I want to personally send my work to some businesses with potential to buy my photos, so they will get to know me and my work, but how do I approach them?
I thought of burning CDs and sending it to them along with an introductory letter. The CDs would have a custom "cover" and all and inside there would be all of my current work in the proposed theme, separated in folders. The photos wouldn't be large enough for a good print of course.
Or should I just forget that and simply send a letter or email with a link to my online portfolio? Maybe with a small sample of my work included.. ?
My photos are not exactly "common", they are often of some unique places/situations that it's not that easy to find out there in any stock agency.
If at all possible you should call ahead, learn which person you should meet with, and make an appointment to show your portfolio. If the business is too far away, then it becomes more challenging to achieve the "personal" contact you are trying for.
In our experience a disc may or may not reach the right person, then they may or may not even bother to look at it. We have better luck making the call first, then directing mail to that specific person. We don't send discs till asked. But we do make up "post cards" with a standout image on one side and our contact info on the other, along with an invitation to contact us for more images or services. If you select your images carefully for the specific company, then send about one a month, they will get to know your name and your images, and hopefully be curious enough to connect with your online portfolio. After sending several, call the person and ask about submitting a disc. I would only put images on the disc that reflect the interests of one specific company. In our experience this form of long-range "directed" marketing works much better than a more generalized approach shipped out at great expense to a large number of companies in the hopes that one might contact you.
Posted by Randy Beacham on March 17, 2006 at 12:58 AM
I agree with Hank concerning CD's. It can be a lot of time spent for no good reason if they
don't take the time to look at the CD. The only time I now send out CD's is when I have already sold images to a client and I think I have a portfolio of shots that would interest them and I ask if it would be useful for them to have a CD on file. I also always send in a contact sheet of small thumbnails to accompany the CD as well as a separate caption sheet with my name and contact info at the top. This can be very time consuming so I only do this when I am sure I have a good set of images that match what the client uses.
For new customers I think a simple postcard like Hank mentioned with your contact info, particularly to an online portfolio, works well. Make sure your work matches what they use. I think a simple postcard with a compelling photo works better than a cover letter. Most folks are so busy you just want to catch their attention with a good photo and a link to see more online.
If you are thinking of printing your own cards I would recommend Red River Paper. Don't know their website but if you googled with the company name you should find it. Also as Hank mentioned it's real important to set up a schedule for sending the cards and stick to it since it may take a few cards before they even take a more careful look at your work. My advice is that it's better to target a small amount of clients that you are sure match your work and send in cards steadily like every month rather than target a large group of potential customers who you send to occasionally. Good luck, Randy
Discussion
3 repliesI want to personally send my work to some businesses with potential to buy my photos, so they will get to know me and my work, but how do I approach them?
I thought of burning CDs and sending it to them along with an introductory letter. The CDs would have a custom "cover" and all and inside there would be all of my current work in the proposed theme, separated in folders. The photos wouldn't be large enough for a good print of course.
Or should I just forget that and simply send a letter or email with a link to my online portfolio? Maybe with a small sample of my work included.. ?
My photos are not exactly "common", they are often of some unique places/situations that it's not that easy to find out there in any stock agency.
Thanks for any tip
In our experience a disc may or may not reach the right person, then they may or may not even bother to look at it. We have better luck making the call first, then directing mail to that specific person. We don't send discs till asked. But we do make up "post cards" with a standout image on one side and our contact info on the other, along with an invitation to contact us for more images or services. If you select your images carefully for the specific company, then send about one a month, they will get to know your name and your images, and hopefully be curious enough to connect with your online portfolio. After sending several, call the person and ask about submitting a disc. I would only put images on the disc that reflect the interests of one specific company. In our experience this form of long-range "directed" marketing works much better than a more generalized approach shipped out at great expense to a large number of companies in the hopes that one might contact you.
don't take the time to look at the CD. The only time I now send out CD's is when I have already sold images to a client and I think I have a portfolio of shots that would interest them and I ask if it would be useful for them to have a CD on file. I also always send in a contact sheet of small thumbnails to accompany the CD as well as a separate caption sheet with my name and contact info at the top. This can be very time consuming so I only do this when I am sure I have a good set of images that match what the client uses.
For new customers I think a simple postcard like Hank mentioned with your contact info, particularly to an online portfolio, works well. Make sure your work matches what they use. I think a simple postcard with a compelling photo works better than a cover letter. Most folks are so busy you just want to catch their attention with a good photo and a link to see more online.
If you are thinking of printing your own cards I would recommend Red River Paper. Don't know their website but if you googled with the company name you should find it. Also as Hank mentioned it's real important to set up a schedule for sending the cards and stick to it since it may take a few cards before they even take a more careful look at your work. My advice is that it's better to target a small amount of clients that you are sure match your work and send in cards steadily like every month rather than target a large group of potential customers who you send to occasionally. Good luck, Randy