Mini Sessions Made Easy – Details, episodes & analysis

Apple Podcasts |Spotify |Transcript

More Resources: Free Minis Marketing Class| FB Ad Mini Course

If you’ve ever felt frustrated posting your mini sessions over and over on social media and still not seeing bookings come through—you're not alone. This is one of the biggest pain points I see photographers face. Social media feels like it should be enough, right? You’re doing all the things—posting daily, showing up in stories, maybe even creating reels. But somehow, your calendar still has open spots. The truth is, while social media can be a powerful tool, it is not a complete marketing strategy. Find out Why social media isn't enough to book out your Minis!

Here's What We'll Cover:

Why Social Media Isn't Enough  (1:49)

A Multi-Touch Strategy (5:00)

Beyond Social Media (7:05)

Resources Made for You (11:03)

Why Social Media Isn’t Enough to Book Out Your Minis

Let’s start with a harsh truth: you don’t own your Instagram or Facebook account. At any moment, the algorithm can shift—or worse, the platform can go down entirely—and your audience reach disappears with it. Even when things are working, only about 4% of your followers are actually seeing what you post. So if you have 1,000 followers, that’s only around 40–50 people seeing your content. And if your conversion rate is around 1–3% (which is normal), that’s barely enough interest to book even a single session. Relying solely on social media means you’re speaking to the same small circle over and over. To book out your minis, you need to get in front of new people... not just the followers who already know you.

You Need a Multi-Touch Marketing Strategy

Marketing isn’t about showing up in one place and hoping for the best. It’s about creating multiple touch points that guide someone from “interested” to “ready to book.” Experts say it takes at least 7 interactions before someone takes action, which means your audience needs to see your mini sessions a lot. Instead of focusing only on Instagram or Facebook, build a complete marketing plan that includes social media and email marketing, local outreach, SEO, and even paid ads. That way, you’re increasing visibility, staying top-of-mind, and creating urgency through repetition.

Go Beyond Social Media to Fill Your Calendar

If you’re ready to get serious about your marketing, it’s time to go beyond your social feed. Start by posting in local Facebook groups to reach moms in your area who aren’t following you yet. Next, partner with local businesses (think boutiques, preschools, coffee shops, or pediatrician offices) for cross-promotions that benefit both of you. Make sure your SEO is on point, so that when someone Googles “family photographer in [your city],” your site actually shows up. And if you’re up for it, try running Facebook and Instagram ads to target new families in your area. These tools, used together, help you reach way more...

Apple Podcasts |Spotify |Transcript

More Resources: Email Freebie| Flodesk Discount

Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools for booking out your mini sessions, yet many photographers overlook it. If you’ve ever struggled to fill your spots, relying only on social media, it’s time to rethink your approach. Unlike social platforms, where algorithms limit your reach, emails land directly in your audience’s inbox. I hear from students all the time who are shocked at how effective email marketing is—they send a couple of emails and book out almost instantly! Today, I’ll talk through how to use an email list to book out your Mini Sessions. Plus, why it's important for you to get started now!

Here's What We'll Cover:

My Favorite Email Marketing Platform (2:49)

Why Start with Your Email List (4:03)

What to Send to Your Email List (7:43)

How to Grow Your Email List (10:57)

Why Use an Email List to Book Out Your Mini Sessions

Your email list is filled with your warmest leads (people who already know, like, and trust you). This makes email marketing the fastest and easiest way to turn potential clients into booked clients. While Instagram stories might only be seen by 4% of your followers, emails reach your entire list every single time. Plus, with the right strategy, you can create a personal connection with your audience, keeping them engaged and eager to book when your minis go live.

What to Send to Your Email List

If you’re wondering what to send, start with a four-email sequence for your Mini Session launch. First, a teaser email to build anticipation, second a "Now Booking" email giving your list first access, third an update email sharing how spots are filling up, and finally, a "Last Call" email to create urgency before opening to the public. Many photographers hesitate to send multiple emails, fearing they’ll annoy their audience, but the truth is—people are busy! A single email can be missed, and follow-ups ensure more eyes on your offer.

How to Grow Your Email List

If you're not sure how to grow your email list, start with past clients! Invite them to join your VIP email list for exclusive early access to sessions. Use social media to collect emails with a freebie, like a Mini Session prep guide, or run a giveaway where entry requires signing up. The key is to take action today! Start building your list and commit to growing it. Your email list has the potential to transform your business, making Mini Session bookings easier and more profitable than ever!

