It can be frustrating to get ghosted, but there are a few things you can do to prevent this! So here are my biggest tips on how to not get ghosted and book more clients!

How to Not Get Ghosted

Getting ghosted isn’t fun, but I have a different outlook on it. I think there is no need to get upset, no need for a rant or that they owe you a response. Instead, I think it’s all on you as the photographer! They might not have known to respond, or how to respond or even when. 

At this point, they weren’t invested yet so they may not have felt the need to respond, especially if this is their first time finding a wedding photographer. They just don’t know the process and what to expect. 

So it is on us, and a poor reflection of us as a photographer, if our response to getting ghosted is a rant or frustration. 

This is why I have implemented a specific process into my workflow to respond to clients, follow up, etc. This strategy works and I want to share some of my biggest tips with you. Here are three tips on how to not get ghosted. 

#1: Have a Quick Response Time

Having a quick response time is huge to take control of your client experience. The quicker that you respond to their inquiry, the more likely they are to respond! If they are already in wedding mode and sitting and planning, if you respond quickly, there’s a chance they are still in that “planning mode” and will respond right back!

Having a Honeybook automated workflow is important to keeping things quick and easy to respond to inquiries. This makes it simple for you to go in and respond right away and impress them with your response time!

Often, they are so thankful for the quick response and it will make the process quicker to finding out if you are a good match. They will become more excited to work with you, and appreciate and expect the quality of the communication. 

#2: Get on the Phone With Them

Getting on the phone with the potential client is one of the most important parts of my workflow! The chance of them booking you is much higher. It gives you the opportunity to chat more as soon as possible. 

Some photographers choose to do meetups in person, but for me phone calls work best as they save me some time and most of my clients aren’t local. I also prefer phone calls because I am able to take notes, and I use a phone call outline so that I know exactly where to take the conversation if I get distracted or lost. So I have this outline up on my computer screen during my call, and this guarantees that I don’t have a brain block. 

I also like that I don’t have to worry about my appearance or body language and can focus solely on what I want to say to the potential client. 

Setting up phone calls with my clients has led to more bookings and when done right, it is a huge opportunity to connect with the couple. It gives you the chance to show them exactly the value of your services and why they should want to book you. So the sooner you can get on the phone and chat with them, the better!

#3: Have a Customized Response

The third tip on how to not get ghosted is to have a customized response! How does your response make them feel? Is it customized to them or is it generic? What is your call to action? Is it only sending them your pricing guide? 

You may not always want to or need to send your pricing guide in that first initial response. Maybe you need to chat with them more to find out their needs and tell them more about your services. You may want to potentially send a custom proposal and brochure, let them know how you do things, and how it helps them in your custom response. 

Often I send over a custom proposal instead of a generic pricing guide. For example, if they are looking for an elopement in the mountains, I will customize the proposal to include photos from the mountains, change the words up, etc. 

I also often don’t send the pricing until after a phone call with them, because I want to find out exactly what services they are looking for and may want to create that custom proposal. Having that phone call also gives you the chance to share your value and what you are fully offering to them before you share your prices. You have the chance to talk yourself up, but be sure to do this in a genuine way and be true to yourself.

You have the opportunity to foster a connection with them and find out if you are a good fit. Because you might not be! So it’s important to find this out early on. 

How I Handle My Pricing Guide

Personally, if the inquiry is straightforward and is very specific, I will send the pricing guide on that initial inquiry. But of course still encourage a phone call. If there is interest in an elopement or unsure about a location, I will wait on my pricing guide and set up a custom proposal instead. So it depends on your preference but this is what I do in my own business!

How you follow up with the potential client after the phone call is SO important. This is when you can send over your pricing guide if you haven’t already. You can also include travel fees, maybe location ideas, blog posts or similar galleries, a timeline that they suggested, etc. 

Sending this follow up directly after the phone call makes a big difference! Again, they are in “planning mode” after the call still so sending this to them right away means a bigger chance your receive a response back and not get ghosted!

When do you follow up again? How soon do you follow up? What verbiage are you using? I try to always include custom verbiage in my response, and also include a video response. This gives my response a unique touch and makes it much more personalized, which my clients appreciate. But just be sure that your follow up is custom for each client. As well as it is done soon after your chat with them!

Cultivate a Consistent Online Presence

Part of not getting ghosted means having a consistent online presence. This is so that your clients can come to trust you and know that your work will back you up. This will mean a much smaller chance of being ghosted! Because the clients will know your value and trust your services. Here are a few ways to establish your online presence: 

• Your Branding: It is so important to have consistent and strong branding. This is so they know that they can trust you and your services. This includes:
  • Consistent editing
  • Same fonts across platforms and graphics
  • Same copyright and verbiage
  • Have a variety of social media platforms so you reach wide variety of people
• Repurpose content: This means that when you write a blog post, that you turn this into a Facebook post, an Instagram Reel, a TikTok, an email to your subscribers, etc. Take your content and repurpose it to all of your other platforms!
• Be consistent: Having a content plan is SO important. You need to have a plan to have a strong and better presence online. 

Conclusion to How to Not Get Ghosted

If you have a quick response time to your inquiries, get them on the phone as soon as possible, and customize your response, you are much less likely to get ghosted! Establish your online presence so that you build that trust with clients and they know you’ll provide them quality services. Remember, getting ghosted is all on you!

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