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Jaclynn Wilkinson
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**UPDATE Since publishing this ebook and taking it off the market I have since learned so much of being successful on thumbtack is having good intuition. I pick up on red flags allot quicker than most people, allowing me to book dream clients and reflect ones who may stir up drama. I tried to teach how to do that in this ebook, but was finding most of my readers didn’t really absorb what I was trying to say. Long story short, I think that sort of intuition can’t be taught but must come with experience. Thumbtack worked and works for me! That’s about all I can say for it. I think it’s worth a try if you think you’re gifted at reading people quickly. If you are interested in purchasing the now retired ebook, shoot me an email. I’ll have you PayPal me $20 and I’ll email it over.

Good morning my most awesome blog readers!!! I’m so excited to tell you about SJP’s Thumbtack Tips & Tricks eBook.

Sunday night at 10:21pm, I completed my first eBook. “Thumbtack Tips & Tricks”. It’s all about how I booked 43 clients using Thumbtack alone my second year in business. I know most of my community here isn’t looking to book clients. But I want you all to know how much of my heart I’ve poured into this book. I’ve had my eye on publishing it for 6+ months now and I’m so thrilled it came together!!!

What is Thumbtack? I consider them to be a “booking agency” and endearingly refer to them as my “agent” when my phone would blow up with requests. Someone in need of a specific service (photography, landscaping, hair and makeup, catering, bar-tending, dog sitting/walking, personal stylist, etc.) goes onto the platform, and says a little bit about what they need. Up to five professionals receive their request and send a quote to the potential client. Potential clients see your offer (along with up to four others) and has the option to walk away, or pick their favorite! When a potential client responds, Thumbtack charges the professional a fee for helping to bridge the gap between leads and professionals.

I’m nervous because I know people will laugh. Thumbtack has a bad rep in most of the wedding community. That’s something I’ve had to accept.

But as a new photographer entering this crazy field two and a half years ago, Thumbtack was a service that made my dreams come true with skillful communication and good marketing techniques.

Time and time again, I saw photographers BASHING Thumbtack hard. Saying things like, “You might as well throw your money into the wind”, and “The demographic isn’t worth touching” and it broke my heart because of all they’ve done for me and all of the amazing couples and families I’ve been blessed to serve.

My second year in business I spent just short of $1,200 on Thumbtack credits and turned that into more than $33,000 cycled back into other small businesses, SJP, and my family’s dinner table.

Learn to use the platform and look at the numbers beyond a $30 quote that fell dead. $100 spent to book one $400 wedding is an investment many families would jump at in a heartbeat and vendors just starting out could love.

As a girl who shot her first wedding at $110 and paid $120 just to be there with the right equipment….Thumbtack was a godsend.

Something I hear often in the photographer community is, “If you’re not shooting with a full frame camera, you shouldn’t be shooting weddings.” Whereas I only shot one maybe two weddings with my rebel, I have to say I completely disagree. There are weddings happening every day with NO photographer. Mom with a cell phone is as much as they feel they can afford. I know I’m not alone in saying my first few months in business, I would have been giddy to shoot a wedding for $50. Having a helping hand at your wedding so your entire family can be in a photo with a rebel on auto in daylight is worth $50 easy. There is a gig for every photographer looking to learn. Thumbtack is an amazing resource for brides who feel they could never afford a wedding photographer and photographers hoping to get their foot in the door without feeling like they have to have more experience than they really do.

On the experienced/average photography market side, Thumbtack can be amazing too with a handful of quotes a week popping up in the $1000 – $2000 range and a couple of times a month up to $5000 budgets. I have my working radius up to 150 miles so I know this to be true in Washington State. The Thumbtack market can vary from state to state as word of the service spreads. If you’d like to know, as a professional, how many potential clients are requesting services in your area, sign up as a professional, it’s free!, and see how many notifications are popping up with budgets you would like to work with. Give it time. Even 1-2 great leads per month can make a huge difference in your small business.

One last thing to consider. Regardless of your starting prices, Thumbtack is a great way to fill in your calendar on days you haven’t booked anything organically, but are free to work! If I have a free weekend and am caught up on work, I don’t need to annoy my “warm market” or lower the standards of my presence on my website/social media by having a “sale”. I simply take to Thumbtack, quote a few weddings/portrait sessions that are near my starting prices, and snag someone up! I never have to change my prices or have panic sales to keep running my business.

These days, most of my couples are referrals. Brides who wanted me specifically from the moment they got engaged!!! Seriously, every photographers dream. But I never would have gotten here without all of the help I got from Thumbtack. About half of those referrals come from women I met at Thumbtack weddings! Previous bridesmaids or close friends of my Thumbtack Brides/Grooms.

“A massive thank you to Jason and the amazing team at Thumbtack HQ for supporting the publishing of this eBook. SJP and my family will be forever grateful for the start you’ve given my small business. I am in awe at this resource and hope every small business this book comes in contact with may find peace in job security doing what they love.

Sincerely, Jaclynn”