Guide
How to get photography clients: 5 ways and what to say for each
Updated
Most booked-out photographers get clients through people: referrals, past clients, vendor partners and the map. Here are five ways, the exact sentence each one needs, and where video fits.
In short
- Most photography clients come through people: referrals, past clients, vendor partners and the map, not ads.
- Ask for a referral when you deliver the gallery, with one sentence you use every time.
- Email past clients once a season with a date they can book.
- Send planners and venues free images of their own work, and they pass your name on.
- Every inquiry asks the price, what a session is like, how to prepare, and whether they feel at ease with you.
The 5 ways at a glance
None of these needs an ad budget. They cost time and a few sentences.
Five ways to get photography clients
| Way | What you do | Who it reaches |
|---|---|---|
| Referrals | One sentence at gallery delivery | Friends of happy clients |
| Past clients | A two-line email each season, with a date | People who already booked you |
| Vendor partners | Free images of their own work, within the week | Couples asking planners and venues for names |
| Google Maps | A complete profile, one review ask per gallery | Strangers searching near me |
| Short videos | One client question per video | Strangers deciding if they feel at ease with you |
Way: Referrals
- What you do
- One sentence at gallery delivery
- Who it reaches
- Friends of happy clients
Way: Past clients
- What you do
- A two-line email each season, with a date
- Who it reaches
- People who already booked you
Way: Vendor partners
- What you do
- Free images of their own work, within the week
- Who it reaches
- Couples asking planners and venues for names
Way: Google Maps
- What you do
- A complete profile, one review ask per gallery
- Who it reaches
- Strangers searching near me
Way: Short videos
- What you do
- One client question per video
- Who it reaches
- Strangers deciding if they feel at ease with you
Way 1: Referrals
Referrals come when you ask for them. The best moment is gallery delivery, not the shoot.
- The client is looking at the best photos of their family they have ever owned, so ask right then.
- One sentence works at every delivery. "Most of my work comes through people my clients send me. If someone asks who shot these, I would love the introduction."
- Make it easy with a shareable mini gallery, a card in the print box, or a print credit for the person who refers you.
- Pick one of those and use it at every delivery.
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Way 2: Past clients
Past clients book again when you give them a reason and a date.
- Families grow, headshots age and houses sell, so the reason is usually already there.
- Keep one list of every past client, their session type and the month. A spreadsheet is enough.
- Email each group once a season, two lines, with a date in it.
- A line like "I am booking October family sessions now and wanted you to have first pick of dates" is enough.
- Mini sessions are made for this list: short sessions, one location, one weekend.
Way 3: Vendor partners
Planners, florists, venues and makeup artists meet your clients before you do.
- Couples ask them for photographer names before they ever search.
- After every shared event, send each vendor images of their own work, full resolution, free, within the week.
- Add one line to that email. "Use these anywhere. If a couple asks who shot them, I would love the mention."
- The same idea works for family and portrait work with salons, gyms, preschools and estate agents.
- A vendor's tip arrives at the exact moment someone is choosing a photographer.
Way 4: Google Maps and reviews
Search your own service the way a stranger would, like newborn photographer near me. The map shows before any website.
- Complete profiles with reviews win the map, not the best photographer in town.
- Fill in your category, service area, hours, a starting price and twenty strong images sized for a phone.
- Ask for one review per delivered gallery, with the link in the same message.
- Say something like "Reviews decide who gets the call around here. Two lines on Google would really help me."
- Look at the review counts on page one for your service in your town. That is the number to aim for.
Way 5: Short videos that answer questions
Every inquiry asks the same four questions. A short video answers each one before they write.
- People want to know what it costs, what a session is like, how to prepare, and whether they will feel at ease with you.
- Answer one question per video, with your face and your voice, under a minute.
- Whether someone feels at ease with you is usually what decides the booking, and that is the hardest thing to show in photos alone.
- Someone who has watched you talk arrives at the call already relaxed.
- Filming takes minutes on a phone. The editing is where most people give up.
One client question to a posted answer
From the question in your inbox to a video that answers it for everyone.
Pick the question
The one every inquiry asks
Film the answer
Phone, up to 3 minutes
Edit
Trim it, add captions, add a clip of your work
Export
Save it as one vertical file
Post
9:16 fits Reels, TikTok and Shorts
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom is one way to skip the editing. You upload one clip of you talking, up to 3 minutes.
- You get a finished 9:16 video back in about a minute, with captions burned in and clips on the words you said.
- Your first video is free within 7 days, on 600 credits, with no card. It carries a Cutroom mark across the middle.
- Lite costs $19.99 a month and takes the mark off.
What a video costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Edit | 100 credits |
| Export | 20 credits per finished minute |
| 30 second video | About 110 credits |
| Lite plan | $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits |
| Basic plan | $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits, about 22 of these videos |
Item: Edit
- Cost
- 100 credits
Item: Export
- Cost
- 20 credits per finished minute
Item: 30 second video
- Cost
- About 110 credits
Item: Lite plan
- Cost
- $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits
Item: Basic plan
- Cost
- $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits, about 22 of these videos
Questions people ask
- Do I need paid ads to get photography clients?
- No. Ads can work once you have budget, testing time and landing pages. These five ways cost time and a few sentences, and they reach people who already trust your work.
- What do I say when I ask for a referral?
- One sentence at gallery delivery: "Most of my work comes through people my clients send me. If someone asks who shot these, I would love the introduction." Say it once per client.
- How many Google reviews do I need?
- Look at the review counts on page one for your service in your town. That number is your target. Get there with one ask per delivered gallery, never in bulk.
- How long before these bring clients?
- Referrals and past-client emails can work within a season. Google Maps and video build over months. That is why it pays to start all five now, not one at a time.
- Is Cutroom the only way to make the videos?
- No. A phone editor and a free evening work too. Cutroom saves the evening: one clip of you talking in, one finished vertical video out. Your first video is free within 7 days, no card.
Pick one of the five ways and start it this week. Your first video is free.