Do you find yourself staring at a blank screen when you want to blog or write content for your website? Here are a few tips on writing for non-writers!

So I get it, talking about yourself feels weird. Blogging totally sucks when you feel like you HAVE to connect with clients and don’t know how.  Business advertisements can feel like torture because you don’t want to sound like a used car salesman! So many of us don’t necessarily possess ALL the talents it takes when running a multi-faceted business…and that is what photography is! You need to be an artist, a book-keeper, marketing exec, CEO, and…a writer. Let’s go over a few tips that will make writing a little less painful, and maybe something you actually look forward to!

[ad id=’3′]

Why Writing is Important

Writing is how you connect with current and future photography clients, so it’s kinda important.  This is where people get to know YOU, and creates the trust that is required for potential clients to hire you. Sure, your photos are a HUGE reason people will want to work with you, but they also want to know that they’ll have an enjoyable experience with someone they relate to.  In fact, many employers (if they’re telling the truth) will admit that they base a large portion of their hiring decisions on if the potential employer fits the necessary qualifications AND is fun to be around.  So now that we know WHY, let’s get down to the HOW.

writing for non writers

Overcoming Writers Block

No one understands writing blocks better than professional writers. Some days you just simply ARE NOT inspired to say anything…and that’s OK! The first thing is, STOP CONVINCING YOURSELF YOU CAN’T WRITE. You can. I promise you. If you can have a conversation, you can write…it just takes a little practice. So many of us remember the dreaded schools days when we were forced to write about things we didn’t care about. I used to HATE writing…and yet, here I am. The first thing you need is a plan…so let’s brainstorm together!

blogging for photographers

Blogging Tips

Writing takes practice, like everything else. You certainly didn’t shoot perfectly in manual mode the first day you picked up your camera, I’m guessing. It took some blown out photos, some blurry faces, and some crazy grain to guide you to improve your settings. The same goes for blogging.

Blogging is so essential to our photography businesses because it connects us to potential clients, social media, and becomes a basis for search engine optimization (SEO) which is how we show up on Google searches.

Read on here for tips on how to start a blog in about five minutes!

Make a PLAN:

  1. Decide how many time you are going to blog a week. Start easy, and commit to ONE per week.
  2. PLAN your blogs. Planning your blog posts are really going to make the difference between success and total frustration. So at the beginning of each month, write it down FOUR ideas that you want to blog about (and this doesn’t have to relate to photography necessarily). People want to learn about YOU, so let them in a little. Now, I’m not saying you have to pour your heart out about your ex-partner, but connecting with your followers will need to involve a little vulnerability at times. They want to know you’re a real person and not a robot behind a keyboard.

[ad id=’5′]

For example:

Week 1: Tell a story! Write about why you got into photography, tell us about your “why,” what you LOVE about your clients, and how you use photography to bring happiness to the world.

Week 2: Blog one of your sessions! Tell your readers about the session day (maybe include a funny story or a blooper), tell us about your amazing clients, what you love about them, how you admire their (love, personality, parenting, sense of humor, style, etc)!

Week 3: Tell us about YOUR family. Let your readers into your life. Talk about relatable topics (like parenting fails, a fun trip you took with your partner, a funny story about your dog)! This will also force you to whip out your camera at home! Think about your blog during the week and make it a fun photo challenge to yourself.

Week 4: Pick a fun topic relating to something you love outside photography and would like to talk about weekly! Do you LOVE hiking, surfing, or reading? Give us a look into your world outside of WHAT you do, but WHO you are!

“About Me” Bios Tips

“About me” pages are pretty standard these days, so it may be time to consider writing one so people can get to know you. When people click on this page to learn about you, they already know you’re a photographer…so we need to think of other things to draw them in and hire you! Who are you trying to attract? THAT is who you want to relate to, friends!

Easy formats to follow…

Top X funny facts about me! You can use this template and insert your favorite things!

  1. My absolute favorite food is (FRENCH FRIES)! I could eat it for every single meal (but don’t tell my husband)!
  2. I’m obsessed with (SAVED BY THE BELL RERUNS)! Am I dating myself? Who doesn’t love a little (HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA)?
  3. My dream place to visit is (PARIS), mainly for the (CROISSANTS and WINE).
  4. My life currently revolves around (PHOTOGRAPHY), (BALLET CLASS), and (READING TO MY KIDS).
  5. I absolutely adore (COOKING and DANCING)! Those two things make my soul come alive!
  6. My best friend is (MY DOG, RUFF) who makes me pee in my pants laughing EVERY DAY!
  7. I love (FLOWERS and HUMMINGBIRDS) because they just make me smile.
  8. If I could pick anywhere in the world to live, I would choose (PERU), because I love (HIKING)!
  9. I cherish living (IN YOUR CURRENT CITY) because of (THE AMAZING PEOPLE AND COMMUNITY).
  10. (AMAZON PRIME) is my kryptonite!
  11. When I was a kid, I wanted to be (A FAIRY PRINCESS)!
  12. I think you and I would be best friends (BECAUSE I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU LOVE YOUR FAMILY)!

Obviously, you may not relate to all of these things, but what we want to do is keep this facts LIGHT, FUN, RELATABLE and POSITIVE. You want your clients to see themselves as your friend! You can even pick a few of these “facts” and write 2-3 paragraphs and incorporate them if you don’t like the list format.

Social Media Captioning Tips

Identifying your audience is key to success when writing captions that create connection! You should ask these questions when you are writing a caption.

  • Who am I writing to (my ideal client, my friends/family)? How am I creating a connection to my audience (through a story, through a feeling)?
  • Is what I’m going to say matter to anyone else but me? Is it serving a purpose? Is it teaching, uplifting, positive? Will it make someone smile, laugh or reflect?
  • A caption with the intention of creating interest (this is how people will feel compelled to click and visit your blog)!
  • BE YOURSELF!!!!! I can not express how much this matters! Use words that you ACTUALLY USE in real life!

Writing for non-writers is undoubtedly challenging, but when you take things piece by piece, it becomes FAR more manageable. Just jot down a few ideas when they come! A great tip for this is when you have a random thought about what you can write about, quickly write it down in your phone’s “note” section. You can always go back and expand on those ideas later. Whatever you do, DON’T put pressure on yourself! With practice, it will become just another fun part of your workflow!

https://youtu.be/D4gWNDmmhls

Similar Posts