← Book More Photography Clients Podcast | Photography Business, Photography Leads, Marketing
Book More Photography Clients Podcast | Photography Business, Photography Leads, Marketing
Do Model Calls Still Work To Grow Your Photography Business?
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Welcome to the Book More Clients Photography Podcast. You can stop spending hours on Google and YouTube because you just found your number one resource for growing a profitable and sustainable photography business. Hi, I'm Brooke Jefferson. I'm a believer wife, mama to two and Oklahoma family photographer. I left the classroom in 2018 to pursue my photography career full time. Now I'm here to help you do the same. In this podcast we're covering the most asked about topics including pricing, marketing, client experience and all things systems and workflows. You won't find any fluff or BS here. Just tried and true strategy. Are you ready? Grab your kids some snacks and charge those camera batteries. It's time to jump in. Foreign of the most popular episodes to date on this podcast is how to run a successful Model Call. Model calls definitely had their moment. I know for me I haven't ran a model call in quite some time. But maybe for you that is something that you are trying to figure out if that's right for your business. Maybe you have a history with running model calls or maybe it's something that you just learned what it is. And so we're going to talk about really what model calls are and do they still work even in 2026? And if they do work, then how do you run one that actually builds your business and doesn't just waste your time? So we're going to get into all of that. But before we do that I want to remind you of how we are celebrating seven years of podcasting and and the 400th episode all month long. So I just saw on my Facebook memories that I saw last year's where we celebrated six years and I traced it all the way back to when I very first launched the podcast. And my goodness it is so cool to see where we came from and how this podcast has really grown into a community and a and a valuable resource for photographers to grow their business. So just want to say thank you. Thank you for being a listener. Thank you for pressing play on this episode. I hope that this is a tool that you use in your business and if it is, I'd love to hear from you. You can leave a review and tell me how it's helped you in your business. You can send me a DM on Instagram. I would love to hear from you because it is so fun meeting the listeners and getting to put a name to the listener. Right now it feels like a one way street but when you come into my DMs or you leave a review it reminds me that I'm showing up not to fall on deaf ears, but to really show up with value for photographers just like you. So one of the ways that we're celebrating this month is as you're listening to the podcast and you're hearing different marketing strategies and you might be thinking, okay, I love what I'm hearing, but how do I actually implement these strategies in my business? Where is the step by step, the follow everything that you tell me how to do? Where? Where is that plan? And that is what the Fully Booked Method is. This isn't just another course where you watch a bunch of videos and then you just hope that you gain value from it. Inside, I walk you step by step through how to actually build a photography business that books consistently. Because at the end of the day, that's what you're trying to do. You want to create a brand for yourself. You want to become a go to name in your community and you want to have amazing clients that you just that you are able to serve again and again, or at least get that word of mouth out there. And so I teach you how to do all of this. The marketing behind it, the strategy behind it, all of that. Inside the Fully Booked Method, we cover everything from figuring out your brand and who your ideal client is, creating pricing and packages that actually make sense. And not only that, but that convert. I have a system and I have a strategy, and it works every time. We cover how to build a marketing plan and how to carry out seven different marketing strategies so that you're not just relying on social media alone. And then we're also going to cover some systems so that you're. You're not constantly starting from scratch every single month. And the biggest difference in this program compared to just a course that you sign up for is that you are not doing this alone. You're going to be implementing every single week and you're going to be getting real coaching with me. This month, I am putting the Fully Booked Method on sale in honor of 400 episodes. You can snag it for $400. So you're getting eight weeks of coaching and lifetime access to this program for just $400. I know, I'm insane. I know. But I want you to take advantage. If you've been on the fence, if you find yourself in a place where you're ready for a mentor. And I want you to do this if you're tired of just winging things and guessing all the time and you are ready for the strategy just handed to you. So if that's you, go to Brooke jefferson.com fully booked. Go snag it before the month is over so that you can take advantage of the sale. And I am so excited to coach you inside. Okay, but let's get back to the topic and conversation of today's episode. We which is all about model calls. So do model calls work in 2026? And my answer is yes, I believe they absolutely work in 2026 if they are executed really well. So we're going to talk about a couple different things. Who needs to run a model call when the best time is and how to do it step by step. So model calls work best when you are newer to photography and you are building a portfolio and trying to build your client base. The reason for this is because the model call is going to help connect you to people and it's going to give you a chance to build your portfolio with images that you want to put in it. So that's the best time to do it is when you are new and you're really getting serious about your photography business. Now, if you're not a new photographer and you're thinking about running a model call, you may find that it would benefit you if you're changing your editing style. Maybe you are switching niches or you are finally specializing in a niche or if it's been a while since you've had consistent clients. So maybe you took it, you know, semi seriously a couple years ago and you know, times were tough, you went and got