The Podcast for Pet Photographers
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S17E05 | Rebranding after a decade of brand name recognition with Lindsay Baca
Today’s guest has been in business for 12 years and tried a lot during that time. Last year she decided the risk was worth it and gave up her old business name along with the decade plus of brand recognition that came with it, and rebranded to better align her business with her personality and shooting style.
I’m talking about Lindsay Baca who credits defining her style to great coaches at an international workshop. We chatted all about that, her journey in business including her recent rebrand. And for members, there’s a discussion about commercial work in there for you too.
S17E04 | Collaborating with ambassadors and diversification when moving to a rural area with Brookyln Coverdale
There’s something for everyone in this interview with Australian equine photographer, Brooklyn Coverdale.
She built a successful business in a short period by niching down in western event coverage and portraits- a speciality that wasn’t really being serviced by other photographers. Since moving to a small rural town, Brooklyn began diversifying her local offerings all while staying within her style and the western/farming world.
We dived into the ins and outs of all that in part one and for the members, you’ll hear how she uses ambassadors and why Brooklyn has stopped offering content creation even though it pays well- and what she’s doing instead.
S17E03 | How free publicity has shaped this pet photographers business with Belinda Richards
I initially had just one question prepared for today’s guest, Belinda Richards, and it wasn’t anything to do with PR. Yet we just spent over half of this interview diving into why Belinda is putting most of her marketing energy into getting newspaper articles, blog posts and even a radio show segment! And let me tell you- the information she shared will make you go back to your client avatar, look at where they go for information and find a way to feature there.
In the members half Belinda shared her top tips for getting free publicity and then we moved onto her approach for successful expo’s- which really had little to do with being there on the day. I took us well over time but I know you’ll be glad because the episode is full of so many great take aways, oh and eventually I did get to my one question- how and why Frog Dog Studio’s is charging for pre-shoot consults.
S17E02 | Thinking like a business person for pet photography success with Lisa Asp
Today’s guest has been in business for a long time- and you can tell. She is thinking outside the box with her marketing while also ensuring she has a layered approach to fill her calendar. Beyond that, she’s heavily involved with PPA and ISAP so after chatting marketing she answered your questions about joining a photography association and the different awards and competitions that are out there.
S17E01 | Great communication, clear boundaries and firm policies make for a solid and profitable pet photography business for Jessica Wasik
Do you groan every time you hear another coach or podcast guest talk about the importance of phone calls or pre-shoot consultations? Then this interview will be a breath of fresh air for you! Today’s guest, Jessica Wasik, is on track to hit a quarter of a million dollars in annual revenue- without phone calls for most of her 80+ bookings a year!
She shared what she does instead and the importance of systems along with a whole lot of other insights. And if you’re a member, you’ll even hear my of my recent rookie mistake!
S16E12 | From burn out to happiness in doing all the things with Allira Fontana
I initially reached out to todays guest to chat all about her Facebook group for pet parents, and we did get into the details of that but we also covered much more because today’s guest was a complete open book!
I’m talking about Allira Fontana and if you’re considering offering event photography for horse shows, the first part will certainly be of interest to you. Then we switched gears and chatted about that Facebook group- why she started it, how it grew and why Allira isn’t worried about losing clients with it.
If you’re a member- you’re really in for a treat, and maybe even a bit of a wake up call. Allira shared the importance of understanding animal behaviour as a pet and equine photographer- and how she went about learning that, and then we got into her marketing strategies. If you’re looking at an empty calendar, hearing Allira list off her upcoming marketing calendar will be quite the eye opener!
I don’t think I’ve ever had an interview with such variety so no matter what stage of business you’re in- be sure to tune in.
S16E11 | Don’t let fear hold you back with Alex Cearns
We’ve heard it before, business is not for the faint-hearted and today’s guest agrees.
I’m talking about Alex Cearns who’s been in business for 15 years and has worked with pet photographers from all corners of the globe.
We covered many topics including the usual business structures, marketing and products, but the common theme throughout was not to let fear hold you back in business.
If you’ve caught yourself getting down after comparing your average sales to other photographers, or beating yourself up over the peaks and troughs of business, Alex’s message is sure to hit home.
In the members second-half, Alex shared how she’s booking 250 clients a year, what they’re buying, why they don’t ask for digitals and her thoughts on social media for marketing.
There’s great takeaways from this episode no matter what stage you’re at in business, so tune in!
S16E09 | Clients are everywhere, but some areas are worth traveling to with Blue Amrich
We often hear educators saying that you can find clients anywhere. I know I say it, and I believe it because we really need so few clients per year that we can find enough no matter where we live- well almost.
Today’s guest agrees, but she also pointed out that some markets are easier than others which is why she happily travels two hours to her client shoots back in Boston, instead of trying to find clients in her new hometown.
By making this decision, she also realised she had to make more money per client. So two years ago, Blue Amrich re-designed her business model to meet that new required average sale. In today's episode, she shared what Beyond the Fence looked like then and the biggest change she made to ensure that drive is worth it.
S16E08 | Business lesson learned over 14 years+ as a pet photographer
Today’s guest is no stranger to this industry. She has been setting standards for pet photographers for a decade or so, but today she’s here not to talk about education, but her journey as a pet photographer and the changes she’s made throughout the years to meet her business goals. I’m talking about none other than Nicole Begley and I’m wrapped to have her joining us today.
S16E07 | Five Tips to Make Google Love your Website as a pet photographer with Claire Lauer
If you’d love to have more enquiries coming to you from people who are already searching for the exact thing you offer- amazing pet portraits, then be sure to tune in to today’s episode.
