With Laura Esmond

Mastering Mini Session Events: Strategy and Tips
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Welcome back to the podcast. You're with Laura Esmond, and today I want to talk about mini sessions, and I realize that by the time this goes out, we're kind of in the thick of it, but to me personally, when you're in the thick of it, that is when it's time to reflect And I feel like a lot of times we are in the middle of doing something crazy and we're like, next year I'm gonna do it different.

But then we get to next year and we haven't really thought through how we're gonna do it differently. We forget. We forget the pain, right? That's one of the reasons we keep having babies. We forget the pain and we just do it again. So while you're in the thick of it, I want to give you an opportunity to sit with me.

So grab your editing cue, or a cup of coffee and a journal, something to write with. Or even just grab your shoes and let's go on a walk. And let's think about how we do mini sessions, why we do them, and how you can make them work for you. Now, here's the thing. Most of us don't choose to do minis because we can't wait to cram 10 sessions into one day and hustle like crazy.

That's not the point at all. The real reason photographers offer minis usually fall into two camps. Number one. We just want to serve clients who honestly just need a quick, simple update. I've had plenty of clients come to me and say, I know I spent like thousands of dollars with you last year, and I did this full session, but I really just need something different this year.

I want to still serve that client. I don't want to lose them to somebody else, and I want to have a way to serve them. I get it. My kids are older now. I don't always every year need something so big. So there's that. Then there's also number two. They're a fantastic way to bring in reliable cash flow when they're done.

Right. Let me give you an example from my own business. When I was running my retail studio, my overhead was intense. I, at one point, reported on this podcast that, the overhead ran between 10 and $15,000 a month. But recently I went back, I was looking at those numbers, I was kind of digging for something else, and I looked at that first year and realized the average was actually from day one.

Okay, I want you to put this into perspective. Day one, I opened that studio and that month with hardly any sessions coming in the door yet. It was an average of $17,000 a month. That whole year. And that didn't even include paying myself a salary. That salary was hard earned and took a little bit of time for me to get to that.

So you can imagine the pressure. There were two things I had to focus on and learn very fast. Marketing my business, getting it in front of as many eyes as possible, and how to manage a risky cash flow situation One. Honestly, I, I wasn't fully mentally prepared for, so we had to figure out a way to make it work.

Here's the thing though, portrait businesses are built on trust. You don't just open your doors and instantly have a loyal client base. I knew it was going to take time to build those relationships, even though I had a portrait business before and a bit of a following to come with me into the studio.

This was a whole new ball game and I was going to need more people. So what did I do? I leaned on mini session events to keep us afloat while building that trust and not just in Q4. We actually spread them out throughout the year. We had headshot events in January, a Valentine's mini event in February, Easter Bunny sessions in the spring, outdoor minis in the fall.

We also did holiday sets over the weekend in uh, November, and then Santa Sessions. There was even a couple of years where we did this New Year's confetti event. It was super fun, but eventually we let that one go because we realized that rest was more important during that week. Some of these were wildly successful.

In fact, the Easter Benny session was always huge, surprisingly so it was one of our biggest events. While others like motherhood minis surprisingly never really took off, but that was okay. The point was that these events gave us consistent cash flow while I had time to work on those bigger sessions like newborns and big family sessions.

Now let's talk about how I structure offers today. I actually have three different types of sessions. I don't rely quite as much on those mini session events anymore. First, my full sessions, these are 45 minutes to two hours, completely customized, no time limit. They're for clients who want the full storytelling experience.

They're doing maternity newborn. Families. They want the intimate details documented. They want a slower experience. These are the clients that are wearing their heart on their sleeves right now. They are so in love with their kids and they just want to document their entire heart, and I pour my whole self into making their images artistic and meaningful.

We also spend a lot of time creating artwork from those sessions.

Second, I offer petite sessions, so think of these as like a scale down version of the full session. They're about 30 minutes almost always in my studio. I rarely offer them outside of the studio again, right? We have to have boundaries when we start to downsize our sessions, and I only offer them on certain days during the week.

