The topic of hooking inquiries is so important because getting inquiries shows us that our marketing is working, but what happens once they land in your inbox? How do you serve them well? How can you solve pain points? What can you do to position yourself as the expert? How should you even format your inquiry response in the first place? If you’re struggling to hook photography inquiries and convert them into bookings, I got you! I’ll be sharing my top 6 tips on how to hook inquiries from the first email and through your inquiry workflow.
If you’re like, “This is great… But how do I attract my dream couples in the first place?” In my coaching program, Book It, I teach you an in-depth foundational roadmap to attract the couples you actually want to work with, market yourself in an irresistible way, have a great website, convert inquiries into your highest-paying clients, and get organized. We will be opening the doors again in early 2023. The last round sold out in less than 7 days, so I would love to help you fast-track reaching your goals!
Before I share anything else, in order to be able to hook photography inquiries, you have to ask the right questions on your contact form in order to hook them in the first place. Let me ask you a few questions – How do you like to connect with your couples? What are you looking for in a dream couple? How will you learn what you need to know about whether or not you could be a good fit for them and vice versa?
You want to keep your contact form short enough, but also ask enough questions that gives you something to potentially connect on with them in that first response. I ask about their budget and hopes for coverage, that way I can recommend the package that makes sense for their desires. Ask where they’re getting married so I’m sure to send the right pricing guide (whether local to Colorado or travel). I ask about the style they’re going for and what matters most when considering a photographer. Ask what drew them into my photography style. And then lastly, I ask what their most favorite adventure is that they’ve been on together.
The answers to all of these questions ensures that I’m able to connect, make my response all about what they’re shared, and hit the points they focused on most in the inquiry form. So this step is really important to keep your emails from being bland and just like everyone else.
You should definitely have email templates for every step in your client experience workflow. While email templates are important, customization to that couple is just as, if not more, important! Like I kind of hinted at in the previous point, you want to outline what you love the most from their inquiry form, their story, the venue they chose, etc. If you have no idea where to start with email templates, I got you! I’ve created a freebie for you to start hooking photography inquiries from the very beginning. These are the 4 tried-and-true email templates I use for every photography inquiry workflow. Head here to snag them for yourself!
Don’t just respond to your form with leaving the subject line as “Re: New Photography Inquiry Form”. For your initial photography inquiry response, you want to stand out from the crowd. (They have likely inquired with multiple photographers.) A lot of times I’ll do something like Date + Location – Claire Hunt Photography. This makes it easy for them to find and they also know immediately who it’s from! You can customize it even more talking about their vision for the day like Romantic Location Wedding – Claire Hunt Photography. Get creative and don’t underestimate the power of the subject line!
Definitely congratulate the couple in your email, but open up your email by connecting! Most photographers will simply respond “congratulations” and then dive into pricing… but not you. You will connect because of the questions you asked in your contact form, build trust, address any questions or pain points they may be facing, and share all that you will do to serve them throughout the process. This way, once you get to talking about price, they know the exact value you’ll bring and they feel like more than a number to you.
Now that you’ve connected with this inquiring couple, you should send an entire pricing guide within your first inquiry response email. In this pricing guide, you should have everything laid out in depth – how many photos do they get in each package, how many photographers, and more. You want to answer FAQs and showcase your dream portfolio images that will resonate with what they’re looking for.
In the email, I recommend guiding them with which package you think will be best for them based on what they shared in their inquiry. This positions you as more of the expert in your field since usually couples are clueless with how many hours they need.
Do you have a gallery (or two) that you think inquiring couples would love to look through? This gives them an idea of how you photograph an entire day. It may help them want to book with you even more. Also, if you have any blogs that could help your potential client with planning or seeing how you care about your couples, send it to them!
This topic is so important! Once couples land in your inbox, you want to be sure you have everything in place to serve them well and convert them. I teach so much on attracting, converting, and serving the couples you actually want to work with in my coaching program, Book It.
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