20 Lead Magnet Ideas for Photographers Who Want More Clients

Are you looking for ways to attract more clients to your photography business?

If so, then lead magnets can be a great way to do that. Lead magnets are free items or services that you offer in exchange for someone’s contact information.

You add a sign-up for your lead magnet to your photography website, to your social media, on each blog post, and to other marketing materials to attract your ideal clients.

In this blog post, we’ll share 20 lead magnet ideas for photographers. So, whether you’re just starting out or you’re looking for new ideas, we’ve got you covered!

How do you come up with a good lead magnet idea?

You may be wondering how to develop a lead magnet idea for your photography business. For any lead magnet, the key point is to have something that your target audience will find valuable.

Think about what your ideal client is looking for and what would be helpful to them. If you’re not sure, consider surveying your target audience to find out what their needs and pain points are. Once you know what they’re looking for, you can create a lead magnet that provides value and addresses their needs.

Lead Magnet Ideas for Photographers

If you’ve wondered, “How do I get more leads for my photography?” then you are going to love these photography lead magnet ideas. Let’s get started.

1. A Report

One excellent lead magnet idea is to create a report. Your lead magnet report could be for those searching for a photographer and showcase what things to look out for or what questions to ask when interviewing photographers. This is valuable information for those searching for a photographer for family photos or a wedding photographer.

The key with any lead magnet is to make YOU the next step. You can write your report (or any of these lead magnets) to frame you as the obvious choice and include a strong call to action to contact you for services.

2. Photography Cheat Sheets

Another lead magnet idea is to create a cheat sheet. These could be helpful tips and tricks for taking better photos, or they could be a list of the best places to take photos in your area.

Cheat sheets are a great way to show your expertise and attract your ideal clients who are looking for help with their photography.

3. Sample Photos

If you’re a photographer, then you probably have a lot of great photos that you’ve taken. Why not offer some of your best photos as a lead magnet? These could showcase the best lighting for outdoor photography, poses for wedding photography, or even the best angles for taking pictures of children.

These are all great ways to show off your work and attract potential clients who are looking for a photographer with your style.

4. Discounts

Everyone loves a discount, so why not offer a discount on your photography services as a lead magnet? This is a great way to attract clients who are looking for a deal on their next photo shoot.

5. Free Consultation

As with many high-ticket items, like a wedding photography package, you may need to meet with your clients to make the sale. Why not offer a free consultation as a lead magnet? This is a great way to attract potential clients who are looking for a larger photography package.

6. Case Studies

If you’ve had success with your photography business, then why not share that success with ideal clients? Case studies are a great way to show off your work and attract new clients. This is a little more in-depth than a gallery of your work, and it shows the details of the project and shows that you know how to handle important aspects of a photography session.

If you are selling high-ticket packages, action photography, or capturing once-in-a-lifetime moments, a case study can show that you are the right photographer for the job.

7. How-To Guides

Another lead magnet idea is to create a how-to guide. These could be helpful guides for taking better photos, or they could be a list of the best places to take photos in your area. How-to guides are a great way to show your expertise and attract potential clients who are looking for help with their photography.

Look at this article for Nighttime Wedding Photography Tips. This is a great example of content that could be turned into a guide, a cheatsheet, or any of the mentioned lead magnet ideas. Even just the end of the article with his extra tips could be a free download and offered as a content upgrade to his article. This is great content to use to build your email list, attract more leads, and book more clients.

These types of lead magnet content turn your website visitors into subscribers, which is a step so many photographers miss. By grabbing the email address with an effective lead magnet, you’re able to continue to market and build a relationship with your website visitors.

And a lead magnet like a guide or cheatsheet is a low commitment – meaning you’ll get more subscribers than if you just offered a free consult.

Most people aren’t ready for that yet. They’re still in research mode, and your guide can not only assist in their research but also make you stand out, keep you top of mind (when you follow-up), and help their eventual purchasing choice easier.

8. Tips & Tricks Email Series

If you have any helpful tips or tricks for taking better photos, then why not share them with your audience? Creating an email series that drips out over the next week can show prospective clients that you are an expert and can build relationships, rapport, and trust to have them pick you for their photography needs.

An example of how this lead magnet works

Using the above example, you could say, “Planning a Night Wedding? Get my FREE Essential Night Wedding Email Series, where I cover nighttime wedding photography secrets that will help you capture your perfect night.”

Then instead of giving ALL THE TIPS in the article, you pull back and deliver the tips as bite-sized chunks over 5 days. They still get the information from you, and you get their email address and can continue the conversation.

Then you email about the biggest mistakes to avoid with nighttime wedding photography.

Then a few days later, questions you MUST ask your photographer before hiring for nighttime wedding photography.

See how this all ties in. You are helping them choose the best photographer as a trusted resource and building a relationship with them through each email.

If you just had them get everything from the article, they would just read your article, leave, and they’d forget you even existed. Instead, they just got 7 amazing emails sharing secrets, giving tips, and providing value…and they WILL remember your name.

9. Behind-The-Scenes Look

If you’re a photographer, then you probably have a lot of great behind-the-scenes photos and stories. This is a great way to show off your process, what it’s like to work with you, and what makes you the sure choice as their photographer.

10. Interviews

As a photographer, you’re probably worked with many different clients, shot at unique locations, and photographed some amazing events. What if, instead of just sharing a few photo examples from your favorite projects, you interviewed your past clients?

Sharing interviews of real clients talking about their experiences with you can be a powerful way to showcase your experience and style to your prospective clients.

