PhotoBizX The Ultimate Wedding and Portrait Photography Business Podcast 647: Ben Potter – How Fundraising Replaced Facebook Ads in His Portrait Studio
Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area
Ben Potter of www.bpportraitart.com.au is someone I’ve known for a long time… and known of for even longer.
We’ve messaged and emailed back and forth plenty of times over the years — there’s still a lot I didn’t know about him until this conversation.
Here’s what I do know.
Ben loves photography — the craft, the art, the whole process — but it’s the business side that really lights him up.
He’s quick to jump on new marketing ideas, test them properly, and see what actually happens. And just as importantly, when something stops working, he’s not emotionally attached — he moves on.
He works with coaches. He studies what others are doing. He listens, experiments, tracks the numbers… and then ruthlessly doubles down on what works — whether that’s after a few weeks or a few years.
He’s also not afraid to invest in his business — and I mean properly invest. One of my favourite examples: he once reached out to a past PhotoBizX guest and bought their entire marketing email sequence — years after it had been sent — purely so he could study it, understand the thinking behind it, and adapt it for his own studio.
Ben is part of a tight-knit group of photographers who openly share what’s working, what’s not, and what they’re testing next. He’s constantly refining systems, improving margins, and building a business that actually makes financial sense — not just one that looks good from the outside.
When I first thought about inviting Ben on the podcast, my gut said he’d be an incredible guest… but I wasn’t sure how much he’d be willing to share.
I asked anyway — and to my surprise (and delight), he said yes.
And I’m genuinely glad he did.
In this interview, Ben shares how he rebuilt his portrait business from the ground up, why he walked away from Facebook ads, how community fundraising became his most reliable growth lever — and the mindset shifts that allowed him to stop guessing, start trusting the numbers, and build a studio that’s both highly profitable and surprisingly calm to run.
Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:
- How Ben built a highly profitable portrait studio by walking away from Facebook ads and leaning into a fundraising-led voucher model that delivers warm, high-trust leads at scale.
- Why community fundraising consistently outperforms cold marketing — and how trust, goodwill and genuinely strong offers lift booking rates and average spend.
- The real reason most “done-for-you” systems fail — and why adapting, testing and truly owning the process is what turns ideas into long-term profit.
- How relying on a single lead source quietly caps growth — and why diversifying acquisition channels creates both stability and leverage.
- Why running a photography business solo eventually becomes the bottleneck — and how a tight circle of peers, coaches and mentors accelerates better decisions and faster growth.
- How COVID forced a hard pivot from weddings to portraits — and why fully committing to one model unlocked higher margins, cleaner systems and momentum.
- Why raising prices alone doesn’t move the needle — and how anchoring, product sequencing and perceived value shape confident buying decisions.
- The psychology behind leading with premium products — and how showing the top first makes mid-range options feel like the obvious choice.
- Why sales become easier when you stop making them emotional — and start trusting numbers, averages and positive expectancy instead.
- Why messy action beats perfect planning every time — and how small tests, pilots and pop-ups reduce risk while revealing what actually works.
- How automation now functions like extra staff — handling follow-ups, confirmations and reschedules so growth doesn’t come at the cost of burnout.
- Why sustainable growth comes from systems, not hustle — and how focusing on high-value activities creates a business that’s both profitable and calm to run.
What’s on Offer for Premium Members
If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interviews each week, a fantastic back catalogue of interviews, and have ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet. Plus, special member-only interviews.
If other people can do it, I can do it. I’ve just got to learn the skills — simple as that.
– Ben Potter
You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group, where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, motivated, caring and sharing photographers online. Seriously, that's not all.
The biggest change in my business was getting away from Facebook ads and realising how dangerous it is to rely on one lead source.
– Ben Potter
In addition to everything above, you'll get access to instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable, and help you build friendships with other pro photographers with motives similar to yours—to build a more successful photography business.
What is your big takeaway?
Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything from what Ben shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you plan to implement in your business based on what you heard in today's episode.
I don’t really care about telling people exactly what I do, because the chances are most people aren’t going to do it anyway.
– Ben Potter
If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Ben, or a way to thank her for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.
With a strong offer, my booking rate went from three out of ten to eight out of ten — and that completely changed the business.
– Ben Potter
iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs
I check for any new iTunes or Google reviews each week, and it's always a buzz to receive these… for several reasons. Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome! Secondly, iTunes and Google are the most significant podcast search engines, and your reviews and ratings help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners mean more interviews and, ultimately, a better show.
Every time someone walks into my studio, the business is worth about $1,900 on average. Once you know that number, decisions get much easier.
– Ben Potter
If you have left a review in the past, thank you! If you haven't and you'd like to, head to https://photobizx.com/itunes or https://photobizx.com/google. You can leave some honest feedback and a rating, which will help me and the show. I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you let me know the URL of your website and your name. Alternatively, if you've left a review for PhotoBizX and are looking for more backlinks to help your SEO, leave a review for the new Photography Xperiment Podcast. Email me your keywords or phrases and where you'd like me to link them.
Positive expectancy changed everything for me. It turned sales from an emotional rollercoaster into a numbers game.
– Ben Potter
Another great way to get a backlink to your site is to send a video testimonial. It doesn't need to be fancy, and your phone will be perfect. Click record and tell me how PhotoBizX has impacted you and your photography business.
Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:
Episode 177: G.E. Masana – Bucking the Trend With his Wedding Photography Website
Episode 580: Brendan Taylor – The TogPod CRM Revolution… The Future of Photography Business
Episode 643: Nik Buttigieg – The Low-Pressure Strategy Filling His Studio With Ideal Clients
Episode 556: Johl Dunn – Unlock Your Photography Business Potential and Stop Failing
The numbers tell me I should be raising prices by 30%, but psychologically that’s still hard. The fear never fully goes away.
– Ben Potter
Thank you!
Huge thanks to Ben for being so open and generous in this conversation.
He’s a great reminder that a profitable photography business isn’t built on luck or chasing the latest tactic — it’s built on systems, clear thinking, and decisions backed by numbers, not emotion. And yes, I can appreciate how difficult all this is!
What I really appreciate about Ben’s approach is that there’s no hype, pressure or gimmicks. It’s about understanding where trust is created, putting strong offers in front of people, and building processes that make the business easier to run as it grows. Less guesswork. Less stress. Better results.
I’d love to know what stood out for you. What’s one idea from this interview you’re going to take and implement in your own photography business?
If there was one thing that I think is the holy grail to this — and to life — it’s taking action. Stop waiting for the perfect time. Take messy action. Throw mud against the wall and see what sticks.
/– Ben Potter
That’s it for me this week; I hope everything is going well for you in life and business!
Thanks for listening—speak soon,
Andrew
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