Copywriting for photographers: is it really that important?

A guest blog on copywriting for photographers by Green Chair Stories

Is copywriting for photographers really that important? Sure is. Here’s 4 reasons why.

As a photographer, copywriting might be the last thing on your mind. You’ve got photos to edit, emails to respond to, shoots to book, and now? Reels to make (#worst).

With all that on your plate, do the words on your site even matter that much? Won’t your photos just sell your services for you?

I hate to break it to you, but no. Sorry. I know that’s not the answer you want, but it’s the answer you need to hear. Let’s relive this moment together that I know for a fact has happened to you:

It’s Monday morning. You shot a double-header wedding this weekend. You’re tired. But it was also the last weekend you’re working for a while. You aren’t sure why, but booking has been slow.

Feeling defeated, you open up Instagram. Maybe if you post a killer image you can drum up some inquiries. That shot from Saturday night where the sun was just starting to fall under the horizon, backlighting the bride’s golden hair was damn near perfect. You texted it to the couple so it’s already on your phone. Beautiful.

You choose the image, copy your hashtags from your Notes app, write the caption, “This liiiiiight! It was everything ✨” and hit the Share button. You paste those hashtags in there and wait for the likes to tally up and an inquiry email to come in.

This isn’t necessarily a bad marketing tactic, it’s just only a small piece of what your strategy should be.

Marketing your business should never be done on one platform and it should never be left up to chance. Putting all your eggs in one basket leaves out some golden leads and opportunities. Also, if you put all of your energy into one place, you run the risk of it drying up at any time, and then you’re left at the starting line again.

The only space you control on the internet is your website. And even if 99% of your leads start somewhere else, almost all of those potential clients will visit your site at some point in their buying process. Is your site ready to convert those interested people?

Let’s talk about all the reasons your copy is important (and even some tips about how to make it better):

1. It’s actually not your images that sell people. It’s your words.

When someone looks at your images, it’s like flirting. They are interested, intrigued, having fun, and a little giddy at the excitement of it all. Your images are what draw them in and get them curious. But they also beg a question, right away: “Who is this person, and do I want them to photograph me?”

So what gets them from flirting with you to agreeing to go on a date with you? Your words! Think about if you’ve ever asked someone out. You can flirt for hours, but you have to close at some point. You have to ask the question.

Your website words are the ask, the call to action. Reading through your website is what gets people to smash that Contact button.

Your photos tell them nothing about your personality, your process, your pricing, or your panache (there was a “p” theme, couldn’t help it). But your words are how you convey all of that. If you leave it up to your photos to do all the work, you’ll never get a date!

2. The copy on your site can be one of the most powerful lead generators. (Especially for cold leads!)

Have you heard of a little something called Search Engine Optimization? There are so many ways to get leads to your site: direct referrals from past clients, Instagram, FB, The Knot, etc. But when those aren’t #werkin for ya, SEO can. Using your headlines and metadata well, along with writing strategic blog posts can bring in leads you would have never had access to any other way.

It’s not just about the words sounding nice, it’s about putting them to work. Once you know your analytics, you can see where the majority of your site visitors are coming from (Hotjar, anyone?). If SEO is your main lead source, then you know you need to write to people who have never heard of you. You need to treat this one-sided conversation as if they know nothing about you. The first thing they see (on whichever page your SEO is landing them) needs to let them know they are in the exact right place with the exact right photographer. See my next point if your leads aren’t coming from SEO and are white-hot.

3. Your copy can confirm what they already think or know about you.

Like I said above, there are a lot of ways that people get to your site. If most of your business is referral-based, or from Instagram, then your leads already know or assume a little bit about you. You are free to show a little more personality and get a little more specific.

If they have seen your stuff, they liked it enough to come to your site. So what makes you special? What takes it from that flirting interaction to a full-on date? What do your ideal clients need to read in order to say “I gotta talk to this person.”

What do they already assume and most importantly, what questions do they have that you can answer? What are they skeptical about and what are their concerns?