a job. Now you're thinking about stepping back in. Model calls would be a great option for you because it's going to help build that client base and it's going to basically like give you the marketing material that you need. Model calls are going to work best when you use them strategically. Not out of desperation, not out of panic, but when you use them as a visibility tool. They don't work. When you treat it just like you're giving sessions away for free, it doesn't work when you are trying to just get people on your books and you're doing it again out of desperation. That's not going to work for this. The goal of a model call is to build your portfolio, build up word of mouth and of course increase your confidence. It the goal is not to continue to do sessions for free or to make it look like you have a fully booked calendar because you have six days different model calls on your books. That's not what we're trying to do here. We want to use this very strategically. So I'm going to walk you through, step by step, how to run one that actually works and gets you bookings. Step one, and this is so, so important. Okay, you need to know exactly what you need before you go make a post saying you're doing a model call. Okay? Don't just go post just because I said yes, they work. Don't, don't run along and go do that until you hear every single one of these steps. I want you to get out a piece of paper and I want you to sit and brainstorm for 15 to 20 minutes. I want you to think about what do I want to grow my portfolio of? What is the number one type of session that I want to book the most in 2026? So answer that question first and then start envisioning your perfect session session. Now, I'm just going to tell you there is no model call that's ever going to give you perfect work. But I want you to really challenge your brain to think, what would my perfect session look like? So start thinking about the poses, the prompts, the final images. If you're scrolling this gallery, what do you want it to look like? What kind of emotional content do you need from this? What kind of, what kind of content in general do you need from this? So get really clear on the shots, the vision, the theme, and then the gaps in your portfolio. So what do you need pictures of that you don't have? This, Again, this could be poses. This could be a particular type of client. This could be that niche, the new niche you're trying to specialize in. So really get clear on what you need before you go post this. And then also figure out, are you doing one model call session or are you going to do two or three? I don't want you to do any more than that because then it just becomes you working for free. And you don't want people to sit around and pay attention to your Facebook or your Instagram and they just. You don't want to be the Bath and Body Works. I used to give this example all the time. If you're an OG podcast listener, you might have heard me say this before, but Bath and Body Works always has sales. Pretty much, you can walk in that store and never pay full price, or at least it was that way a couple of years ago. And so people sit around and they wait for them to put stuff on sale and then they go grab it, and they do this all the time. Do not be a Bath and Body Works. With your photography business, don't, you know, try to book full sessions, but then Every other week, give something away for free or do a discount or do a pay what you can. That is the, that is the best way to get clients that don't stick around. I'm just, I'm telling you right now, those attract price shoppers. So you need to go into your model call knowing that you are only doing this for a very limited amount of time. And you're not going to keep posting model calls three months from now, six months from now. You, you really only need to do a model call once a year, maybe twice a year. But really one time a year I think is plenty because it serves a purpose. So step two, be selective about who you choose for your model call. You're looking for someone who represents the type of work that you want to show. So who, again, who is the perfect client for you? What do you need more photos of? What are you trying to build? Because basically whatever you walk away with from your model call, the photos, the videos, etc, we'll get there in just a second. But think all the things you're going to walk away with, you basically are putting it out into the world saying, I want to duplicate this kind of client and this type of work. So you need, again, you gotta really know who you're trying to get. Social media presence does matter for your ideal client. If you're trying to like naturally use this, you know, maybe it's a family, maybe it's a senior, maybe it's a boudoir client, I don't know. But you need to find someone that has a little bit of influence in your area who says that they're interested. And I have pitched people before to do a model call for me too. You don't even have to post a model call on your Facebook or on your Instagram. You can do a model call without telling anybody. You just have to know who your idol client is. And then do a direct ask. Just reach out to them, shoot them a message, you know? You know what I mean? So I have done that too. But be very selective about who you choose, especially if you're trying to build clientele from it. Don't go pick somebody from out of state just because you're going on vacation to Florida, but you actually live in Ohio. Like that's not going to help you. You see what I'm saying? So you need to be very selective about who you choose and then make sure that you're very upfront with them on what you're looking for and what the expectations are. So they need to agree to several Things like basically letting them know I'm in complete control of this session. You know, you're doing me a favor by helping me with this model call. But here's why you're only paying X amount of dollars or why you're not paying at all, which again, we're going to get there in just a second. So step three, please hear me. Please do not run a model call without doing these things. You need to treat your model call like it is a paid session, except for one part. Okay? Your model call clients are going to talk. They should be doing marketing for you. So give them something to talk about, okay? Give them the experience that you would give anybody else. Use a contract. A contract must be signed for model calls. I cannot tell you the amount of nightmare posts I see in those