Couples thrive on the emotional pull of what they imagine their wedding day will be like. As a wedding photographer, here’s how to make that work.
In most areas of the film and video industry, you want to make a demo reel of your best work in an effort to get hired for a gig. The idea is to show off what you can do at the top of your game, and what you’re most proud to showcase. The wedding industry, however, takes this approach a little differently.
Our first few years in business, I always stuck to the idea of a demo reel. I set aside time, and picked my best clips from the season. I found a song that I felt was upbeat, but still romantic, and I proudly put it out there for the world to see. And lo-and-behold … nobody cared.
What I’ve found is that when couples are shopping around for a wedding videographer, they often have no idea what a demo reel even is. Furthermore, they have no interest in watching a series of random clips that have no clear storyline, or consistent people featured, so they can form an attachment.
What’s more likely to get their attention is a great story — a short “teaser” they can see themselves in or short, easy-to-digest clips. They thrive on the emotional pull of what they imagine their wedding day will be like. This is the era of social media, so people like to be entertained — and quickly.
Let’s break it down.
Showcase Your Wedding Films on Your Website
First, showcase your films on your website and on YouTube. Vimeo is an okay choice too, but most clients don’t use that platform. We recommend YouTube instead.
Potential clients that are serious about hiring you will often watch them. However, that doesn’t mean you have to put every film you make on your website. Much like you would for a demo reel, pick the films that you feel represent your brand the best. Along with highlighting your best work, pick a wide variety and showcase all kinds of different couples. People get excited when they can see themselves in your films and relate to the couples that are featured. Variety is the magic sauce that will turn the casual browser into a submitted inquiry form!
Post Short Clips on Social Media
Social media is your best friend. More so, at the moment, Instagram is your best friend. Share anything and everything that plays to your brand and will grab the attention of your target client. You can do single clips or a small sequence of clips. You can use music, or not. Just get your work out there and post consistently. We sometimes even post “bonus clips” that didn’t make it into the final film. Your clients will love seeing even more than they expected from their wedding day.
After a wedding, I spend some time picking out my favorite shots from the day, color-grading, exporting, and getting them on my phone so I can post them over the next few days. People LOVE to see clips of their wedding day. Tag the couple and their wedding party and they will all be so excited.
Most of the time, you will gain a fresh group of followers right after a wedding. This is great because even if these followers aren’t looking for a videographer for themselves, they will probably know someone who is. If you’re a name they remember and like, you’re likely to get more referrals, and referrals almost always book.
Make Teasers a Part of the Package
Another thing we do that has been particularly successful, and is very popular within the wedding film industry, is create a one-minute teaser the day following a wedding. Grab the clips that are your absolute best, or that you know were special to the couple, and put them to music that fits them.
Teasers are demo-reels, in their own way. Showcase your best work from the day. You’re not confined to telling a story, so choose the absolute top-tier of your footage to feature. Not all of our couples watch our full films prior to hiring us, but they ALL watch our teasers.
Include the teaser as part of your wedding packages and talk it up when you speak with your couple. When I got married, all my wife and I wanted was to see photos and videos from the day, and waiting was torture. Offering a teaser within a week of filming is a super easy way to tame the couple’s anxiety while they wait for you to edit their film. When you’re building your pricing and packages, teasers can be an extra benefit to utilize. We don’t offer teasers on all of our packages, but it’s a great tool to offer as a “freebie” or add-on to treat (or up-sell) your clients.
Personally, I take a lot of creative liberties on the teasers. I love making them. They are, for the most part, pressure free and I can try new things and use songs I wouldn’t typically use in a wedding film.
I used to make the teasers much longer (between two to three minutes) and try to tell a story with them. What I quickly realized is that, in the end, it was really just taking time away from working on the couple’s actual film. One minute is perfect for sharing on Instagram, it only takes me about a day to complete, and it really simplifies the search for music.
Choose a “Vibe,” Then Pick the Music
Alright, so speaking of music, how do you pick music for something that isn’t really telling a story and is only one minute long? Easy! Pick a vibe — seriously. Think about what that couple really embodied as you spent time with them. Were they super loving and romantic? Were they wild party animals who clearly had the time of their lives at the reception? Or were they more creative and subdued? Think romantic, upbeat party music, indie style, and so on.
Find a genre that matches their day the best, and drop it into your timeline. Go with what fits your couple and don’t try to over-complicate it. Remind yourself that this is just a teaser to show your clients gratitude for having you at their wedding, and to pique the interest of their guests and other future clients.
Finally, have fun with it! This is a great opportunity to get creative and stretch the limits of your editing. Learn new things, try them out, and see how it goes. This is a fantastic opportunity to try things before you put them into a final wedding film. Teasers are supposed to be fun and maybe even a little wild, so go (reasonably) crazy!
Cover image by e-leet.
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