Senior rep programs are common and widely varied. A successful senior rep program is unique and sets the photographer apart from others in the area. The methods available are limitless and determined solely by you and what you hope to get out of your program.

There are three main aspects of a rep program:

  1. Finding the right seniors
  2. The contract, requirements, and incentives
  3. Planning a series of creative shoots

1 | Finding the Right Seniors

An ideal senior representative is outgoing, trustworthy, responsible, and friendly. They are active on social media with tons of friends with whom to share their excitement and their images. Advertising for reps can be simple or it can be more complex. For my first year, I created a series of ads that I posted frequently on Facebook, and for every senior who applied I asked them to refer friends who might be interested as well.  Other marketing ideas are symbiotic marketing with local salons or boutiques, posting flyers on high school bulletin boards (with permission), or placing flyers on windshields in high school parking lots.

Once a senior had contacted me and expressed interest, I provided them with an application to complete and return to me. The application was rudimentary at best, but as my program was put together at the last minute, I was proud to have even an application. In the future I hope to have a more polished version of this application, but for now it serves its purpose.

Some of the questions you might ask your potential reps are:

  • On which social media sites are you active?
  • In what sports or extracurricular activities do you participate at school?
  • Do you participate in any teams or groups outside of school?

I also enjoy asking questions that allow the senior to express his or herself more freely:

  • How would you describe your personality?
  • What are five words that would describe your style?
  • Tell me why you would make a great senior rep.

Reading through the resulting answers is as much enjoyable as it is enlightening. It is great to get a glimpse of a person’s style and personality through their own description. It also helps to find out how outgoing and social they are to help you determine if they will be a good candidate to represent your business.

2 | The Contract, Requirements, and Incentives

It is vital to a successful rep program to set forth a clear set of requirements and incentives, and to have each senior (and the parents, if senior is underage) sign a contract setting forth the details of the agreement. When preparing your requirements, consider what you want to get from a senior rep. A few of my requirements are that the senior participate in a rep model session, that they schedule and complete their personal session by a specific date, that they use a watermarked image from one of our sessions as a profile on Facebook for a minimum of 6 months. One of my chosen reps last year had to be pulled last minute from participation as a rep because of an unfortunate scheduling conflict that would not allow him to participate in our group session. Because that session was the one being used for the majority of my marketing, I placed a high level of importance on participation.

I have chosen not to let my reps participate free of charge. They do receive a free mini session with the whole group, but they are still required to pay for their personal session, although at a slightly discounted rate. There are two reasons I chose to do it this way. First, I wanted to be sure I gained something out of all this time and effort. I put a great deal of time into planning the rep session, as well as the individual sessions for each of my five reps. There was no guarantee that this program would bring in many additional clients, so I needed to be sure I received compensation. The second reason I chose to require payment was so the seniors and their parents would place greater value on their participation.

Incentives

While the requirements detail what the senior reps will do for you, the incentives are what draw the reps in and convince them to participate. Some of the incentives for my program are:

  • Discounted senior session
  • Free mini rep session
  • One set of rep cards (distribution of which can also be included in the requirements)
  • Free graduation announcement design
  • Timeline cover design

The incentives are a fun way to thank your reps for all their hard work, so get creative when determining which incentives you will offer.

3 | Planning the Sessions

Holding a group senior rep photo shoot is a great way to get your seniors together and get them excited to be a rep. It helps foster a team spirit, and makes it easier to plan each person’s individual session. It makes them more excited to work with you and to tell everyone they know about your work. It is also a great outlet for your creative talent. While our client sessions are determined almost completely by what the client wants, this session can be your baby, designed solely by you. Feel free to get creative, try a theme, and even hire a hair and makeup artist to add a little more excitement to the session.

My first rep session had two parts, because I couldn’t choose just one. We started with a formal shoot that took place in an urban location, then moved to a more natural location and let the girls get crazy with some paintballs. But rather than using paintballs and all the required gear, we used mason jars full of homemade, washable paint that they flung at each other using paintbrushes. They were a little shy at first, but before long they were flinging paint everywhere, laughing and attacking at the same time. It was so fun! The images from the end of this session were much more relaxed, fun, and real, all because the girls had become friends while playing with the paint. Another benefit of planning a creative session like this is that it gives your future clients the permission to get crazy and ask for something fun and unique for their own sessions.

Finally, you get to work with each of your reps to plan their personal session. By this time, you know them well enough that you really want to go the extra mile. You know their talents and hobbies and help them figure out how to pull all of this into a unique senior session that will help them remember their senior year.

Putting It All Together

As with any new business venture, the details are critical to a successful senior rep program. You have to be sure all of your reps know what they are agreeing to and make sure to protect yourself from any future actions of the reps or their parents. But once the details are seen to, have fun! Remember what it was like to be in high school, and let this program be something you and the reps can all enjoy together. The friendships you form with your reps will speak far louder than any images or products you provide.

This is Part 2 of The Story of a Senior Rep Program series, click here for Part 1.