If you’ve been paying attention, you know I just wrapped up a huge launch for Studio Secrets, my business mentoring program for senior photographers. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, hop on the wait list for next year because we are full steam ahead with this group of amazing photographers already inside for this round.

I had another topic planned for today, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how what I had been jotting down all weekend would apply to our photography businesses and especially to senior model team launches.

So I’m going to do a little launch debrief with you here today. And I would encourage you to go through this same process anytime you do something big in your business or when you are about to start a new season.

Let’s start with what went wrong:

I was still in create mode during the launch. This is not a good place to be. We had some life stuff go on about a month before the doors opened & lost so much time finishing some things up that we wanted done.
This put me in a pretty stressed out place during the launch. Not a place you want to be. I couldn’t be on social media as much as I wanted. It was just too much to handle honestly.
The things that happened were out of our control, but where we messed up was not having enough buffer in there for when life happens.
Timing was tough. This is a hard season to get attention because we are pulled in 1000 directions. I had to be loud to compete with the busy fall season & you guys trying to wrap things up for your clients.
I didn’t take care of myself. Didn’t meal prep, no time to let my mind rest, no self care, not much sleep. Me & Tricia joked that we would shave our legs after the launch!

And now for what went right:

I started early. I’ve been talking about Studio Secrets for months - get on the waitlist & save the date. Dropping hints & stories along the way.
I knew my audience & was able to speak right to you guys with where you are right now in life.
I had an assistant. There’s no way I could have pulled this off without my amazing assistant, Tricia. She is a life saver. If you guys knew what she did behind the scenes you would be amazed. Get yourself a Tricia!
I timed it right. Although, I may have had a small breakdown over the weekend when no sales were coming in. The middle quiet part of a launch is so hard you guys! But this program is leading right into the slow season when photographers can actually devote time into changing their businesses.
We had email & DM templates & links ready to go for FAQ. Huge time saver!
The dates were set in stone. Everyone knew when the doors were opening and when they were closing. This forces a decision - yes or no.
I took a few days off to rest & recover afterwards.

Now how can we apply this to our model team launches?

Get it all done & early - all of your marketing pieces, all of your social media.
Start early with getting your audience prepared for what’s coming. Drop hints like crazy!
Get to know your audience - what are those teens dealing with, what’s on their minds, what are they worried about going into senior year, what are they excited about. You gotta know that for the mamas too so you can talk directly to them.
Timing. You have to time your launch right. Yes, it can be successful anytime. But there are times when emotions are higher & that will always play in your favor. Think the end of their first semester of junior year or the start of their last semester before senior year :)
Have your responses to questions ready. You will get them when you start ramping up your social media strategy.
Set your dates & stick to them. Leaving a model team application open can kill the sense of urgency to join you.
Don’t panic when it gets quiet in the middle of your launch. It’s the nature of the beast.
Build in some buffer, some self care days & some rest days on the end of your launch.

What will I do differently next time? Well, I’m going to fix a lot of those wrongs, but you’ll have to wait and see what happens the next time around. I can’t give it all away!!

I hope you listened today with an open mind. When you are planning your next launch or promotion, keep in mind some of these things & try to avoid the wrongs & plan for the rights. I’d love to know if you end up doing an evaluation of your next model team launch. Send me a DM on instagram to let me know!

See you back here next Wednesday before I get to all that Thanksgiving meal prep!!

* DON’T MISS THIS! *

If you need somebody to come along beside you and help you do business the right way so that you can bring home a paycheck, spend more time with your family and save for retirement then you need Studio Secrets.

The doors open once a year for something very special for a handful of photographers who are ready to get laser focused on their businesses.

Studio Secrets is a 6 month business coaching intensive where we dive deep into your business together. It’s not a DIY course on one or two topics. This is EVERYTHING you could ever need to know (and all the tools & resources) to run a senior photography business - branding, messaging, websites, pricing, sales, marketing, social media, senior model teams, systems, workflow, automation and SO MUCH MORE! And bonus - you get me to lead you through it in our hot seat calls and a private community to bounce ideas around with.

If you’re ready to turn your expensive hobby into a thriving business be sure you are on the waitlist for the next round!