Ok, one more podcast on model teams before my Model Team LIVE Event next Tuesday, February 8th on How To Charge For Your Senior Model Teams. Then we are switching gears around here. Be sure you registered over at www.seniorstudiosuccess.com/modelteam.

If you’re listening to this one while driving in your car, at the gym, or doing dishes or laundry, you may want to save this one in a playlist or text it to yourself to remind you to come back & write down some of the ideas I’m gonna share with you today. I know it’s not always practical to do that while listening to podcasts, but this is going to be an actionable one that you might want to jot some notes down on.

So, I’ve been in the process of building my model team & I’ve had the best time in their consults getting to know all my new girls. I’m really excited about this year with them.

But every year I see the same thing happen over and over again. When you put kids together that don’t know each other, they clam up. It’s like they all of a sudden forget how to talk. I just kinda giggle in the background & try to remember what it was like at that age. You want to fit in, not stand out too much. Remember that y'all? So each year I go through the same process of getting them comfortable with each other & with me. I love it.

That’s what we are going to chat about today - getting them talking & keeping them excited & involved in the team all year.

To me, this is one of the hardest things to do. Teenagers are sometimes tough to crack! And it's not like they come onto your team and are immediately best friends. Most times they are put into a group of kids that they don't even know yet and it could be a little awkward at first. So we have to give them opportunities to let those friendships develop. Our shoots definitely do that, but they need the in-between moments too.

We all know that today’s teens are busier than ever. Some of my models are in competition cheer, sideline cheer, swim team, DECA, National Honor Society, and BETA Club. And they still find time to volunteer at church. How do they do this??? Side tangent here - you know when you post something & it doesn’t perform all that great. Yeah. Remind yourself of this. While we think they are on their phones constantly, they really aren’t. If you’re the parent of a teenager it probably seems like that because we see them just when they are with us - in the car, at dinner, on the couch, laying in their bed at night.

“Put your phone down. Put your phone down. Put your phone down. No phones at the dinner table. How many times have I said that?” You heard the mom voice there, didn’t you? Yeah, I got that one perfected! Haha!

The point is, that sometimes there are long spans of time when they aren’t on their phones because of the things they are involved in. So just remind yourself of that when you post or when you try to strike up a conversation in a group chat.

They are easily distracted.

Something else - they are so easily distracted! It’s just how they are wired now and it’s the world they live in. All of us actually. They are bombarded with notifications all day long & then they’re off to the next shiny object. One snapchat notification & they are off in a different direction. With 3 boys, I can 100% vouch for this.

Running a successful senior model team can be a challenge. Keeping your senior girls engaged is probably harder than getting them to show up to events on time! And once they have their images it can be like a ghost town. They’re all chatty before the shoot, then right afterward. They get their images & then they disappear until the next shoot. I’ve been there and come to expect it now. It used to bother me, but I’ve realized it’s just a teenage thing & the pattern they fall into.

Our job is to disrupt that pattern a little bit. So we get the conversation going, right? That’s not too difficult to do. But how do we keep our senior model team engaged over the months?

Simple. We create a community and an environment that they feel comfortable sharing in.

Now, this doesn’t come naturally. This has to be built. It takes leadership, vulnerability, creativity, and most of all, consistency. That might be the hardest thing actually because we get so busy too. We build our model teams in the slow season when it’s easier to pay more attention to them and then business takes off. But we have to be diligent about giving them opportunities to talk and share in a safe and fun place.

My model team is very simple. As a mom of three boys who are constantly on the go and now running two companies, I don’t have all the time in the world for elaborate group shoots and monthly events with my senior model team. Maybe I will during another season of life, but for now, I’ve had to find ways to keep our girls talkative in between our very few styled shoot days. I’ve found that I have more success with less shoots because they don’t get burnt out or bored. So this has really worked out well for me, my personal life & my bottom line.

Now because I do less shoots, there is more time in between them. So it can get quiet. Here are some things I've done in the past that have really helped keep our model teams engaged and grow closer as a group. I try to mix it up each year, but some things I do pretty consistently.

The most important thing is to give them a place to “hang out”. I use Instagram group chats because the girls are already on the app, they can follow each other & the increased DMs mean that my studio Instagram account is among the first content they see when they open the app. So, it just makes sense to be right there where they are.

Here are some simple ways to create community in your Senior Model Team Program:

Question of the Week

Ok, these can be silly or just opinion-based or maybe even about a specific topic. Some of our most popular ones revolve around food! I mean, we all gotta eat! Ask them what their favorite ice cream flavor is, their favorite song right now, night owl or morning person. You get the idea. Just give them something to talk about!

These are so much fun!!! Keep a list of silly / crazy / weird questions to ask and keep conversation going in your group message. You can ask them yourself or let them come up with their own each week. Go in alphabetical order & let them have at it!

