Testimonials are worth their weight in gold to freelance photographers. After all, there are thousands of photographers out there for your prospective clients to choose from. Why should they choose you?
Social Proof Theory states that people will follow the lead of others to work out how to behave in any given situation. Applied to marketing, this means that if your prospective client sees proof that others have worked with you and loved your services, they’re more likely to hire you, too. In other words, it’s easy for you to say you’re amazing. But client testimonials prove it.
The positive effect of testimonials is being used today by almost every company in every industry. Starting with eCommerce companies like Amazon, and then over to eLearning platforms like Udemy, Skillshare and Coursera right up to help centers like Infinite Recovery – a drug rehab center in Texas – every company out there is beginning to understand the importance of having your customers back up your claims.
But if you’re a new freelance photographer, you might be struggling to get clients due to a lack of testimonials. It can seem like a catch-22: you need testimonials to get clients, but you need clients to get testimonials. Don’t despair! Read on and I’ll show you five easy ways to gather testimonials that will help start your business off on the right foot.
Give a friend or colleague a freebie in exchange for a testimonial
Do you have a friend who needs someone to photograph their child’s birthday party? A colleague who needs some new headshots for their LinkedIn profile? A business owner in your network who’s in the market for some new product photography?
Gathering testimonials is one of the very few circumstances where I’ll advocate doing a bit of work for free. Can you come to an arrangement with your friend or colleague that you’ll help them out in exchange for a testimonial?
Pro tip: if they don’t send you the testimonial within a few days of you doing the work, give them a nudge. They need to hold up their end of the bargain.
Do a work exchange
If you’re not comfortable with working for free in exchange for just a testimonial, I understand that. Your work and time are valuable! If you need to get testimonials quickly, why not do a work exchange with someone in your network? I’ve recently done a work exchange with a web designer in my network: web design services in exchange for copywriting services.
Put a message out on LinkedIn or ask around at your next networking group meeting. Is anyone looking for a photographer and willing to consider a work exchange arrangement? This can be a great way to get someone to take a chance on working with a newer freelancer. You could get some great copy, a new logo, technical support, or a host of other services in return.
You could also team up with a freelance model and do a time-for-print exchange, producing images for both your portfolios and exchanging testimonials.
Just make sure you state upfront when you set up a work exchange that you’d like to get a testimonial out of it – and be prepared to write a great one for them in return!
Volunteer for a cause you feel passionate about
Is there a local charity, cause, or non-profit organization that you love? If so, offering your services as a volunteer can be a great way to get your name out there. Reach out and ask if they would be interested in some photography on a voluntary basis.
You could shoot staff headshots for their website, capture their next fundraising event, or help them out with some product photography for their online store. Do an amazing job, and they’ll be only too happy to give you a testimonial.
Bonus tip: if possible, the testimonial should come from someone in a senior role, such as the CEO or Head of Marketing.
Ask a former boss or colleague
Presumably you worked for an employer at some point before becoming freelance. If so, why not ask your former boss or a past colleague to write a testimonial for you?
This might be more difficult if you worked in a field that was completely unrelated to photography, of course. But if you’ve ever worked as a staff photographer, in-house photographer, or even an adjacent role, you can utilize that experience to launch your freelance career.
Testimonials have to be genuine, but that doesn’t mean they have to be from freelance clients. Your former boss and colleagues are uniquely well-positioned to speak to your work ethic, professionalism, and the quality of your output.
Look for a few small paying jobs to begin with
If you don’t have testimonials, you’re probably not going to get hired to shoot the wedding of the year or take product photos for a Fortune 500 company. It can be tempting to go after the big gigs straight away, but you’ll be competing with others with much more experience (and the testimonials to match).
Instead, go after a few smaller jobs to begin with. Clients with a smaller budget and lower profile are more likely to take a chance on a newer photographer.
Here are a few places to find those “starter gigs”:
- General freelancing sites such as Upwork.
- Sites for creative professionals such as JournalismJobs and CreativeLoft.
- Job alerts on LinkedIn.
- Classified software sites such as Craigslist and Gumtree.
- A local or regional networking group.
- Social media. On Facebook there are general freelance groups and photography-specific groups, and people often post jobs there.
- Asking those in your network for leads and referrals.
- Offering your services to small and local businesses in your area.
If you’re a great writer, why not start a photography blog on your website? This can help you become known as an expert in your specialism, which will draw clients to you. In addition, you can make money blogging and it helps your site’s SEO, too! If you don’t love writing but you’re comfortable in front of the camera as well as behind it, a photography-themed Youtube channel is another great option.
Once you’ve done your first few small paying photography jobs, you’ll build up a portfolio and a collection of testimonials surprisingly quickly. From there, you can start charging higher prices and going after more high-profile gigs.
Whatever you do, don’t…
Don’t be tempted to fake testimonials. It can be really tempting to just write a couple of made up testimonials yourself and stick them on your website. But this is usually really obvious and it can backfire badly.
If you get caught faking testimonials, your credibility will be shot and your business will suffer. It’s not worth it.
Launch your freelance photography business with testimonials
Every freelance creative professional understands the importance of testimonials. They prove to prospective clients that you can deliver on what you promise and that your services will offer a good return on their investment.
However, when you’re just starting out, it can feel challenging to start gathering those testimonials. Don’t worry – you just need to think outside the box. Try out a few of these strategies, and you’ll soon have a host of happy clients willing to tell the world all about how amazing you are.
Good luck with launching your freelance photography business!
