Running a photography business with an active blog can definitely seem like a daunting task, but with a little bit of motivation and organization, this sometimes overwhelming project can become super enjoyable and gratifying! I know so many photographers who put off creating a blog for years because it seems like a huge addition to all of the work you already have on your plate when it truly isn’t a major time-suck when you have a system in place for it! Blogging makes such an impact on my client experience (maybe that’s another blog post!), so I can’t imagine running my business without out!

I’m going to break down exactly how I tackle blogging my weddings and sessions so that you can, hopefully, take inspiration, initiative and the little push you may need to incorporate blogging quickly and efficiently into your biz!

Get Info Ahead of Time

Don’t wait right up until the moment you want to write your blog post to ask your couple or client for the information you need. Not only is that stressful for you, but you never want to put pressure on your couples. Have a system for gathering information ahead of time; the way that I like to do this is by first asking my couple a few specific questions on different occasions throughout the process. Asking them about their love story, how they met, their proposal, are all perfect examples of the type of information I will later need to create a blog post for their session!

A little later in the process, I send out a questionnaire with those same questions, PLUS some more fun questions that help me get to know the couple and their personalities better! My favorite questions or prompts to add to questionnaires are, “What is your favorite quality of your significant other?” or “What is your favorite type of date night?” The goal here is to find out what makes them unique! Maybe they love hiking on the weekends or maybe they have a tradition to try a different restaurant every time they go out and are total foodies! 

Some other ideas of questions you can ask are:

“What is your favorite memory together?”

“What is something your S/O does that makes you laugh/feel proud/happy?”

“What would your friends say about your S/O?”

“What’s your favorite part about being engaged?”

Organizing the Information

Now that you have a good idea of what information you will need to write your blog post, let’s talk about how to keep it all organized! I keep all of this information in easily accessible emails or in a questionnaire in my CRM, Honeybook!

If you want to try out Honeybook for yourself, you can snag 50% off your first year here!

Every few weeks, I will go into Honeybook and pop into each new couple’s project to find the answers to those specific questions and compile them a single Google Doc. This way when the time comes to write multiple blog posts, I don’t have to go searching for each individual couple’s information. Instead, I can work from my neatly formatted Google Doc that already has all the information broken down and organized! Compiling this information may take a bit of time up front (this is a great task to ask an assistant or employee to work on if you have one!), but it makes the process way easier when it comes time to writing!

An example of how I format the compiled info in my Google Doc:

• Names, Session Date or Wedding Date, Location
• Tori’s Take – My perspective and personal take on the session/wedding day
• Answers to Questionnaire 
  • How They Met
  • Proposal Story
  • Other Fun Answers You Want to Include (fave date night, wedding vibe/style, fave quality of significant other, fave thing about being engaged, etc.)

Create a Structure or Formula for Blog Posts

Make sure that you have a steady and go-to structure for your blog posts so that you’re not reinventing the wheel each time you go to write another blog post. Having a formula will ensure that you look consistent and professional!

Here’s my go-to formula:

• • Intro about session or wedding day – include any key details that I loved, memories from the day, funny stories, etc. Make sure to include any MEANINGFUL information.
  • Share their love story – how they met, their proposal story, and any fun key details about their relationship.
    • The key to writing QUICKLY – let THEM write it for you! I will rewrite either their “How We Met”  story or their proposal story in my own words and then whatever story I didn’t reword, I’ll lead in with something like ‘Lucy told me all about how Jake proposed and it was absolutely incredible, here’s what she said, “INSERT STORY FROM COUPLE HERE.” This takes out a huge chunk of time trying to rewrite something that they’ve already done for you!
  • Note to Couple – I like to directly talk to my couple in the last paragraph of my blog, so I start with their names, and write a few sentences about how wonderful they are, my fave memories/connections, etc. and let them know I’m excited for their big day or a congratulations on their marriage!

 

When It’s Time To Write Your Blog Post

Once I am ready to start actually writing a blog post, the first thing I like to do is set a timer for myself! I write blog posts WHILE my images are exporting from Lightroom so that I can push myself to finish before the export time is complete. This way there are no excuses for not getting it done, and I’m doing two important tasks on my list at once!

Once my images are done exporting and being prepped for the blog post using BlogStomp, I simply copy my text into WordPress, reformat it so that it looks nice and neat with headings and paragraphs, upload my images, and hit publish! Done and done!! 🙂

A Final Note

My biggest piece of advice would be to reframe your mindset on blogging by looking at it this way: your blog post is such a gift to your client/couples to see themselves and their love story featured on your blog. Keeping them front of mind and their excitement toward being featured will help with those who may dread writing blog posts! Try to never forget THEM when you are writing, and you will tackle these blog posts with ease! Comments or questions?! Let me know below!

 

*Please Note: This post contains a few affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission if you decide to purchase from the link provided. There is no added cost to you!*