Blogging for Photographers: A Realistic System for Family Photographers

Blogging for photographers often feels harder than it should, especially for family photographers juggling client sessions, editing, and life outside of business. It’s not that blogging doesn’t matter. It’s that sitting down to write without a clear plan can feel heavy, confusing, and easy to avoid.

I know this feeling well. For years, blogging for my own family photography business felt like one of the most frustrating parts of marketing. I believed in SEO. I knew long-form content mattered. But every time I opened a blank document, my brain froze.

Also, in full transparency, with the rise of AI solutions, I was too afraid initially to dip my toes into it because I thought I was “cheating” or I thought it would never sound like me (it would sound too robotic…plus the overuse of emojis would always kill me on the inside). So I thought I was just going to throw in the towel on blogging for the longest time.

What finally changed everything wasn’t motivation.
It was building a system. (Surprise! A System!!!)

In this post, I’m walking you through how I approach blogging for photographers, specifically family photographers, in a way that feels doable, repeatable, and realistic for a solo business owner.

🎥Would you rather watch the YouTube Version of This Blog?

🎙️Would you rather listen to the Podcast Version of This Blog?

💻Or Just Read The Blog Below

Why Blogging for Photographers Still Matters (Especially Family Photographers)

There’s a lot of noise online about whether blogging is “worth it” anymore. In my experience, blogging still plays a critical role for photographers who want to be consistently found without relying on ads or social media alone.

For family photographers, blogging helps:

• Search engines understand what you offer and where you serve.

• Potential clients connect with your voice before ever reaching out.

• Your website continues to work even when you’re offline, with your family and loved ones.

I don’t depend on Instagram to bring me clients. I show up there, but it’s not my primary driver. Blogging allows my business to stay visible even when I’m not posting daily or chasing trends.

The problem isn’t blogging itself.
The problem is blogging without a structure and a consistent SOP. 

Why Blogging for Photographers Feels So Hard

If blogging keeps getting pushed down your list, it’s usually not because you’re lazy or bad at writing.

Most family photographers struggle with blogging because:

• They don’t know what topics to write about.

• Keyword research feels intimidating.

• They’re unsure if anyone even reads blogs anymore.

• They start from scratch every single time.

I used to rely on inspiration. I assumed if I blocked off time, the words would come. They didn’t. Also, I work in very specific time-blocks since I have two littles at home. I don’t have a traditional 40-hour work week as most business owners do, so I had to be very creative in finding the time to create long-form content that didn’t suck AND content that actually helped move the needle in my small business.

Staring at a blank screen month after month drains energy fast. That’s why I stopped relying on motivation and built a system that supports my brain instead of fighting it.

Step One: Create a Master Hub for Blogging

The first shift I made in blogging for photographers was to create a single home for all long-form content. I referred to it as my “master hub” in my project management tool, Trello.

This master hub holds:

• Blog topic ideas

• Keyword research

• Publishing cadence

• Blog titles

• Calls to action

• Notes on brand voice and tone

When ideas live on sticky notes, scattered docs, or mental reminders during 3 a.m. wakeups, blogging feels chaotic before you even begin.

A centralized hub removes friction.
You’re no longer asking, “What should I write?”
You’re simply choosing from what already exists. All because you have been very purposeful in keeping it in ONE central location over time.

Step Two: Keyword Research Before Writing Anything

One of the biggest mistakes I see with blogging for photographers is skipping keyword research.

AI tools are not keyword research tools. Honestly? I thought they were at first. Especially because the big business owners who have been paving the way with using AI tools make it sound like you can whip up a long-form piece of content in like 2 seconds (and so when I learned that I need to actually DIG into keyword research first I was VERY thankful I made that connection because I don’t want to creat long form content that is crap).

Before I write any blog post, I spend about 15–20 minutes researching keywords using platforms designed for SEO. These tools show:

• What people are actually searching for

• How competitive a keyword is

• Whether a topic has a realistic chance of ranking

When you skip keyword research and jump straight into writing, you’re creating content without direction. It might sound good, but it’s not rooted in what families are actively looking for.

The keyword tools I mentioned in this YouTube video/Podcast/Blog are Ubersuggest and Keysearch. 

