London Branding Session for Copywriter: Case Study and Results

Brand photography kept this introverted entrepreneur fully booked and confident promoting her business throughout the pandemic

Copywriter Emma Griffin has worked for some of the biggest e-commerce brands in the UK, turning her hand to everything from seasonal launch campaigns to email marketing. But when it came to marketing her own business online, she always felt awkward! With only stock photos or poor-quality shots of her coffee or laptop, she was struggling to connect with her audience in any real way. Frustrated at spending so much time on captions that barely anyone seemed to be engaging with, and also ready to relaunch her website, she booked in for her first brand photoshoot.

BRIEF

Emma knew the content she was putting out on LinkedIn and Instagram was valuable, but her haphazard visuals (stock images and coffee cups) were doing her no favours as a service-based business owner. She needed more imagery of her so that people could get a feel for how she worked and a little hint of her personality.

Likewise, with an entire website overhaul on the cards as she approached her one-year business anniversary, she needed photos that looked professional and approachable – rather than the random selfies she had lying about on her iPhone camera roll! The brief was a casual, relaxed shoot with a Parisian vibe (Emma loves France) to convey her personality and connect her with like-minded female business owners in the coaching, consulting and creative industries.

blonde woman writes in notebook in front of fireplace during London branding session

copywriter poses in London coffee shop during personal branding session with Nina Mucalov Photography

woman works looking at laptop during personal branding session with Nina Mucalov Photography

personal branding session with Nina Mucalov Photography for copywriter working in coffee shops

blonde woman moves her hair off neck sitting on black steps in London

PROCESS

Before the shoot, we had a half-hour phone call and a couple of email exchanges to scout out the best locations, props and ideas to maximise our time together on the day. Emma provided a moodboard of other shots she liked ahead of our shoot, which was a great way for us to get on the same page ahead of our shoot date. The visual brief included lots of references to the things she loved the most: books, coffee and Paris! So as part of the package I scouted out a couple of locations that perfectly fitted the bill, starting off in the Allbright in Mayfair with lots of shots to show her at work, before moving onto a French-style coffee shop just around the corner, which was perfect for adding a Parisian vibe to the shoot. A week later, Emma had a full gallery of images to choose from and download instantly.

blonde woman sits in chair reading during personal branding portraits with London and Singapore branding photographer Nina Mucalov Photography

RESULTS:

As soon as Emma started using her brand photography on social media, her engagement and following rocketed. 18 months on from our first shoot, her Instagram following has increased from just a couple of hundred followers to 1.5k, and counting. She regularly gets clients through social media and her website, with Instagram going from what felt like a total waste of time and energy to the most useful marketing tool in her business. She’s regularly booked up at least 4-6 weeks in advance.

“Since working with Nina, my business has grown exponentially and I know so much of that is down to the amazing photos we captured together. She really listened to my brief and the values I wanted to share online, and it's meant that every image I post connects me with exactly the type of clients I love working with. As an introvert, having a bank of images ready to go really takes the pressure off the need to ‘show up’ for my business when I don’t feel like actively doing that!
“I’ve gone from hating Instagram and considering throwing the towel in, to regularly getting DMs and signing clients who are a great fit for me. Keeping a presence up consistently on Instagram when we couldn’t network as easily in person was honestly a godsend for me at a very tough time for small businesses. I actually earned more in the pandemic than I did the year before.
“I loved our first shoot together (and the results) so much that I booked another shoot in August at my house to help me keep growing my business. It’s such a relief to never have to think about what image to share anymore. I can just post my content and choose from a selection of great options! Posts with Nina’s images pretty much always have great engagement too.”

Emma Griffin, Copywriter & Founder at www.emmagriffinwrites.co.uk

blonde woman stand on wooden bridge in London with hands in pocket of leather jacket

woman walks down London street and visits coffee shop during personal branding session with Nina Mucalov Photography

woman pushes hair around on bridge in London UK

woman bends down to look at bookshelf during personal branding session with Nina Mucalov Photography

woman in white sweater works on phone sitting on edge of the couch

woman works on laptop sitting on couch during personal branding session with Nina Mucalov Photography

blonde woman in white sweater works on laptop during personal branding session with Nina Mucalov Photography

woman sits on blue couch in grey sweater and jeans during personal branding session with Nina Mucalov Photography

woman works during branding photoshoot in London at home

Do you have big plans for your business this year? Get in touch to chat about how a signature photo & video personal branding package can make them your reality.