photography Facebook groups where it starts out with, I ran a model call and now dot, dot, dot. And then they tell this whole horror story about how the expect, you know, there were different expectations or now the client is being a nightmare client and all the things. So please use a contract and please make sure don't just type things up in the contract. You know, people don't read contracts all the way through. Like, let's just be so for real right now. They don't read the whole thing through. They might skip to a couple clauses and read the parts that are important to them and then they're going to sign it. Some people never read your contract, so you can't automatically assume that they read through it and they signed it. Yes, they signed it. Yes, they agreed to it. But you need to be so clear with your Model call client that they understand your main highlighted bullet points of that contract. So pull out a few things that you want to make sure that they see and put that in the email that the client or that the contract is going to come in. I also, and this is very important, I would charge a retainer. So here's what I've done in the past and then you can take it or leave it. In the past, I charge my model call clients $100, which was my retainer fee at the time. They would pay that. But then after the session was over, my deal with them was if they followed everything to a T that I wanted, from wardrobe to the actual session to the gallery delivery, then at gallery delivery, I refunded the hundred dollars. People need to have skin in the game. If you just do free model calls, people are going to tell you, yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll listen to you. We're going to follow what you say, and then they're going to turn around and they're not really going to do it. And so I think when you add in this retainer, even if it is refundable in this one circumstance, if they're, you know, kind of like a deposit, this is where the word deposit would make the most sense. It's going to really, really help you find quality clients. Just because someone looks like they might be a good ideal client and they have a large following, well, what happens if they end up, you know, just disregarding everything that you ask them to show up in or where or whatever, you know what I mean? So use a contract and make sure that you are also having them put some kind of skin in the game. Now the part where I said treat your model call like it's a paid session, except for one thing. When it comes to the session itself, this is where you need to take complete creative control. Okay? So yes, you're going to treat it like a paid session. However, normally we cater to what our clients vision is, but this time you're not going to do that. They're catering to your vision because of the agreement you have in place. So at this session and you need to take control if you want them to do certain things, you've got to take charge, you've got to take the lead. Now it's okay at the end to say, hey, thank you guys so much for coming out. Since you guys did such a big favor for me from doing all of this, I just wanted to make sure were there any shots that you had in your mind that you wanted to make sure that I got for you as a thank you and then you know, you can do, if they have something in mind, you can go ahead and shoot that at the end. The last step, and this is the one that everybody misses. The whole point of your model call is to build you some marketing. Okay? So you need to take full advantage of the marketing opportunity that you have. So here's what I mean, number one in your contract. And also when you pull out those bullet points, they need to know in advance that you are going to share everything from photos to videos to behind the scenes from this model call. And they need to agree to it. There is no changing their mind later. There is no asking you to remove anything. They have to agree like full stop all the way so that you can use this. If they don't or they have hesitations or they seem to ask you a lot of questions, that is a red flag. Go pick somebody else. Create content from this model call session. So think behind the scenes, get your B roll, get your video, get final images, get all the photos, bring an assistant with you so that they can capture stuff. I have done a model call in the past where I hired a videographer to come out. Obviously everybody agreed to it, it was all good. But they came out and he shot a whole bunch of video content for me that we were able to turn into a promo video and a commercial and, and a little promo clip on my website. And so it you literally go all the way out. This is your marketing. That's what the model call is for. And then last but not least, one of the key things I want you to make sure you do is stay in communication with your model call client. Make sure you get a review from them and then put in there like some qualification or some requirement that they have to share the images and tag you and talk about their experience with you. That is going to jumpstart you getting more clients from their circle of friends and family and co workers and all the things. Okay, so let's recap really quick. I know it was a lot. This is like a whole dang lesson for you, but that's what you guys love. So yes, I do think that model calls can work when you use them strategically. You can use them as a brand new photographer to build portfolio. I think you can also use it as an established photographer. If I wanted to run a model call going into my 13th year of business, then I absolutely could and I would do every single one of the things that we talked about today. So again, to recap how to run one, step one, know exactly what you're looking for before you go advertise it. Step two, be very selective about who you choose to be the model call clients. Step three, treat it like a paid session. Have the whole experience, have a contract, charge a retainer, all the things. And step four, make sure that you don't forget about all the marketing that you can use out of the model call session. I hope you found this episode helpful. It's been so fun recreating the most popular episodes but then giving a new upto date spin on it. So I hope you're enjoying this as well. If you are, again, I'd love to hear from you. Come shoot me a DM on Instagram. Come jump into the fully booked method or just leave me a five star review on whatever podcast player you are listening on and I will see you guys on the next episode.