How to Book More Inquiries | Education for Photographers & Business Owners

Are you trying to book more inquiries? It can be discouraging when after replying to 10 inquires, you don’t book a thing! Sometimes it means you weren’t the best fit for that client’s needs, and that’s okay!! It’s much better for someone to say “no” to you, than to try to serve a client who’s needs don’t match what you offer!

However, there are a few ways that I believe you can increase the number of inquiries that book!! And at the end, I’m giving a FREE email template to you on what I say to clients who inquire!!

How to book more inquiries:

First, reply quickly!

While I don’t think it needs to be minutes after the inquiry, the sooner you reply to the client, the better! Often clients are reaching out to multiple vendors in your field, and it’s going to make a difference who replies first! I recently photographed a proposal session, and when talking to the couple, I asked why he booked me! He told me I had been one of the first to reply, was easy to communicate with, extremely helpful, and so he booked! This lead to them booking their wedding as well! I try to respond to inquiries within 24 hours, and continue replying within 24 hours!

Second, follow up!

If you’re just replying with your info and rates, and never following up, you could be missing out! After about a week, I’ll follow up with clients! Sometimes, I don’t hear anything back after the follow up. Other times, I sometimes hear I wasn’t the best fit for what they were searching for. And I’m honestly okay with this so I’m not holding out for that booking! BUT sometimes I hear something like, “Thanks SO much for following up! Things have been so busy over here, but we want to book you/chat with you! When can we do this?”

Even if following up only books a few clients a year, it’s definitely worth it!! How I stay organized is by adding a label to wedding inquiries I receive! I have one as “wedding inquiries” and know to go back through those once a week!

Third, include a beautiful investing guide!

I used to have all my pricing with a little blurb on how excited I was to work with clients and build a personal relationship with them on a beige PDF file with no pictures… super fun right?? 😉 When I finally invested in an investing guide template where I could introduce myself first, share about my process, and showcase my best work, my bookings went up! I recommend Katelyn James’s investment guide, or Davey and Krista’s pricing webpage! One booking will make it worth the investment!

And last, your initial email reply needs to be positive & persuasive!

I want my couples to hear the excitement in my email! I don’t want them to feel like they’re talking to a robot working its way through the inbox. BUT I realized I was using a LOT of time by typing out a similar reply to each inquiry!

So I saved my wedding photography reply as a canned response in my Gmail account! I don’t just paste and send, but I alter a few things! First, I make sure it’s PERSONAL! I add the client’s name in at least once, their date, and mention any other details they may have shared! If they shared on the inquiry email that they met in college, I’ll respond with “Oh that is SO wonderful you met in college!! My husband and I began out relationship in college as well, and it was such a special time!” I’ll also make sure to mention anything that sounded important to them! If they mention how they aren’t super comfortable in front of the camera, I’ll be sure to add “I take care of ALL posing through sessions and the wedding so you don’t have to worry about a thing!! I will be like a date night I’m third-wheeling on!!” This way I’m acknowledging what is important to them, and reassuring them I will serve them in this way! Get my exact email inquiry reply before I add in the personal information here!

Another bonus? I’ve also began doing a video reply to some inquiries! I’ll pull out my phone, and take a video of myself congratulating them, letting them know I’ve attached information to the next email (I send it separately so it can fit into one email), and that I’d love to chat and see how I can serve them best during this time!

Ready to download my inquiry email reply to wedding clients?

Download it here!

I hope this helps as you book even more inquiries!!