Congratulations! Potential clients have looked at your website and are impressed with your beautiful photos and would now like to book your services. They want you to send a detailed pitch to finalize your negotiations.

Creating and submitting a comprehensive photography pitch is the final but all-important step in successfully initiating—and completing—a shoot. A well-written pitch clearly defines what is involved in a shoot, considerably lessening the chances of misunderstandings and unpleasant surprises during or after the project is done.

Here are 5 vital items that you should include in your pitch, whether by email or printed agreement.

1. Thanks

Let the prospect know that you appreciate them scheduling a photo shoot with you. The “thank you” sentence helps them warm up to you easily.

2. Schedule

Indicate the agreed schedule of the photo shoot; this should include the exact date, day, and the time when the shoot will begin and end. Additionally, include details on how they can schedule you for future shoots.

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3. Inclusions

As per your negotiation with the client, write the inclusions of the deal. These may include hard copies or digital versions of photos, the allowable number of edited versions of the images, equipment to be used, and more. The more specific the details are, the better.

4. Exclusions

Equally important is indicating what is not included in the deal. For example, you may not include property staging, hairstyling or makeup application to models, special event planning, and similar tasks in your proposal. Clients should understand what your task is and is not.

5. Client’s responsibilities

Your responsibility is to take excellent photos and deliver these images as promised. Your clients will also have some things they will be responsible for, so it is important to indicate what the client is expected to do. Tasks, like beautifying the property, putting the bridal entourage into their proper places, and setting up props for a portrait shoot, are their responsibilities.

Pointing out inclusions, exclusions, and client responsibilities are important. It helps avoid future misunderstandings by setting the terms and the limitations of the package.

We will discuss a few more items in Part 2 to complete your proposal-stay tuned!