They're great for clients who I love working with and they love working with me, but they're not really interested in investing Thousands in this particular type of session. Works really, really well for milestones or maybe a quick, quick update of, you know, the siblings together or something like that.

Then we have the mini session event. These are the most structured and have the most boundaries built in. I'll pick one day, maybe a weekend, and just book out 10 to 12 time slots because I've learned over the years that that's my energy level. That's how many I can get to before I go. Okay, I'm about to fall over.

They're short, they're super defined, and they often have a theme. Clients book them online and everything is automated. At this point in my life, I'm a little older, 25 euros of photography behind me. I'm enjoying a slower paced business, not the retail studio I had for a handful of years. so I only offer three specific events.

Now, the ones that I really enjoy and I know are always successful, that's a headshot event in January, Easter, in the spring, whenever Easter falls, it's always different. And then a Santa event. Now I'd like to share with you how I've streamlined these events to be really easy and effective. They are literally a flip of a switch at this point in my business.

In fact, this morning I set up Santa and released it. It only took me about an hour to do all of it. I still need to style the set and buy a couple of things. All of the pieces are already there. All I have to do is click them together and press send. So number one, there are four parts I want to share with you.

Number one, mindset. Don't expect to make the same revenue off of your event as that photographer you're watching who's been doing their event. For three, four, or five years, they have momentum built up in that event. So they're going to book that faster and probably make more money. If your first year only books three or four sessions, that's okay.

That's a win. Every year. It builds and you will get more and more clients. Number two, boundaries For instance, I don't offer outdoor minis anymore because they cannibalize my full sessions. And also, to be honest, they just don't fulfill me anymore. Every mini session that I run now is themed with a S set.

That way I'm serving a different need and not undercutting my longer sessions. Number three systems. Everything should be automated and very clear. A strong landing page with all the details, styling directions, what's included, what's not included, and what they can purchase after full clarity of pricing.

Upfront will help weed out all the questions later. Also, a confirmation email that repeats all of that. So make sure that everything that's on the landing page goes out in that confirmation email, and also includes a link to that landing page. You might also put together a guide when you feel like it's necessary.

For example, with Santa, there's a lot that I like to communicate with that session, and I even like to remind them of details like maybe. Don't wear red unless it's like a plaid red. So Santa is the one that pops in the red and you don't clash with his red. The more you communicate upfront, the less you get bogged down with answering individual text and questions later.

Because when you're doing that, that's when it becomes more like a custom session. So automation is key. All the details upfront communicated on a landing page, a guide, and an email.

And number four, marketing. This is where I see so many photographers drop the ball. Do not be under the impression that one Instagram post one story and one email is going to book out your minis. You need to think about the long game here. Start marketing months in advance. You're going to need multiple posts and multiple emails, and remember, algorithms and open rates are unpredictable.

Some clients just won't see that post or just won't even see your email, or it could end up in their spam inbox. That's why you send it again because of that spam in inbox. By the way, if you've got a small list or maybe some favorite clients, go the extra mile and just. Forward that Flow Desk email directly and add a personal note.

Hey, I just wanted to make sure you saw this event and I'd love to have you there. You can even send a text with a landing page link and a personal invite. I actually still do this with some clients that I want to ensure. Get that that link quickly. I want to get it in front of them and know that they saw it.

Another great strategy is to partner with a local business or even a charity. They'll share the event with their list. You'll share it with yours, and everybody wins. The first couple of years, you are going to have to work really hard to fill those slots.

You're planting seeds and you're building momentum. But once you've built that base of repeat clients, the work pays off within a few years. You can send one or two emails and be one of those photographers that says, booked up within a day. So here's what I want you to remember. Many sessions work best when you approach them as an event with the right mindset.

Clear boundaries, solid systems, and a strong marketing strategy. Minis can become a reliable lever. You pull whenever you need cash flow without overwhelming your calendar. Alright, friend, that's what I've got for you today. If you're planning a mini session event this year, you're trying to maybe do one in November or December, or you're already thinking about 2026 like I am, I'd love to hear how you're planning on marketing those events.

Send me a DM on Instagram. Let's swap out some ideas.