Our guest, Claire Lauer helps photographers rank higher on Google to increase organic bookings and in this episode she shared tonnes of actionable tips to help you do the same as well has her favorite SEO tools. Even after this last 12 months of increasing my knowledge around this topic, I also grabbed some great tops and will be implementing a few changes on my own sites thanks to this episode!
S16E06 | Skipping the shortcuts and staying focused on a million-dollar business goal as a pet photographer with Gabi Kline Leon
Today’s guest, Gabi Leon of Gavriella Pet Photography, moved to the U.S. 4 years ago. In the lead up to her move she laid as many foundations as possible to be ready to hit the ground running. Since then, she’s stayed focused on her goal which is to offer a high-end luxury photography business and build a million dollar business.
She isn’t quite getting consistent bookings yet, but the ones she does get, spend enough that it doesn’t matter- which by the way, is on average between $5-6k.
She’s gotten creative with her marketing too and in this interview, she shared one strategy that I haven’t heard of before and if you’re aiming for high sales, you could certainly replicate.
S16E05 | The journey from dog sports to portraits with the help of great education with Michelle Crandall
Today’s guest launched her dog sports photography business in late 2019.. Within months the 25 upcoming events she’d booked had all been canceled due to covid. Having quit her career job, she was forced to pivot and spend most of 2020 learning as much as she could to relaunch as a pet portrait photographer. Implementing everything she learned, her focus became building relationships which now means most of her clients come from referrals. I’m talking about Michelle Crandall of Pets in Focus and you’ll want to tune in to hear all about that and her business today.
S16E04 | Making the most of connections to start a business with Kim Hoshal
When today’s guest moved cities, continuing her landscape photography as her primary income felt impossible without local connections. She considered the contacts she did have and realized they were in the dog world. Combining her love for dogs with her love for nature, Kim Hoshall utilised these contacts to launch a pet photography business. She’s tried many different pricing structures and marketing strategies in the last ten years, and in today's episode- we spoke all about them!
S16E03 | Knowing your why and taking action leads to a high reward for Ina Jalil
This week’s guest found herself with a quiet start to the year after her biggest lead generator, a local event was cancelled right before she was taking time off for an overseas trip. I’m talking about a returning guest to the show, Ina Jalil who instead of allowing herself to mellow in stress, invested in more coaching and took action. Fast forward four months, she’s had a 5 figure sale, her highest to date, and is almost fully booked until Australian winter.
Tune in to today’s episode to learn how she turned business around and before that, the perhaps surprising impact of her rebrand- which has helped her business mindset!
S16E02 | How a structured business plan lead to a $200k first year in business for Ryan Erickson
I initially asked today’s guest on the show when I learned about his super successful truck studio and we did talk about it, but he also shared so much else including what gave him the confidence to take out a loan to build this business.
I’m talking about Ryan Erickson who last year, in his first year of full time business turned over more than $200,000 from 150 clients spending an average of $1500 each. There’s tonnes of really great insights and learnings in the first part of this episode, but if you want to know how he found those clients, and here the benefits of his business plan and what that included, be sure to listen to the members-only half.
S15E14 | The power of a strong website for organic pet photography bookings with Angie Rose
For most of us pet photographers, we have to have a strong, layered marketing plan in order to get consistent bookings. But what if your website did all the heavy lifting for you? For today’s guest, Angie Rose, that’s exactly the case. Her marketing budget is almost exclusively spent on a her content creator who does all her blogging, which she admits wouldn’t get done otherwise.
That blogging, combined with the main website is her biggest lead source and then it’s through her booking process that those leads are converted into dream clients. If ditching expo’s, affiliate programs and Facebook marketing sounds like a dream to you- tune into this episode to hear how Angie runs her business without all that!
S15E13 | 25 years of dog photography with Margaret Bryant
Margaret Bryant of Bryant Dog Photography started out shooting dog sports on film but quickly realised that wasn’t sustainable (for the time) and moved into studio portraits. Since then she’s photographed thousands of dogs in her home studio in Texas, and even published a couple of books.
We covered a lot in this episode, from Margert’s experiences in the early days of her business, to who our biggest competitor is and how we can book clients anyway. And if you’ve been thinking about offering puppy packages, definitely tune into the second half to hear exactly what Margaret is offering.
S15E12 | This is how to start a profitable pet photography business with Diane Gollowitzer
It’s been just over a year since today’s guest launched her pet photography business. She spent 2022 learning all about business and hit the ground running in 2023. She’s proof that actioning what you learn is the only way to meet your goals. Tune in to today’s episode to hear all about the marketing strategies that worked and didn’t, to get this pet photography business off the ground for England-based photographer, Diane Gollowitzer of Dogs in Focus Photography.
If you are looking to see who has recently walked the path you’ve just stepped onto- today’s episode is for you.
S15E11 | How a seamless client experience leads to a fully booked calendar
What if I told you that it’s possible to be completely fully booked thanks to past clients either returning or referring? That is the reality for today’s guest, who clearly doesn’t do things in halves! A quick look at either his Instagram or Website is proof of that with stunning images, useful information and beautiful design so it isn’t a surprise to learn that his client experience is also seamless. In today’s episode, we broke down exactly what that experience looks to make his clients tell all of their friends!
S15E10 | Demystifying the world of editorial photography with Shelley Paulson
Despite this interview being with one of the world’s best equine photographers, it’s not about horse photography at all!
Instead, Shelley and I dived deep into the editorial world for pet photographers. If you have your own stock library of images, this might just be a great way to add some passive income to your business. Shelley shared exactly how she finds these clients, what it is they’re buying and how her system works to sell images to magazines. In the members half we got into the numbers and then had a little chat about licensing too.
Shelley is truly a wealth of knowledge and what she shared in this interview is sure to get your mind ticking with ideas.