What to Do When You're Not Being Hired
So, you’ve been on ShootWith.Me for a few months and haven’t gotten any bites. Before you start doubting yourself or your abilities, remember that there are studios who are looking for someone just like you. You may need to make a few adjustments to make yourself stand out more though, and that is exactly what we’re going to go over today.
There are so many things that can make one person’s profile more attractive than another’s. It could be the body of work, desired rate, reviews, name recognition, or something else. Ultimately, it may be a combination of several of these. Let’s jump in one by one and speak to a few tweaks that can be made for each of these items.
Body of work- If you have a second shooter or associate profile, you’ll want to share images that ultimately show the range of what you’re able to do. Yeah, you may have a bunch of epic off-camera lighting work, but if you’re not showing prep, details, storytelling, formal shots,candids, etc, studios may not know if you’re reliable for those parts of the day. Also, images that took extensive time to edit aren’t very useful either. Sure, your 11 frame composite of the bridal party is amazing and your client is going to love it, but when it comes to second shooting, it’s not incredibly helpful. Think about what another studio wants to see and not what your clients want to see on your website.
Desired rate- I’ve mentioned this in the past, but just because there is an expected hourly rate in your area, that doesn’t mean charging that amount is always the best move. If you’re not getting hired, try lowering your rate until you get booked for a few jobs. You’ll be more attractive to studios because they don’t have to pay out as much, but it will also enable you to build up some reviews along the way. After that, you can adjust accordingly if needed. Heck, you may even find that you can charge more than the standard rate for your area because you’re in higher demand.
Reviews- Maybe you had something happen at an event or session that lead to a less than great review. It happens. You may need to compensate in other parts of your profile to make yourself more attractive. Make yourself available for a lower rate so that you can book a job or two to offset the review that is hurting you. Also, if there are things you need to adjust professionally to better serve studios you’re working with, be willing to do that also.
Name recognition- You’re new to the area, I get it. That doesn’t mean you don’t have something awesome to bring to the table. In order to stand out, make sure the rest of your profile is in tip-top shape, adjust your rate, and make sure you have a solid bio so that people can get to know you better. It’s impossible to know everyone in your local market, so by making yourself stand out in these other ways, you’ll begin to gain traction.
Bio-Pic- Have a nice bio image for yourself. Make yourself look professional and like someone other studios would want to hire. It doesn’t have to be studio headshot by any means, but make sure it’s well lit and shows us a bit about who you are.
When used properly, your ShootWith.Me profile will make it easier for you to get hired and if you’re not getting the results you’re looking for, consider applying some of these suggestions.