Here are some fun questions to get you started:

What's your go-to drive-thru?
What's your dream vacation?
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?
With only a GIF, explain to us how your week is going.
How many days until spring break?
Who’s somebody famous you’d love to date?

2. Add Your Senior Model Team To An Instagram Close Friends List

Be sure to put your model team in a close friends list on Instagram. It’s super easy to do from your settings. This way you can send stories just to them! AND you can take advantage of all the features that Instagram gives us.

Use the polls to ask questions. These are great for anonymous voting for things that you want their opinion on but they don’t necessarily want their name attached to it or for something quick, like does Wednesday or Thursday work best.
Use the countdown timer to get them excited about the next styled shoot.
Use the quiz feature to ask them a question they should know the answer to or something you want to educate them on in a more playful way. Let them answer, get the correct answer & then you come in later to school them on something - getting ready for a shoot, how they can help get the word out about your business, hair & makeup stuff, anything really.
Use the question feature to ask things like their prom & homecoming dates, favorite places to shop, or anything you might want to ask where they would want to give you a private answer vs answering in the group.
Use the link feature to remind them to book their session date, RSVP for a shoot, fill out a form.

There are so many ways to keep the conversation going y’all. We just have to be creative & meet them where they are.

3. Send Your Model Team Something Inspirational.

I love to send my girls inspirational quotes. Now, they may not comment much, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t paying attention. Sometimes these can spark a conversation. Sometimes you’ll just get likes, and that’s ok! Just remain consistent in front of them & let them know that you are thinking about them. This creates loyalty like you wouldn’t believe. Just be genuine. Don’t do it to check a box, ok?

4. Celebrate Them!

We make a big deal out of birthdays in our studio. They are all added to our Google Calendar to repeat annually. Session days are easy too. Let them know when one of the other girls’ sessions is coming up and to watch behind the scenes on your Instagram. Give them a shout-out if you see something their mom posted to Facebook about them like getting accepted into a college or any other big accomplishment. Celebrating in your group chat together is fun as the sweet comments and funny gifs start to roll in. It’s a great way to make someone feel special.

5. Ask them what they have going on.

This is such a simple and easy thing. Be interested in their lives. Maybe they have finals, they’re prom dress shopping or they have a big game. Cheer them on and the other girls will rally around too!

6. Have a GIF Only Conversation Day.

These are hilarious. I’ll just leave it at that. But be ready to laugh so crazy hard at these girls. I thought I was a GIF Conversationalist master, but they can put me to shame. Try it! You won’t regret it.

7. Model Takeover!

Let your girls take the lead for the week. Let them ask the question of the week or maybe they want to do some Monday Morning Motivation for the rest of the girls. This gives you a break and gives them some leadership skills. Plus it lets you get into the mind of a teenage girl. It’s been a long time for some of us! Haha!

8. Let Them Plan Things.

Giving them opportunities to plan something for the group has been fun too. It doesn't necessarily have to be a shoot either.

Plan an ice cream social.
Put together a playlist for the studio. (careful on that one haha!)
Plan a toy or backpack drive.
Send cards to our servicemen & women overseas.

9. Create Some Fun Model Team Challenges.

Give them a common goal, something to work on together.
Friendly competition is fun too!
Take a selfie in your studio T-Shirt with as many people as you can fit in it.
Have a vision board party.
Give them all water guns at the end of a shoot & have fun!

Now, the important thing is that you don’t bombard them daily. And this shouldn’t feel like a chore to them either. It needs to be natural and fun. You just have to get them started and maybe jump in & kickstart the conversation every now and then. Natural friendships will start to develop and that’s when it gets really cool. We’ve even had some girls get to be such good friends that they go off and room together in college.

So why is this even important? Yes, we want them to have a good time. That’s a given. But when we provide a great experience for these girls, they talk about it. They share what’s going on - on social media & in everyday conversations. And guess what? Their moms do too. Mamas love to talk. And when you make their baby girl feel secure, confident & give them opportunities to create some lasting friendships, they will sing your praises! So be sure you are creating an environment to make all of this happen.

Ok, I hope these ideas got your wheels turning for helping to keep your model team active and engaged this year. If you have any other ideas I’d love to hear them! Send me a DM on Instagram & let me know how you make your model teams special each year.

And I hope to see you at my next live event on How To Charge For Your Model Team. Yes, they are fun, but we are in business for a reason. Right? So let’s figure out how much you should be charging for your team. If you’ve already started your team this year, that’s ok. You can figure it out & do better next time or verify that you are on it! If you haven’t started just yet, then this will be perfect for you. You can register at www.seniorstudiosuccess.com/modelteam. I’ll see you guys there on February 8th!

As always, let’s continue the conversation over on Instagram or in the Senior Studio Success Facebook Group. Have a great week y’all!

DON’T MISS THIS!

If you struggle to know how to charge for your senior model team, come join me on Tuesday, February 8th at 1pm EST at my next LIVE EVENT for senior photographers!

Seats are limited.