Some actions steps I want you to take include starting your list today! Grab my Email Freebie and get started. I'll walk you through how to get going. Second, check out this

Let's talk about Mini Sessions! I'm doing a Mini Sessions Q & A from a thread in my Facebook group. There were tons of great inquiries so I'm taking the time to go through and answer now!  I'm also hosting a LIVE webinar this coming Thursday (if you're reading this current and up to date) all about MINI SESSIONS! This is a brand new class I've never taught and we'll have a Q&A section at the end for that too! So, if today's podcast hits home you'll definitely want to join. Be sure to register HERE regardless of if you can make it live or not. Thursday, July 13th @ 1:00pm CST. Once you register you'll receive the replay and get all the fresh content. Now, let's jump in!

This specific question stated, "If your sessions are 20 minutes and one of your children doesn't cooperate what do you do?" Here's the thing, my mini sessions are 10 minutes and most of my students do 15 minutes. So, when a child is crying the whole session or not wanting to participate you just do your best. If you're booking with a family and the parent knows ahead of time the child will struggle, opt for a full session. So what do you do? Keep snapping, try posing different angles to avoid the crying face, book with them in 6 months from now! Most of the time kids are uncooperative because it's new. I did this with a family and the second session was incredible. We got to celebrate the major growth. I'm also a believer in capturing true memories. The reality is kids cry. They don't always cooperate and that's part of life's memories!

This is a loaded question because there is so much that goes into marketing. Join the free class to go deeper! I would say good advertising doesn't just post to your business Facebook page or Instagram. You need all the pieces of the puzzle to present a full picture.

Practice, practice, practice! Start at 15 minutes and use a posing workflow. If you're worried about clients feeling like they aren't served well, it's because you need confidence in your delivery. It's important to know you've captured the right shots so you can deliver a full gallery. But how do you get to this place? Practice. Have family and friends over and do 15 minute sessions with them back to back. I use this

Our next episode of the Business Journey Podcast is live today and we’re talking about something that’s really personal to me: community over competition. This is one of those topics that needs to be talked about and really isn’t… and simultaneously, when talked about too much, can lose it’s meaning. There are so many people in our industry that preach “community over competition” but don’t demonstrate actions that back it up. I seriously believe in it and I truly want my groups, students, and followers to believe in it too! So, let’s talk about what it really means to believe in community over competition.

First off, I strive to create an environment that is supporting in as many ways as possible for my students. And one of the things I’m most proud of is my Facebook group for my students. With Behind the Lens open for enrollment, it’s the easiest way to be added to this group. I’m so proud to hear my students rave about the empowering community we’ve created, and I hope you can join us too!

The first part of this idea is having an abundance mindset. We don’t need to be jealous or upset about those around us who do well. Instead, we have to truly believe and know that there ARE enough clients for all of us! We don’t need to hide in our shells and guard our secrets, because there are plenty of people to serve. And I honestly believe that – and that everyone’s ideal client is out there. And NOT every client is the person you’re meant to serve. So why wouldn’t you want to send them to someone who is the perfect match?! And not only that, but just because someone else is succeeding doesn’t mean that you won’t. Read that again, seriously!

Being part of a group that values community over competition means elevating others. Even if they are “your competition.” Remember what I just said about ideal clients? If you KNOW that you aren’t going to be the best person for a job, elevate or suggest someone else who would be. When I lived in Texas, I would always recommend another photographer if I couldn’t make the request work. In theory, she was my direct competition. And I may have lost some potential long-term clients to her but that’s okay! She seriously IS amazing and I had no problem sharing her name. And guess what? Something surprising happened – she began to do the same. If she couldn’t meet a request, she’d suggest me. THAT is the power of this community. Creating relationships that will elevate you and that you can elevate is a crucial part of community over competition. I TRULY wanted her to succeed!

Honestly, it seems silly to even mention this… but be kind. Building a community is about being kind and taking care of each other. Personally, I don’t understand how communities are built on bashing others – especially new photographers. We were all new at one point! Additionally, take the time to actually make connections and friends… not just a connection for personal gain. Just be mindful of your motives and make sure you’re taking care of the relationships and people around you.

When the idea of community over competition takes off in the right way, it can be SUCH an empowering and encouraging space for us business owners. I’m so grateful to everyone in my Facebook group who makes the Rebecca Rice Education group that way! We weren’t meant to face this road as entrepreneurs alone, so finding a good community is key to your success as a business owner, in my opinion. If we all do our best to create a...

It's Monday again! That means a new episode of the Business Journey Podcast has dropped and today we're talking about all the things related to an email list! I'm a HUGE believer that, as photographers, we should be utilizing our email lists to book more clients. Email lists are the perfect way to grow and build your audience, as well as continuing to serve your current audience. Today, I'm sharing four reasons you should have an email list as a photographer.

