How to Get More Referrals in Your Photography Business

Most photography businesses wouldn't survive without referrals. As photographers, our success depends upon it. 

You cannot receive a better lead than one that has been sent your way by a happy client. When a potential customer contacts you from a referral, they come pre-qualified with an existing level of trust in your ability and an understanding of what you do. There is much less "selling" involved in converting referrals into clients than cold leads. They also haven't cost you anything—no paid advertising, no social media ads, and no fairs or trade shows. 

Referred photography clients looking at photo album

The question is: How do you get happy clients to recommend you to their friends and family? 

The answer is deceptively simple—ask! The trick is asking at the right time and providing the right motivation for your client to want to recommend you. Not only that, you need to feel comfortable and confident when asking for the referral. If not, it will feel forced and awkward. We've devised a simple set of rules to help you pick the right time and right way to ask for that vital recommendation.

Referral Rules: 

  1. Exceed Expectations: Give your clients something to talk about. Blow them away by delivering more than promised, or by delighting them with a personal touch so they'll want to talk about you. How you exceed their expectations is up to you, but whatever you decide on needs to be compatible with your existing workflow and brand. If you are proud of your work and proud of your delivery, you'll feel more confident asking for a referral.
  2. Maximize Happy Moments: Use the natural happy points in your relationship as a springboard to ask for a referral. These could be at the end of a great session, after you've emailed their preview images, or when you've delivered their final product. Your clients will be more receptive to your request at these points, and you'll feel more comfortable asking knowing that they're happy. 
  3. Make It Easy: Give your clients an actionable task. This could be as simple as tagging you on social media, leaving a review, or passing your contact details to a newly engaged friend. Provide them with all the links and information they need to do this quickly and easily. The simpler you make it, the more likely your clients are to refer you. 

Happy client referring friend for wedding photography

We've put together a couple of ways to start this conversation naturally that tick all of the above boxes:

Feed the social media machine: People want to be able to share their images as soon as possible after their special day. The emotions are fresh, and they want to share this with their nearest and dearest. The delivery of your preview images is always a happy moment. For most clients, this will be the first time they've seen your photographs of them, and they've probably been looking forward to it. Pick the very best photos from the day, compile these into a slideshow, and deliver this in the days following their wedding or shoot. Slideshows are a great opportunity to use music to emotionally connect your clients to your photographs. The perfect slideshow soundtrack can help heighten the emotion of the day by tapping into your clients' other senses, using sound as well as sight. 

✅ You'll blow your clients away with the speed of your initial delivery, and they'll love the emotional telling of their story.
✅ This is a happy moment—your clients will be thrilled to receive the first glimpse of their images.
✅ They have a readily sharable format for social media—all you need to do is ask them to tag you in their post. 

Deliver with a Bang: When it comes time to deliver your print products, make the most of this opportunity to delight your clients. Help them savor the moment they receive their stunning images. Whether it's a beautifully wrapped photo album, a personal touch, or an extra surprise added to their parcel—this is your opportunity to deliver with a bang. Take this opportunity to provide some personalized "referral cards" for your clients to pass on to their friends and family. They'll be far more likely to share a wallet-sized print of their family or special day that conveniently has your contact information printed on the back. You can even add a discount offer on there for their friends and family. They'll be happy to share your card because they'll feel like they're passing along something helpful. 

✅ Your clients will love the extra thoughtful surprise or personal touch, as well as the additional wallet-sized prints they can give to their friends and family. 
✅ They've been waiting eagerly for their album, and the day has finally arrived, make the most of this happy moment. 
✅ Personalized "referral-cards" are the original social media—your clients can pass these along to friends and family in person. 

Capitalize on Nostalgia: If you're looking for a way to generate referrals from previous wedding clients, take the opportunity to reach out to them on their anniversary. Try including a fresh slideshow with different images or music to help reconnect them with the emotions of that day. Not only will they be impressed that you took the effort to remember, but the slideshow also acts as a reminder of the beautiful moments you captured. They may not have been able to refer you immediately after their wedding, but in the space of a year, a lot can change. By being consistently present you'll remain on their mind so when the conversation turns to photographers, they'll likely think to suggest you. 

✅ Your clients will be thrilled that you remembered their anniversary. You'd be surprised how many of their friends and family won't remember without the obligatory social media post. 
✅ By reconnecting them to the emotions of their special day through a slideshow, you're generating a happy moment of nostalgia. 
✅ Your slideshow is easily shareable to social media, and it makes a great anniversary post for the happy couple. All you need to do is ask them to tag you.

Last but not least, if a client is kind enough to refer you to someone else, don't forget to thank them. Let them know what it means to your business, and they'll be more likely to refer you to others. When someone recommends you, they are saying that they trust you and your work. Take a minute to reach out and thank them for trusting you enough to pass your details on. This is just as important for clients who leave you a review or tag you in social media. Each time you appear on someone's feed, more people see your images, and more potential clients witness how happy your past clients are. It all adds up.