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I have a feeling this might ruffle a few feathers, but I think Instagram has made wedding photographers and filmmakers a little lazy when it comes to marketing their businesses.

And before anyone comes for me, I LOVE Instagram. But somewhere along the way, we’ve started confusing posting on Instagram with actually marketing our businesses.

Here’s something that might surprise you.

I started my wedding filmmaking business in 2010, before Instagram was even a thing. By my first full wedding season, we had booked 30 weddings. No Reels. No trending audio. No worrying about the algorithm.

And the crazy part? Those SAME grassroots marketing strategies are helping me book $20,000 weddings today.

So maybe those old-school marketing tactics aren’t so outdated after all.

I think we’ve gotten really comfortable sitting behind our screens. We spend hours creating content, checking engagement, and wondering why inquiries have slowed down. And when things aren’t working, it’s easy to blame the algorithm.

But what if the algorithm isn’t actually the problem?

Taylor and I have been loving this phrase lately: Do you have that DOG in you? 💪

We’re not talking about hustle culture. We’re talking about that hunger to grow, the willingness to put yourself out there, build relationships, and create opportunities instead of waiting for them to come to you.

Because after 16 years in the wedding industry, I’ve learned that the most profitable wedding photography and videography businesses aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest Instagram followings.

They’re the ones with strong relationships, great reputations, and people who genuinely LOVE referring them.

In fact, Paul’s corporate production company generated over $400,000 in revenue in one year with fewer than 400 Instagram followers.

Let that sink in.

We’ve started associating follower counts with business success, when the two aren’t necessarily connected.

And if you’re working toward booking higher-budget weddings, raising your prices, and building a more profitable business, this mindset shift is HUGE.

So here’s my challenge as we head into 2027.

If Instagram disappeared tomorrow, where would your next booking come from?

Keep posting. Keep sharing your work. But remember, Instagram should be ONE piece of your marketing strategy, not the entire thing.

And if you’re craving more conversations like this, surrounded by wedding photographers and filmmakers who are actively building more profitable businesses, we’d love to have you inside League, our community for ambitious wedding professionals who believe that the relationships you build are just as important as the work you create.

Because the goal isn’t just to book more weddings. It’s to build a business that works for you. 🚀