Before we jump into the why of an email list, I want to mention my favorite email software: Flodesk. In my opinion, it's the best one out there. It's beautiful, easy to use and kind of like the Canva of email systems! And, I even have a discount code for 50% off - for life! So definitely grab that and let's get started.

You might have heard this before, but an email list is really the only list of clients and potential clients that you own. You don't own your social media followers - sorry to break it to you. If your Instagram or Facebook page disappeared tomorrow, your email list has ALL of the potential clients you've connected with - and that's yours. If you 100% rely on your social media accounts to book clients, you're putting all of your eggs into one basket - and that basket could easily break. Email is never going to disappear, let's be real. So having a way to communicate with clients, no matter what happens, is important.

I used to get frustrated with my email list. It seemed like I was sending things out, but people weren't always opening them. Someone finally reminded me that just because they don't always open it doesn't mean it's not doing something! By having your name show up regularly in their inbox, you're staying fresh in those people's minds. It reminds your potential clients that you're there when they're ready to book!

Email lists are really easy ways to create exclusive experiences for your client - maybe discounts, first booking access, things like that. I call my email list my VIP list because I WANT my clients to sign up and be ready to receive information for me. You can use your email list to send out monthly tips as well as remind them when it's time to book for your next mini session. I use my list to find models when I need model calls, send out recent blogs they might find helpful, and early booking access. But whatever it is, take the time to help them via email - show them that you care and that you're thinking of them. All of this goes into making your client experience even more elevated!

Frankly, clients who sign up for your VIP list when they land on your website or book a session are READY to book you. So sending an email letting them know it's time to book will almost always result in sign ups. I know for me when I send out an email about new minis, within the hour, I've got 8-12 sign ups right away because people were waiting for it. They know me and trust me. They believe in my work and they're going to book a spot!

Honestly, I could come up with a million more reasons that email lists are amazing for photographers, but these four reasons you should have an email list sum up my feelings pretty well! I truly believe email lists are necessary for all photographers. I hope that you feel more confident about tackling your email list now, too! Seriously, the power of emails is incredible and I want every business owner to take advantage of them.

We're diving right into another epsiode of the Business Journey podcast today and this one's all about Pinterest for photographers! Pinterest is one of those marketing platforms that photographers tend to put on the back burner because it doesn't seem like a super big deal. But I'm a firm believer that all photographers should be on Pinterest. If you aren't, you're missing out on some huge marketing opportunities! These tips will be super practical and help you start your journey on Pinterest. And if you're looking for more tips, make sure you join us in Behind the Lens with Rebecca Rice - we've got a masterclass on Pinterest for this month as your bonus content!!

Pinterest is a search engine, not social media. It's not designed to connect us like other platforms. Instead, it's meant to be used for inspiration and to help drive traffic to your website. You won't probably book clients directly from Pinterest, and that's OKAY. Instead, use it to send people to your posts and website, which helps with your SEO! This helps tell Google your site is credible and worth sharing. It's a mindset shift, but an important one! Remember, the lifespan of a pin is much longer than a social media post - so it's worth starting a strategy.

When you first start out, figuring out what to pin can be difficult. But here's the thing: if you're blogging for your business (and you absolutely SHOULD be blogging!), you have content right there! Pin the images you include in the blog and share about the outfits. People will definitely search Pinterest for outfit ideas! Just make sure the images you share are linking back to your site - so that people go there to see the full post or tip you've pinned.

When I first started, I was terrible about keeping up with Pinterest. But now, I've learned to automate things! If I set aside one time a month to really focus on scheduling my pins, it works out way better for me! Currently, I'm sitting at about 1.8 million monthly viewers. That's people that are seeing those pins in their feed. I don't get traffic like that ANY where else but Pinterest. While that's a vanity metric, I did check on my recent clicks and I'm still hitting over 600 a month. That's GREAT for a month!!! What's even cooler is that if someone searches in Google for images, a lot of the ones that come up that are mine actually are from Pinterest - meaning that's ONE more way people are seeing my content.

Seriously, if you're not using Pinterest as a photographer, you're missing out! It's SUCH an incredible resource. It's one more way people can find you and it's free. Pins have a long lifetime, are searchable on Google, and will drive traffic to your site - which helps your SEO. It's a no brainer!!

PS.... If you want to see my full process for automating Pinterest, be sure to join us in the Behind the Lens with Rebecca Rice masterclass!

