I’m coming at you with a very impromptu episode—literally recording this on my phone! I didn’t even have my podcast mic out, but I wanted to share something with other brand photographers that you might not have thought to do yet.

It’s Monday, close to the end of the year, and while I was working through some admin stuff in my office, it hit me: you probably have a list of leads that never converted into clients. Some of them ghosted you, some said “not yet,” and some just never responded after you followed up with them. And if your business follows a typical seasonal pattern (busy in the fall and holidays, slower in the new year) there’s a simple, low-effort way to generate some income before year-end.

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Easy End of Year Sales Strategy for Brand Photographers To Book More Photoshoots

 

How to re-engage lost brand photography leads

All year long, inquiries come in. But not all of them convert. And often? We forget about them.

Here’s what I’ve been doing this week: I went through my list of people who reached out but didn’t book me this year. Some are past branding clients that showed interest in another photoshoot, some are prospects I’ve never worked with. Anyone that was a lead that I marked as “lost” in my sales pipeline, was added to my list to re-engage. The highest priority from my list are the ones that told me the timing wasn’t right earlier in the year. They were eager to work with me, but needed to save some money first.

Your lists may look like:

• Past inquiries who never booked

• People who said the timing wasn’t right

• Prospects who disappeared or ghosted

• Past clients who haven’t updated their photos in a while

Once I had my list of people, then I started sending personalized emails.

This is such a gold mine because these people already know you—they’ve reached out, shown interest, and engaged in some way. You’re not going in completely cold. I’ve been congratulating them on their growth this year, checking in on whether now might be a better time to work together, and even seeing if they’re planning their 2026 marketing needs.

Your outreach may look like:

• Congratulating them on their recent business milestones

• Checking in to see if the timing is better now

• Asking whether they’re planning ahead for 2026 marketing

• Reconnecting with clients I meant to follow up with months ago

Pitch yourself to past brand photography clients

If you don’t have a backlog of inquiries to follow up with, you still have options.

Earlier this quarter, I emailed my past brand photography clients and offered a one-hour refresh session with a few available dates. That one email resulted in four new bookings—quick, simple revenue from clients who already trusted me.

Whether it’s following up with old leads or offering past clients a smaller session, there are opportunities to bring in income before the year ends and fill your Q1 calendar.

 

If your calendar might slow down after the holidays, this is your reminder:
don’t overlook the leads already sitting in your inbox.

Take an hour, make a list, and start sending thoughtful, personalized emails. You never know who might be ready now—or who simply needed a nudge.

Your next client could be just an email away!

 

 

 

Want more content and resources about pivoting into brand photography?

Check this out next!

• Visit The Brand Photography Shop and find templates and digital downloads to grow your brand photography business.
• Listen to the Become A Brand Photography podcast to learn how to pivot into brand photography. On the podcast I share everything I’ve learned the last 5+ years (and 200 brand photoshoots later) about running an in-demand brand photography business!
• Struggling to generate leads in your brand photography business? Read this blog post for 8 marketing strategies you can implement to book more paying clients!
• Click here for 10 ways to make more revenue in your brand photography business!