How can you use photography to build your personal brand online?

1 Define your goals and audience

Before you pick up your camera, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your photography and who you want to reach. Your goals and audience will influence your style, tone, and content of your photos. For example, if you are a freelance photographer who wants to showcase your portfolio and attract new clients, you might want to focus on your niche, skills, and testimonials. If you are a blogger who wants to share your lifestyle and opinions, you might want to include more personal stories, emotions, and insights.

2 Choose your platforms and formats

The next step is to decide where and how you want to share your photos online. Depending on your goals and audience, you might want to use different platforms and formats to optimize your reach and engagement. For example, if you want to build a professional network and reputation, you might want to use LinkedIn and Medium to post your photos along with articles, case studies, or tips. If you want to grow a community and interact with your followers, you might want to use Instagram and Facebook to post your photos along with captions, hashtags, or questions.

4 Plan and create your content

Once you have defined your goals, audience, platforms, and style, you need to plan and create your content. You need to have a content strategy that aligns with your personal brand and your audience's needs and interests. You also need to have a content calendar that helps you schedule and organize your posts in advance. To create your content, you need to use the best equipment, tools, and techniques that suit your budget and skills. You also need to use the best practices of photography, such as shooting in raw format, using the rule of thirds, and editing with care.

6 Engage and grow your audience

The final step is to engage and grow your audience online. You need to interact with your audience, by responding to their comments, questions, and messages, and by asking for their opinions, feedback, and suggestions. You also need to grow your audience, by reaching out to new and potential followers, and by joining and creating communities, groups, and events. You also need to keep your audience interested, by providing value, variety, and quality, and by updating and refreshing your content regularly.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?