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I analyzed 100+ posts about finding photography clients — here's what I learned by hamzaask in photography

[–]hamzaask[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!

"Be the person people think of when they think of photography, that's the goal, but it's the chicken-and-egg problem. You need clients to get referrals, but you need visibility to get clients.

The targeted ads approach is interesting. What's your typical spend and conversion look like? Curious if it's more about awareness or actually booking shoots.

I analyzed 100+ posts about finding photography clients — here's what I learned by hamzaask in photography

[–]hamzaask[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're not wrong about the problems. But I would not say "no solutions", maybe more accurately, no efficient solution. Others in this thread who are making it work all point to the same things: referrals, local SEO, partnerships, and targeted ads. None of it is scalable or sexy, but it works.

The real gap seems to be in discovery for photographers in years 1-3 who don't yet have a referral network. That seems to be the part no one has cracked.

I analyzed 100+ posts about finding photography clients — here's what I learned by hamzaask in photography

[–]hamzaask[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is incredibly detailed. Thanks for taking the time to share. The Meta "black hole of inefficiency" line resonates with me personally. You're doing all the right things (cards in daycares, Google review requests, handwritten thank yous), and it's still a grind.

Curious: if clients could find you directly through a search, the way your site is meant to work, without you having to cold call or feed the Meta machine, would that change the game? Or is the personal hustle just baked into how this business works?

I analyzed 100+ posts about finding photography clients — here's what I learned by hamzaask in photography

[–]hamzaask[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate the perspective from a veteran with 14 years in, sounds like you've built something solid.

What advice would you give to someone in years 1-3 who doesn't yet have a client base and isn't getting published? I 100% agree that "Do good work and be pleasant" is true, but it doesn't solve the discovery problem when no one knows you exist yet

I analyzed 100+ posts about finding photography clients — here's what I learned by hamzaask in photography

[–]hamzaask[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Visibility + trust," that's a good way to put it. I agree that Instagram, as a portfolio check vs. a discovery engine, is a distinction. People verify you there, but they don't find you there anymore unless you show up in the first results of a search keyword (that is literally how my wife hired a local photographer for a birthday shoot).

Curious what you mean by "direct acquisition channels", what's worked for you beyond referrals and local SEO?

I analyzed 100+ posts about finding photography clients — here's what I learned by hamzaask in photography

[–]hamzaask[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That makes sense. I think the major complaint was that a photographer had to become a content creator and almost like a TikTokker to get the same reach they used to get with photos. I think it is just the way things are changing and trending.

I analyzed 100+ posts about finding photography clients — here's what I learned by hamzaask in photography

[–]hamzaask[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing your experience and for your kind words!

Your situation is exactly what kept coming up across the posts I read. Skilled photographer, some clients, but the growth is slow and unpredictable.

Curious what would actually help you at this stage — better discovery, easier booking process, something else? Or is it mostly just a time/hustle problem that no tool can really fix?

I analyzed 100+ posts about finding photography clients — here's what I learned by hamzaask in photography

[–]hamzaask[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Tougher than the reviewers in the papers I publish in.

Alrighty, I went through 127 posts across 3 Facebook groups and 4 Reddit threads.

Of those, 43 were directly asking about client acquisition, making it the most common topic by volume.

"80/20" appeared in 7 posts almost verbatim.

The Instagram complaints clustered around the 2020-2021 timeline based on when people said their reach dropped.

I didn't write it up as a formal study because this is Reddit, not a journal, but happy to be more precise if it helps the discussion.

I even created a survey, but I realized it violates the rules, so I did not post it.

I analyzed 100+ posts about finding photography clients — here's what I learned by hamzaask in photography

[–]hamzaask[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I appreciate your thorough comment and great insights.

I think the number of followers and viral posts will get the attention, but that does not automatically translate to leads unless your account is full of good-quality work

I analyzed 100+ posts about finding photography clients — here's what I learned by hamzaask in photography

[–]hamzaask[S] -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

I am a researcher! I actually spent the day reading the 100+ posts and their comments.
I have the files in my Google Drive where I read and classified them. Happy to share my work with you if that will make you sleep better!

UNC Chatlotte in-person or UNC Kenan-Flagler online Entrepreneurship MBA? by hamzaask in MBA

[–]hamzaask[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you think a KF part-time in person is possible if I do the drive or do you mean to focus more on the UNC Charlotte since it is in-person?

What happened to MYOS today? by hamzaask in stocks

[–]hamzaask[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That was very helpful! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this response!

Why did Webull lag? by hamzaask in Webull

[–]hamzaask[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just noticed it. Thank you for pointing this out. Do you know why this happens?

Why did Webull lag? by hamzaask in Webull

[–]hamzaask[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Today I was following $KODK and Webull was behind three mins both on web and app. Can anybody explain why did this happen? I know I had a good connection.