Profitable Mini-Sessions have become the bread and butter of my business, and I LOVE sharing helpful mini-sessions tips with other photographers. Of course I still shoot regular portrait sessions, but the majority of my photography income is from minis. And THANK GOODNESS, because I love them!! 

I talk with photographers all the time who ask how I book my minis so well, and what they could do differently to book theirs out, too. After having countless conversations, the same few things came up time and time again. 

I found that most people who have trouble booking their minis are doing the same few fundamental things wrong. Maybe you’re doing some of these things! 

Don’t worry, they’re super easy to fix!! 

 

1. It’s a Bad Season

Probably the top reason people don’t see success with their minis is because they’ve scheduled them in a bad season. A good rule of thumb is to run minis when people are naturally looking to get photos done. Think spring, fall, and Christmas. Those are definitely the hot spots for minis! I’m not saying you can’t run minis at other times, but they won’t be nearly as successful as during these three seasons.

 

2. It’s An Undesirable Theme

Lots of people have great ideas for adorable minis set-ups, but not all set-ups are ones that people HAVE to have. You’ll have way more success with a unique, DESIRABLE theme like Unicorn Minis than something like Ice Cream Minis. 

(NOTE: You don’t always have to have a set-up! Sometimes the location can be enough. Wildflowers, a beautiful field in the fall, things like that are great standalone sessions.) 

Listen to your audience! What are they asking for? Take note, and do those things!

I put together 12 Ideas for PROFITABLE and PROVEN Mini-Session themes to give you a jump start! Grab that HERE!

 

3. You Aren’t Marketing Well

This one is HUGE! If you are only posting your minis to your business page or Instagram, you aren’t doing enough. I can’t stress enough how important it is to get in front of a larger audience. Whether that’s through Facebook Ads, posting in local groups, putting flyers in local businesses, whatever it takes to get more people to see you. Read “3 Tips for Advertising Your Mini-Sessions” for more help with marketing.

One super important thing to note is PLEASE don't charge super low prices to book. Pricing your minis appropriately is a big factor in them actually being profitable. To read more on this, click HERE!

 

4. You Aren’t Giving Yourself a Head-Start

If you’re planning on doing a set of minis 2 weeks from now and haven’t already started advertising, you’re too late. The key to having fully-booked minis dates is to give yourself PLENTY of time to fill your spots! I start advertising about 2 months out. This gives you a chance to book without having to feel super stressed on time, and allows people to plan ahead so they can put it in their calendar.

 

 

More Resources:

• Free Mini-Sessions Class – Learn all about timing, pricing, and marketing your minis in this 1-hour class!
• FREEBIE: 12 Profitable Minis Theme Ideas
• Mini-Sessions Facebook Group

 

You may also like…

“What Is A Mini-Session (And What ISN'T)?”

“4 Steps to an Excellent Client Experience For Your Minis”

“How to Get Kids to Cooperate For Mini-Sessions”