Solo wedding videographers have some unique challenges that photographers don’t have to struggle with anymore. Having a professional photographer is table stakes for every wedding, while many still see videographers as a luxury. Videographers can feel the pressure, internal and external, to lower their wedding videography prices.

What if the right move is in the other direction? What if you actually need to raise your prices to what is fair to grow your business and clientele? It may be the right move, especially considering that there are fewer videographers and fewer high-profile educators paving the way for more compared to the fields of wedding photography and planning. 

With less competition and higher barriers to entry, you need to find your ideal rate, raise your rate to that, and keep your clients in the process.

Find out what other wedding videographers are charging

Pricing services is one of the biggest and most important strategic decisions every business must make. And it is one that you cannot go into without understanding your market and region.

Start by finding out what other wedding videographers are charging for services in your area. I live in a place with many local weddings, but it is also a popular destination wedding for people looking for a wedding in the mountains on the East Coast. So I would immediately check with my friends who happen to be competitors, but frankly, that will be a small sample size for most of us.

Now the real research begins. The Knot, WeddingWire, and Zola can provide useful data. In my region, I found pricing information just this morning for many videographers in just a few minutes, and they spanned the gamut from budget options to ultra-premium vendors.

One reason to start with these types of sites is that some of the videographers posted their package prices or at least starting prices on these aggregator websites when they had few to no details on their own.

The videographers’ websites can reveal even more information, such as the quality of their work, and additional details about their packages, or working areas. All of this helps you to know if your business is comparable. Comparing apples to apples is essential when setting your wedding videography prices!

Calculate the value of your videography package

Start with the experience

Are you delivering an ultra-premium luxury experience custom-tailored to each client? Then your wedding videography prices ought not to be bargain basement. The danger is that you will get lots of clients (because you are too good of a value), and then you will realize that you were not charging enough to account for the time you were devoting to delivering this experience.

Maybe you have a unique aesthetic, a very cinematic approach, that no one else is offering in your region. If that’s desirable (see the next point), that will demand a premium. 

Consider using Timeline Pro, to streamline the event day experience. Having all the details at your fingertips will make you seem even more like the pro you are. The experience of having all your client communication in one place will make things even more seamless for your client leading up to the event. All of which adds to a more premium experience.

Look at how many inquiries you’re getting

This is key to determining where you are sitting in the market. If your phone is ringing off the hook and your Instagram DMs are out of control, it may mean that your prices are too low. Value attracts attention, especially if you are delivering a good product.

Sometimes having your prices set too low and out of step with the competition will hurt you. You will get fewer inquiries from higher-end clients, because they know how much to expect, and if your prices undercut the competition by too much, they think there is a catch.

Account for equipment, software, and skill development

There is no end to equipment and software needs, but many people just beginning in wedding videography will focus on just the hourly rate and downplay equipment costs. You have to make sure your rates not only pay for the equipment you needed to get started but also for the equipment that will replace that.

Videography equipment is not free. Many of us remember the first time we bought a color calibration chart. How can something so simple cost so much?! Lenses and cameras and lights—oh my! 

You may be great with a camera, but you need to develop your editing skills or vice versa. So you will find classes and workshops that you will want to attend or buy online access to in order to build your skills to work more efficiently and deliver a better product. You need to account for this in your rates.

Then there are the services and software subscriptions. Timeline Pro is a great value, but other tools you need will be costly, and your rates will have to reflect this. 

Consider your hourly rate

It is helpful to think of our time as billable and unbillable hours. Your client wants only to pay you for work that you are doing for them, but there is a lot more to a videography business than just shooting and editing video. You have to invoice, provide consultations, answer questions from those that will never become clients, post to social media for marketing, etc. All of this unbillable time has to be accounted for as well. Otherwise, you will look at your hourly rate and think, “I’m doing all right.” Then at the end of the month, you realize that you have worked double the hours and received much less than you thought.

Find your ideal rate

It is time to bring all of the pieces together. Your ideal rate for your videography packages needs to be comparable to what other videographers of your class charge while considering the experience you deliver. Are you in demand and have more work than you have time for? Increase your wedding videography prices to account for that.

Make sure you are charging enough to save for your business equipment, software, services, and training. Likewise, ensure you are accounting for your “unbillable” time. If your rates can’t cover that, then you are paying for it out of your pocket.

After all of this, you will have a reasonable base rate to begin with, but this isn’t the end of the process.

Add package add-ons

Once you have a fair starting point, add-ons are a great way to increase your profitability while also giving clients what they want. Calculate the price of add-ons with some of the same considerations as before. Make sure that they will be profitable and not a time-sink. Likewise, after some time, look at which ones are profitable and which ones are never chosen.

Consider bundling popular add-ons. People are often enticed to spring for add-ons when there is value in a bundle. 

Decide on how to roll out your new wedding videography prices

One option is all at once. This may be your best option if you are losing money or grossly undercharging.

A more gradual approach of 6 months can be an option, but it introduces complexity. Making sure the marketing matches (see the next point) and everyone is on the same page is a challenge.

If you are currently profitable but want to raise your rates to where you feel they ought to be, announcing the increase will go into effect in six months (or whatever timescale works for you) may be the best of both worlds.

Everyone sitting on the fence will feel tempted to sign a contract to lock in a better rate. Still, if you are currently profitable, you may have more business at your current rates to help you build up a cushion while everyone adjusts to your new rates.

Make your marketing match your new rates

Nothing is more frustrating for a potential client than finding out that the rates on the website or social media are outdated. That disappointment can put a bad taste in a prospect’s mouth and make it much less likely that they go with that service.

When you decide what your new rates will be and when they will be implemented, make sure that you know every place where your pricing is listed online, and be prepared to update all your marketing materials. Communication is key!

Communicate to your community first

Regarding communication, remember that past and repeat clients and those who follow you on social media feel invested in your business. They will likely recommend you to others and return to you themselves. 

Make sure your community knows first. It’s a way of showing them gratitude and respect, but it also helps them feel like an insider and a part of your community.

Take the leap–raise your wedding videography prices!

At this point, you have done everything you can to be fair and open. It’s time to earn what you deserve for your service. Wedding videography is a unique service that captures a day in a way like none other. It is a beautiful service that deserves fair rates!