Senior Rep Programs Don’t Work

Senior rep programs don’t work.

At least that’s what I hear from a majority of the senior photographers I talk to. They are convinced that senior rep programs are dead. That seniors are more interested in having their friends photograph them for free than they are in having their portraits done by a professional.

But they’re wrong. The problem lies not in your competition, but in how your senior rep program is structured.

The traditional version of a senior model – or ‘rep’ – program relies on direct referrals from your studio models, typically in exchange for discounts or free products. There are a dozen variations on this, but basically you are asking seniors to pimp out your studio to all of their friends.

Well guess what – this doesn’t work anymore. Not with this generation.

In a market where everything your senior wants is available to them – where nothing really is left to be invented or created – what you have to offer must stand out in order to get noticed.

Meaning, you have to be able to answer the question ‘What makes me different?’

Because if you can’t answer that in 30 seconds or less (the ‘elevator pitch’ in marketing terms) then there stands a pretty good chance that no one in your target market can answer it either.

So how do you get models who will bring more of the right clients in your door?

You have to create both an experience and a relationship. And both have to be genuine.

At 3 girls photography I have established my brand as the expert in fashion-inspired modern editorial senior portraits, and this has my target seniors actively seeking me out to be a part of my senior model program year after year. So much so that I have to limit the number of models that I can take (which I do by increasing the up front financial investment they make to be part of my model program).

So before you give up, let me point out 3 key reasons that your model program isn’t working for you.

1. Your Model Program Isn’t Exclusive
The current generation of seniors wants more than anything to belong to something. And they want to belong to something exclusive. What sets your model program apart from everyone else in your market?

2. Your Model Program Has Seniors ‘Pushing’ Your Services to Others
In the past, photographers have relied on their models to directly refer their friends (and friends of friends, and acquaintances, and random people they meet on the street) to them for their senior pictures. But this generation doesn’t like how that feels – they will tune it out, and turn you off.

Take a deep breath (because I can see your expression and I know what you’re going to say) – we both know that the point of a senior model program is to bring you more of the right senior clients, right? Well here’s the thing – you have to do this in a way that speaks to this generation. Having them ‘pimp you out’ to their friends feels icky – and it doesn’t work.

3. You Aren’t Providing Your Models With Anything They Can’t Get Elsewhere
Whenever I ask photographers what their seniors get for being a model for them I get any number of responses. But what I find is that almost every one of them is either 1) something the seniors can get somewhere else, 2) something the seniors can purchase (should they choose not to be a model), or 3) something that has no value to them.

So why would they want to be a model for your senior business?

Because if there is nothing different about your model program or your senior business, why would anyone want to be a part of them?

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