Get Booked: A Photography Marketing Podcast

Alison Bell, Melissa Arlena
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Marketing
  • Updated weekly

Stop posting and praying. Start booking. Get Booked is the podcast for photographers who want real marketing, SEO, and business strategies—not another guru telling you to "just be consistent." Your hosts? Alison Bell and Melissa Arlena—two photographers and military spouses with 27+ combined years in the industry. Melissa is an SEO educator who runs Picture Perfect Rankings, teaching photographers how to get found on Google. Alison is a business mentor who's successfully moved her photography business across the country (multiple times) and knows how to book clients fast in any market. Each week, they break down what's actually working: SEO that gets you on page one, marketing funnels that convert, email strategies that book sessions, and the business foundations you need to grow sustainably. It's why thousands of photographers have made this a top 25% podcast. This is the business education photography school skipped.

  1. 1 day ago

    109: Email Marketing 101: CRM vs. ESP

    We know, we know — "CRM vs. ESP" sounds like alphabet soup, but getting email marketing for photographers right might just be the missing piece between random Instagram eyeballs and clients who actually read what you send. On this episode: The real difference between your CRM and your ESP Why owning your email list beats borrowing your audience on social media What to look for before you invest in an email service provider Turn random website visitors into potential clients with an platform you own-email! It's not dead, we promise. Alison is hosting a 60 minute workshop specifically for photographers - join now! Want more content ideas to keep your emails (and blog) full? Melissa put together 35 Blog Post Topics so you never run out of things to say. Save 25% on Flodesk for your first year? Grab the discount here. Tired of being invisible on Google? Learn the 5 SEO mistakes keeping photographers from getting found (and how to fix them) in Melissa's free masterclass: https://pictureperfectrankings.com/mistakes Looking for your next clients? Grab Alison's list of 39 FREE ways to get more bookings—no ads required. Links: https://flodesk.com/c/0QOFJM Get 25% off your first year Leave a review in Apple or on Spotify 5 SEO Mistakes Killing Your Photography Business Webinar Download 39 FREE Ways to Get More Clients Get Melissa's Free Blog Post Topics Find Alison on IG @‌getbookedpodcast Find Melissa on IG @‌pictureperfectrankings Used #getbookedpodcast on socials!

  2. 25 Aug

    108: How to Get Repeat Clients as a Photographer (Without Being Salesy)

    The easiest clients to book might be the ones who already love you. One Facebook comment. That's all it took. Melissa was doom scrolling when she spotted a video of a store reopening in her old town, two hours away, and recognized a past client family cutting the ribbon (with a brand new baby she didn't even know about). She left a quick congrats comment, the kind you'd leave for a friend, and within a few hours mom had messaged asking if Melissa would travel back to photograph their family again. No promotion, no discount, no "my fall calendar is open, link in bio." Just a comment. In this episode, Melissa makes the case that we pour so much energy into chasing total strangers while the people who already know us, trust us, and have our work hanging on their walls are one quiet reminder away from rebooking. She shares how she stays connected with past clients on social media without being weird about it, why back to school season is the perfect window to reconnect, and how to start locking clients in for next year's sessions right now. What You'll Learn: Why past clients are the easiest people on the planet to book (the know-like-trust work is already done) Melissa's "quiet reminder" approach to commenting on past clients' posts without ever pitching Why back to school season hands you five solid weeks of natural reasons to reconnect How one Instagram comment habit brought an overseas client back for family photos Ways to lock in next year's sessions at gallery delivery, from soft email commitments to deposits for peak fall foliage week How this works beyond family sessions: seniors with younger siblings, baby plans, extended family sessions, and branding clients Why this strategy needs no algorithm, no keyword research, and no funnel Join Alison's Email Marketing Workshop Sept 24!  Tired of being invisible on Google? Learn the 5 SEO mistakes keeping photographers from getting found (and how to fix them) in Melissa's free masterclass: https://pictureperfectrankings.com/mistakes Ready to streamline your content? Melissa's got you covered with her 35+ Blog Post Topics freebie—grab them now. Looking for your next clients? Grab Alison's list of 39 FREE ways to get more bookings—no ads required. Links: Join Alison's Email Marketing Workshop Sept 24!  Leave a review in Apple or on Spotify 5 SEO Mistakes Killing Your Photography Business Webinar Download 39 FREE Ways to Get More Clients Get Melissa's Free Blog Post Topics Find Alison on IG @‌getbookedpodcast Find Melissa on IG @‌pictureperfectrankings Used #getbookedpodcast on socials!

