The Podcast for Pet Photographers
Listen free below, or join the Club for access to extended episodes
S14E08 | Co-hosting a super-charged event for a $6k mini-session day
Do you always here that one of the best marketing avenues is to attend dog-friendly events to get in front of the right audience.. But, there aren’t any around you.. Or not enough? Then tune in to today’s episode to hear how our guest created her own dog day out, and it wasn’t even as overwhelming as that sounds!
S14E07 | This is what a million dollar studio looks like
You are in for a real treat with today's episode- John runs not one, but two studios, and over the last couple of years has focused his marketing to become known as an expert pet photographer, despite offering other genres and today, 70% of his million dollar revenue comes from pet photography!
It is a not-to-be-missed, long interview so pop your headphones in, take your dog for a stroll and be prepared to stop to jot down notes.
S14E06 | Insights into the world of horse photography
If the horse world intrigues you.. But you’re not quite sure about offering equine portraits, do not miss this episode with two of the world's most respected equine photographers, Emily Hancock and Hannah Freeland of Training Barn.
We discussed if and how a pet photographer can also offer horse photography but then we went well and truly beyond that. We chatted about marketing and why shooting competitions was the opposite of helpful for Hannah trying to book equine portraits. We chatted safety and horse behavior.
And then in the members half of this interview Emily gave us an insight into the world of creating and selling art in the traditional sense. She also shared her experience working with a marketing firm for both her portraits and her fine art work, as well as how she sells her fine art work to interior designers.
Hannah shared exactly how she books great clients through referrals, and why clients would fly her to the other side of the world and pay £30k+ for portraits.
Hear all about it in this weeks episode!
S14E05 | From global brand management to commercial pet photography
How would you like to have repeat clients, purchasing only digitals, coming back to you multiple times per year? That’s what your calendar can look like as a commercial pet photographer.
Today’s guest, Rowan Williams has a background in high level marketing and brand management- and today uses that knowledge to successfully offer commercial pet photography.
She shared what that entails including creating briefs and pricing structures plus in the members extended episode we covered charging for dog models, the impact of Reels and Tik Tok and of course- marketing!
Hear all about it in this weeks episode!
S14E04 | LinkedIn for pet photographers
Todays guest is Chris Miller, one half of the husband-wife team behind MIL Pet Photography in the UK. He photographs 30 clients a year as his version of semi retirement and in todays episode he shared why it’s worth setting up LinkedIn for your pet photography, and finding a couple of minutes a day to dedicate to the platform.
Hear all about it in this weeks episode!
S14E03 | European clients want product too, and they’ll pay for them!
Today’s guest, Mareike Konrad was one of Europe’s first, if not the first, professional pet photographer. She started her business 12 years ago doing what most of you are doing today- selling digital only packages at unsustainable prices. She quickly realized that in order to put food on her table, something had to change. After reaching out to newborn photographers around the world to learn what worked for them, she introduced albums, wall art and other products too- and when she did- her clients thanked her!
Hear all about it in this weeks episode!
S14E02 | Running a profitable part-time pet photography business while working full time
Hanako Soncini is sure to inspire. She is Swiss, living in Canada, working full time as a teacher and on top of that, shooting for 30 paying clients a year- mostly only in the Summer break! She spends winter working on her marketing plan and has no intention of ever going full time! Hear all about it in this weeks episode!
S14E01 | Booking clients all over Europe who choose YOU instead of a cheaper local photographer
If you are feeling like you’re stuck in an echo-chamber of information today’s guest is sure to show you a different way. I’m chatting with german photographer Anika Lauer.
She started off as a wedding photographer, then transitioned into pets and opened a studio space which she shares with a newborn photographer, even though she is now combining shooting with travel and often has clients out of town or even out of Germany!
If your ears perked up at travel.. You will love the strategy that Anika used to get her first few “international” clients, and it’s something you can do right now!
S14 bonus | Photographers are three times more likely to experience mental illness
Did you know that photographers are three times more likely to experience mental illness than the general population?
We’re kickstarting Season 14, and the podcast for 2023 with a conversation around this very important topic with Jessica McGovern from That Tog Spot who not only shares her own experiences, but has also extensively researched Mental Health and the impact on photographers.
Tune in as we break down the three biggest factors and what can be done
S13E09 | Insurance for pet photographers
Today’s interview topic might not excite you- but it certainly is a useful one! We’re talking insurance. I learned from personal experience the importance of a good insurance policy, you’ll hear all about that and how luck was on my side in the interview!
