Photographers’ blogs are beautiful things. I can’t get enough of the heartwarming stories told there: the way a bridesmaid cried watching the mother and stepmother of the bride help their daughter into her wedding gown; the way a two-year-old’s eyes lit up with wonder when she saw her tropical birthday paradise; the way the photographer couldn’t stifle her tears as the groom broke down upon seeing his bride walk down the aisle. These are the stories that give meaning to the images, and each one of them is a treasure worth preserving.
But for most photographers, maintaining a blog is a source of frustration and an unhappy chunk of time spent away from the camera and clients. You struggle to tell a unique story in a medium you didn’t choose to specialize in, wishing you could get back to your art. It’s a constant source of guilt as the time ticks slowly past, days turning to weeks turning to months, without a new post.
What if I told you that you could have those coveted, regularly-scheduled blog posts without the hassle of writing them yourself? If your heart leaped at the possibility, then it might be time to consider passing off your blogging duties. Check out these five ways to know if an outsourced blog is for you:
1. Writing makes you feel drained
If blogging is a miserable experience that brings you nothing but dread, why do it? Because, as a creative, you are expected to keep a blog, of course! So begins a constant cycle of stress and misery as you drag out post after post until it becomes too much and your blog sits without an update, gathering dust but no visitors. By outsourcing your blog, you can post stories you are proud of without ever writing another post!
2. You feel like you are drowning in work
No matter how many checkmarks you make on your (lengthy) to-do list, there is always more work, more editing, and more marketing to be done. Counting the amount of time you spend with your clients, your family, and any other demands on your time, blogging is number 68 on that list…meaning, let’s be honest, it probably won’t get done. By outsourcing, you receive fresh, easy-to-post content with minimal time lost.
3. You are running out of new ways to say “and then I took pictures”
Finding new ways to describe the work that you do can be a tedious, time-consuming challenge. Ensuring that every post doesn’t sound exactly the same as the one that came before can be difficult, but it’s a task that a writer can not only succeed at but revel in. By the time you’re ready to blog about a batch of images, you’ve seen them a million times. By sending them to a writer who can drink them in with fresh eyes, they will be able to highlight things you may not have even considered featuring.
4. You don’t have the time to do the necessary research
The best blog posts don’t just shine a light on your work. They are also an opportunity to share surprising bits of history about a location, venue, or vendor, but that requires research that you don’t have the time to dive into wholeheartedly. A writer, on the other hand, can invest time in research that will enhance your work and bring additional interest to a post.
5. A regular blogging schedule sounds like a distant, impossible dream
You are more likely to keep readers of your blog coming back for more if you can get on a regular schedule, but the life of a solopreneur definitely doesn’t operate on one. A shoot gets rained out and rescheduled. Your computer crashes. The kids get the flu. Something always comes up. But by outsourcing, you can ensure that your blog at least will run smoothly and with regularity, whether the rest of your life is cooperating or not!
If any of these made your heart cry out a soulful “Amen!” let’s have a chat about how we can make your blogging dreams a reality. I look forward to telling stories with you!
