Maternity Photographer Video Example, 1 Easy 85-Second Hello

Most of these case studies come from emails my readers send me. With their permission, I share them with the names changed. I do this so that others can learn from what worked and what didn't. Have a story of your own? Share it with me.

30% to 55%of inquiries booked
5 to 2in 10 went quiet after one reply
9partners mentioned the video

Delphine’s phone sat on a stack of cookbooks for 40 minutes before she said a single word to it.

That awkward start became Delphine’s maternity photographer video in Raleigh, North Carolina.

It also became the most useful 85 seconds in her business.

Delphine photographs maternity sessions in parks and gardens around the city. Clients love her once they meet her.

She’s warm, funny and patient in person. None of that came through in a grid of photos.

The problem was getting them to that meeting. After one short video, more of them did, and they arrived already relaxed.

The problem

Delphine had no video anywhere. Her website, Instagram and Google profile showed lovely photos and nothing of her.

New inquiries kept asking versions of the same question. “What are you like?” “Is it awkward?” “Will my husband have to pose?”

Lots of first replies, few second ones

She answered quickly and kindly. But many people never wrote back after her first reply.

She guessed they were comparing her with photographers they felt they already knew from video.

She had avoided video for years. She hated how she looked on camera and assumed nobody wanted to watch her talk.

Partners were the holdouts

Several moms told her their partner needed convincing. One wrote, “He thinks it’ll be an hour of standing around feeling silly.”

Measure	Before
Inquiries that booked	3 in 10
Inquiries that went quiet after one reply	About 5 in 10
Emails before booking	About 4
Video anywhere online	None

The solution

Delphine decided to make one intro video, about 85 seconds long, and then cut it into shorter versions.

She drew eight boxes on a sheet of paper and sketched a stick figure in each.

A mom walking, her own face, a few session clips, the gown closet, a bench, a client, a gallery and a wave.

Then she wrote one or two lines for each box, about 130 words in total.

Hi, I’m Delphine. I photograph moms-to-be in Raleigh’s parks and gardens, and I’d love to photograph you before baby arrives.

The partner worry got its own line. “Partners, you’ll mostly be hugging and laughing. I’ll tell you exactly where to stand.”

The process that worked

She filmed the clips during two sessions with clients who agreed in writing.

She filmed the talking parts at her kitchen window on a Sunday morning, with the phone propped on cookbooks.

It took 14 takes to get the hello right. Take 14 had a small laugh in the middle, and she kept it.

She edited everything in a free phone app, added quiet music and big captions, and fixed every word the app misheard.

Then she cut it four ways and put each one where it would do the most good.

On the services page

The full 85-second version went at the very top, above the packages. People watched it before reading a single price.

She added one line of text under it for people who wouldn’t press play. “Meet Delphine in 85 seconds, with captions.”

In the first reply email

She added one line to every first reply. “Here’s a quick hello so you know who you’d be meeting.” The 60-second version sat right below.

This was the change that mattered most. People who watched it replied far more often.

Some replies mentioned a detail from the video, like the gown closet or the bench. That told her they had watched to the end.

On YouTube and Google

She uploaded it to YouTube with a plain title, “Maternity photographer in Raleigh, meet Delphine.”

The 15-second cut went on her Google profile, where people searching for photographers nearby could play it.

As a pinned reel

The 30-second version became a pinned reel on Instagram. It opened on a gown blowing in the wind and ended with “Check your week.”

It never went viral, and it didn’t need to. Local moms who visited her profile watched it first.

How Delphine’s maternity photographer video paid off

She compared three months before the video with three months after.

Measure	Before	After 3 months
Inquiries that booked	3 in 10	11 in 20
Inquiries that went quiet after one reply	About 5 in 10	About 2 in 10
Emails before booking	About 4	About 2
Partners mentioning the video	–	9

At about $380 a session, the extra bookings over three months added up to more than $3,000.

What we learned from here

Delphine found that a short hello answers questions photos can’t.

Photos show what she’ll get. The video showed who she’d be spending an hour with, and that was the real question all along.

The email placement beat everything else. A video sitting on a website waits to be found.

A video in the first reply arrives at exactly the right moment, while she’s deciding.

The partner line worked better than she hoped. Nine partners mentioned it, and two said it was the reason they agreed to come.

She now treats every new maternity photographer introduction video as eight boxes on paper before she ever picks up the phone.

Here’s what made it into the video and what didn’t.

Stayed in the final cut	Ended up on the floor
A gown blowing in the wind	A logo animation
Her hello at the kitchen window	Two minutes about her camera
The partner line	A list of every service she offers
One client saying “I didn’t need to be nervous”	A slideshow of 40 photos
“Check your week” with her web address	Three links and a discount code

One thing didn’t work. She tried a version with upbeat music, and it felt like an ad.

She switched back to soft piano, and the comments got warmer.

She also learned to film more clips than she needs. The best three seconds came from a clip she nearly deleted.

And she learned that nobody minded her nerves. Two clients said the small laugh in her hello was the moment they decided to book.

Next spring she plans a 20-second winter version, filmed in the studio, so the video matches the season.