  3. 25 Aug

    107: IG B-Roll for Photographers

    Confession: our reel game has been feast or famine all summer. So we brought in a marketing pro to show us how to build a B-roll bank so full, you'll never scramble for content again. Kate is a marketing specialist supporting photographers with everything from Instagram to lead magnets. She loves helping photographers build out the marketing ecosystem that works for them, so everything works together (without more work for them). On this episode: Building a B-roll bank that keeps your content consistent, even in your busiest season The B-roll ideas most photographers skip that Instagram actually rewards Simple tools and systems for filming (and finding) your footage later Alison's favorite (and surprisingly affordable) gimbal hack for hands-free BTS footage at sessions Join Alison's Email Marketing Workshop Sept 24!  Tired of being invisible on Google? Learn the 5 SEO mistakes keeping photographers from getting found (and how to fix them) in Melissa's free masterclass: https://pictureperfectrankings.com/mistakes Ready to streamline your content? Melissa's got you covered with her 35+ Blog Post Topics freebie—grab them now. Looking for your next clients? Grab Alison's list of 39 FREE ways to get more bookings—no ads required. Links: Leave a review in Apple or on Spotify 5 SEO Mistakes Killing Your Photography Business Webinar Download 39 FREE Ways to Get More Clients Get Melissa's Free Blog Post Topics Find Alison on IG @‌getbookedpodcast Find Melissa on IG @‌pictureperfectrankings Used #getbookedpodcast on socials!

  4. 17 Aug

    106: Quarterly Catch Up Q3 2026

    Grab a red pen — we're grading our own Q2 goals on air, and not everybody's getting a gold star. From a marketing launch that tripled expectations to a very suspicious streak of "I didn't see the prices" clients, this quarterly update is equal parts confession and game plan. On this episode: Our Q2 wins, flops, and honest report cards Raising the barrier to entry for better-fit clients Setting fewer, more realistic goals for fall Want your blog doing the heavy lifting while you're busy shooting? Melissa's 35 Blog Post Topics will keep your content — and your SEO — working for you. Alison's next pop-up workshop is all about email marketing — nurturing past clients and turning new leads into booked sessions. Get on the waitlist now so you don't miss it. Links: Braden Drake's Contract Club - Alison's Fave Join the Black Friday Summit - Alison is teaching! Leave a review in Apple or on Spotify 5 SEO Mistakes Killing Your Photography Business Webinar Download 39 FREE Ways to Get More Clients Get Melissa's Free Blog Post Topics Find Alison on IG @‌getbookedpodcast Find Melissa on IG @‌pictureperfectrankings Used #getbookedpodcast on socials!

  5. 13 Aug

    BONUS: I've Never Been a Black Friday Person. I'm Speaking At a Black Friday Summit Anyway

    This summit isn't about photography. It's about business: 26 business experts and mentors talking about launches, strategies, sales, copywriting, integration, and automation - the behind the scenes things that make it all work.  On this episode: What the Black Friday Summit actually is (and who it's really for) The strategy behind whether a Black Friday sale makes sense for your business What's free, what's not, and how to decide if the upgrade is worth it Aug 25, 26, 27 VIRTUAL Talks are 20 to 30 minutes long each, buy for just 24 hours unless you get the VIP. Register here! The Black Friday Summit is a free 3-day virtual event — August 25th, 26th, and 27th - with 26 speakers each teaching their single best Black Friday strategy. Registration is free, and I'm honestly not a Black Friday person, so if I'm speaking, you know it's worth a look. Quick disclosure: I'm a speaker at this summit and an affiliate — if you upgrade through my link, I earn a commission. The summit itself is free either way.

