Next Up For Fuel Your Photos…

As fall arrives, I feel like it is the perfect time to talk about a new season for Fuel Your Photos.

A little backstory for the uninitiated…

I (Corey) started Fuel Your Photos in 2015, when I was still a full time wedding photographer.

I believed that the advice being given to photographers about websites and SEO was… not great. So I set out to contribute to the conversation around those topics online.

The FYP Facebook group was born, and I started a blog. I wrote a 10k+ word guide to SEO for Photographers, and it was really my way of saying “I have something to say about this topic, and here’s why you should listen.“

The next few years were all about understanding the problem, and seeking the solution. I tried many things, including offering SEO services.

I failed often as I tried to find a better way to help photographers improve their SEO. I was making a dent, but I hadn’t found the right format.

Eventually I realized that I wanted an SEO course to be a main component of what I offered, and I wanted to teach about SEO full time.

Around that time is when Dylan and I started to talk about a collaboration.

We thought… “instead of each of us making our own SEO course… why don’t we just partner and make something epic we can both share with our audiences. In fact, why don’t we just join audiences and work under the FYP brand?”

We were going to start an SEO agency, but after working with a few clients, Dylan and I decided it wasn’t the business model we wanted to pursue.

There have always been multiple potential paths forward for Fuel Your Photos, and we’ve explored many of them over the past few years. We started the podcast, we ran a content workshop, and we started to explore WordPress templates.

Last year, we released some “starter” templates to students. Several people used them and the feedback was positive.

However, we quickly realized that providing a theme or templates was going to take full time effort.

Jess (Dylan’s wife) decided to jump in and start working on some template designs, and Sightsee was born.

Some pics from my hang-out with Dylan and Jess in Portland last week!

With the mass exodus from Flothemes, Sightsee grew quickly, and it made sense for Dylan to give it full time effort.

At the same time, I was exploring how I could expand my consulting services and how I could create a group program like my content workshop that I could run a few times a year.

Dylan and I realized that if we both worked on these separate projects, our course was going to be an afterthought, and we would need to shut it down, or lower the price and support level.

It just felt wrong to shut down the course, which is *so* close to the vision that we set out to accomplish years ago when we decided to make the best SEO course available for photographers.

We decided this year that I (Corey) would take over the operations of Fuel Your Photos, and Dylan would concentrate his efforts on Sightsee.

This means that Fuel Your Photos is now my full time project, and that I will continue to work on the mission of crafting the best SEO and website education I can create for photographers.

There will be other exciting things coming, but I won’t talk about those just yet 😉

Dylan + Corey

Before I tell you about what I’ve been working on, and talk about my commitment to the future of Fuel Your Photos, I want to make sure that you’re still able to keep up with myself and Dylan in all of the places we post.

This change in ownership was a decision that allows each of us more freedom to pursue the specific ways in which we intend to serve our audience.

We are both still communicating with each other daily, will continue to participate in discussions in the Facebook Group, and will likely continue to host podcast episodes together. You’ll likely hear from both of us on the topics of SEO and websites on the Fuel Your Photos blog, our own blogs and social media, and at industry events.

We’re cheering each other on, actively supporting each other, and will *very* likely collaborate on future projects and products.

You can still come to either of us, or both of us for help.

If you’d like to book us as a duo to speak at an event, be on your podcast, or teach in your community, just reach out to either of us and let us know what you have in mind. We are happy to work together or separately as long as our schedules allow!

We’ll be sending out some emails to our email list soon so that you can decide exactly which parts of the list you’d like to stay subscribed to.

Ok, so let’s talk about the future of Fuel Your Photos.

What I’ve done so far

Recently, I’ve been working on several new ideas for the Fuel Your Photos course experience.

We moved the course to WordPress, and I’ve leaned into learning WordPress development so I can create something truly custom to match my vision.

It is a work in progress (and will continue to be that way for the foreseeable future), but I’ve made progress on a few key features.

Weekly Office Hours

I started doing weekly office hours calls in the first part of 2023, and have only missed a handful of weeks when I was sick/traveling.

The calls are at 2pm Eastern every Tuesday. This consistency allows students to know that if they have a tricky issue, or feel stuck on anything in the course, there will always be a way to get more help without additional costs.

I’ve also been experimenting with an early bird and night owl call once per month to make sure I have something available for students in time zones outside of the US.

Course Tracking

While I haven’t fully implemented this for all lessons, I recently sorted out how I want to handle lesson tracking, and tested my system with a series of SEO tips.

I’m really excited to implement this on new lessons, which will be added to the course starting in October.

New Lessons

Speaking of new lessons, I’ve started building out new lessons with updated information, and TONS of examples. I feel like real-world examples are often the best way to learn, and I’m trying to make that a core element of the new course materials.

