Junior High Graduation Program

There is a tremendous untapped market in Junior High graduation photographs. This is an important milestone in a child’s life. This is seen more from a personal development standpoint than from an academic point. Most children are in the midst of many physical changes, which mean this stage in their life needs to be recorded in professional photographs. A lot of these kids feel awkward and ugly and this is an opportunity for studios to make them feel and look good with professionally posed and lit photographs.The typical ‘school picture’ is unflattering, with no retouching. Most kids dislike those type photographs for that reason.

The timing of this program is perfect for most portrait studios. The program can run from February through April. This is typically a time when studio volume is down and photographers are looking for ways to be busy. This allows for sessions to be done and finished photographs to be delivered prior to the end of the school year.The same marketing strategies that work for your high school seniors can work for the junior high graduate.

*Gather the names for these kids the same ways you would for seniors through classmates, mailing list companies or schools.

*Incentives such as 2 for1 sessions, bonus wallets, signature boards, digital press products and so on can be effective gimmicks in booking these sessions.

*Many schools have formal graduation ceremonies for junior high students. If the schools in your area do this, then your marketing is easier. If not, then you will have to work a little harder to establish the need for a portrait sitting now.

*Your current senior price list is fine for this program. You may want to modify your sessions. A 1 and/or 2 outfit session is probably appropriate. You may want to do some poses in a formal outfit and some in a casual setting. Encourage personal props that reflect the personality of the subject. Sales while they could exceed senior orders will probably be somewhat smaller.

Parents want to have quality professional photographs of their children. This is an opportunity for you to build a brand new market. With perseverance on your part it can become a lucrative annual program. It may even grow into something like high school senior portraits.

This is a great way to begin planting seeds for their senior portraits. When they have an enjoyable experience with you now, they will remember that and be back in four years for their senior pictures.