Why Pinterest Matters (3:00)

What to Pin (8:19)

The first quarter of 2021 is almost over! We thought it was the perfect time to talk about quarterly planning and goal setting with Kat Schmoyer, a guest expert and business coach. On this episode of the Business Journey Podcast, we’re talking about how to create goals you’ll ACTUALLY achieve in your business each quarter. Whether you’re trying to reach a new revenue goal or have a new project to launch, Kat’s got some quarterly planning tips for you!

It’s tempting to want to do all the things. It’s our nature as entrepreneurs to wear all the hats and dream big. But when you start thinking about goal setting and achieving those goals in 90 days, you have to be realistic. Set goals and a plan you can actually stick with. Think long and hard about the time you have available and what you can do with that time. 90 days (a quarter) isn’t a long time. Be ambitious, but realistic so you can actually meet some goals! Setting yourself up for failure isn’t fun for anyone!

When you set goals for your business, think about the WHY behind them. A new revenue goal is great but does it make sense? Are you realistically on target to do that new number? And if not, that’s okay. Set something more attainable. Also think about the time you have available to chase this goal. Is the goal you're setting really realistic in 90 days? Again, we don’t want to fail! And most importantly: make sure that this goal is actually useful for your business. For example, it’s GREAT to hit 10K followers on Instagram but if it’s not increasing your sales or your bookings, maybe another goal is a better use of your time.

Whatever kind of goal you set, make a plan to check in with yourself throughout the quarter. This will help you know what you need to give your attention to. We recommend creating a schedule of checkpoints every few weeks so you can monitor your progress and tweak your plan moving forward. This means that by the end of the 90 days, you’ll really understand what you did (or didn’t do) right to help move the needle forward in your business.

Creating quarterly goals is a GREAT way to create actual change in your business and these quarterly planning tips are a good way to start. With some hard work and focus, you can totally reach those big dreams! Try to remember to work in small, reasonable chunks – moving forward as much as you can every day. You’ve got this!

Kat's Quarterly Cure class

Kat's printable Quarterly Calendars

Our most recent episode of The Business Journey Podcast is a GREAT one. We have two very special guest experts chatting about all things Instagram Reels for Photographers. For this episode, we welcomed Natasha Coyle and Stephanie Kase to chat with me. They’re both incredible photographers and are taking the Instagram Reels world by storm!

Stephanie Kase is an Ohio wedding photographer and educator. She’s been in business for almost 7 years and has gone head first into education for photographers. You can find her on YouTube, where she focused a LOT on marketing through social media as well as Instagram.

Natasha Coyle is a Charleston wedding photographer and educator. She started her business when she was 34, a stay at home mom, and has created a thriving business! She’ll tell you that early on, she knew she had to connect with younger brides and grooms. So, she started working on short form video marketing and fell in love with it!

Both of our guest experts saw their following go from 4-5k to over 10K in the last few months. While that is a vanity metric and not truly indicative of how well a business is doing, it’s still important. It means their audience is growing. Short form video is a great way to create CONNECTIONS – that become people in your audience who you can sell to. But, these videos really show off your personality and connect with people on a personal level.

Sometimes the connections you make in videos are more powerful than anything you can write. People want to buy from people. Showing up in an authentic way for your audience through video is super powerful.

When you’re first learning, I won’t lie, it can be a little time consuming to start to make Reels. But, Stephanie and Natasha shared a few practical hacks to make Instagram Reels for photographers a bit easier. The first seems super obvious but just save inspiration when you’re on Instagram anyway. If you scroll by a Reel you like, save it and then use it as inspiration later – reuse the sound or do your own twist on the challenge. Another super easy tip is to batch create your content. Spend one afternoon filming a BUNCH of video that you can use for the Reels, then share them more strategically.

And here’s a quick reminder: everyone wants to be polished and put together when they film video but short form video is about being more free and who you are. Messy buns included.

Remember the purpose of Reels. Create them so that they’re helpful to you. Going viral is a flashy thing when it comes to social media… But, it won’t grow your brand – make sure you remember that first and foremost. The connection you build is the goal. But it’s something we’re all learning how to do! They’re meant to be joyful and to share your personality, so have a little fun with them.

Natasha and Stephanie shared LOTS of great tips on Instagram Reels for photographers, so make sure you listen to the full episode for them all!

Introducing the Guests (2:13)

Impact of Instagram Reels (6:28)

Hacks for Instagram Reels (11:53)

A Little Encouragement (21:33)

+ Meet Stephanie

Today's podcast episode is something that's coming from the heart. I have so many friends and students who have reached out to me, saying they struggle with the comparison that comes along with the photography industry. It makes me SO sad. Because comparison kills so many things in our lives: joy, excitement, motivation, and so much more. I wanted to share three easy and practical ideas that help me with fighting comparison in the photography industry. I hope you find something helpful and bring back some of the joy in your life!

