3 (free…yes free) Ways to Advertise Your Photography Business

Advertising. Marketing. Promotion.

Regardless of where you’re at in your business, these words can oftentimes feel overwhelming.

What should I be focusing my time on? How much will it cost? What is the best way to promote/market/advertise my business? Will it actually work?

I have had a handful of people reach out to me recently about how to advertise their photography business for free, so I put together my top 3 ways to broaden your audience and grow your business, without spending a dime.

Instagram

It’s probably no surprise to you that Instagram is a really powerful tool for photographers and my number one way to advertise my business for free. I use Instagram as a portfolio for my current work and daily inspiration for my followers.

I also use Instagram to share my brand story through my captions. It allows me to talk about the reasons behind why or what I do, I tell stories about motherhood, I share tips for brides (and photographers). Giving your brand a story helps to differentiate you from the other photographers.

A few tips for Instagram:

1. Tag vendors and brands in your captions and stories to increase exposure + create more connection with vendors.
2. Use hashtags — they work!
3. Include a location on both your posts + your stories. IG likes it when you include a location!
4. Use an app to make your life easier. My favorite app is Planoly!

Also, don’t let yourself play the comparison game on Instagram. It’s a waste of time. Looking for more tools & apps for your business? Check out my Free Guide: My Must-Have Apps for Photographers!

Pinterest

Pinterest is tied for the number one spot for the best way to advertise for free. It is an incredibly powerful way to get a lot of traffic to your website.

While it’s great to show off your work on Instagram, ultimately you want your potential brides on your website.

Here’s how I recommend using Pinterest:

• Create content on your blog consistently. Your content can be related to weddings or anything your client would find helpful, not just your work.
• From your content, create pins and rich pins that link back to your site and drive traffic to your blog post.
• Use an app/tool to pin multiple times a day. I use one called Tailwind and it’s the best!

I booked my first bride off of Pinterest recently, so it works. In fact, wedding photographer turned coach and podcaster, Jenna Kutcher, says that Pinterest is her number one source of traffic to her site! (Looking for some inspiration? Check out my Pinterest!)

​Being Published

Last, but certainly not least, is being published.

This route takes time, but it’s another great way to broaden your audience, while also gaining more authority.

Here is my little secret weapon: I have a questionnaire that I send to all of my couples when I first start putting together their timeline. I ask about their wedding day, the theme, their story, their vendors, etc. This allows me to have all of the information for the timeline, and for submitting to publications, in one place. Game changer. 

Once you get published, make sure you promote the heck out of it on all of your different channels — Instagram, IG Stories, Facebook, Pinterest, your blog, etc. And tag tag tag everyone involved so they can do the same!

While there are so many other ways to promote your business, these are the three most powerful ways I have found to grow your business.

Looking to get my Welcome Questionnaire? Check it out, in The Shop!

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