Editors Ignored a Wedding Photographer's First Press Release, Then Printed the Next

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.

3stories and listings, from 0 before
31couples signed up for free portraits
3weddings booked in 6 weeks

“Tessa Brandt Photography Announces Exciting New Wedding Packages.”

Fourteen editors got that headline. Not one replied, not even with a polite no.

Two months later, the same photographer from Duluth, Minnesota, tried again. This time she used a local press release idea any photographer could borrow.

A weekly paper printed it in six days. Same town, same editors, very different idea.

The problem

Tessa had read that press releases bring free publicity. So she wrote one the way she had seen others do it.

It had a big headline, a paragraph about her style, and a list of the new packages.

Here is how that first try went.

Measure	First release
Outlets emailed	14
Replies	0
Stories published	0
Website visits from press	0
Extra wedding inquiries	0

Nothing was wrong with her writing. The trouble was the idea.

An editor reads “new packages” and sees an ad. Ads are sold, not printed for free.

She also emailed a general inbox. Those addresses get dozens of notes a day, so hers sank.

She also counted the cost. Writing and sending took about six hours, so it was not free time either.

She felt a little silly afterward. But she also got curious about what editors actually pick.

So she called a friend who edits a small town newsletter. Her advice was blunt.

“I get about 40 of these a week. I open the ones with a person in them.”

The solution

Tessa stopped announcing herself. She started looking for a story that a stranger might care about.

She asked three questions about every idea.

Is there a real person in it?
Is there a reason to read it this month?
Could a reader do something after reading?

One idea passed all three. Her own grandparents had just marked 52 years of marriage, and she had never photographed them.

She wondered how many couples in her town had no good photo together. So she planned a free portrait day for couples married 50 years or more.

It cost her a Saturday. The story cost her nothing.

She also checked the date. A Saturday in late May gave editors three weeks of notice.

That is enough time to plan a photo and a quote, and not so long that they forget.

She kept the shape simple, the way a wedding photographer press release should be. Who, what, when, where and why.

The process that worked

Find a local press release idea first

She wrote six ideas on a sticky note. Only one had a person, a date and a doing.

The winner was a free Saturday at a local garden. A venue manager she knew lent the space for the day.

Write the headline last

She drafted the body first, so she knew what mattered most.

Then she tried four headlines and picked the plainest one.

Duluth Photographer Offers Free Portraits to Couples Married 50 Years or More

No “excited”, no “announces”. It reads like a line from a newspaper.

Keep the body short

She cut every adjective she could find. “Beautiful” and “stunning” went first, because editors want facts they can check.

The release ran 240 words. It answered who, what, when, where and why, in that order.

She added one quote from a couple she had photographed before, with their permission.

She linked to a folder with three photos, instead of attaching them.

Offer the photo before they ask

Editors are short on time. So she offered one ready photo of her grandparents.

She wrote their names and ages in the file name. The paper used it the same day.

Name the person you are writing to

She found nine reporters and editors who had covered local events or human interest stories.

She added a community calendar and a morning radio show. That made 11 in all.

Each email started with one line about something that person had written. Then the release sat below it.

Follow up once, and be kind

Four days later she sent a two-line nudge to anyone who had not replied.

She offered a quick phone call, and added a time when she was free.

Six weeks, three stories

Here is how the new version did over the next six weeks.

Measure	First release	Second release
Outlets emailed	14	11
Replies	0	4
Stories or listings	0	3
Couples signed up	0	31
Wedding inquiries in six weeks	6	9
Weddings booked	1	3

The weekly paper ran a full story. The calendar and the radio show each gave it a mention.

The paper’s website also linked to hers, and that one outbound link kept sending visitors for weeks.

Two wedding inquiries came from the adult grandchildren of couples who signed up.

What we learned from here

Editors don’t print announcements. They print stories about people.

Tessa’s writing barely changed between the two tries. Her local press release idea did, and so did the person she wrote to.

Here is what she would send again, and what she would skip.

Worth sending	Skip it
A free event with a real date	New packages or a new logo
One person and one quote	A paragraph about your style
An email to a named reporter	A general inbox
A link to a photo folder	Five attachments
One kind follow-up	Daily check-ins

The radio spot was a letdown. It lasted 20 seconds, and nobody brought it up later.

She also underestimated the day itself. Thirty-one couples signed up for 24 slots, so she ran a second Saturday.

That took real time, and she says so. But she also gained a gallery of faces she is proud of.

The lesson there is to plan for success. A free offer can fill fast, so cap the slots and say so in the release.

One more surprise. The event gave her a gallery of real couples with decades of history, perfect for her own site.

She now keeps a short list of local story ideas, such as a mini session for a charity or a venue’s first wedding.

Want to try this yourself? Start with one question. What is happening in your town that you could photograph for free?

She also made a simple flyer for the garden entrance, so walk-ins could sign up.

Editors Ignored a Wedding Photographer’s First Press Release, Then Printed the Next