Similar to dog trainers, pet photographers definitely struggle when it comes to blogging because they don’t want to give too much away. If you give too much away, it can feel like maybe people wouldn’t need your resources and that’s simply not true (trust me!).
I’m here to help pet photographers come up with some blog post ideas so that you can focus on increasing your website traffic, building trust with your potential clients, and of course, allow you to spend more time photographing those beautiful animals (which is the end goal, right?)
Here are 18 blog post ideas for pet photographers:
1. Give Away More Info Than You Think
Starting with what I mentioned earlier, I know it seems counterintuitive, but the more information you can give away to pet owners, the better. Why? Because can you imagine what value they will place on you as a service provider if even the FREE content you put out there is insanely valuable? This puts them down the road of imagining what more value you could provide to them if they worked with you 1:1. This also allows them to trust your expertise once they see that the tools you share are working for them. Or, heck, even if they didn’t work for them, they’ll probably think it’s them, not you, and want you to do it instead!
So, what sorts of information am I talking about ‘giving away’ here?
You can put together blog posts on:
How to capture professional-quality photographs from your iPhone
The ultimate guide on how to pose your dog for a photoshoot
Edit pet photos like a pro, all from your phone
Yes, it may seem like providing this information would allow them to not need to work with you, but the reality is, it builds credibility, trust, and therefore, commitment to you on their part.
2. Post Something Polarizing
As I mentioned in my other blog posts on blog post ideas, we don’t want to go too crazy with this. But, it can be SO powerful and attention-grabbing to post something a bit polarizing. Many people are afraid to post these types of posts in fear of people not agreeing with them and therefore not working with them. And honestly, yea, that might happen. But it’s actually a good thing.
Why? Because you want to work with clients who resonate with your message. Those are the clients that will be willing to spend more on you, will trust you and become loyal, and will be a joy to work with. And that’s why you started your pet business after all, right? To work with the right people who value your services.
By refining down your target market in this way, you’re able to find clients who resonate with you. That’s gold!
Examples of these types of posts can be:
Why I’ve used an iPhone for photography sessions
You don’t need to hire a photographer. Here’s why. (Note: You can segway and still promote your services. The goal of this is to get people to click on your content because they’re surprised you would write such a thing as a photographer)
A good camera has nothing to do with your bomb pet portraits
3. FAQ Posts
Pet Marketing Unleashed is ALL about providing ways to make your life easier and one of the best ways to do that is through your own content. If you have clients asking you the same questions over and over, it’s time to get them into a blog post. This is something that you can send to new clients or include in a Welcome Packet (I have a template for pet photographers you may find super helpful, too!). Or, you can simply link to it for more guidance when you get the question.
Consider the questions clients ask you repeatedly like...what’s included with a session, how do I prepare for my session, what do I bring with me, what does the process look like...you name it. Those are each blog posts of their own! Boom, lots of content ideas right there.
4. Process Posts
This one is sort of similar to the FAQ posts in that they can address common questions. However, the motivation behind these types of posts is to figure out what you wish your clients knew to make your life easier.
This could be:
Choosing props for your pet portraits
What to do before your dog’s photo session
How to display your pet photography in your home
Top 5 dog-friendly photo session venues in San Diego, California
5. Ask Your Audience What They Want
This is one that’s not often used but can be so valuable because your current clients are the best insight into what potential clients may want to learn about. You can ask them directly, whether it be in the form of posting on social media, DM’ing clients individually, creating a survey, asking people via email, or creating a poll on Facebook. Ask them what they want to learn or hear about and go from there!
6. Create a Pet-Friendly Guide for Your Area
Time and time again, this blog post topic becomes the most popular blog post for my
VIP Day clients.
Divide the blog post up into categories: pet-friendly restaurants, dog parks, pet food or supply stores, veterinarians, groomers, photographers, dog walkers/pet sitters, boarding facilities, you name it! I highly suggest using places you actually love, frequent, or recommend as the point here isn’t to showcase every single dog-friendly business. It’s to share ones you recommend, which adds to your trustworthiness and personality as a business.
Bonus points: When you share about this post on social media, be sure to tag these businesses so they know they’re featured and can reshare!
7. Tell The Story of How You Got Started
As Simon Sinek famously said,
‘People Don't Buy What You Do, They Buy Why You Do It.'
This is true more now than ever as people are wanting more humanity in their purchases whether it’s products or services. The more they can relate and learn about who’s behind the business, the better! Be vulnerable and show people your story and how you founded your pet photography business.
8. Share Upcoming Events Around Town
This is a great option for a fun and SEO-enhancing blog post. The more you can link to other websites, the better as that shows Google you want to share other reputable information for your audience, which in turn makes you more reputable. It also showcases your involvement and care for the community. This is a wonderful trait to have because as I’m sure you’re already aware, the pet industry is a very personal one built on trust and love.