4. Copywriting for Photographers: It builds trust and reassurance.

There’s nothing worse than flirting with someone all night just to leave without the reassurance they are interested. (I assume. I’ve been outta the game for a while but that sounds like it would suck?) When someone falls in love with your work and then heads to your site, they are holding their breath, waiting for you to sell to them (ask them out). The worst thing you can do is disappoint them. You’ve gained their interest with your photos. Now your words need to gain their trust.

Here’s an exercise for you:

Pretend that you are a potential client that just spent 15 minutes ogling your IG feed. Now pull up your site. Still pretend to be that client. Are you so happy to see a professionally designed, personality-packed site that instantly makes you fall in love with … you? If not, what’s missing? Why don’t you trust you after this exercise?

Copywriting for Photographers: Because I’m feeling generous, here are some questions you can ask yourself to see if your site copy needs to be tweaked:

Am I reassuring potential clients who visit my site? Am I even addressing their concerns at all?
→ You need to know what your clients are concerned about. Check the inquiries you’ve received in the past and see what questions people have asked. What are their biggest hesitations? Write copy that answers those almost immediately.

Do I present myself as the solution to their problems or fears?
→ Once you reassure them that you know what their concerns are, you need to paint yourself as the solution to their problems. What about who you are makes their life easier? What about who you are is better qualified than the other 10 photographers they are talking to? Don’t write a word of copy until you can answer those questions.

Am I writing to one specific client or just writing to the masses?
→ There is a concept in copywriting called the “One Reader” and you should know about it.
Tl;dr … Think of your favorite client you’ve ever worked with. Write a site specifically to that person or couple. Make it so specific that it would repel some people. If you’re writing to everyone, you’re writing to no one. Writing a site directed toward your favorite clients will get you more people just like them.

You don’t need to be an expert copywriter to write effective copy. You just need to have a deep understanding of who your clients are and how you can serve them. Your words don’t need to be poetic or flowery or even perfect. They just need to be ones that resonate with those people.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of this, I’m going to give you my number 1 tip on copywriting for photographers and having effective copy:

Go ask your clients why they hired you.

There is always a moment of tension or hesitation before a big purchase. What is the thing that pushed them over the edge from thinking about hiring you to “Yes, let’s do it. Here’s my credit card information.” Whatever it was that you said or did or promised, that’s what you want to highlight in your copy.

You have worked so hard to get here. To produce images you’re proud of. To run a business that pays your bills. Don’t let your copy be the thing holding you back from making this whole thing a wild success.

Good luck with your writing; I’m cheering you on!

Write on,
Rachel

And a quick note from Sharee…

Those of you that know me, or have spent some time on my website or social media channels know that I’m a firm believer in ‘the proof is in the pudding’. For those of you that don’t know me yet, I’ll say it again: the proof is in the pudding. There are so many educators, digital products, templates, guides, and the list goes on and on kinds of things that are marketed to you to make your business better. I have no personal benefit and no financial gain from sharing my love for Rachel and the entire Green Chair Stories copywriting for photographers team with you. But even though I can talk (or type) until my fingers fall off about how much of a game-changer it has been hiring a copywriter for my photography business.

Here are some reviews and directly from my clients that mention the copy on my website after hiring Green Chair Stories for full photography website copywriting (the Leica package)…

Convinced yet? Because I’ve been singing her praises ever since I spent hours word vomiting to her and she packaged it up into a magical bow of a website that is genuine to who I am and made my ideal clients ready to hire me before we even say hello to each other!

The magic doesn’t even stop there though. Green Chair Stories also has email templates for photographers for inquiry responses, follow ups, reminders, gallery delivery, review requests, sharing galleries with vendors and so much more that I was able to plug directly into my CRM, but still personalize anytime along the way and my clients have been loving the heck out of those too. Don’t you worry, I’ve got some more proof of that “client love” for you too ;).

If you’re still here and haven’t already abandoned this page to immediately hire Rachel and her copywriting dream team or buy her email templates for photographers, here is a nifty button to get you there a little bit faster.