The first and possibly the biggest thing that helps fight comparison in the photography industry is a mindset shift. There's two big pieces here. First, try to focus on the fact that there are plenty of clients to go around. Every market is saturated. But every client is NOT your client. And that's a good thing! We all serve our clients differently and you want to attract the people that are a good fit for your business! And remember that every journey looks differently. Our businesses and our homes, lives, and clients look different. That's perfectly okay! That doesn't mean anyone is doing it "better" than you!

And, second: Remember that elevating someone else does NOT push you lower. It doesn't hurt you to cheer someone else on. And not everyone is competition. There are more than enough clients out there for all of us. These photographers around you aren't your competition.  Our hearts are healthier and happier when we support those around us - not tear them down. So here's a challenge for you today: cheer someone on that's killing it!! Celebrate the good stuff.

There's SO many places for photographers to connect online: Facebook groups, Instagram, education support groups, the list goes on and on. Just remember that community over competition really matters. While a lot of these online forums are great and supportive, there's plenty that aren't. If you're in a place that turns more toxic or even just FEELS toxic, say goodbye! It's not healthy to constantly live in a situation where you just compare yourself to others. Give yourself the freedom to leave a situation that isn't good for you. And seriously, this attitude MATTERS. We should be lifting each other up - not constantly tearing each other down.

(Shameless plug here, but I'm SO grateful that none of my Rebecca Rice Education spaces are that way! Everyone is super supportive and seriously amazing! If you're looking for a community like that, join us by becoming a member of Behind the Lens!).

A super practical way to make the comparison game a bit easier is to simply remove yourself from the situation whenever possible. For so many of us, we spend time online for our business... but we also spend it scrolling and comparing (let's be honest, here!). If it's really starting to bother you, it's time to remove the app from your phone. Or if that's too drastic, try simply hiding the person that you're struggling over and comparing yourself to. You can also "mute" them temporarily on the app until you feel like you're in a better space. This is your permission to let them go and step back from their account.

I hope that these ideas give you some easy and practical ways to fight comparison as a photographer. I know that it's hard - and it's ugly, and worst of all, it's everywhere. But you ARE a great photographer - and you matter. There is truly room for all of us!

One question I’ve received a LOT as a photographer and photography educator is how I “nail” the light & airy style in my photographs. So, today I want to share a few of my favorite tips to achieve the light & airy style in your portraits too! This will be a little more technical than our past Business Journey posts, but if you’re hoping to achieve a new style in your portraits, this is definitely the blog for you!

Before we get into all of the nitty gritty details, I want to remind you that I DO have Light & Airy Preset for sale in my shop! Now, remember: a preset isn’t the end all, be all, but it can be helpful when you’re editing! Now, onto the practical tips…

Believe it or not, a light & airy style is achieved IN camera – not through editing. Well, editing does play a little bit of a role but most of it comes from HOW you shoot the image. Find a background that allows a lot of light in your lens. That means staying away from dark brick, bushes, and thick trees. Focus on locations that bring a lot of light into the image. If you like the greenery, that’s great – just try turning your clients some so it’s to their side. You’ll be surprised how quickly a slight shift like that can change the light in your frame.

And… hint, hint: if you’ve struggled with how to pose a family or where to pose them, make sure you stay tuned…. on April 1st, we’re launching something really exciting! A membership for family photographers to see how I work behind the scenes ON a session!!! Make sure you keep your eyes peeled for more information on Behind the Lens with Rebecca Rice!

A true Light & Airy style has a white balance that’s true to color. So instead of intentionally warm or intentionally cool, my goal is to get skin tones as true as possible during a session. When I talk about metering, I’m talking about the little “ticker” you see when you’re showing. Between your ISO, shutter speed, and aperture, you’ll be able to achieve the look you’re going for. I use my EXPO Disc to help achieve the best possible white balance in camera and I expose my image for my subjects. You can read more about all of that here!

Although a preset will help you achieve the light & airy style, it shouldn’t be the only thing you rely on! That’s why I’m including it third on the list. I work hard to achieve the look I want in the camera and then when I go to edit, I use my base preset to get more consistency in my images. For me, the preset merely gives me a starting place to work my edits from. I apply my preset (one click!) and then just need to adjust the exposure, usually. And that’s about it!

The last secret I have is another editing tip! In Lightroom, you have filters available to you! I choose the radial filter to make sure everything around my subject is exposed enough. This is helpful if my subjects are perfectly exposed by the background still feels a bit dark. I use the filter on everything that isn’t my subjects and then up the exposure. It’s super simple! I walk through this process in my