11. Podcasts

If you’re a photographer, then you probably have a lot of great stories and insights to share. Why not start a photography podcast and share them with ideal clients? You could talk with clients, other photographers, and industry leaders about your craft.

You can create an exclusive podcast that is only for subscribers. This is a great way to connect with your audience, attract new clients, and build rapport.

12. Webinars

Another lead magnet idea is to host a webinar. This is a great way to show your expertise and attract potential clients who are looking for help with their photography.

You may be thinking, “I’m a Photographer, not a webinar expert”, but webinars can be super easy to set up. Using a webinar template like this one, you can easily set up a webinar in little time. All the pieces are already connected, you just swap out your information, and you are ready to roll.

13. Photography Templates

If you’re a photographer, then you probably have a lot of great templates that you’ve created. Why not share them with potential clients? Using some beginner templates as your lead magnet is a great way to show off your work and attract new clients.

14. Stock Photos

If you’re a photographer, then you probably have a lot of great photos that you’ve taken. Why not offer some of your best photos as a lead magnet? This is a great way to show off your work and attract potential clients who are looking for a photographer with your style.

15. Photo Editing Mini-Course

If you’re a photographer, then you probably have a lot of experience with photo editing. Why not share your tips and tricks with potential clients? A mini-course can be easy to create with a membership template that includes the sign-up page, course, and email follow-up. You can have your mini-course lead magnet set up in a snap.

16. Lightroom Presets

If you’re a photographer, then you probably have a lot of experience with Lightroom. Why not share your Lightroom presets with potential clients? This is another free resource to connect with your audience and showcase your experience. Then you can follow up with helpful information and offers to paid services.

17. Photoshop Actions

You probably have a lot of experience with Photoshop, as well. Why not share your Photoshop actions with prospects? This is a great way to show off your work and attract new clients at the same time.

18. eBooks

As a photographer, you probably have a lot of knowledge about the industry. Why not share that knowledge with your audience in the form of an eBook? This is a great way to show your expertise and attract new clients.

You can put together a simple e-book using a Canva Template and put the sign-up on an eBook Landing page template (like this one). Your ideal clients will be impressed with your knowledge and more likely to work with you. Be sure to include an email follow-up sequence with a call to action for your services.

19. Online Courses

Another lead magnet idea is to create an online course. This is a great way to show your expertise and attract potential clients who are looking for help with their photography. Not only can this be a great lead magnet for potential clients, but you could also turn it into a paid course and create extra income.

This online course sales funnel template can make set up as quickly as a few hours from start to finish.

20. Private Facebook Group

If you’re a photographer, then you probably have a lot of great insights and tips to share. Why not start a private Facebook group and share your photography knowledge with potential clients?

This is a great way to show your expertise and attract new clients.

Tools to Create Your Photography Lead Magnet

Let’s quickly review some of the tools you’ll need to create your lead magnet.

Tools to Create Your Lead Magnet Download

First are creation tools. If you are creating a written opt-in like a guide or ebook, Canva Templates can make it easy to design a professional-looking download with no design experience.

Tools to Create a Course

If you are creating a course, Kartra and Kajabi are great course creation tools.

If you are creating a podcast, you can use Libsyn or even Kajabi to host and syndicate your show.

Tools to Create Your Lead Magnet Sign-Up

Next is a landing page builder. It is easiest to use software that creates your sign-up form, a stand-alone landing page (so there are no distractions to sign up), a thank you page, and delivers your lead magnet. I suggest Kartra; they have great sales funnel templates that come with everything all set up and connected. Another option is ClickFunnels.

Related: How to Create Landing Page in 20-minutes or Less

Tools to Follow Up with Email Marketing

The last tool you need is an email service provider. If you are lucky, your landing page building and email service platform are the same. This makes connecting everything so much easier.

Your email service provider will allow you to set up an automatic email sequence to go out to your new subscribers and allow you to send broadcast or newsletter emails as well. Again, we love Kartra as it does it all, but other options are Constant Contact or Active Campaign.

Related: Best Email Marketing Platforms 

Your Lead Magnet is only the FIRST step in Your Sales Funnel

Your lead magnet is essentially the gateway to your business. It attracts and welcomes people through the “virtual” door, but it is only the first step. You must continue to guide them through the customer journey and walk them from just learning about you to trusting you and on to choosing to work with you.

Most of this can be done via email marketing and automated sequences, all leading them to know more about you and continuing to build the relationship. As you guide them, think about what questions they would have at this step and what objections they may have to purchase, and use this time to answer them as you would in person.

Allowing technology to do some of the heavy lifting for you; attracting new leads to your photography business, answering questions, gaining trust, showcasing your experience, and even booking consults and packages can allow you to grow your business without being bogged down in lead generation.

And it all starts with your photography lead magnet!

Photography Business Lead Magnets work!

If you’re looking for ways to grow your business, a lead magnet is the perfect way to start. Not only will it help you grow your email list, but it can also introduce new customers to your work and drive more sales.

We’ve provided 20 examples of the best lead magnets that you can use to get started, as well as tips on how to create an effective follow-up strategy. With the right tools and templates, it’s easier than ever to create high-quality content that converts leads into paying customers.

Ready to get started?

Check out our course on creating a perfect lead magnet to make your lead magnet creation even more effective!

And remember, you don’t need crazy tech skills, buckets of cash, or a dedicated staff to market your business; in fact, you don’t even need a lot of time.

What you need is to work smart!

And a lead magnet for your photography business is SMART!