Capture audiences on TikTok and YouTube Shorts with the art of quick engagement.
May 9th, 2025
With its engaging storytelling and ability to connect us with the human experience, video has risen to the top of content for online users. Effective video marketing can move people to tears, get them laughing, and invest them in a simple story.
Whether you are a photographer starting out or an experienced pro trying to connect with a broader client base, you can use video to your advantage. As of 2024, 89% of businesses used video as a marketing tool. Short-form video is the most leveraged media format in marketers content strategies.
Video marketing campaigns are popular on virtually every platform, but TikTok and YouTube Shorts are designed for it. People and brands that see the most success tailor their videos to these platforms. The trick is to find a way to stay true to your voice and brand while still connecting with the audience on these platforms.
The right videos can take your marketing campaigns to the next level and put your brand in the spotlight–resulting in more clients booking your services. Here’s how:
Tell a great story.
Storytelling is the key to success with video content. TikTok and YouTube Shorts have video editing tools that you can leverage to help your videos capture attention from the first shot, getting customers invested in how the story plays out.
There are many ways to tell a story, whether it’s a customer testimonial, a personal story about your brand or product idea, or a peek behind the curtain into your day-to-day operations. Here are some ideas to inspire you:
- Behind-the-scenes tours: Show your customers the “back of the house” operations that they wouldn’t normally see, such as a short making-of video for to demonstrate your editing skills, or what it’s like during one of your photo sessions.
- Customer stories: Feature testimonials or stories from real customers. Highlight how your product or service has made a positive impact or solved a problem in their lives–such as getting a client’s fussy toddler to laugh so they have a happy family photo for their holiday cards–and build an emotional connection with prospective customers.
- Brand origin story: Share the journey of how your brand was founded, including the challenges and milestones you’ve achieved to create a relatable narrative that resonates with your audience.
Be authentic.
TikTok and YouTube Shorts aren’t the platforms for polished, professional ads. These platform users are looking for authenticity and personality, so it’s important to let your brand shine and show off your “human” side. This not only applies to brands with fun or humorous personalities, but any brand.
You can show authenticity many ways, including unboxing client orders, customer testimonials, industry news stories, and more. Here are some ideas:
- Go live or make a video answering frequently asked customer questions.
- Feature a real customer offering a review of your products or photography services and let them share their story.
- Share a “day in the life of” video that takes viewers through your typical day as a photographer.
Here’s an example from photographer Teri Fode walking prospective clients through the experience of booking a session with her::
Engage the audience.
Both TikTok and YouTube Shorts give you a chance to interact with the audience directly and encourage engagement. You can boost engagement with questions, contests, and live sessions, such as:
- Running a contest that encourages customers to share their own videos about their experiences with you and your photography services.
- Use polls to gather feedback or ask customers about their experiences.
- Ask customers to participate in brainstorming ideas for products or services they’d like to see you offer.
Pro tip: When opening yourself up to client brainstorming, think about “pain points” for your ideal clients–begin with a brief description of the problem you know they are facing, and ask them for their thoughts on how your services can make it better.
Create challenges and use sound effects.
TikTok has a lot of unique aspects, including a preference for trends. It can be difficult to stay aware of what trends are current, but it pays off in putting your videos at the top of the feed. Check the “For You” page to see what’s currently trending in your segment of the photography industry.
Keep in mind that trends should always be relevant to your brand–although some types of photography may have a bit of overlap, a trend that is relevant among sports photographers and their clients will probably not hit right for couples looking for wedding photographers, and vice versa. Once you know what’s trending, tailor it to your brand and personality so it will feel authentic. Here’s some inspiration:
- Dancing: TikTok dances are among the platform’s most popular trends. If you like to dance, make a video of you and/or your team dancing to the latest music trend and having some fun with it.
- Sound effects: Sound effects and music clips are popular on TikTok videos. Add trending sound effects and music clips to enhance your videos as they make sense to your brand.
- Duets or Stitches: There’s always going to be another photographer talking about why they like, don’t like, do or don’t do something–if you have thoughts on a trending video, do either a Duet or a Stitch and weigh in on the topic.
- Challenges: TikTok challenges are highly engaging. Consider creating a branded hashtag challenge to encourage your audience to share experiences they’ve had that are related to one or more of your photography specialties.
Keep it consistent.
Consistency is crucial to your success on any platform, but more so on TikTok and YouTube Shorts. These platforms get flooded with content, so it’s difficult to compete if you’re not posting on a steady schedule.
You don’t have to post multiple times a day–or even once a day. It’s more important to produce quality videos and post them consistently. For example, if you think you can make one or two high-quality videos a week, make sure you stick to that schedule week after week. Over time, your audience will come to expect videos from you.
Although some of your content will have to be created on an as needed basis for relevance with trends, other content, like bts at a shoot or client testimonials, could be recorded in batches to fill in gaps when you are too busy to make something new.
Optimize your hashtags.
Hashtags are how your content is discovered on TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Similar to keywords, hashtags should be relevant and appropriate to your brand and content to help customers find what they’re looking for.
Avoid the temptation to spam your posts with popular but irrelevant hashtags just to make it visible. You’ll drive traffic, but it’s not the traffic that’s interested in your photography brand and products. Keep your hashtags relevant and targeted to improve searchability.
Here’s an example of a few simple hashtags on Marlon du Toit’s video that capture different audiences:
Use visuals.
Both TikTok and YouTube Shorts offer tools and effects to improve your video and make it more dynamic. Think about using stickers, text overlays, or filters to enhance the visual appeal of your video. Use discretion, but don’t be afraid to get a little creative!
Here’s an example from photographer Martin Hobby featuring highlights from his photography workshop:
Stay original.
It’s important to appeal to trends to keep your content consistent with the platforms, but you also have to focus on originality. If you’re just creating what everyone else is, your video will get lost in the sea of content. Put your own spin on the ideas, seek out emerging trends, and stretch your creativity–think about what you might do within your photography business that is not the same as what everyone else is doing, and how you can share about it.
Focus on improving.
Video marketing isn’t a simple strategy you can create and then rinse and repeat. Track your TikTok and YouTube Shorts analytics to understand what’s working for your audience, what isn’t, and what your customers want to see.
Pay attention to metrics like video views, shares, likes, and comments, and leverage the platform’s built-in analytics tools. These insights are essential to shaping your content strategy in the future. Other measurable insights like whether you booked more sessions, sold more large prints, or your website traffic increased around the time of a certain post can also help determine your strategy.
Pro tip: Include a checkbox on your client questionnaire about how clients found out about you, including referrals and all social platforms where you have accounts–this can help you decide which platforms deserve the most attention.
Test the waters.
Authenticity is the driving force behind platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts and the popularity of short-form videos. While you have to be true to your brand and messaging, it’s good to experiment and push your own boundaries to see if you can capture a viral trend among your audience.
Leverage the power of short-form video.
Video content is a must-have marketing tool in virtually every industry. If you want to expand your reach to include TikTok and YouTube Shorts, it’s important to cater to the unique aspects of these platforms and create short-form videos that captivate your audience and keep them coming back for more.
Your website. Your way. In minutes.
Build a professional website that reflects your style. Easily customize your design–no coding required. Run your business…all from your own site with your own brand.
