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Launching Your First Email Campaign as a Photographer: Five Simple Steps

BY HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHER BUSINESS MENTOR, Vanie Poyey

You have an email list that you’ve never nurtured and you don’t know where to start. Well don’t worry, I gotcha.

But first, give yourself a pat on the back because you thought to keep emails and have a list! Congrats on thinking ahead. Now let’s get to using that list.

Emailing your past clients or potential clients does not have to be awkward if you follow these five easy steps. 

First things first. If you don’t already have an email service provider, you’ll need to choose one to send out weekly emails.

I used to like Mailchimp but I recently made the switch to Flodesk because they don’t charge me for increasing the number of people on my list. In other words, I don’t get penalized for being successful!????  I like them because they have an easy-to-use platform and designed it with creatives in mind. Check them out.

 

1. Think of a gift you can create to give to the people on your list. 

Something that your ideal client would find valuable because it helps them solve a problem. See more on ‘Lead Magents’ in this article.

I offer a few gifts for my clients. I have a ‘Wardrobe Guide’, a ‘Getting Started Guide’ and a ‘Headshot Checklist’. All three of these freebies were born out of a need to stop answering the same questions from potential clients over and over again.

Think of what questions your clients ask you repeatedly and create a checklist or a guide they can download that will answer those questions and solve their problems. Make sense?

By the way, when you don’t have your own graphic designer (I mean who does?), my favorite tool to create download guides that look super professional is Canva.

Once you’ve created your gift, you’re ready to send your first email.

 

2. Come up with an enticing subject line. 

Your subject line should make people curious about opening your email. Below are some examples of curiosity invoking subject lines.

Manicube: “*Don’t Open This Email*”

GrubHub: “Last Day To See What This Mystery Email Is All About”

Mary Fernandez: “? a surprise gift for you! {unwrap}”

Remember your audience has never heard from you so give them a reason to open your email. Mentioning your gift in the subject line is a great way to get into their in-box for the first time.

 

3. In the body of your email, introduce yourself.

Although you may think they know you, still, remind the people on your list, who you are, what you do, why you do it and how you can solve their biggest problem. Also throw in something more personal about you like the number of dogs you have or your favorite pastime. Mine is how I love a good glass of wine!

Be careful not to talk about yourself for too long. Make the email about them and not about you… so keep your introduction brief and immediately after that, offer your free gift.
Let them know what it’s all about and how it will help them when they download it.

 

 

4. Let your audience know how often they should expect to hear from you.

Set expectations with your list is important because it helps prevent people from unsubscribing. Also let them know what you’ll be helping them with in your emails. Generally, what will your emails be about?

Weekly emails are the best way to stay in touch with your audience and to create a community. However, if the thought of weekly emails overwhelms you, try bi-weekly or monthly emails at first and once you get into a rhythm, increase to weekly.

 

5. Finish your email by offering something exclusive.

that as subscribers, you’ll give them something exclusive that your followers on social media don’t get. For example my list gets access to exclusive sales we don’t announce on social media.

Think of something you know your audience values and provide that as an exclusive item for being on your list.

It could be something as simple as exclusive content you don’t share anywhere else.

 

Finally, sign off ✅ with gratitude. It’s important to always express your gratitude to the community supporting what you do. Make sure you convey how excited and happy you are to serve them moving forward!

By following these steps, you can effectively nurture your email list and build a meaningful connection with your audience which translates to sales in the future. Comment below???? if this helps you send off that first email!

Hi, I’m Vanie!

Pronounced like Bonnie… and I blame my parents for the misspelling of my name! I went from having $300 in the bank to building a six-figure headshot photography business doing what I love. I’m here to teach you how to do the same!

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