For family photographers short on time, I recommend researching a handful of keywords at once, enough to support several blog posts, rather than starting over every month.

Step Three: Blogging for Photographers Using AI (The Right Way)

AI can support blogging for photographers, but it cannot replace strategy or voice.

I trained a ChatGPT bot to write in my voice. That part matters.

Dumping prompts into AI without training it results in writing that sounds generic and disconnected. Families can feel that immediately. If your content doesn’t sound like you, it won’t build trust.

My process looks like this:

1. Do keyword research first

2. Use my trained AI assistant to draft the post in my voice

3. Edit, refine, and publish

AI speeds things up, but I’m still guiding the direction. It’s an assistant, not the decision maker. (Did you read that? Well, be sure to highlight that in your mind mentally, pretty please!!! Don’t just copy/paste from AI, deal?)

Turning One Blog Post Into a Full Marketing Cycle

Blogging for photographers doesn’t end when the post goes live.

Each blog post becomes:

• An email for my family photography audience

• A Google My Business update

• Optimized image alt text

• A clear promotion checklist

This approach allows a single piece of content to support multiple platforms without creating additional work.

Family photographers don’t need more content just to create content. 
They need better systems for the content they already create.

They need that content to work for them to bring in the right clients!

What Blogging for Photographers Looks Like for Me Now

Once a month, I sit down and batch four blog posts.

They are:

• Keyword-optimized

• Written in my voice

• Edited and scheduled

• Repurposed across platforms

I’m no longer guessing. I’m no longer staring at a blank page. Blogging no longer feels like a second job.

The rhythm fits real life as a solo family photographer — not an idealized version of business with endless time blocks or a marketing assistant.

Blogging Doesn’t Require More Hustle

If blogging has felt heavy or easy to avoid, it’s not because you’re doing something wrong.

It’s because you were never given a system designed for how photographers actually work.

Blogging for family photographers works best when it’s:

• Structured

• Repeatable

• Rooted in SEO

• Supportive of real life

When the backend of your business feels calm (because of intentional systems working together), showing up feels lighter.

Want This Blogging System Built for You?

This is exactly why I created the Blogging & Organic Visibility System for Family Photographers.

It includes:

• My full blogging SOP (that I have been using faithfully since 2021)

• A trained GPT blogging assistant

• Email and Google My Business repurposing tools (GPTs)

• An image alt-text assistant (GPT)

• A complete promotion checklist (GPT)

• A master hub to keep everything organized (Trello Board)

If blogging for photographers has been on your list for months, this system was built to help you move forward without feeling overwhelmed.

I do offer 1:1 marketing services for family photographers who need hands-on support with the backend of their business. But if you’re not at the stage where hiring 1:1 help makes sense right now, this is exactly why I created the Blogging & Organic Visibility System for Family Photographers: to give you a practical, guided way to build consistent visibility and marketing structure on your own, without starting from scratch.

Meet Your Favorite Marketing Strategist for Family Photographers (Dolly DeLong Education)

Hi, I’m Dolly DeLong, a Nashville-based family photographer, marketing strategist, and systems educator for family photographers who want structure, clarity, and consistency in their marketing.

My photography journey began in 2006, and over the years, I built a sustainable family photography business while navigating motherhood, client work, and the realities of running a solo creative business. Along the way, I discovered something unexpected: I loved the backend just as much as the creative side.

What started as organizing my own workflows turned into helping other family photographers simplify their marketing, build repeatable systems, and stop relying on last-minute posting or panic marketing.

Today, I focus exclusively on helping family photographers intentionally market their businesses (not with trends but with consistently showing up).

I offer two ways to work with me:

• The Family Photographer’s Marketing Society: a systems-first membership that provides a clear weekly marketing cadence for Instagram and email, so you always know what to focus on without starting over.

• 1:1 Strategic Marketing Support for established family photographers who want hands-on guidance in building a sustainable, SEO-supported marketing system.

Through my blog, podcast, and YouTube channel, I teach family photographers how to think like marketers, plan ahead, and create marketing rhythms that support both their business and their family life.

I still photograph families around Nashville because it’s one of my greatest joys. But helping family photographers build calm, consistent marketing systems that actually fit real life is a close second.

I’m so glad you are here reading this blog! I hope this was helpful.