It’s almost the holiday season, which for photographers means…mini sessions! Mini sessions are a hot topic in the photography community – you either love them or hate them.
And if you’re in the “I hate mini sessions” camp, I’m here to change your mind! Not only can mini sessions can be a profitable addition to your business, they can help you reach and serve clients who may not be a good fit for your regular offerings.
$10K a day in mini session sales
I started running mini sessions in the early 2010s, and like for a lot of you, that first year?
Not a success.
I didn’t sell out my calendar and I wasn’t profitable. But rather than scrap the mini session all together, I decided to really dig into my mini session clients and what made them tick. Why wasn’t I successful? What could I do differently in the next year to make it better for both myself and my clients?
Fast forward to 2024: two weeks ago I sent out my booking calendar for my mini sessions, and guess what? I was sold out in just a couple hours. I usually only do one day of minis, but decided to add a second day for this year. Sent out the booking link and again – sold out in hours.
I average $500-600 in sales for each session, and shoot roughly 20 sessions each day. This means I’m bringing in about $10K/day with my mini sessions! Not bad for a weekend in November, right before the holidays.
How did I sell out my mini sessions?
After sitting down and really looking at my mini session business and clients, I started to realize there were a couple myths around mini sessions that I needed to combat, both in my marketing, and how I executed my mini sessions.
Myth 1: Mini sessions will hurt your regular business.
Your mini session clients are not your full session clients. Full session clients want and need a longer session. They don’t want to be rushed. They want heirloom images and products. They want to know they have the time to get all the photos they want and need. They’re your planners – the people who booked their session months in advance.
Your mini session clients? They’re looking for quick and easy. They’re overwhelmed by a ton of options for dates, times, and locations. They’re worried their kids will meltdown if their session is more than 15 minutes. They’re frantic parents who are busy, and are worried they missed their chance for photos for yet again.
While you might have some overlap in clients, your mini session clients are unlikely to be the kind of client who will book you for a regular session. So why not create an offering that works perfectly for that specific client?
Myth 2: Clients only want mini sessions because they’re cheaper.
Not necessarily the case! Again, your mini session clients are not your full session clients. They’re looking for someone to give them a deadline on booking, and a narrow range of options for their session. They’re the clients who “only need one or two photos for the holiday card”. They might be clients with older children, who don’t need a variety of candid poses. Or a family with a jam packed schedule, who are only available for the 30 minutes between soccer games.
How do you run profitable mini sessions?
If you plan mini sessions thinking that the only reason people will book is because they’re cheap, then I hate to tell you but…you probably aren’t going to be profitable. If you offer mini sessions as a year-round offering, something clients can get anytime…you aren’t going to be profitable.
So how do you set yourself up for profitable mini sessions?
Make your mini sessions special.
Only offer mini sessions once (or maybe twice) a year. Make them special! Offer a location that’s only available during mini sessions. Have a special set for holiday minis. Schedule them for a Saturday, when you don’t typically work weekends.
If you offer them all year, you’ve eliminated any source of scarcity or urgency for your clients to book them.
Keep them short.
I hate to tell you this, but a 40 minute session isn’t a mini session! At that point, it’s your lowest priced full session offer, and you are going to impact your regular business. Keep them short, and target those clients who want in and out.
Market to your mini session clients.
I know I keep saying this, but your mini session clients are NOT your regular clients. They are busy moms and dads. They are the clients who waited waaaaay too long to schedule their family sessions, and are now panicked. They are the people who have an overly full schedule who just need a quick update for the holiday card.
The biggest mistake I see photographers making is trying to market their mini sessions to their full session clients, which means missing out on a whole group of people who are a better target for these sessions!
How to sell out mini sessions
Are you convinced to try out mini sessions this holiday season? I have an easy-to-digest course, all about marketing and running profitable mini sessions. The Mini Method covers:
- How to market and sell out mini sessions
- Scheduling mini sessions
- Pricing mini sessions for profit
- Running efficient sessions that get all the photos your clients want
- Effective marketing strategies for mini sessions
- How to turn mini sessions into a list building event
Past students have used my course to run successful and profitable mini sessions, bringing in several thousands of dollars the first year they ran their sessions.
Find a link to The Mini Method course here.
Still wondering if mini sessions are right for you?
Want to hear more about mini sessions? Check out my podcast episode, How To Market and Sell Your Mini Sessions, where I talk about my experience running mini sessions, as well as my Certification members’ experiences with them.
