Email

DO NOT send any promos to a client’s personal email, unless they have given you permission. Doing this crosses a professional boundary and could affect potential future work. 

If you’re emailing a client and they have a professional, official work email, do not use their personal email if you have access to that. Don’t do it. It’s rude and you could really piss someone off. Use the work email if you have one. It draws a line that we shouldn’t assume we can cross. Some people might not get angry about it, but a lot will, so be really careful about the personal and professional email. Keep it as professional as you can if that’s your purpose and relationship with them.

Q:

Can you include buyers and reps in your email list or do you have to ask for their permission before sending out promos?

A:

It’s usually better to ask for forgiveness than permission. It depends on the type of work you shoot, but in the commercial advertising world we send out promos regularly to client’s business email addresses. My theory for marketing is to throw the pasta against the wall and see what sticks. Personally, I receive lots of promos and emails that I didn’t sign up for and I don’t mind at all.

If you want an answer to several questions I usually ask just one first, and then wait for an answer before asking the next one.

This is a sales tool that I use every single day. If I give too much information to anyone, they won’t even hear me. Even asking two questions in an email shouldn’t be done—be quick, ask one question, and move on. Trust me, it works.

The quickest way to get your marketing email deleted is to show all the other cc’d names in your mass email. 

Emails are our basic way of communicating nowadays but mass email or any kind of spam will be deleted by the recipient. If you make it sound like your email was sent to a bunch of people and not to that person, we would bet 99% of people are going to delete it. Write to specific people. If you do have to do a mass email, make sure you blind copy them. Try to use their name and personalize as much as possible.

Q:

When cold emailing clients you’d like to work with, is it a good or bad idea to include an image or attachment of your work in the email? What are some things to avoid when cold emailing?

A:

Good or bad is not totally relevant in our world of marketing because to market your branding may be very different from what other photographers do. Try everything and see what sticks. Some companies block emails with images, most people do not open attachments for their safety, and others prefer just a link to click it. Try it all!

When sending links, always make them clickable!

Q:

What are some things to avoid when cold emailing?

A:

I’d say the most important part of a cold email is not to sound cold. Don’t have it sound like a mass email. Be as personable as possible. Mention something they personally may be interested in. And spell their name correctly.

Q:

How often do art buyers respond to email blasts? How enthusiastic should a photographer actually be about positive feedback from an email blast?

A:

Never. When sending out emails, don’t expect to get any responses. The point of an email blast is not to get responses, and they know that. The point of an email blast is to send out as many emails as possible to the correct clients to show them your work.

Q:

When sending newsletters/promos to new clients or agents, is there a polite way to introduce yourself other than the generic, “Hey, I’m a new photographer in the area, etc.?” In essence, when photographers reach out to you, how do you like to be “asked?”

A:

The best way is to speak to people as you would want to be spoken to. The more personal and less ‘mass email’ sounding, the better. Be short and quick but also as personal as possible. Use the person’s name and spell it correctly.

If you want better odds of getting your question answered, ask only one.