You’re a photographer and you’d like to extend the reach of your business? LinkedIn could be the ideal solution for your activity.

A Photography website is only one element of your online presence. Most photographers think of Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest when it comes to social media marketing. However, LinkedIn for photographers can be a powerful arsenal for making new connections, building your brand, and generating profitable leads.

When you invest time to build a reputation as a photographer on LinkedIn, you can make meaningful connections with decision-makers if you serve other businesses. LinkedIn can be a canvas to showcase what you can do creatively if you’re engaged in an entrepreneurial endeavour. Here’s our complete guide on how to use LinkedIn for business to book more clients.

Why You Should Have a Presence on LinkedIn as a Photographer

Instead of thinking of LinkedIn as just a Rolodex for your contacts, think of it as a lead generation and networking avenue. Discover why you should make LinkedIn a part of your digital marketing strategy:

  • You can connect with photography managers, producers, and creative directors.
  • With 310 monthly active users, you can get noticed by those who are looking for photographers or may recommend you to someone who needs your services.
  • Search engines scan LinkedIn profiles, so you’ll be discoverable even off the platform with LinkedIn SEO.
  • If you offer corporate photography services, you can promote your services to 65 million decision-makers on LinkedIn.
  • You’ll have the ability to build vendor relationships and a strong referral network, which can bring more leads.

Photographers shouldn’t ignore LinkedIn. You just need to know how to enhance your profile and use the platform properly for your business and your goals.

7 Tips to Generate More Business as a Photographer on LinkedIn

Whether you’re a photographer looking for a freelance gig, full-time job, or clients for your photography business, you need to start by focusing on creating a profile that tells your unique story.

Discover 7 tips on using LinkedIn for photographers to generate more business.

1. Set Up Your LinkedIn Profile

Anyone who visits your profile will form an opinion of you based on the information you share there. If you’re trying to build credibility and reputation as a photographer on LinkedIn, your profile should reflect the essence of your personal brand.

Here’s how you can do that:

  • Your LinkedIn banner is the biggest opportunity you have to capture the attention of anyone who visits your profile. Choose the strongest image from your portfolio to form a great first impression.
  • Your profile picture should ideally be a professional shot that still expresses who you are in a creative fashion.
  • Use your LinkedIn headline to show your identity as a photographer. It doesn’t have to be just a job title but can include what you do and why you do it.
  • Your LinkedIn summary is your opportunity to talk about what defines you as a photographer and a reflection of who you are, what you’ve achieved, and what your story is. Weave these together to form an instant connection with your potential clients.
  • Don’t forget to list your technical skills on your profile so clients know you have the capability and experience to handle the job.

2. Publish Work in Your LinkedIn Feed

Post regular updates about your work on LinkedIn to become more visible in the feed of all your connections.  A good content strategy for LinkedIn is to find a balance between posting about your business and sharing personal posts.

Other than sharing your professional work on LinkedIn, you can also post about:

  • Productivity tips for other photographers.
  • SEO and digital marketing lessons for photographers.
  • Visual storytelling methods you use.
  • The challenges of a photography startup.
  • Native videos to show your process.

An easy but effective way to brainstorm post ideas is by using Taplio’s AI Chat Assist, which can help you generate post ideas and create posts from scratch in minutes.

3. Post Consistently on LinkedIn

Posting regularly on LinkedIn makes you visible in the feeds of your followers. Whenever someone likes or shares your posts, it will amplify your reach across their network. With this increased awareness, you’ll be able to stay front-of-mind with people who may unlock opportunities.

Can’t find time every day to post content on LinkedIn? You can schedule your posts in advance with Taplio.

4. Increase Engagement

One of the best ways to increase engagement and gain more followers on LinkedIn is by commenting on other’s posts regularly. This will make you visible to their followers and may lead to new connection requests.

Block off 10 minutes every day and spend that time on Taplio’s Engage to post meaningful comments on posts. With consistency, you’ll build a better relationship with others, which may lead to collaborations, referrals, or leads.

5. Use DMs Wisely

One of the key elements to generating more business on LinkedIn for photographers is to grow your network and connect with them through DMs. There are three main ways to directly message someone on LinkedIn:

  • Send a connection request along with a DM introducing yourself.
  • Send a message to start a conversation once your request is accepted.
  • Send an InMail if you have LinkedIn Premium.

You can use DMs to reach someone you’d like to work with for a creative project or for pitching your services. To make this process faster, you can send DMs and InMails in bulk using Taplio Outreach. Personalize the messages you send to avoid coming across as spam.

6. Share Visual Striking Content

As a photographer, you have a unique advantage in amplifying your content’s reach and gaining your followers’ attention. With the professional, captivating images you create, you can stand out in the feed of your connections.

Every time someone likes or shares your images, your content will be shown to their followers. Make the most of this by sharing your best work in your feed.

7. Get More Leads for Your Photography Business

Make the most of LinkedIn for photographers by using it to generate more leads and landing more gigs. Here are a few ideas to implement:

  • Look at company pages to find the marketing director, producer, editor, or creative director. These are the people you’d want to connect with.
  • Use LinkedIn search to find information about vendors related to your business, such as venues and DJs, to form a referral network.
  • Send DMs to introduce yourself and the services you offer to generate leads.
  • Offer lead magnets like free stock photos, Lightroom presets, discount coupons, wedding photography checklists, and free eBooks on photography tips.

10 Photographers You Should be Following on LinkedIn

If you’re still in need of some inspiration, check out these ten photographer profiles on LinkedIn.

1. James Guy

With over 28,000 followers, James Guy knows just how powerful images can be to get attention and build a loyal fan base on LinkedIn.

2. Olivia Bossert

Olivia Bossert cleverly uses her summary to provide information about her past clients, publications, and background.

3. Kaisa Leinonen

Kaisa shares a good mix of content on her feed, from her professional work and personal projects to motivational posts, which keep her followers coming back for more.

4. Scott Suchman

With a solid profile photo and a banner that highlights his best work, Scott Suchman’s profile makes a great first impression.

5. Natasha Lee

Natasha Lee’s crisp, clear profile shows that you don’t always have to post your own picture on your profile. A business logo is a great choice, too.

6. Vance Jacobs Photography

Vance’s summary successfully highlights experience, past clients, background, and core competencies without being too long.

7. Yve Assad

Yve Assad makes good use of the “Featured” section to lead followers to an impressive portfolio and past projects.

8. Jordan Rathkopf

From a custom URL and a strong headline to a fully filled-out profile with information about causes, volunteer work, projects, and experience, Jordan Rathkopf does a lot of things right on LinkedIn.

9. Stephanie Arsenault

Stephanie manages to condense her incredibly diverse experience and interests into a summary that highlights her past work and achievements.

10. Alexis (Marie) Brickner

Alexis manages to keep followers engaged by sharing her work, behind-the-scenes posts, photography tips, and an occasional dose of motivational posts.