  6. 10 Aug

    Summer Bonus: How to Write Blog Posts That Actually Book Clients

    Summer bonus time. While we're on our mid-season break, we wanted to drop something in your ears that you might have missed — because it's too good to sit on. This episode is a re-air of Melissa's takeover on The Motherhood Anthology podcast, where she broke down exactly how to structure a blog post so Google actually finds it and future clients actually book from it. If you've been posting session shares and wondering why they're not bringing in inquiries, this one will show you why and what to do instead. Blogging for photographers isn't about sharing pretty photos. It's about answering the questions your future clients are already Googling. Melissa walks through the full framework she uses — from picking a strategic topic to placing your keyword, structuring headers, writing alt text, and adding the buttons most photographers completely forget about. Tired of being invisible on Google? Learn the 5 SEO mistakes keeping photographers from getting found (and how to fix them) in Melissa's free masterclass: https://pictureperfectrankings.com/mistakes Thinking about a pivot or transition in your photography business? 1:1 Mentoring is closed for the summer but you can get on the waitist for  a free 15 minute discovery call with Alison for the fall. Ready to streamline your content? Melissa's got you covered with her 35+ Blog Post Topics freebie—grab them now. Looking for your next clients? Grab Alison's list of 39 FREE ways to get more bookings—no ads required. Links: Leave a review in Apple or on Spotify 5 SEO Mistakes Killing Your Photography Business Webinar Download 39 FREE Ways to Get More Clients Get Melissa's Free Blog Post Topics Find Alison on IG @‌getbookedpodcast Find Melissa on IG @‌pictureperfectrankings Used #getbookedpodcast on socials!

  7. 3 Aug

    Summer Bonus: Client Experience That Builds Trust

    We're flipping the script this week — Alison's in the guest chair for a replay of her conversation with Colie James on the Business-First Creatives Podcast. When every client has flown thousands of miles for a session with zero room for a redo, client experience isn't a nice-to-have — it's the whole game. On this episode: Client experience when your clients are on vacation Communicating your non-negotiables (unapologetically) Why more client emails is actually better service Want more of Colie? Find her over at the Business-First Creatives Podcast. Need to brain dump some business ideas or decisions? Wanna chat it out? Get your name on the waitlist for Alison's Free 15 and Mentoring when it returns this fall. Tired of being invisible on Google? Learn the 5 SEO mistakes keeping photographers from getting found (and how to fix them) in Melissa's free masterclass: 5 SEO Mistakes Killing Your Photography Business Masterclass Links: Leave a review in Apple or on Spotify 5 SEO Mistakes Killing Your Photography Business Webinar Download 39 FREE Ways to Get More Clients Get Melissa's Free Blog Post Topics Find Alison on IG @‌getbookedpodcast Find Melissa on IG @‌pictureperfectrankings Used #getbookedpodcast on socials!

    Summer Bonus: Client Experience That Builds Trust

  8. 27 Jul

    Summer Replay: Photography Marketing Systems with Dolly Delong

    You sat down and wrote the blog post. You hit publish. And then...nothing. No traffic, no inquiries, no traction. The post just sits there. That's the part nobody talks about, and it's exactly where family photographer and systems educator Dolly DeLong steps in. Dolly runs the Systems and Workflow Magic Podcast and helps family photographers think like marketers by building smart, repeatable systems for their businesses. She's the kind of person who will hand you a framework, a Canva template folder, and a ChatGPT bot trained in your voice and send you on your way in under an hour. We had her on to talk about the PIGFEL system, a content promotion workflow that takes a single blog post and gets it in front of people across multiple platforms, and we ended up covering a lot more ground than that.   Tired of being invisible on Google? Learn the 5 SEO mistakes keeping photographers from getting found (and how to fix them) in Melissa's free masterclass: https://pictureperfectrankings.com/mistakes Thinking about a pivot or transition in your photography business? 1:1 Mentoring is closed for the summer but you can get on the waitist for  a free 15 minute discovery call with Alison for the fall. Ready to streamline your content? Melissa's got you covered with her 35+ Blog Post Topics freebie—grab them now. Looking for your next clients? Grab Alison's list of 39 FREE ways to get more bookings—no ads required. Links: Leave a review in Apple or on Spotify 5 SEO Mistakes Killing Your Photography Business Webinar Download 39 FREE Ways to Get More Clients Get Melissa's Free Blog Post Topics Find Alison on IG @‌alisonbellphotog Find Melissa on IG @‌pictureperfectrankings Used #getbookedpodcast on socials!

See All (136)

Trailer

About

Stop posting and praying. Start booking. Get Booked is the podcast for photographers who want real marketing, SEO, and business strategies—not another guru telling you to "just be consistent." Your hosts? Alison Bell and Melissa Arlena—two photographers and military spouses with 27+ combined years in the industry. Melissa is an SEO educator who runs Picture Perfect Rankings, teaching photographers how to get found on Google. Alison is a business mentor who's successfully moved her photography business across the country (multiple times) and knows how to book clients fast in any market. Each week, they break down what's actually working: SEO that gets you on page one, marketing funnels that convert, email strategies that book sessions, and the business foundations you need to grow sustainably. It's why thousands of photographers have made this a top 25% podcast. This is the business education photography school skipped.

Information

You Might Also Like