get more leads and book more sessions, and if you don’t devote time and energy to marketing your services, your photography business doesn’t have a proper chance to grow and thrive. Consistently creating new blog content can help you stay front of mind with potential clients and give you the upper hand against the competition.
Plus, the best thing about blogging is that you can plan out posts ahead of time. You could set aside time just to write posts and schedule them out, so you’re not stressing when it’s been two weeks and you haven’t posted anything to your blog.
Your blog posts can be about anything that has to do with your business, whether that’s tips and advice, previous sessions or behind-the-scenes stories and updates about your business. The sky’s the limit! Think about questions clients have asked you or questions you’ve asked other photographers before a session. Look at your website from a client’s perspective: What information would they want to know that your site may not provide? By writing blog posts on these topics, you can provide your potential and current clients with the content they want, showing that you’re in tune with what they need from you and your business.
Start with the title
The title of your blog post should clearly lay out what readers can expect to learn from this content and what question(s) will be answered. Before you start writing, come up with an engaging title that will pique people’s interest and get them curious about the advice you have to offer. Need inspiration? Check out a website like Buzzfeed and pay attention to how they structure their titles in a way that piques your interest. Posts with titles like 5 Things Your Wedding Photographer Wants You to Know or 10 Perfect Poses for the Bride and Groom encourage visitors to click and check out the information inside. The better the title, the easier it is to get people to take the next step and check out your post.
Deliver on your promise
While a catchy title is a great start, it’s meaningless if you don’t follow it up with great content. I’m sure you’re familiar with clickbait: blogs and articles with intriguing titles designed to get you to click. Often, though, those articles tend not to provide the information you’re looking for or just repeat information from other websites without offering anything new.
You don’t want your blog posts to be clickbait. Yes, you want an interesting title that makes visitors want to click, but then you have to deliver on what that title promises. If you want to write a blog called 7 Unique Poses for Your Wedding Party, then you need to come up with seven unique poses and example images that you can post. Delivering on the promise you make in the title of your blog encourages readers to trust you and lets them know that you are reliable.
Don’t worry about style
You’re a photographer, not a writer, so don’t stress about coming up with clever turns of phrase or great descriptions. Write about what you know and do so with a voice that is honest and genuine. Readers want to hear from the real you—a photographer with experience and knowledge in their field. When you try to put on someone else’s voice, your content will come across as forced. Remember that your blog is an opportunity for clients to get to know you. That means you should write with the same tone and voice you would use when talking to a client in person or on the phone. And on that note…
Imagine your blog post as a conversation
Instead of worrying about how your blog post sounds, think of it as a conversation with a client. Imagine they asked you about the topic of the article. How would you explain it to them? What words would you use? Be conversational and let your authentic self shine through your words. If it helps, you can even record your thoughts and then type them up later. Or, if you enjoy being in front of the camera, consider creating a video to go along with your blog content. Videos receive more engagement and make for more sharable content for visitors to enjoy and for you to share on your social pages.
Do your research
There are tons of topics you can blog about beyond your sessions. Think about questions clients have asked you in the past or even reach out to your previous clients and ask what they wish they had known before their session. You can even google common questions about a photo session to see what other people are searching for and create content based on those searches.
When it comes to posts about client sessions, you don’t have to stick to your most recent photoshoots. Instead, look back in the archives for unique or special sessions and tell the stories of those experiences. Think broadly about your photography experience and what expertise you have to offer.
Use keywords in your content
You want to attract people searching for services like yours, so it’s important to use keywords that people are actually typing into search engines. The right keywords can help improve your SEO and get you that coveted first page of Google spot. It also helps to link to other relevant information on your website, like similar blog content or information pages, to keep visitors reading and engaged—and thus on your website longer.
If you’re not sure what keywords to use for your photography niche, check out our completed Keyword Research and Mapping Blueprint downloads.
Make it easy to read
No one wants to read long blocks of text, so break up your content with images, bulleted lists and section titles to ensure visitors to your blog can easily read and digest your posts. Tell a story with your blog post, even if you’re offering advice, and develop a flow to your words. Keep your paragraphs short—no more than three sentences—and try to vary the length of each paragraph to help your readers’ eyes move down the page. Think about blog posts you’ve read and enjoyed. What made them easy to read? How did they keep you engaged? Pay attention to the way other blogs are formatted and use that as inspiration for your own posts.
Don’t forget the call to action
A call to action lets readers know what step they should take next. This doesn’t have to be booking a session or even contacting you. It can be as simple as signing up for your email list or even just checking out additional resources and information on your site. Just make sure you have a goal in mind for each blog post and a clear path for readers to take.
If you need a little help creating content for your blog, check out our library of done-for-you blog posts. The keyword-rich content is already written and ready to be posted to your blog with just a few personal touches.