Have you ever booked a photography session and felt as if you were completely unprepared on what to expect? I know I have and it’s the last thing I want my clients to feel – unprepared. Setting expectations from the start is key! Follow these steps to help your clients prepare for their newborn sessions.
So how do I prepare my clients for their newborn session?
There are several things I do to make sure my clients go into their session with full-knowledge of how our time together will play out. Not only does it provide them with peace of mind, but it makes their final gallery swoon worthy.
Set Expectations from the Start
Gosh, we’ve all been disappointed because of our expectations not being met. When clients book you, it’s crucial that you provide them with what to expect from the very beginning. Let them know when the session will begin, where it will take place, and how long it will last. Plus, let them know the ideal order of what photos will be taken at which point during the session. Of course, when it comes to newborns, sometimes you do have to troubleshoot based on how the baby is doing. But, majority of the time, I’m able to follow my ideal photo timeline. You’ll also want to make the client aware of anything they will need to bring or have on hand for the session. Think of things like a pacifier, swaddle, warmed-up bottle, etc.
Some other things you will need to consider when outlining expectations are things like when invoices are due, how will you communicate with the couple, and when they can expect their final gallery.
Pro Tip: I love giving my clients a longer timeframe for when they can expect their final gallery. This way, when I deliver their gallery sooner than promised, they are overly excited. However, if I ever do have something unexpected pop up such as a family-emergency or other acts of God scenarios (which has happened), I still always am able to deliver galleries within my timeframe due to the extra cushion I’ve provided myself with.
Provide Styling and Wardrobe Help
Let’s all be honest here… Unless you are gifted with the talent of styling, picking out outfits for a photography session is never the easiest or most fun thing to do. This is why providing your clients with a style guide or style tips, helps tremendously as they plan family outfits. Consider putting together mood board options based on common color schemes. You can even offer a Client Closet for Mom to choose from during the family’s newborn session. This is something that will take you time to complete, but once completed leaves you with a higher-end client experience.
Send Detailed Prep Instructions to Ensure a Sleepy Baby
If you’ve already photographed newborn sessions, you know a sleepy baby is the best baby. Providing Mom and Dad with an ideal start time and end time of when to feed baby before you arrive will help ensure that their little one has a fully tummy and is ready to rest.
It’s also important to include things like when they should get the baby dressed, items to have on hand in case baby wakes up, or has a hard time falling asleep. Again, sometimes babies don’t want to cooperate and you’ll have to troubleshoot. I, personally, love bringing my white noise machine with me to sessions as this often soothes an upset little one.
If you have no idea where to start with helping your clients prepare for their newborn sessions, you welcome to use my prep instructions which are included with my Client Experience Guide. You can download the guide, save tons of time, and start implementing it into your business right away!
As you book more clients and your business grows, you will fine tune your client pre-session information. I like to review my systems at the end of the year to verify things are still working as smoothly as they can be.
If you are interested in learning more about Newborn Photography, I’d love to have you in my new course specifically geared to all things newborn. You can click here to see if it’s the right fit for you!
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