How to grow a photography business
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| Platform | Link |
|---|---|
| YouTube | Listen on YouTube → |
What Does “How to grow a photography business” Talk About?
This episode of the James Dooley Podcast brings together James Dooley and Kasra Dash to walk through practical, actionable strategies photographers can use to grow their businesses. The conversation covers a wide range of growth channels, from organic social media activity on platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Facebook groups, to SEO, PPC advertising, and watermarking images for wider online distribution. James and Kasra are direct about which tactics they believe are worth investing in and which, like traditional billboard or radio advertising, they advise photographers to avoid entirely.
A significant focus is placed on niche specialisation, with both speakers emphasising that photographers who narrow their focus, whether to aerial, wedding, newborn, or property photography, are better positioned to build authority, rank in search engines, and attract the right clients. The episode also digs into the power of referral partnerships, with Kasra suggesting that property photographers approach estate agents and offer a couple of free shoots to build trust, while James recommends wedding photographers reach out to influencers getting married and offer their services for free in exchange for a testimonial.
The episode also introduces FatRank.com as a performance-based lead generation partner that only charges photographers when leads convert into paid jobs, removing upfront financial risk. Both hosts reinforce that no single channel is enough on its own, and that a combination of consistent social media, SEO for long-term brand building, and strategic partnerships creates the most sustainable path to growth in the photography industry.
“You only pay on converted jobs. You have nothing to pay unless it converts and you make profit.”
— James Dooley
Who Are the Guests on “How to grow a photography business”?
James Dooley is the founder of FatRank.com, a performance-led digital marketing and lead generation company. He brings deep expertise in SEO, online lead generation, and business growth strategy, and throughout this episode he draws on that experience to offer photographers a clear, data-informed roadmap for building visibility and generating consistent enquiries online. James is known for his no-nonsense approach to growth and his focus on proving return on investment before asking businesses to commit financially.
Kasra Dash is a digital marketing professional with hands-on experience in online brand building and business development. In this episode he contributes a strong understanding of social media consistency and referral-based growth, particularly within the property and wedding photography sectors. Kasra emphasises the importance of long-term commitment to social media and the strategic value of building trust through partnerships with related businesses such as estate agents and wedding invite printers.
What Are the Key Takeaways From “How to grow a photography business”?
Here are the key points discussed in this episode:
- Photographers should watermark all their work and distribute it consistently across platforms like Pinterest, Flickr, Instagram, LinkedIn, and niche Facebook groups to build visibility at no cost.
- Specialising in a photography niche, such as aerial, wedding, or newborn photography, allows photographers to build topical authority on their website and rank more effectively in search engines.
- Offering free shoots to high-profile clients like influencers or major estate agents in exchange for testimonials is one of the fastest ways to build trust signals and attract new business.
- Referral partnerships with complementary businesses, such as wedding invite printers or estate agents, create steady inbound demand by leveraging existing trust within those networks.
- Consistency on social media over a sustained period, ideally with a dedicated person posting daily for at least six months, is essential because algorithms reward regular activity and audiences build gradually rather than instantly.
“Set up a consistent daily plan for six months. If you can't hire someone, you need to spend the time building your brand.”
— Kasra Dash
Is “How to grow a photography business” Worth Listening To?
This episode is worth listening to because it avoids vague marketing advice and instead delivers a prioritised, channel-by-channel breakdown that photographers at any stage of their business can act on immediately. James and Kasra give honest assessments of each strategy, including telling listeners what not to bother with, which makes the guidance feel trustworthy rather than like a sales pitch. The specific examples, such as approaching influencers as a second wedding photographer for free or offering estate agents two complimentary shoots, are immediately transferable tactics rather than abstract concepts.
What makes this episode particularly valuable is the emphasis on combining short-term lead generation with long-term brand building. Rather than treating paid leads and organic SEO as competing priorities, James and Kasra frame them as complementary pillars. The mention of the book The Go-Giver and the principle of giving value away to build credibility adds a mindset dimension to the practical advice, giving listeners not just a strategy but a philosophy for how to approach growth in a competitive, visually driven industry.
Who Should Listen to “How to grow a photography business”?
This episode is ideal for:
- Freelance photographers looking to increase enquiries and build a sustainable client base
- Photography business owners who want to understand which digital marketing channels are worth investing in
- Wedding, property, or aerial photographers seeking niche-specific growth strategies
- Small business owners in creative industries who want to understand how lead generation, SEO, and social media work together
Where Can You Listen to James Dooley Podcast?
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What Are Listeners Saying About This Episode?
“Really appreciated the straightforward breakdown of what actually works for photographers versus what to ignore. The tip about approaching influencers as a second shooter for free in exchange for testimonials is something I'm going to try immediately. Genuinely practical episode.”
“James and Kasra clearly know their stuff. The point about niching down and building your whole website around that niche, like drone pages if you do aerial photography, clicked for me in a way that generic marketing advice never has. Bookmarked this one.”
“The estate agent partnership idea is brilliant and so obvious once you hear it. I also liked how they were upfront about PPC being expensive and traditional advertising not being worth it for photographers. Honest, no-fluff advice throughout.”
Kasra Dash: So I am a photographer and I want to grow my business. What do you recommend?
