If you want your clients to stop showing up to your sessions with busted nail polish and wrinkled clothes, this post is for YOU.

But before we dive into the specifics, I want you to think back… when is the last time YOU had a portrait session done? How nervous were you? How unprepared did you feel? What questions ran through your head leading up to your session? 

Friends… if YOU, as a photographer, felt nervous or unsure before your last portrait session, imagine what your clients feel. YIKES. 

Want to know how to get perfectly prepared clients every time? Give them resources to help them prepare for their session! Help them understand how to put a well curated outfit together, how to complement their kids without being too matchy-matchy, how to get their face ready for airbrush makeup, what to do & what not to do, etc. All of these resources are excellent opportunities to not only help them prep for their session, but solve their session pain points!

I don’t care HOW you help them prep, as long as you provide them with education, that’s what matters most. 

Here’s 3 things that happen when you provide them with pre-session prep education: 

#1. It calms them. The more education they consume, the more they go into the session knowing what to expect and what they can do help their session run smoothly. I’ve had clients be so appreciative of the lengths I went to in order to help them prepare for their sessions by providing them a welcome packet or client prep hub.

#2. It elevates the value of your brand. Going above and beyond for your clients makes you a shining star in their book. Providing pre-session prep resources to them increases their experience because they’re more committed to the outcome and that, my friends, means you’ve hit the client jackpot. 

#3. Your portfolio gets an instant glow up. Wrinkled clothes, and busted nails, be gone! When you help prep your clients for their session, you’re also avoiding major issues that could show up in your portfolio. 

Do YOU have pre-session prep resources that you offer to your clients? What kind of info do you have in them that helps them feel prepared? I include things like what to wear education, nail prep, face and hair prep, etc.

Take your client session prep info a step further and BRAND your resources. Don’t just send them a link to an article they could have found on Google or a random Pinterest board you’ve curated with broken links and outdated information. Send your clients to a beautiful client hub on your site, send a digital PDF magazine, or even a tangible welcome packet in the mail. These branded resources can really add a ton of value to the experience for your clients at a minimum cost to you.

Here’s 3 different ways to help your clients prepare for their session with you:

#1. Digital PDF Magazine / Guide: this is a downloadable pdf for your clients that can have all the prep info they need. You don’t even need a website or a ton of money to send this out. You can grab a template online, customize it, then start sending it out immediately.

#2. Digital Session Prep Hub: if you have a website online and don’t want to spend a ton of money, then a client hub may be your answer! This is one page on your website dedicated to your clients and filled with prep info to help them get portrait ready for your brand.

#3. Tangible Welcome Kit: if you want to go all out, send a gorgeous welcome kit in the mail that your clients can engage with. This always gets a huge reaction and even shared on their social media platforms. 

And don’t forget to help your clients out by helping them with their #1 session concern: WHAT TO WEAR!

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