How To Make Consistent Income as a Fashion Photographer
When I did my big survey at the end of 2022, the biggest thing that I noticed was how much you all desired consistent work as fashion photographers. For many of you, you're shooting the odd lookbook, or e-commerce shoot here and there, but you've not quite got those guaranteed jobs month on month.
So how do you get consistent work? Here are my biggest pieces of advice:
You need an actual marketing plan that you can stick to, and perform every single week. That means being realistic with how much you can do, but also pushing yourself to do as much as you can.
Write a list of all the ways that you can market yourself, and then pick the ones you feel will be most effective, whilst also providing the most touch points with potential clients.
Reach out to brands via email as regularly as you can.
Research email addresses (or work them out) and put yourself out there. If you don't make the first move and share your work with a brand, it's unlikely that they will discover you on their own. Don't leave it to chance.
Be visible everywhere. By that I mean, you need to show up on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest... as many places as you can. Pick the platforms that you enjoy spending time on and make a point of using them for your business.
On the above, think about where your dream clients hang out and spend time. I know that personally, a lot of my dream clients are regularly on LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram.
They are also likely to use Pinterest. Some might use Twitter, but it's not as common, so I don't use it. I also don't use Facebook these days, but you might discover that your dream clients ARE on those platforms. Do your research and find out where they are, and show up there.
Networking is so important, and you should never underestimate the power of word of mouth marketing.
For that reason, make sure to collaborate with industry professionals on editorials and test shoots as often as you can. Not only do you need to be creating personal work for your portfolio on a regular basis, but this is the perfect opportunity for you to impress, and make an impact on others.
I regularly get enquiry emails from brands because they heard of, or saw my work via a make up artist that I've worked with.
Get specific about your location. This is even more important if you serve a very specific niche of photography, or if you live in a part of your country where fashion photographers are less prevalent.
If you live outside of a major city, make your location work for you! Sometimes it can work out really well to be a big fish in a little pond. If you're the only fashion photographer available in a specific area, really market that fact.
Do everything you can to improve your website SEO. Alt tag your images, write blog posts, key word your text where you have it. Research how to make Google love your website.
Finally, do as much as you can to be a fantastic photographer to the clients that you already have. The EASIEST way to get consistent work is to work with recurring clients who come back to you multiple times a year to shoot with them.
Like I said at the beginning, getting consistent work as a fashion photographer is about being consistent about doing all of the above. It's about showing up, day in day out, relentlessly, and doing everything that you can to market yourself. The more you do, the easier it gets.
What should your next steps be after this email? If you don't have one, make yourself that marketing plan. Grab a notebook and pen and write down what you're going to do each week, without fail to get consistent work in, and then stick with it!
Share a photo of you making your marketing plan on Instagram stories and tag me, I'd love to see 🙂
