There’s not much worse in business than feeling like you aren’t appreciated or like you’re being taken advantage of - except knowing that you sort of did it to yourself. That’s what can happen when you pour your heart into a senior model team that does not financially produce or bring in more clients.

It hurts. I’ve been there. I’ve said more than once “I’m never doing this again”. And you know what? I fixed it! And I couldn’t be happier with the results from our team each year.

I talk to a lot of senior photographers, and model teams always come up in our mentoring time together. I’m gonna go through some mistakes I see photographers making all the time and some I’ve made of my own. These are mistakes you’re going to want to avoid at all costs. Senior model teams can be so much fun and very profitable when done right. So let’s dive right in!

In this episode of the Senior Studio Success Podcast I’m gonna go through some senior model team mistakes I see photographers making all the time & some I’ve made of my own. Senior model teams can be so much fun & very profitable when done t…

12 Mistakes To Avoid When Building Your Senior Model Team:

1. Not charging for it - Free is not valued. I probably don’t need to go much further than that, but I will. Haha! These model teams take up a large amount of time and energy. To not charge for that much work is just silly. Please be sure you are at least covering hard costs like editing, props and extra assistants and hair and makeup artists you may be hiring for shoots. An interesting exercise to do would be to actually jot down how many hours you spent on your last model team - from the planning to the shooting to editing to marketing, all the things.

2. Giving them too many shoots - While I truly believe that the senior model team experience needs to be special and fun, there is just no reason to go overboard. For a few reasons . . . 1) too many sessions will damage your senior session sale because they are already getting images from these model team shoots. 2) Kids are busy and stressed as it is. Their schedules are FULL! Even if shoots are optional, they will have some guilt associated with not being able to make all of them. 3) With too many shoots their own senior session isn’t so special anymore because they’ve “been there, done that”. 4) And lastly, you will burn out! Believe me, I’ve been there. Now we do one styled shoot, a headshot session, a BFF shoot and the cap & gown / college t-shirt shoot before they go to college. There’s no need to do much more than that.

3. Giving a discount - Here’s where I step on some toes. You ready? Let’s just rip the band-aide off. Ok? Discounts devalue your work!!! So stop. Please. There is no need to discount something that you work so much harder on than a regularly booked senior session. I’ve never understood the reason behind offering discounts to clients who get way more of you than others. Charge your regular prices and charge for the model team experience. If you can’t remember why just rewind a bit to mistake number one ;)

4. Expecting lists of referrals - Gone are the days when we can expect long lists of referral from our senior models. Gen Z is not too keen on that. So before you say “model teams don’t work” think about what you actually expect from them. It is not their job to bring us business. It is our job to create such a great experience that they talk it up to their friends and post about it to social media. If you have to force them to post, then something is probably off. And if I had to put my finger on it, it’s probably coming from a bit of a desperation mindset. I’m gonna touch on that a bit more later, but when we think differently, we act differently. And that can make a HUGE difference in the results your model team brings you.

5. Having a “build it and they will come” mentality - Building a senior model team is no small feat. It takes a lot of time to create a big enough audience of the right teens to be interested in what you have to offer. Putting a few posts up on instagram and facebook aren’t going to cut it. Teens aren’t just out there wondering about your model team and looking for it. In our studio we start building and warming up our instagram audience months before we ever talk about our model team online. And that hard work always pays off each year.

6. Not showing excitement about your model team program on social media - Teens can see right through inauthenticity. Timidly talking about your senior model team is a huge turn off. This is the “I'm scared nobody will join” mindset. Change it to “Everybody is gonna want this!” mindset. They want to see you excited and full of energy. They want to know why you are doing it. They want to be part of something fun and cool, something with a bigger purpose. So when you show up, show up BIG! Bring the energy, believe in what you do and get them engaged!

7. Having a desperation mentality - In all of my mentoring sessions with other senior photographers about model teams I’ve noticed something they all have in common - their mindset. One of the toughest things is realizing that you are worth more than what you are asking for and that you offer something that people want to be a part of. So I’m gonna tell you the same thing that I’ve told all of them when it comes to senior model teams. It’s time to flip the switch. It’s not that you need them. It’s that they want you. Let that sink in. The desperation mentality has to go. Show up confidently knowing that what you offer is special.

8. Just “winging it” - Plan and plan some more. The last thing you want to do is try to coordinate a group of busy teenagers - unless you just like going crazy. Haha! Before you launch your program be sure that you have all of your dates set. There is no need to try to coordinate everyone. The fact is that you will never be able to make everyone happy. And there will always be someone who can’t make a shoot. It’s tough, but that’s just the way it goes. Structuring your business around your family and your life will make you a much happier business owner :)

9. Not knowing how much your program will cost to run - Whether you want to believe it or not, running a model team is expensive. Yes, sometimes we have more time than money and we need to spend that time to build our business. In fact, that’s exactly how I built mine. I did a good amount of free, discounted and bartered work that first year to get it going, make connections & build a portfolio. But there comes a point when you have to decide if this “thing you’re doing” is a hobby or a business. If you’ve decided this is a business then it’s time to get serious about knowing the costs of running a senior model team program. Write down the hours you’ll spend shooting, editing, planning, communicating, etc. Are you buying props? Renting space? Driving long distances? Providing hair & makeup? Snacks? Swag bags & marketing materials? These “little things” here and there add up to BIG dollars. And those big dollars take away from your profit and paycheck. Be sure you are covering your hard costs with your model team experience fee. If you aren’t charging one, it’s time to step back and re-evaluate. Is the payoff (meaning the sales) worth the time and money you are putting into your program?

10. Over promising, under delivering - This is a big mistake in business all together, not just with model teams. And I have made this one more than once! The worst thing you can do is disappoint your clients. Now we make it a goal to under promise and then over deliver at our studio! With the timeline, with the experience, with the little things. I’ve heard it called the “surprise and delight” strategy. So, let’s go with that. When we surprise and delight our clients they talk - especially the mamas! And you know what that does? Brings in those referrals we all want!! Woohoo!

11. Not requiring models to have a senior session - This is a HUGE no-no. Why work for free or next to nothing without getting a sale? Hoping a sale will come because they had fun is not a good business strategy. The easiest way to do this is to include your session fee in the model team experience fee and say that the senior session is included. Notice I said included, as in added to - not free. Be sure the parents understand where your collections start and what an average client spends before signing on to be on your team though. Setting those expectations in the beginning will save you a lot of headaches. Another way is to require a booked session before they can participate in any model team activities. I’ve done it both ways. Having the fee combined & their session date on my calendar is my favorite.

12. Not getting parents involved - It should go without saying that parents need to be involved throughout the entire process. When working with teens this is absolutely vital. Outside of the liability issues that could arise, there can also be problems with communications, expectations and the ordering appointment if parents aren’t involved. By including the parents in the process, getting them excited and being part of the experience from the very beginning you are adding value along the way. This will pay off as they are emotionally attached and see the hard work you’ve put into making her son or daughter feel special throughout the year :)

Wow. That was a lot. But we made it through them all. Just know that I’ve made most of these mistakes in my own business. And now we have an amazing team of kids and parents each year who value what we do. So here’s to you and to helping you avoid these mistakes too!

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If you want to continue this conversation there’s a facebook group dedicated to all the business stuff behind our pretty pictures and I’d love to have you there.

I’d love to connect with you on Instagram as well. Screenshot this episode, tag me and share it to your story! And if you’re the type of person who loves to help other people the biggest and most awesome thing you could do right now is to give this podcast a rating and review on iTunes. That helps it get found by other amazing photographers around the world who want to build their dream businesses too.

Until next time my friends, see ya soon!