Want to Make $13K From One Photo Shoot? The Answer: Photography Mini Sessions
January 24, 2024
Hey, fierce brand photographer. Ready to make an entire month’s profit from just one photography mini session?
Hold my margarita.
I’m about to share exactly how to craft and execute a luxe mini session day so you can have BIG money days and work fewer days per month — without diminishing your brand’s value.
Maybe you’ve tried mini sessions in the past, but haven’t been able to make them profitable for you. Or perhaps you’ve heard of them, but need more guidance on how to make them work for your business.
If either of these sounds like you, keep reading.
I wanna help as many personal brand photogs have their first $13k mini session day. And after TONS of trial and error, I’ve figured out how to make them five-figure days for me. Every time. Ready to learn how?
Before I get into it, let’s clarify real quick what brand photography mini sessions are (and why they’re all the rave).
What Is a Photography Mini Session?
Lately, I’ve been leaning more and more into mini session photography. It’s given me so much more time with my hubby and two boys! If you’re a busy mama like me, you know this is a dream come true.
So what are they exactly?
Well, for brand photographers, a mini session is a one-day photo shoot where you’re serving a handful of clients at the same time.
For example, instead of doing eight photo shoots on different days, you can lump them together, and do all eight sessions on one day.
The benefits for you?
- You get to serve more clients in a single day
- You can create more profit in one day
- You get to lessen your workload and create space for other things in your business
And the benefits for your clients?
- It’s easier to work with you because it’s a quicker session
- They’re less of a commitment than a full-service photo shoot
- They’re a great way to test out your services before investing in a full package
It’s a win-win all around. And an incredible way to leverage your time and scale your business further.
But, careful … a huge mistake I see brand photographers make with mini sessions is they fail to produce a high-quality and personalized experience for their clients. Just because you’re serving more people doesn’t mean the quality of your experience goes down.
In fact, the experience should be top–notch for everyone involved. This is the BIGGEST difference between a basic photography mini session and a deluxe mini session. In other words, the photographer who charges hundreds vs. the photographer who charges thousands.
To make this an easy read, I’m breaking this article up into three bite-sized sections:
→ How to sell and launch your mini-sessions
→ How to execute your mini session days
→ How to profit from your mini session days
Let’s get into it.
How to Sell and Launch Your Brand Photography Mini Sessions
Okay, let’s talk launching and selling …
You’ve got to nail this part of your mini day. If you don’t fill up your spots, you may not profit much from the day. And that defeats the whole purpose, right?
When it comes to filling your spots and booking yourself out, I recommend having a waitlist. This has been a *game changer* for me to get my spots filled.
Put up a dedicated landing page on your website for people to sign up for your mini session day before you open it up to the public. This way you can promote and sell it in between your sessions. You’ll already have a list of interested people ready to go.
When you’re getting ready to launch, you can open it up to the waitlisted people first. These are warm leads who are more likely to sign up. You’ll have half your spots filled up BEFORE you even launch!
During your launch, be sure to create buzz and brand awareness through your Instagram and email list. Create fun reels and stories, shoutout sign-ups, and show up as much as you can. Keep doing this every day until your mini session is completely booked.
And just a side note: Make sure you’re speaking directly to your ideal client in every post so you can pull in the right people and create a day you’re excited about. You’ll have your mini session days filled up with dream clients before you know it!
Btw, inside my $13k mini session day toolkit, I go into my *exact* launch strategy and show examples of how I promote it on social media.
How to Execute Your Brand Photography Mini Sessions
Congrats! You’ve got your spots filled. Now it’s time to create a breezy and magical experience for everyone.
One of my go-to mantras is “Today is gonna be fun and easy.” This gets me in a calming mindset and takes all of the pressure off. I encourage you to create your own mantra to help you in this same way. Or feel free to use mine.
Another mindset tip is to treat your photography mini session days like you’re throwing a party! Think to yourself, “Oh, I’m just hosting a party and inviting my closest friends, and I get to design this experience for them.”
Seriously, this is how I approach all of my sessions. It’s a great way to keep it light and fun for yourself and your clients.
These mindset shifts alone will make all the difference in your confidence and the way you show up for your clients.
Once you’re in the right mindset, go ahead and plan out the day.
First things first — choose a location.
Choose a beautifully styled home for your brand photography mini sessions. Many personal brand clients want that lifestyle feel for their brand photos, so a home is ideal rather than bringing them to a studio.
Peerspace is an amazing option for finding lifestyle-looking homes. You can easily find a great space with natural lighting, a great background setup, and extra rooms for outfit changes, hair, and makeup. Look for spaces that have at least five different backgrounds so you can get your clients rotated quickly on their mini session day.
