The Secret to Attracting High-End, High-Paying Video Clients – Fast!

Everyone dreams of getting high-end (read: high-paying) clients that are easy to work with, and it’s so simple that I can’t believe that more people aren’t doing it. Whether you’re trying to break into wedding videography or making videos for other businesses, the concept works beautifully.

The secret getting better clients is positioning yourself as a high-end videographer (the kind you envision yourself being), but not charging like a high-end videographer. In fact, you shouldn’t charge at all.

WAIT…before you stop reading, hear me out – and if you still disagree with me you can leave me a comment that you wasted your time reading this article, but I hope you leave a comment to the contrary.

Here’s how it works:

You need at least one great video featuring the types of clients/businesses you desire in order to attract similar clientele. The common belief is that you should work your way up, and eventually, build a portfolio and eventually increase your prices. The problem with that approach is that it takes too long and your portfolio is full of low-end clients.

You’re probably saying, “no kidding, but how the heck do I get a high-end client with no experience?”

It’s easier than you think.

How to get your first video client:

It’s important to be completely honest while not selling yourself short. You need your advertisement to position yourself as someone who is competent and professional in order to attract higher-end clientele. For this gig in particular, it’s important to set expectations low and minimize the client’s risk.

The risks involve 1) having someone they don’t know at their wedding and/or taking time out of a business owner’s schedule, 2) having the possibility of walking away with nothing to show for it. After all, you might completely blow it. They need to be comfortable with that possibility.

By charging them nothing, you reduce their financial risk to zero – which increases your likelihood of getting them to agree to such an arrangement.

Where to post your ad

If you’re starting a wedding video business, craigslist or local wedding forums are a great (free) place to post an ad. If you want to do more corporate videos, you can use similar copy but it would be best delivered in an email to a specific prospect.

In both cases, you’re looking for your ideal clients and offering them a free service. Weddings will be at great venues with good looking people, and corporate videos will be well-established businesses with attractive settings or high visibility.

I’ve seen lots of recommendations that you start by filming your brother’s wedding in his backyard, but that’s likely only going to get you more backyard weddings of your relatives. If that’s your thing, perfect. Have at it.

The Shortcut

If you want clients that are easier to work with, pay more, and have friends that are similar – then you have to build your portfolio with those types of clients.

To make the process of finding those first 1-2 high-end clients easier, I’ve created a free guide that walks you through the process.

It includes:
– Step-by-step instructions
– Real examples of ads and emails
– The types of weddings and businesses you should target
– The exact language I used to get 10 leads in 2 weeks.
– Tricks & tips that increase your chances of getting agreement

It worked for Mark, who wrote me back to say, “Brian – I’m actually a photographer but I employed your strategy, got 2 inquiries within days of posting, and signed one client. It’s an awesome method because now, if nothing else, I shall build my portfolio…”

How I know it works:

I used the exact formula to build my wedding video business quickly. After two weeks on craigslist, my ad produced about 10 responses. Three of them were solid opportunities, and I filmed two of them. One of them was last-minute – less than 2 weeks away!

I filmed that wedding, edited it in a couple weeks, placed it on my website, and had two paid weddings booked (at $1,895) before I even had a chance to film the second freebie a month later. This told me I had to increase my pricing, but it was also proof that it’s easier to go from free to mid-market in a matter of weeks instead of the traditional path of starting out shooting low-budget events.

Let us know how this works for you!