522: Paige McLeod – Everything you need for a successful newborn photography business

PhotoBizX The Ultimate Wedding and Portrait Photography Business Podcast

Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area.

Paige McLeod of www.gleanandco.com sent me an email that led to this interview, and I can honestly say I was super excited to record this interview, even more so after seeing the Glean & Co. website, Paige's fantastic welcome and explainer videos, her beautiful photography and what looked like an incredible ability to connect with potential clients.

Here's the email I received from Paige…

Early last year, I implemented a “Base Package” system that has helped so much in explaining what clients get – and what they don't get – in that initial session fee.

I could usually attract mums to book – if I could get them to inquire. Lead generation was (and still is) by far the hardest thing.

So I took your book project course with Katie K, then took her mastermind, your FB competition class with Ally from Mabel and Moose, and the FB Lead Ads course with John Glaser.

The combination of these tactics has worked better than anything I could have imagined, and I'm thrilled to say that Jan-March, aka the dreadful slow season, brought in almost $80k in revenue for me this year- almost half what we did for the entire year in 2022.

My reply to that message was…

WHAT! 80K already. That is SO GOOD, Paige.

How about we record something to share with other photographers? I’d love to hear the details of what you’ve implemented, what worked, and what didn’t, and I know other photographers would love this too. What do you say? Are you up for an interview?

She said yes! And in this episode, Boise, Idaho, photographer Paige McLeod who specialises in maternity, newborn and family photography, shares everything you need to attract incredible newborn photography clients, deliver an incredible experience and automatically have fantastic sales.

Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:

• A brief background on Paige's photography business
• Paige's studio setup
• How to appear to clients during photo and selling sessions
• How to portray your authentic self in videos
• How to set yourself apart and stand out against the competition
• The importance of having an About video for your newborn photography business
• Pricing and packaging for newborn photographers
• Having a package where clients get to choose based on their budget
• How to handle clients who start comparing your pricing with other vendors
• What happens after the photography sessions
• How to earn the trust of your clients
• Paige's leads ad process
• Implementing reduced session fees instead of free sessions
• Using lead forms as a tool to generate more leads
• How to run a successful book project
• The benefits of joining mastermind courses
• Paige's plans for her newborn and family photography business

What’s on Offer for Premium Members

If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interviews each week, get access to a fantastic back catalogue of interviews, and have ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

Plus, special member-only interviews.

My goal is for people to be able to relate to me and be able to understand that I have little kids too and I've been there. – Paige McLeod

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group, where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

Seriously, that's not all.

In addition to everything above, you'll get access and instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable and build friendships with other pro photographers with similar motives to you – to build a more successful photography business.

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything from what Paige shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you plan to implement in your business due to what you heard in today's episode.

Most of the people that we've booked these days have such a good idea of what they're coming in to that they kind of feel like they've already been here. – Paige McLeod

If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Paige or if you want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.

iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs

I check for any new iTunes or Google reviews each week, and it's always a buzz to receive these… for several reasons.

Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!

Secondly, iTunes and Google are the biggest search engine for podcasts, and your reviews and ratings help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners mean more interviews and, ultimately, a better show.

When they contact me on LinkedIn, I'm going to put a bold statement of 70-80% of them already know they want to hire me. The price does not come up as the first issue. – Emma Dunham

If you have left a review in the past, thank you! If you haven't and you'd like to, head to https://photobizx.com/itunes or https://photobizx.com/google, and you can leave some honest feedback and a rating which will help both me and the show, and I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you let me know the URL of your website and your name.

Alternatively, if you've left a review for PhotoBizX and are looking for more backlinks to help your SEO, leave a review for the new Photography Xperiment Podcast and email me your keywords or keyword phrase and where you'd like me to link to.

I think the reason the base package works is because a lot of people think that's all they're going to need. – Paige McLeod

Another great way to get a backlink to your site is to send a video testimonial. It doesn't need to be fancy, and your phone will be perfect. Click record and tell me how PhotoBizX has impacted you and your photography business.​

Last week's episode was a collaboration

There are a lot of podcasts out there — more than any of us have time to listen to.

Although we all have our favourites, it's good to explore some new perspectives occasionally.

Last week I collaborated with six other photography podcasters to create a show called This Business Tip Road Trip. Each podcaster was given 10 minutes to share their best business tip, so in addition to some great ideas, this episode is a great way for you to hear from some voices in the industry that may be new to you and hopefully add some new shows to your queue!

Here's a sneak peek of what you'll be hearing:

• Sabrina Gebhardt (Shoot it Straight) kicks things off with a really important topic that many of us ignore: how to define success for ourselves (instead of letting others define it for us).
• Andrew Hellmich (Photo Biz X) shares a clever tip for how to use video content to give your SEO a mega boost!
• Colie James (Business First Creatives) shares tips for booking more clients with a simple (yet wildly effective!) two-step process.
• Daniel Moyer (Focused Photographers) talks about the ups and downs of finances as a service-based entrepreneur and shares a great tool for getting your finances in order.
• Lisa DiGeso (The Milky Way) talks about strategies for managing your time and creating the work/life balance that you've always wanted.
• Natalie Jennings (Photo Biz Help) pulls back the curtain on tips & tricks to use Pic-Time that will improve your workflow and knock your client's socks off.
• Annemie Tonken (This Can't Be That Hard) shares the brilliance of using a “Back Pocket Offer” to give your revenue a boost this year… even in a slow economy!

If that sounds like a lot, that's because it is! This is a longer-than-normal episode, but I think you'll find that it's jam-packed with knowledge bombs from some of the best in the industry.

Whether you have a long road trip ahead of you or take a few days to absorb everything this episode has to offer; I know you'll be glad you tuned in!

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

Glean and Co Website

Glean and Co on Facebook

Glean and Co on Instagram

The Profitable Book Projects for Photographers

Fully Booked In 4 Weeks — Facebook Competitions for Photographers

Lead Ads Training for Photographers

Episode 470: Katie Kolenberg – Profitable photography book projects Q&A

Episode 503: John Glaser – Photography lead generation and qualifying tactics from a pro

Episode 466: Helen Schryver – Work less and make more by tripling your portrait photography prices

Episode 465: Ally Stuart Ross – Using photography competitions to successfully launch a total business rebrand

Thank you!

Thanks again for listening, and thanks to Paige for sharing her thoughts, practices, tactics and knowledge on building and growing a successful newborn and family photography business based on beautifully connecting with clients, even before they see the studio.

“You get to sit back. We're taking over. We got this under control.” Having that mentality has really helped with the flow of my sessions too because I feel like moms trust me more. – Paige McLeod

That’s it for me this week; I hope everything is going well for you in life and business!

Thanks, and speak soon
Andrew

The post 522: Paige McLeod – Everything you need for a successful newborn photography business appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.