Other than my story, you’ll learn what means what in your policy and about the application for accepting risk so that you can make sure all your business activities are actually covered. And for the members tuning into the second half you’ll learn the difference between all the policy types you may want to consider and why.
S13E08 | How to sell products to your clients, and get the ego boost that comes with it!
Are you selling digital only but would love to sell more product? Or perhaps you offer product but you find you can’t sell it? In today’s episode I chatted all about selling product with Maggie Robinson. We also covered the impact of booking a shoot for yourself, how her background in sales helps her in photography and the benefit of IPS that no one likes to mention- the ego boost!
And if you’re a member you’ll hear Maggie share her entire client process in the second half, including the questions she asks on the phone, when she shares her prices and how, how she starts her sales appointments and leads that into a top package sale, and a few key lines that she uses too plus so much more!
S13E07 | How we can do better by the dogs we photograph!
Are you guilty of seeing a particular dog pose or expression on Instagram and wanting to capture it too, before really stopping to think if that was a nice experience for the dog or not? Today’s episode might make you uncomfortable but I challenge you to take a listen and then keep in mind all that you hear during this episode, for your future photoshoots. Personally, I’ll be trying to help my clients recognise stress in their dogs by pointing out when their dog is happy. That’s my big takeaway from this interview!
S13E06 | Understand your community in order to market successfully, create product desire and book often
As pet photographers we are always looking for ways to give our clients a reason to stop saying “I’ll book that shoot.. One day”.. And instead, book now. Indian pet photographer, Prathima of Pawparazzi Pet Photography looked deep into the values of her culture to find a way to do just that - and it’s something that’s right in front of us and can easily be introduced around the world.
And if you’re not yet a member, you’re certainly going to want to join to hear the members-only extended episode of this interview. We chatted about making gift certificates profitable, creating desire for wall art, and what to offer if that doesn’t work! PLUS we chatted all about offering shoots outside of your local area, and how you can incentivise your clients to do the marketing for you in a way that’s simpler than you might think!
S13E05 | Improve your cash flow with a subscription offering
Does it feel like every business around you is somehow switching to a subscription model, except us pet photographers? All our software, education, even our own dogs food can be purchased on subscription.
How would you like to jump on board this trend and improve your cash-flow too? Today’s guest took inspiration from another photographer to launch an offering to do just that with a Monthly Print Club. Tune in to hear all about it.
In the extended member-only episode you’ll hear all the details around pricing and workload, plus a conversation around the turning point for Cassie’s business which is sure to encourage those of you who are in the early stage of your business.
S13E04 | Take control of your work-life balance by implementing these systems
Do you feel like you’re always chasing your tail? Like there’s always a huge to-do list and you just can’t get on top of it? You know you need a better system but implementing it is a whole other to-do list?
If that all sounds familiar, tune in for today’s episode with Kim Hamblin where she shares actionable advice as we break down all the systems that can help you free up more time in your business.
S13E03 | Your questions to a printing lab answered
Do you know who knows which products truly sell the best? Or if you as a print-based photographer are genuinely busy or not? Your lab.
They have unique insights into our industry and in this episode we has Patricia Won of GTA Imaging share the answers to questions like, how do I calibrate my monitor?”, “how do I make hanging prints easier for my clients?”, “how do I offer unique products?” or “what can I add onto wall art orders?”.
S13E02 | Building a mobile pet photography studio
Have you considered leasing or purchasing a commercial space to open a studio but always find the cost prohibitive, or the location is just never right? Beth Alexander found the same problem and so she decided to come up with a creative solution- a mobile studio which she had built from the ground up for a fraction of the price of a storefront!
S13E01 | How Adam raised $250k for shelters
How would you feel if you could say you’ve raised $250k for charity through pet photography and that those sessions were booked 6 months in advance?
This is the reality for today’s guest who prior to Covid worked with Shelters all over the country but despite being proud of the fundraising efforts, he wishes he did it all differently!
S12E14 | How to build community as a pet photographer
Pet Photo Bingo is a totally unique marketing strategy that Marika Moffit launched and it’s a tonne of fun for you to play with your pet loving audience. Tune in to this episode to hear all about it with Marika, an expert at building community and quirky marketing strategies.
S1213 | Tips for selling products through online galleries
There’s something for everyone in today’s interview with printing expert, Debbie Bedford from Loxley Colour. If you’re just starting to dip your toe into the world of printing, Debbie shared some great tips for selling prints online.