When freelance in any profession, you will face rejection after rejection. Not getting enough love on social media, unanswered emails, and questions that don’t lead to bookings are frustrating parts of running a self-employed photography business. They say, “Don’t take it personally. But how?
As a photographer, you are your creative work and it can be difficult to separate your business from yourself. In this article, I’ll look at some techniques that can help with this and, in turn, help deal with rejection. Most of the examples work for all photographers. However, I am writing this from the point of view of a commercial photographer.
Citation is not accepted
I’m starting with this, as it’s probably one of the most frustrating of any situation. Did you quote too high? How many quotes did the customer receive? Sometimes, clients tell you that their budget is tight for the job and that’s why you weren’t selected. Other times, you’re left guessing. I always ask for a budget, even though they tell me it’s another matter.
If this happens to you often, reevaluate the quote process and how you present your prices. They obviously like your job, but the business side could be improved.
The investigation went nowhere
Not all inquiries lead to bookings. Since they already like your work, do you need to improve the customer experience by better answering initial questions? Email templates or even automation can help here. I’ve taken pictures before and quickly hit reply so it doesn’t take too long to get back to the prospect.
A sample email is a well-written and thoughtful response that you can send out quickly, even if you don’t have time to be there. Without thoughtful feedback, your ability to communicate may be lacking and you may not be as excited about the project as it really is.
Existing customer refuses
Unless you really make a mistake, it’s hard to see why you’re not getting more bookings with an existing customer. Be professional and keep letting them know how much you enjoy working with them. There are plenty of reasons why you can’t book now: your price, their other regular photographers are ready to return, or maybe they don’t need anyone at all. As always, continue to follow up with past clients and let them know about your new job and how much you’d like to work with them in the future.
Does the lack of likes bother you? People really shouldn’t worry too much about social media likes. That’s my humble opinion, unless you’re a content creator and your work depends on them. Keep posting and get your work out there. Social media remains a valuable marketing tool.
If social media is letting you down, I’ve discovered a few techniques that can help:
- Hide Instagram likes count (for others and for yourself)
- Follow other photographers less and focus on clients and collaborators
- Schedule your posts in advance
- Delete the apps on your phone and use them on your computer
Cold email ghosts
The email you spend a lot of time drafting doesn’t get a response and you’re frustrated. Sound familiar? Cold emails are part of self-marketing, but they open you up to a lot of ghosting and rejection.
Some things to try:
- Scheduling emails can give you a confidence boost because you can “send and forget”
- Whether your email tracking software settings are open or not
- Priority tracking of opened emails
- Try different email subject lines
- It’s a numbers game: the more emails you send, the more responses you’ll eventually get, but also more ghosting
But why?
Next time you’re rejected or haunted, consider the following:
- Rejection hurts and is normal (also proves that you are human and not AI)
- They are currently unemployed
- They use their regular photographer and do not seek to increase their number of photographers
- Your style doesn’t match what they’re looking for
- You quote more than the budget is
- You’re not at the right level in your career for the job
- You won’t be the right photographer for everyone you contact
You versus your business
A great way to deal with rejection as a photographer is to create a clear brand identity for your business with logos, websites, and marketing materials. Your business entity will then feel much more separate from you as a person. Then set some boundaries! Stop checking your email at night and turn off social media on weekends. If you’re doing great, you can probably afford to hire someone to reach out and market for you.
Get clear on your ideal customer
As mentioned before, you may not be the right photographer for everyone you contact. To increase your chances of getting a yes from a potential client, you need to create work that matches their style and niche. Only submitting work related to an ideal client can make all the difference.
What is the budget of these ideal clients? This isn’t always obvious, but the size of the business can mean they have more or less money to spend. The biggest companies will have projects for many levels of photographers, so knowing what level you are at will be a huge advantage.
Stop thinking
It takes a long time to build connections and working relationships with customers. Months and sometimes even years pass before you work with someone for the first time. Persistence is the key.
Rejection can be difficult, but the harsh reality is that even longtime customers change providers. The last time you changed your internet provider, did you consider their feelings?
It is not wise to expect a different result if you do the same thing over and over again. Sometimes it’s necessary to pivot and change your approach. Approach customers in a different way and review your portfolio. And stay tuned!
