Should you include a free engagement session with your wedding collections?! Let’s chat about it!
Have you ever had potential couples try to negotiate the price of your wedding collections because they had already had engagement pictures taken and didn’t need the free engagement session you offered?
If you shook your head in agony and said Oh my goodness, yes!, then this post is for you!
As photographers, the first thing we want to do is educate our couples on all the benefits of an engagement session like:
- getting to know them better so they can get comfortable with your way of shooting before their big day
- learning how they interact as a couple in front of the camera so you can direct them into flattering poses
- learning their likes and dislikes so that you can create a personalized photography experience on their wedding day
- getting professional hair and makeup done as a trial run before the wedding and see how it photographs professionally
…and the list goes on!
However, no matter how hard you try to explain to them that the free engagement session is ACTUALLY free and holds no monetary value, some couples are just set in their own ways.
Well, I have a solution for you!
The first step is to separate the engagement session from the actual collection. If you think about it, it makes no sense for a collection to say:
– 8 hours of coverage, 2 photographers, free engagement session, etc.
The client is totally right to think that if the engagement session is included in the collection, they are actually paying for it.
Instead, I like to offer it as an incentive to my clients to book with me. Here’s what I mean!
Collection 1:
Collection 2:
Collection 3:
(You can read why I choose to offer 3 collections here.)
*Book your date in the next 5 days and get the full ATP engagement session experience for FREE ($650 value). — My gift to you!!
This includes a sense of scarcity and urgency and helps your clients make their decision sooner. If they really want to work with you, they’ll take you up on your offer. If they don’t, they are not your ideal client and it’s best to wish them well and part ways. After all, you should only want to work with your dream clients who are absolutely excited about having YOU photograph the biggest day in their life!
Did you love this tip? Join our photography Facebook group and let me know your thoughts about whether or not you should include a free engagement sessions with your wedding collections. :)
