Email Marketing Deliverability for Family Photographers: What I Learned

Have you ever carefully written an email for your audience, hit send, and felt good about it… only to later find out it went straight to spam?

That’s exactly what happened to me.

And what made it even more confusing was this: I wasn’t new to email marketing. I wasn’t sending sporadically. I wasn’t buying lists. I wasn’t doing anything shady.

I had been emailing my list every single week since 2019.

So when people I personally knew started texting me saying, “Hey… are you okay? I haven’t gotten your emails in weeks,” I knew something was off.

This post is me pulling back the curtain on what happened, what I learned after reaching out to Flodesk support, and what I changed so my emails started landing in inboxes again.

If you’re a family photographer (or creative business owner) who relies on email marketing — or wants to — this is for you.

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Why My Emails Suddenly Started Landing in Spam

For years, I had a solid rhythm.

Every Monday, I emailed my list. I nurtured my community. I shared encouragement, education, and marketing insights. Email marketing has always been a core part of my business, both as a Nashville-based family photographer and as a systems and workflow educator for other photographers.

Then, toward the end of 2025, things quietly changed.

Friends on the education side of my email list started telling me they weren’t receiving anything from me anymore. Not in their inbox. Not even in promotions. Straight to spam.

At first, I panicked — internally. I’ll be honest.
But instead of taking that panic out on customer support, I reached out calmly and asked for help.

That decision changed everything.

What “Sender Reputation” Actually Means (In Plain English)

One of the most helpful things I learned is that sender reputation works a lot like a credit score for your email address (I like to compare it to that at least)! 

Inbox providers are constantly watching how people interact with your emails.

They look at things like:

• Are people opening your emails?

• Are they clicking links?

• Are they replying?

• Are they moving your emails out of spam?

• Are they ignoring you altogether?

If engagement drops, your sender reputation drops with it.

And once that happens, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been emailing or how good your intentions are — your emails can start getting filtered out automatically.

This was eye-opening for me because I thought consistency alone was enough.

It’s not.

The Mistakes I Was Making Without Realizing It

This is the part I really want you to pay attention to — because none of these mistakes were intentional.

I relied too heavily on images

As photographers, we love visuals. I get it.
But emails that are mostly images with very little text don’t build trust with inbox providers.

Even worse? They don’t always serve your reader well.

Emails still need words.
They need guidance, context, encouragement, and personality.

Images should support the message — not replace it.

I wasn’t paying attention to my text-to-image ratio

I assumed pretty emails meant better emails.

What I learned is that readable emails perform better than overly designed ones.

That doesn’t mean boring.
It means intentional.

I was shortening links

This one surprised me.

I had been shortening many links in my emails to make them look cleaner. Turns out, shortened links can raise red flags with spam filters.

Now, I use full HTTPS links … every time.

Engagement was lower than I realized

People were reading, but they weren’t replying.

And inbox providers care deeply about replies.

If no one talks back to you, it signals that your emails might not be wanted — even if that’s not true.

Email Deliverability Tips Every Family Photographer Should Know

Here’s what I changed — and what I now recommend to photographers I teach.

Make sure subscribers truly opted in

Never manually add people who didn’t clearly say yes.

Double opt-ins matter. Clear language matters. Consent matters.

Write emails people want to reply to

Ask questions.

Invite conversation.

Remind your readers that you’re a real human on the other side of the screen.

Replies help train inboxes to trust you.

Balance text and images

Tell the story in text first.

If you want to showcase a session, link out to your blog post instead of dumping images into the email itself.

Use alt text for images

This matters for accessibility and clarity.

It’s something I practice on my website, my blog, and now my emails.

Always include an unsubscribe link

Not just because it’s required — but because it builds trust.

Forcing people to stay on your list hurts you more than it helps.

Use full HTTPS links

Avoid link shorteners.

Yes, the links look longer.
Yes, it’s worth it.

Watch your wording

Certain words can quietly trigger spam filters.

You don’t need to obsess — just be aware and intentional.

Send emails from your domain, not Gmail or Yahoo

A professional domain builds credibility and sender reputation over time.

This is non-negotiable if you’re serious about email marketing.

Why Email Marketing Still Matters for Family Photographers

I want to be very clear about this.

Email marketing is not going anywhere.

It’s not a trend.
It’s not outdated.
It’s not optional if you want long-term stability.

Social platforms change. Algorithms shift. Accounts get hacked.

Your email list? You own it.

And when done well, email marketing lets you:

• Nurture trust

• Stay visible

• Serve without pressure

• Build consistency without burnout

That’s why I still teach it.
That’s why I still do it.
And that’s why I took this deliverability issue seriously instead of ignoring it.

Interested in 25% OFF of Flodesk (My Email Marketing Service Provider of Choice) Here is my affiliate link below

How This Changed My Email Strategy Moving Forward

My emails are simpler now.

More text.
More conversation.
More intention.

I focus less on “designing” and more on connecting.

I guide my readers. I talk to them. I remind them why I’m showing up.

And slowly, my engagement improved.
My open rates went up.
My emails started landing where they should again.

What to Do If Your Emails Are Going to Spam

If you’re reading this and feeling nervous, take a breath.

You don’t need to overhaul everything at once.

Start here:

• Ask for replies

• Clean up your formatting

• Stop shortening links

• Check how image-heavy your emails are

• Stay consistent, even when engagement dips

And if you want help thinking through your marketing rhythm beyond email, I created a free resource to help.

Free Resource for Family Photographers

If you want to stay ahead of the curve with your marketing, I put together a free 2026 Family Photographers Marketing Trends Report.

It’s designed to help you think clearly about visibility, consistency, and long-term marketing — without panic posting or burnout.

You can grab it below and start building marketing habits that actually support your business.

If this post helped you, I’d love to hear what you’re going to change first.
And if you know another family photographer who’s been frustrated with email marketing, send this their way.

In Summary

If this post helped you, I’d love to hear what you’re going to change first.
And if you know another family photographer who’s been frustrated with email marketing, send this their way.

Stay streamlined.

Stay intentional.

And keep building systems that support the life you want.

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.