3 Smart Reasons Family Photographers Should Run a Black Friday Sale in 2025

Are you a family photographer wondering if running a Black Friday promotion in 2025 is even worth your time? Maybe you’ve never done a sale before, or you don’t offer in-person sales (like IPS, prints, or albums)—and you’re thinking, “What would I even promote?”

I get it, I’m right there with you. But I want to challenge your approach to marketing this season. Because in 2025, Black Friday isn’t just about discounts—it’s about strategy. Especially if you’re a service provider like a solo family photographer.

Here are three strategic reasons why you should absolutely consider running a Black Friday sale in your family photography business this year.

Click play to watch the YouTube version of this blog post (or read the blog below) 

1. Fill Your Calendar Before the Slow Season Hits

Let’s be honest; January, February, and March are typically slow months for most family photographers, especially those of us who don’t own a studio and shoot primarily outdoors. The weather is colder, clients are recovering from the holidays, and bookings naturally drop.

Here’s a smart move: Use your Black Friday promotion to pre-book discounted sessions for those slower months. Offer a limited number of discounted sessions that can only be booked during your Black Friday sale and redeemed between January and March.

This not only provides cash flow during your busy Q4, but also helps you go into the new year with confidence—and a booked calendar.

Pro Tip: Make your Black Friday offer exclusive, create a sense of urgency, and be sure it’s clearly time-bound.

And here’s a real-talk moment: DO NOT SPEND THAT MONEY WHEN YOU GET IT! 🙅🏻‍♀️
Seriously. If you’re booking a session for, say, March, don’t treat that payment as spendable income in November. It might be an unpopular opinion, but I personally don’t touch the money until the month the session actually happens. Why? Because I want it to support my cash flow in that month. If you spend it all the week it comes in, and the session isn’t for another 7 months… then when the time comes, you’re essentially working for free.

2. Sell Gift Cards (Without Discounting Your Services)

Another Black Friday strategy? Pre-sell gift cards or certificates for your future mini sessions or milestone sessions. These make fantastic holiday gifts and allow your clients to “gift experiences” to their loved ones, without you needing to discount your normal pricing.

For example:

• A parent could gift a milestone session to a daughter with a newborn.

• A grandparent could use the gift card for a session with their grandkids.

• A spouse could purchase it for a future family session in the spring or summer.

🎁 Remember: Since Black Friday is right before Christmas, the timing is perfect to market this as a thoughtful and memorable gift.

⚠️ Important: Be sure to include an expiration date and communicate clear terms. You don’t want a flood of gift card redemptions during your busiest months!

3. Stay Consistent with Your Email Marketing

This one might surprise you—but it’s so important.

Most family photographers only email their list when they want to sell something. That’s a huge missed opportunity. Email marketing is your warmest audience, and if you only show up in their inbox during Black Friday, it can feel overwhelming or salesy.

Instead, use the months leading up to Black Friday to build trust by showing up consistently in their inbox.

📩 Start now with one email per week (even if you only have 10 subscribers). Build a cadence so that when your Black Friday promo hits, it doesn’t feel random—it feels natural.

This also sets you up for continued success as you move into the new year. Even if someone doesn’t book during your sale, you’ve planted the seed for later.

If you need a recommendation for an email marketing platform that will grow with you and your family photography business, I recommend checking out Flodesk! I have a 50% coupon code for you to use (you can click here) or the banner below

Final Thoughts: Make Black Friday Work For You

So whether you want to pre-book your slow season, offer giftable experiences, or finally commit to regular email marketing—a Black Friday strategy can work for you, even if you’re a solo family photographer.

And if you’re thinking, “Okay, Dolly, this sounds great, but I still don’t know where to begin…”

🎉 Good news: There’s a free virtual summit just for you!

 Introducing the 2025 Black Friday Virtual Summit

I’m co-hosting this event with my biz friends Bekah Read and Mara Kucirek, and we’ve gathered 18+ speakers to share what’s actually working for Black Friday in 2025. No recycled strategies from 2020—just real, up-to-date insights for small business owners who want to make Black Friday intentional and strategic.

🗓️ Dates: August 26–28, 2025 (If you missed this LIVE round, you can still go to this site and see what resources we have for you until December 5th, 2025) 
🎟️ Cost: Free!
👥 Who it’s for: creative entrepreneurs (yes, including you family photographer), and solo business owners
💛 Bonus: It’s sponsored by Cubicle to CEO!

👉 Grab your free ticket here!

Are You Running a Black Friday Sale in 2025?

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Let me know in the comments:

• Are you planning a promo this year?

• What’s something new you’re thinking of trying?

Thanks for reading, friend, and I’ll see you next week with another systems and workflow tip to grow your family photography business sustainably. 

Meet Your Fractional CMO & Launch Strategist for Family Photographers

Hi! I’m Dolly DeLong—a Nashville-based family photographer turned systems + marketing educator and Fractional CMO for family photographers and solo business owners.  After years of juggling motherhood, running a thriving family photography business, and helping other creatives behind the scenes with their launches and marketing, I realized something: the backend matters just as much as your booking calendar.

Now, I serve two kinds of faith-driven creatives:

• Family photographers who want to stop ghosting their audience and finally stay consistent with Instagram + email marketing. 

• Solo business owners who have a digital offer they want to launch—but feel completely overwhelmed by the pre-launch phase

Through my weekly podcast, YouTube channel, and blog, I offer strategic (but doable) content on systems, workflows, launch planning, and consistent marketing rhythms that won’t burn you out.

I’m here to help you stop duct-taping your backend together and instead build systems that support your life and values—whether you’re marketing mini sessions or launching a course.

When I’m not strategizing a launch calendar or batch recording content during nap time, you can find me photographing families in and around Nashville, watching reruns of Survivor, eating something sweet, or walking with a podcast in my ears. (Yes, I’m that girl.)

Are you Ready to finally market with intention and launch with clarity?
Let’s get started—because you don’t have to do this alone.

👉 Work with me to plan out your launch
👉 If you are a family photographer needing marketing help click here