How to Start a Blog as a Photographer
You’ve probably heard it a lot lately. “You have to be blogging as a photographer!” That’s not totally true, but starting a blog as a photographer can truly be beneficial to your business. If you’re working with clients for weddings, senior portraits, family portraits and more, blogging may be in the best interest of your business. But how do you start a blog as a photographer? Let’s figure out where to begin with your photography blog.
Choose a platform for your photography blog
The first step to blogging as a photographer is choosing your platform. Two of the best platforms for photographers to start blogging are Wordpress and Squarespace. Wordpress is a terrific platform to use for blogging, but a little more complicated overall. It’s not impossible to create a portfolio site and blog on Wordpress, but it’s not as drag and drop simple as Squarespace. Wordpress does have a lot of advantages in terms of its flexibility and plugins, however. Plugins like Yoast SEO make it super easy to optimize your site for search engines. Squarespace, on the other hand, is a little less flexible but a little more intuitive. The design options on Squarespace are very drag-and-drop friendly for those who are a little less concerned with the nitty gritty of web design.
Learn about SEO and your platform
Once you’ve decided on your platform, do some research into the SEO tools your platform provides. SEO or Search Engine Optimization is how new viewers are going to find your content. Each platform has its own unique set of tools and instructions, so make sure you’re looking into what is going to work best for you and your platform.
Make a content calendar
Creating a content calendar is going to save you a ton of stress when it comes to running a blog. As a photographer, it’s likely that you have a hundred other things on your to-do list; the last thing you want to do is have to pile on blog content. That’s where keeping a content calendar comes in handy. Pre-organizing your content ideas and making a schedule for your content will save you stress in the future. That way, you can preconceive and even write the posts ahead of time when you actually have a free moment. Instead of forcing yourself to sit down every Tuesday (or whatever) night and stress over what to write about for your blog, organize it all ahead of time and plan it out in a reasonable timeline.
Promote your content
Promote your photography blog content! It may seem a bit obvious, but it’s easy to let your blog content fall by the wayside when you’re thinking about your social media. Creating a social media schedule to add into your content calendar will keep you on track and organized. That way you’re going to know what content needs to be promoted, where, and when. Figuring out the best platforms for content promotion is key. Some content may be best for a Pinterest audience, while other content may go well on Linkedin or Facebook.
Build your email list as a blogging photographer
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again–– building your email list is such a valuable marketing tool. Your email audience is the only audience you have true 100% ownership of. With social media, you’re constantly battling algorithms and competing brands. With email marketing, you own that list. There are easy ways for photographers to build their email list that you can take advantage of for your marketing strategy.
Think you’re ready to get started? That’s great! Leave your photography blog in the comments, I’d love to check it out! Got any tips on blogging for photographers? Comment and let us know too! Sharing is caring.