Promos

Q:

I love how you’re providing answers and guidance to photographers like myself! Is it ok to add people to your mailing list without asking or should you only contact people who have given you their email address directly?

A:

People can always unsubscribe to your mailing list, so make sure there’s an option to do that. Just make sure the work is applicable to the people you’re including. I find Agency Access and Yodelist to be very helpful in matching your area of specialty with the right clients.

Q:

I’m constantly frustrated about not being able to get a reply to emails or phone calls after sending out high quality printed promos to agencies or directly to a client. I’ve even started to create personalized 30 second video follow-ups in an attempt to get my personality across. I simply want to figure out if they want to be kept on the mailing list or not. 

Should I go back to the mass mailing approach or continue to send the printed promos?

A:

I wouldn’t waste your time and money on sending high quality printed work unsolicited. People are usually too busy to respond and their initial review of unsolicited work is likely to be from a digital source. Their lack of response is normal. The only quick responses I receive are via LinkedIn. So give that a try.

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.

A handy rule for promos and portfolios is to never put the date on them. It makes them unusable pretty quickly.

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!

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.

Q:

Do people still send postcards out? Are they a good way of marketing?

A:

Yes, we still send out promo mailers, as it’s important to use every possible opportunity you can think of to stay in front of clients. Not every type of marketing will work for everyone, so I like to try every method that is within our budget.