UK Lead Generation Podcast

James Dooley:
So I am a photographer and I want to grow my business. What do you recommend?

Kasra Dash:
If you're looking to grow your photography business, it’s very visual. I would definitely start thinking about how you can rank images online or be active on social media. Those are the first places I would start. All the jobs you do — watermark them and upload them to places like Flickr and Pinterest. Then you’ve got Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. I’d also enter a lot of different Facebook groups. There are large groups where you can post your work, especially if people are looking for a photographer in your local area.

Even if you’re in a small suburb, like Manchester, there are groups just for Manchester businesses. Be posting your great visual photos in there. There are lots of ways to grow a photography business. Let me quickly run through some and tell you if I think they’re good or not.

Traditional marketing: billboard advertising, TV, radio — I don’t think that’s the play for photography. I’d stay away from traditional advertising.

Next is social media, which I’ve touched on. You should definitely be doing that. There’s no cost. I’d even get a part-time or full-time social media person to consistently post your jobs and content. Social media ads — Facebook ads, Instagram ads — could work very well too. Run ads saying you're a professional photography business. But also, focus on what you're good at. Photography is broad — are you aerial, wedding, landscape, newborn, baby photography? Find what you're good at, what gives you the most profit, and niche down.

Once you know your niche, build your website around it. If you’re mainly aerial photography, create lots of pages talking about every drone type and why each one is better. Talk about everything related to it. You’ll come across as the expert, and you’ll start getting inquiries in your local area from SEO. SEO is another major play.

PPC could work but it’s expensive. Longer keywords like “commercial aerial photography in Manchester” could be cheaper.

And then the big one is FatRank.com. I’m the founder, and we’ve moved our model from just lead generation to guaranteeing ROI. If anyone watching is a photography company looking to grow, go to FatRank.com, contact us, and fill in your details. The team will check who you are and what you do. We are very selective with who we work with, but if you’ve got great online presence, good case studies, strong images, and professional branding — meaning you’re responding from info@professionalphotography.com
and not dpics@gmail.com
— then if you’re accepted, Fat Rank will start generating leads for your exact services. You only pay on converted jobs.

That’s the first route I’d go down. But I’d also still do your own social media and SEO for personal branding. It adds value if you ever want to sell your business. Don’t put all your eggs into FatRank alone. They’ll generate leads, but you should also be doing your own marketing.

Kasra Dash:
Since it’s very visual, depending on the type of photographer you are — let’s say property photos — you can reach out to estate agents and say, “I provide this service. I can do the first two houses for free” to build trust and rapport.

You can do the same for wedding photography. Reach out to someone who sells wedding invites. Email them: “I do wedding photos. If you have clients getting invites printed, they’ll likely need a photographer soon.” Give them a small kickback — £20 or £30 — to incentivize referrals.

And regarding social media consistency — a lot of business owners think one post will bring 6,000 inquiries. It won’t. You need to be consistent. Post once a day for the next six months. Hire someone or dedicate time to it.

James Dooley:
A couple of things you said were great, especially proactive outreach. If I were a wedding photographer, I’d reach out to influencers getting married. I’d say, “You probably already have a photographer, but can I come as a second photographer for free? I’ll stay out of the way and get different angles.” Afterward, edit some photos, remove blemishes, and send before-and-after shots. This shows you’re more than just a photographer — you improve the overall look too.

For property photography, reach out to companies like Let Property in Glasgow. Offer two houses for free, and they might give a testimonial. Big brands create massive trust signals. Once a month, ask: “What can we give away for free?” If anyone hasn’t read The Go-Giver, read it, and start giving value to gain testimonials and clout.

Kasra Dash:
Also, real estate agents follow each other’s Instagram profiles. If one posts about you and tags you, others will naturally start inquiring. That’s how momentum starts.

James Dooley:
So if anyone is a photography business looking to grow, check out FatRank.com, fill in your details, and see if you’re accepted for the lead generation model.