One of the things I love most about being a photographer is having control over my income. That’s why mini sessions appeal to me so much. They offer a quick injection of cash during months you’re light on sessions. (Or when you just want to get creative with a special theme, like Christmas!)
But quick does not mean easy! It took me a few tries to figure out how to make my mini sessions profitable. Let alone book out. It’s something many photographers struggle with. Once you master your minis though, your options open up.
I’ve made over $40,000 from mini sessions over the last 2 years. Today, I’m dishing three ways you can make a ton of money too.
What is a mini session?
Let’s start with the basics! A mini session is a condensed version of your full photography session and experience. Imagine your full session. It may include things like spending an hour or more per client, having lots of people in photos, multiple locations, or even 2-3 changes of clothes. A mini session has none of those!
Each mini-session lasts less than 30 minutes and is only offered on specific dates of your choice. They are a great way to get introduced to new clients and make additional money from past clients.
How much money can you make?
As much as you want, Queen! The main benefit of minis is that you can make a lot of money in one to two days. Because minis take less time, you can see several clients in one day. I run two mini sessions per year and make $10,000 or more each time.
How do you have a profitable mini session?
As I said, over the last few years, I have developed a roadmap and formula for creating successful and profitable mini-sessions in my business. You can learn my exact system for sold-out minis in my course, Mastering Your Minis. But out of all the tips, here are three that have the biggest impact on your bottom line.
1. Limit Your Spots
I know I just said you can see several clients in a day, but trust me – you don’t want to! Limiting the number of spots to 10-15 clients per day creates a sense of urgency. Not only is your mini a limited-time commodity but there is also a limited amount of people who get it. People will have to jump quickly to book their slot. (And they do!)
Plus, remember you’re still going to be on your feet all day rushing from one client to the next. That’s hard work! If you take on too many clients, you run the risk of booking them too close together. That’s just asking for one to run longer than expected and throw off your whole day.
2. Pricing Your Mini Sessions
Your sessions should be priced as a no-brainer. The price is mostly determined by how much you want to make. A good rule is that mini sessions should be less expensive than your regular session fee. Since your clients are getting less one-on-one time, fewer outfit changes, fewer photos, and are limited to whatever theme you chose – you have to make the math make sense.
Don’t worry, you’ll still make money! Mainly because you should also…
3. Limit the Number of Digitals Included
That’s right! There’s no room to be a gallery giver here. Even though you’re only including a few photos with the mini session fee, I want you to edit up to 30 photos per client. Why? Because you’re going to show the client all the photos.
Imagine being shown 20-30 amazing photos of yourself and being told you only get a handful for free. You’re still going to want the others, right?! Of course! That’s where your upsell comes in. Allow them to by digitals or the whole mini gallery for an additional fee. Now your profit per client goes from a few hundred dollars to $500, $600, or more! If even 10 of your clients buy their gallery, you’re looking at $5,000 per day. Do that for two days and you hit $10,000.
How does that sound?!
The money is out there for you to grab
People want to have you take their photos, babe. Whether you’re just starting out or a full-time photographer. I guarantee you have people who can’t afford a full session with you or that you have past clients who loved your work and want to work with you again.
The key is to plan, price, and promote your mini sessions so it’s an easy “hell yes” for people.
If you want to make sure your next round is profitable, join the waitlist for Mastering Your Minis. Students get my entire system for planning, pricing, choosing locations, and marketing sold-out mini sessions. Plus, the first few people who sign up might just snag my Plug and Play Calculator to do all the hard math for you!
We’re relaunching it very soon, so hurry up and get on the list and make your money!
Be the first to comment