9. Outline Your Booking Process
This can give potential clients an inside scoop on what it’s like to work with you. This can help in a multitude of ways:
It can weed out clients who aren’t the right fit
It can motivate the clients who are the right fit to reach out and already be sold on your photography
It can help you save time (because of all the reasons above) AND you don’t need to hop on unnecessary calls or send unnecessary emails
It can build your trustworthiness and transparency as a business in the community
10. Create a Client Spotlight
You may have found that a lot of your clients have booked photography sessions with you as their pet ages so that they’re able to capture the memories through your work. These are so special to so many pet owners, so why not share one of these stories?
This is a GREAT way to make pet parents see themselves in your sessions and want photos for themselves. They may realize through one of those stories that they want to make sure they get special memories captured of their pet, too.
This can be the same situation for pet activities parents don’t want to forget (not just aging pets).
Let's take a brief intermission to say—if you need a home for all of these blog posts that not only displays your awesome content well, but also helps you onboard clients while you're sleeping, teaches you how to set everything up, and helps you nail your SEO, copywriting, and more, you need to head to the Pet Marketing Unleashed shop! Read more about the templates and Unleashed Website Academy here.
11. Share Secrets!
Nothing gets us to hit the read button more quickly than seeing the words ‘Secrets’ pop up in a title. Think of some things that people would want to know that no one really talks about in the pet industry. These are great ways to increase interest and readership.
You can post secrets on photo editing, capturing great photos from your smartphone, etc.
12. Create a Need-To-Know Checklist
Again, we’re coming back to the fact that anything you can do to help ease your client process will be beneficial on so many levels! This is a blog post you can share with clients when they first start working with you. This can help you avoid mishaps, back-and-forths, accidents, and unnecessary stress. It’s also great for the reasons listed above under blog post idea number nine. Not to mention these types of blog posts increase your professionalism and legitimacy which is invaluable. This is the opportunity to let them know things like:
Outfit suggestions
Things to bring with them to make your life easier
How to prepare, pose suggestions, etc.
Location selection steps
13. Write A List Of Your Favorite Photography Locations
Again, let’s make things easier for you! Promote your favorite places to shoot by writing a blog post about it. Not only are you making your life easier by simplifying the places you travel to, but you’re also increasing your SEO by posting about local spots.
14. Interview a Dog Trainer
One of the most frustrating things in photo sessions can be unruly dogs who will absolutely not pay attention no matter how many weird noises you make or how many treats you give them. So, again, (I will repeat this endlessly), going back to how to make your own life easier, consider interviewing a dog trainer for help on how to prepare your dog for their photography session.
This is a double bonus because you’re not only increasing your legitimacy and trust, but you’re also expanding your reach and awareness because the dog trainer can share this information on his/her social media platforms as well.
Bonus points: This can also be the beginning of a beautiful partnership! For help crafting your partnership email to them, get my partnership email template for pet businesses here.
15. Highlight a Local Citizen or Business
Nothing’s better than showing your love and involvement in the community. When you support others, people will support you. Simple as that. I’ve written blog posts for clients on interviewing local artists who paint pets, veterinarians offering affordable weekend clinics, or those who are fundraising money to help rescue animals. The options are endless here. By getting involved in your community, you will be increasing your trust and respect, not to mention increasing your local SEO, which is key in blog writing!
16. Teach Something Fun!
I’m sure you’ve heard it from other marketing professionals out there. Engagement is essential when it comes to producing content, so why not have a little fun with it? Perhaps you can share how to keep your dog in a position for longer than one second. Show how to get unique angles of their dog’s face that instantly make people laugh.
Bonus points: Ask people to tag you in their photo creations to increase brand exposure!
17. Share Outtakes!
People LOVE to see the process behind the scenes. Not only are you making yourself more human and relatable, but you’re also allowing people to feel like they don’t need to be PERFECT when coming to a shoot. Many clients, as I’m sure you’re aware of as a photographer, feel like they won’t be good enough or their dog isn’t well-behaved enough to hire a professional photographer. And we both know that’s just not the case.
So, by showing the outtakes that not all photos are perfect or perfectly posed can be a great way to make people feel like it’s a safe place for them.
18. Share Local Dog Parks, Restaurants, Etc.
There are endless ways to get more specific on all sorts of pet-friendly options in your area. Think about what people would search for in your area and go from there to create blog posts relevant to your town and their pets.
I hope this was SO helpful as you navigated through the ideas here. I highly recommend bookmarking this page, so you can come back to it when you’re struggling with ideas on what to write. If you’re looking for some Instagram ideas for your pet business, I have 33 creative Instagram post ideas just for you here.
However, while we're on the topic of blogging, I wanted to tell you a bit about my course, Blogging For Your Pet Biz. This course walks you through the steps of:
- Getting in the right mindset to produce content that attracts your dream clients
- Selecting the RIGHT blog post topics for your pet business for a year
- Writing your blog post titles, outlines, and CTA's
- Implementing blogging SEO
- Marketing your blog posts
And SO much more! If you're at all interested, I highly recommend clicking here to check it out. It is JAM-PACKED full of tips & tricks, perfect for those who know nothing about blogging (or even for those that know a bit more) and need some help creating a process that saves time and increases strategy!