James Dooley: So if you're looking to grow your photography business, it’s very visual. I would definitely start thinking of how can I start ranking images online or how can I be active on social media. They’re the first places I would definitely start. So all the jobs that you do, I’d watermark them and I’d be getting them on places like Flickr and on Pinterest initially. Then you’ve got Instagram, you can do it on Twitter, you can do it on LinkedIn and tag people who you've done it for. Facebook, I’d also be entering a lot of different Facebook groups. There’s quite a lot of large Facebook groups where you can be posting some of the jobs that you’ve done. If anyone’s looking for photography in the local area of where you’re based, you could do it. Even if you are only based in a small suburb, join local groups. If you're based in Manchester, there might be groups just for Manchester businesses and then post some of your great visual photos in there.
There’s lots of different ways to grow a photography business. So if I quickly rhyme through them and tell you whether I think they’re good or not. Traditional marketing, billboard advertising, TV advertising, radio advertising. I don’t think that’s a play for photography businesses. I’d probably stay away from traditional advertising or marketing. Your next one is social media, which I touched upon. I’d definitely be doing that. That’s one of the biggest plays I’d be doing. There’s no cost to it. I’d probably even get a part-time or full-time social media person who is consistently posting the jobs and stuff you’ve done. Social media ads could work very well too. Facebook ads, Instagram ads, running ads to say you’re a professional photography business. And not only that, try to focus on what you’re good at. Photography is broad. Are you aerial photography? Are you wedding photography? Landscape? Newborn baby photography? Try to find what you're good at and then focus and go down on that. What makes you the most profit or what you prefer doing the most. Think more niche within the photography part. That’s very important. When you’ve got the niche, build your website based on that. If you’ve got amazing drones and you mainly do aerial photography, have lots of pages talking about every type of drone and why one drone is better than another. Talk about everything related to it and then you’ll come across as the expert in drone and aerial photography. Then you might start getting enquiries in your local area from your own SEO. SEO is another major play you should be doing. PPC could work. It’s very expensive. You could go down the route of “commercial aerial photography in Manchester” which could be a little bit cheaper. The longer the keyword, normally the cheaper the cost. But overall PPC is very expensive. Then the other big one is FatRank.com. FatRank.com, obviously I’m the founder of FatRank. We’ve moved our model from just doing lead generation to actually guaranteeing companies return on investment. So FatRank, if accepted. If anyone is watching this and you're a photography company looking to grow and you’re looking for more enquiries, go to FatRank.com, go to the contact page and fill in your details. The team will check to see who you are and what you do. The only caveat is we’re very selective with who we work with. But if you’ve got a great online presence, good case studies, strong images, strong testimonials and you’re a professional outfit. So for example you're responding from [email protected] and not [email protected] which doesn’t seem as professional. If you come across like a professional company and you’re accepted, FatRank will start generating leads for the exact services you do. And you only pay on converted jobs. You have nothing to pay unless it converts and you make profit. That’s the first route I’d go down. But I’d also go down the route of doing your social media and your SEO for branding. It also adds a higher value if you're ever looking to sell the business. If you look good online and you're generating your own leads online then I would definitely do that. Don’t throw all your eggs into FatRank and say that’s it. FatRank will generate consistent leads, but you should also be doing social media and SEO.
Kasra Dash: What else would you do? It’s very visual. Again depending on the type of photographer you are. If you do property photos, reach out to a few estate agents and say you provide this service. You can even do the first two houses for free so they build trust and rapport. You can do the same for wedding photographers. Find someone who sells wedding invites and email them saying you do wedding photos. If anyone is getting invites printed, they’re getting married soon. They can upsell your service. You might give the invite printer a small kickback, say 20 or 30 pounds. It incentivises them to push your brand.
On the social media stuff, a lot of business owners think they’ll post one thing and get 6,000 enquiries. It’s not the case. You need consistency. You’re active on social media yourself and you know the more active you are, the quicker you grow, the more likes you get, the more business you generate. Set up a consistent daily plan for six months. If you can’t hire someone, you need to spend the time building your brand.
James Dooley: A couple of things you touched upon there I think are great. If I was a wedding photographer, I would reach out to influencers who are getting married and I would say, I know you’ve got your own photographer, but can I come as a second photographer for free? I’ll stay at the back and get different angles of the bride, the groom and the crowd. I’ll get it from different angles. Can I do it completely for free? If you like the photos I want a testimonial. If you go and do that for a day and touch up the photos, send some before and after pictures, and say we’ve removed blemishes and improved the colouring, it positions you as more than a photographer. For influencers, that testimonial is huge.
If you're a property photographer, reach out to big estate agents. Offer two houses for free. If they give you a testimonial and they’re a big brand, that is a huge trust signal. Other people will see it. If you haven’t read the book “The Go-Giver”, read it. Give value away for free to gain testimonials and clout.
Kasra Dash: On the real estate side, estate agents follow each other’s Instagram profiles. If one posts your photos and tags you, others will naturally start enquiring with you.
James Dooley: So if anyone is a photography business looking to grow, make sure you check out FatRank.com. Fill your details in and speak to the FatRank team. If you’re not accepted, we can connect you with companies who can help with social media, video editing or whatever else you might need to grow your brand online. Make sure you check out FatRank.com.
Creators & Guests
Host
James Dooley is a UK entrepreneur.