Peerspace also allows you to rent by the hour, which keeps your sessions super cost-effective. Your typical investment will likely be between $100 to $200 per hour. And, trust me, everything runs a whole lot smoother when you have the right location.
Next, plan to have everything included in your photography mini session.
That way, come shoot day, all your clients have to do is show up and put on their game face.
I include hair and makeup in my mini sessions. And I always have one or two people there to assist me with taking BTS photos, helping greet clients, helping to keep me on time, and all of the other ‘little tasks’.
And don’t be afraid to bring champagne and music to make it a real party! Of course, if you’re not a drinker, you can pop something else or put your own spin on things to make it fun.
I love to go above and beyond and make it a memorable experience for my clients. This is why I’m able to charge more than the average photographer for a mini session day. And this is what I want for you too. You can absolutely create this same luxe experience and charge top-notch prices.
I’ve intentionally crafted this day to be incredible for my clients and me as the photographer, and I really look forward to them. My clients always tell me it was such a fun day and they can’t wait for the next one. Music to my ears!
My last tip on executing — be sure you have emails going out to your clients as soon as they book with you.
Client communication is so important for the overall experience. If your client knows exactly what to expect, they can be fully prepared to show up confident AF on shoot day.
Create emails that go out automatically to cut down on your time. The more you automate your business, the more you can scale and the more people you can serve.
I like to use Honeybook* as my payment platform because it allows me to automate those emails. That way, I don’t have to think about it. Once someone books, I know they’re immediately receiving all the information they need for their mini session.
There is no way I could do everything without the systems, templates, and client experience set up the way I do with automation. Brand photography mini sessions come along with a ton of prep work, so having emails scheduled to go out to each person on autopilot saves hours (or days) of your time.
This is something I give you inside of my $13k mini session day toolkit. I include all of my email templates for creating an easy process and smooth communication between you and your clients. All you have to do is plug and play.
When your clients are fully prepared, they feel free and comfortable enough to let their boldness shine through, creating the most stunning photos they absolutely love.
How to Profit From Your Personal Brand Photography Mini Sessions
It’s so possible to have multiple five-figure mini session days. I’m living proof and no different from you.
Of course, you need to be sure you’re charging enough for the experience and service, and not giving away too much. This was a mistake I made on my very first photography mini session day.
I gave away too many photos for free and was charging way too little. I used to only charge $97. Yikes!
Now, I charge $1000 each, and almost always get upsells.
And listen, I get it. You may not be at a place to charge $1000 per session. That’s okay. The key is to start at a price that feels good to you. And then raise your prices as you continue to book out. It’s important to feel aligned with your prices.
But be careful not to devalue yourself either …
If you charge something that feels good and allows you to create an amazing experience for your clients, they’ll likely upgrade to more photos after the session.
Upsells have been another *game-changer* for me to exceed my profit goals.
I recommend including only ten photos for each client, with the option to upgrade to more photos, video clips, or reels. Upgrading happens more than you think.
This simple tip is what helps create more profit in a single day. Time is money!
Your Turn to Have Your First $13k Mini Session Day
Now it’s time for you to craft your own magical mini session day for your clients and skyrocket your profit.
If you want my exact marketing strategy to make your brand photography mini sessions a high ticket offer (and work fewer days per month), grab my $13k mini session day toolkit. It comes stacked with the three steps needed to launch, market, and sell out your next mini session.
💫 The organization & systems that keep you organized, save you time, and create a flawless experience for you and your clients.
💫 Marketing & launching secrets that are going to book out your mini sessions every time. (HINT: it’s all about reaching the right clients and brands!)
💫Mini session day execution tips so you know how to run your day smoothly and ensure everyone is on time and on the same page.
Plus, you get the email templates I use to create a seamless experience for my clients so they keep returning for more! People have raved about these (and now you can have them too).
Whether it’s your first or fiftieth, let’s take your mini sessions from basic to deluxe!
Good luck, and I can’t wait to see you book out your next photography mini session and make the most profit you’ve ever made in one day.
*This blog may include affiliate links and I might get perks at no extra cost to you, however, I only recommend products I fully believe in.
MEET YOUR EDUCATOR
About MEG
I'm a proud boy Mom, world traveler, margarita lover, and brand coach in San Diego who’s empowered over 300 entrepreneurs step into the spotlight, create a brand they’re obsessed with, and flourish in their purpose!
I've created a multiple six figure business through my brand photography and education for business owners (while both my babies were till in diapers)! I love empowering other women visionaries to do the same.
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