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John DeMato Blog

Welcome to the Deliver Magic blog, where experts who speak, coach, train, consult, and write books will find actionable insights to elevate their personal brands through visual storytelling. From strategy tips and branding photography to live event coverage and storytelling techniques, discover step-by-step guides designed to help you align what you say with how you show up in photos. Get ready to unlock the magic behind creating a cohesive visual identity that drives engagement, builds credibility, and inspires your audience. #DeliverMagic

Get those John Hancock shots...

 

Do you include book signings as part of your keynote experience?

 
 

Take advantage of that opportunity by creating a wealth of photo assets of the moment.

 

For many speakers, their keynote is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to monetizing their expertise for the people who hired them to speak. 

Since many speakers have written a book, they include that asset in the deal through a bulk sale to the organization or company that hired them, so that every participant gets a copy.

And with that bulk sale comes the opportunity for the speaker to sign copies for each participant after the presentation.  

Anytime that you’re surrounded by a crowd of people, that’s a great opportunity to capitalize upon by creating image assets capturing the moment. 

Rather than simply walk away with a small handful of random photos of the book signing, instruct your photographer to take advantage by purposefully creating a wealth of visual assets while observing the activity and identifying key moments that matter in terms of creating compelling images that can be used in your marketing and promotional materials.

When I’m photographing a book signing, here is the internal shot list that circulates in my head the entire time: 

  • Photos of the books themselves

  • Wide shot establishing the scene, including the line of people 

  • Other establishing shots of the scene, highlighting specific folks in the line

  • Photos of you signing from different vantage points

  • Closeups of the signatures

  • Handing the book back to the participant

  • Interacting with participants - smiles and happy faces

  • Interacting with participants - thoughtful expressions caught during their brief exchange 

Here’s what this list looks like in real-life photos:

These diverse types of image assets have creative flexibility in how they are used. 

In addition to various pieces of online content and blog thumbnails, photos of your book signing could be used all over your website, as well. 

For example, the close-up photos of your book could add some visual pop to your book landing page. Also, the photos where you’re interacting with the line of participants could be used on your homepage and speaker pages. 

And, the isolated photos of you signing books and smiling as you hand the book back to the participant could be used on your about page, depending upon the types of visual assets that you plan to share there. 

Long story short, having a strategic plan to create a variety of image assets during your book signing is not simply an exercise in padding your portfolio of photos. 

It’s meant to give you visual assets that can be directly plugged into and enhance your existing marketing strategy. 

Plus, it’s pretty cool to have these fun moments captured in photos, so there’s that, too :) 

The next time you know you’re having a book signing after your keynote, go over the shot list described above with them so you know you’re walking away with a wealth of visual assets that you can use immediately after the photos are handed to you. 


For more visual storytelling strategies and insights for experts, I’ll talk your eyes off through my blog.Sign up to receive them directly in your inbox, and if you have any questions,set up a time to chat with me and then I’ll talk your ears off, too :)