Emailer: Tailoring a Newsletter for Peter Taylor

Peter Taylor, one of our Charlotte, North Carolina-based member photographers, approached us a while back about creating a memorable emailer template for him. He read a post we’d written on the subject and shared the following:

I’ve been wanting to do something like this for a while. An emailer template that I can change out the photos and editable text that I can put in separate and different links. I use Agency Access. Normally what I do is make a single jpeg image in photoshop with my image and the text, then turn the whole thing into one link to my website. I would like it to be better.

As he sent over a few examples of emails he’d sent out in the past, we found each one was complimentary of his branding yet was also a different design while all were saved as a flat image with no live text. 

We discussed with Peter the goals of his emails, as well as the essential elements he should include. Some are intuitive, but others tend to fall by the wayside. So the next time you’re reevaluating your own email newsletter, keep these key elements in mind:

1. Logo: Your logo is part of the foundation of your brand. It acts as a signature that should complement your photos and distinguish you from all the other photographers out there.
2. Image(s): While not necessarily always the case, 99.99% of your email promotions should feature one or more of your images. After all, we are trying to get you assignments here.
3. Link to your website: Be sure to link to your portfolio website in a very obvious and clickable way (buttons are always a crowd-pleaser) in every emailer. We’d also recommend linking your logo to your site, as well as any photos (these could also link to a specific gallery or blog post if it makes sense).
4. Live text: Not always a photographer’s favorite, but having some live text in your email will help keep you out of your clients’ spam folders. This text could be a short bio, an excerpt from a recent blog post, or even a client testimonial.
5. Contact information: Make it easy for your clients to get in touch with you. Include your email and phone number (preferably linking them so they open a new email to you or initiate a call from a mobile on click).
6. Unsubscribe: While we hope you and your subscribers have a long and happy life together, it’s inevitable that some people will want to opt out of your email promotions. Don’t forget to include a link to unsubscribe (it’s illegal and incredibly frustrating not to) at the bottom of your emailer. However, just because it needs to be there, doesn’t mean it needs to be prominent.

One thing we’ve noticed over the years is that a lot of photographers find templates boring and think they need to completely change up the format each time to keep things interesting. It can definitely seem that way when you’re staring at your own branding every day. However, keep in mind how many logos and websites and brands your clients see and interact with every single day. It’s overwhelming. The template isn’t meant to be a constraint but actually helps clients recognize you, along with streamlining your productivity and keeping the spotlight on your images.

With that said, let’s get back to Mr. Taylor. We kept the first round of solutions pretty straightforward, including the essentials.

Once he’d had some time to review this round, Peter shared that he wanted to add some more visual interest to the designs, include a tagline he often uses in his brand, and make the website link much more prominent. Peter wanted to make this template really shine, and we were ready to invest the time it would take to get there. We went back and forth for a few rounds but finally landed on a template design we all were equally excited about.

With the final design coded, we got Peter’s ftp (file transfer protocol) organized for hosting his images and set up the first email in Agency Access. From there, Peter took the reins and has been sending consistently branded and beautiful emails ever since.

To see more of Peter’s work visit his website.  

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Need help with an emailer template? Reach out!