my assistant can answer that

So excited for yet another guest / vendor post from Design Aglow to promote their new Studio Email Assistant.

Struggling for the right words when writing to everyone, from future brides to disgruntled clients, vivacious vendors and hopeful assistants? Design Aglow has partnered with professional photographer and wordsmith extraordinaire Heather Rivlin to create this extensive collection of 20 professionally crafted letters to deliver the perfect prose for any situation while establishing your studio’s solid business policies. Whether you draw from this complete catalog of correspondence for emails, phone scripts or mailed content, you’re sure to appreciate these time savers while your clients and contacts appreciate your customer service and attention.

1. Email response to price shoppers. This welcome email aids you with responding to price shoppers/hagglers and provides a strong education in the value of wedding/portrait photography.

2. Style and Session. This email explains the photographer’s shooting style, the session, the ordering process and payment.

3. Pre-session email. This email sets the rules for the shoot and reminds customers via key bullet points what’s included in the session fee.

4. Second Photo Shoot Rescheduling. This email sets forth studio policy regarding rescheduling for a second time.

5. Second Order Appointment Rescheduling. This email sets forth studio policy when rescheduling for a second time.

6. Photographer as client. This email shares how to approach a local photographer who wants a shoot with you.

7. Addressing post session digital files and sticker shock. This email shares how to handle a miscommunication regarding digital file inclusion, or when a client experiences cost concerns after the session.

8. Economic concerns post session. This email covers how to address reticence in ordering after a session when a client asks to postpone ordering.

9. Unauthorized internet use of an image. This email addresses how to approach a client who has scanned/copied your images to or from the internet without permission.

10. Mentor request. This email shares how to address a request from a local photographer wishes to be mentored by you or wants to assist you

11. Client order session preparation. This email prepares clients for the upcoming order session.

12. Client session clothing choices. This email outlines practical suggestions regarding clothing choices for the upcoming photography session.

13. Difficult client returns. This email shares how to respectfully handle a difficult former client who wishes to hire you again.

14. Vendor barter request. This email addresses a vendor who has requested a free shoot in return for future referrals/word-of-mouth in lieu of payment.

15. Money past due. This registered letter shares correspondence for money owed on a session or order when the client is unresponsive.

16. Creating potential bride interest. This email illustrates how to respond to potential brides in order to compel them to continue the conversation.

17. Pleasing anxious clients. This email outlines how to reassure excited clients whose continued queries regarding the status of their order are drawing your attention away from processing orders and handling other business in your studio.

18. Session Follow-up Email. This email shares gratitude to a client for a wonderful session and shares an incentive program for referrals.

19. Client Questionnaire. This email shares a sample questionnaire to send to clients to get to know them and their needs before the session begins.

20. Client Reshoot Request. This email shows what to say when a client requests a reshoot for reasons that are not due to studio negligence (clothing choice, hair not brushed, child not cooperating, etc.).

Click here to check it out in the shop.




If you missed it on Flickr and Facebook, Todd and I made a brief pop-in at Imaging USA 2011 in San Antonio, TX. We only had two hours so I didn’t get to do as many meetings as I’d hoped (or take photos other than the one you see here of me with my products at the Moo booth):

But what little time we did have there was a blast, and it was extremely cool getting to meet so many of my favorite vendors (like ProDPI and Moo) – plus photographers – in person. Not to mention to catching up with old friends and making new ones! Hope everyone will plan on being at Imaging USA 2012 in New Orleans!




P.S. We have a few ongoing contests here, so don’t forget to scroll down to enter!

gimme an S! an E! an O!

The digital edition of the September 2010 Professional Photographer Magazine was released today.

(P.S. Keep reading for a special giveaway from photographers-seo.com!)

For this month’s article, I reviewed several digital media storage products by BellaGrafica (“Jeff & Julia Woods General Collection“), DNL Photo Packaging, JLee Albums, Loktah, Miller’s Professional Imaging and The Designer Concept, MpixPro, Pexagon Tech, Rice Studio Supply, and Verbatim.

Click each of the magazine pages above for a larger view. You can find the article on page 48 and page 50 of the print-version when it hits mailboxes. And you can also download the digital edition now if you’re a PPA member or digital subscriber.

And last month Heather Lickliter of Stylized Portraiture helped me write the August “The Goods” column. This month she’s escaped over to the new “Workflow Polish” column where she shares her post-session workflow, with added comments / critique by Audrey Woulard. Congratulations Heather!




Today’s guest / vendor post is by Zach Prez. He has freebies and a prize for Paperie readers!

Hi, I’m Zach Prez. I specialize in search engine optimization for photographers, although I’ve been helping small businesses rank in Google for about 10 years. There’s no better feeling than helping someone become successful on the web and grow his or her business. Okay, maybe there are a few things better, like cycling on the American River Bike trail near Sacramento, CA.

I wrote Photographers SEO Book almost 2 years ago now. What started as some informal phone conversations with my photographer friend quickly expanded into ninja tactics that boomed her business from Google in a matter of weeks. Everyone wanted to know her secret, so I turned those conversations into a non-technical how to guide that any level of photographer can follow. It has since helped hundreds of people understand and improve in search results.

Earlier this year I released Photography Blog SEO Zen. It’s an ebook for photographers, designers, or wedding vendors on how to update your blog infrastructure and write blog posts to rank more easily. Blogs typically output many more pages than a traditional website, meaning more chances to rank in search. Blogs are especially helpful in ranking very specific phrases (long-tail SEO) so I would hope you see about 3x the traffic from your blog compared to your photography website. My blogs and ebook help you get there.

I’m giving away one of each product above for Paperie Boutique readers. Enter to win by commenting on any blog post on either of my websites – photographers-seo.com -OR- photoblogseo.com – by the end of the day on Saturday. (We’ll notify and announce the winners on Monday.) You’ll learn something new and hopefully share your thoughts about the post, what you learned, or something insightful

If you want something FREE right now, check out my Search Engine Optimization Guide for SmugMug Sites -OR- Email SEO Class for Photographers.

UPDATE: The winners have both been announced here – check them out!

Thanks Zach for sharing such valuable information with our readers!

And don’t forget we currently have two giveaway-contests going on here at Paperie. Through midnight Wednesday you can have a chance to win your choice of camera bags from Jo Totes. And through midnight Thursday you have the chance to win a $50 gift certificate from Denny Manufacturing.