I’m still working on a few final details about the way the lessons are displayed in the dashboard and how I implement the tracking, but these lessons and more new content will be added starting in October 2024.

Content Thread = Content Club

I’m actually *really* excited about this new addition. It is still in it’s infancy, but I’m excited to make it a really fun experience that encourages photographers to write content more often, and builds some accountability into the course.

We were already doing a monthly “content thread” – but now we have a dedicated area in the course for posting your content for feedback, and maintaining a posting streak!

I personally believe that publishing content on your website more frequently is one of the strongest indicators of SEO success.

Note that I’m not saying that ranking well *requires* you to post frequently.

I just see that photographers who learn to use their website well through repeated practice are the ones who are most likely to succeed with SEO in the long run.

I want to make this habit of publishing a core part of my SEO education program. I wrote an entire content course to help photographers get started writing content that ranks, and now we have a dedicated tool for posting monthly and getting feedback from myself and other students.

I really think this is going to be a game-changer for people who participate.

Random Tools

I’ve also been trying to create any tools that I believe will help students be more effective in creating websites that get results.

Recently, I added an SEO Title custom GPT for students, and it is actually a really great way to learn SEO. The GPT is trained with some of my favorite creative tips for writing compelling page titles, and gives you suggestions and an explanation following these tips.

Photographers who learn to use their website well through repeated practice are the ones who are most likely to succeed with SEO in the long run.

Corey Potter

My commitment to Fuel Your Photos

A core value of mine is to always be improving. I have a vision for where I’d like to take Fuel Your Photos, and I believe it will take time to make it truly great.

At this time, Fuel Your Photos is my primary income project. It is the way I offer value to the people I’ve chosen to serve (wedding and portrait photographers).

As I refresh the site and course, I’ll be listening to feedback from the people who participate so that I can adjust my plans as needed.

Here are some specific things I’m committing to for the long term.

1. Weekly office hours calls

I already talked about these earlier, and I believe they are essential for my course students and consulting clients.

My plan for the foreseeable future is to host 4-6 live calls every month so that students who need more in-depth help will have direct access to me.

While we do have a course community and the content club where I try my best to answer every question, sometimes it may take me a while to respond. I don’t mind getting DMs or emails from students, but sometimes they get buried.

With office hours calls, you can know that I’ll be in a specific place at a specific time each week, and there is a clear expectation that I’ll be able to talk to you directly about your questions.

2. Create the best SEO course experience I can create

This has been a core part of Fuel Your Photos for years now, but I’m recommitting to making this a primary focus. The course isn’t a “make it and forget it” project for me.

It will always be growing and evolving as I interact with students and learn what specific actions get the best results.

In 2025, I am hoping to try another cohort-based program to guide a small group of students through the course with some additional help from me. A DIY/self-paced version will still be an option for the foreseeable future.

3. Contribute to the conversation about SEO and websites for photographers

The course and private community have been the primary way that I’ve communicated about SEO for the past 6 months.

I’m also going to look for new opportunities to participate in the broader industry about SEO and websites for photographers.

My goal is to create as much useful, free content as I can publish. My first big objective is a re-write of the free SEO guide.

I also want to collaborate with other educators and photographers as much as possible, and speak at a few in-person events in 2025. If you have an idea for collaboration or would like me to speak at your event, email me at corey@fuelyourphotos.com.

4. Guide photographers to a better WordPress experience

I’ve been a WordPress user and enthusiast for years.

However, my attitude about platforms has changed a bit in the last few years.

I want to help as many photographers as possible to understand the power of search marketing and using their website to create opportunities in their business. I think this is totally possible on most major website platforms.

I’ve also realized that WordPress is much harder than I was willing to admit in the past. While it is a powerful tool, there are so many variables that make it so easy to break things and make your website a nightmare.

However…

WordPress is my favoritteeee. I just love it. I’ve been using it since 2007, and I still can’t imagine using anything else for my personal websites.

So, I believe it is my responsibility to make WordPress better and easier for photographers. I care about this just as much as (maybe more than) SEO.

I’m not 100% sure what all this will entail, but I’m already experimenting with building custom WordPress tools, learning everything I can about WordPress development, and reviewing popular WordPress plugins, themes and templates.

5. Bring personality + transparency to the brand

I really like the concept of building in public. The post you are reading now is a prime example.

Things I publish for Fuel Your Photos come from me. Corey.

I’m not using AI to write blog posts, I’m not outsourcing the writing, I’m not focused on pushing you through a “funnel” to maximize my profits.

I want to tell you what I’m working on, I want to be clear about the value of the products I create, I want to share more of my positive energy about building better websites for photographers.

I’ve also *matured* quite a bit since 2015, and feel like I have a much better understanding of how I want to bring SEO and website education to photographers.

I’ve already started working on some really cool updates in this area, and can’t wait to share them with you in the coming weeks.

TL;DR

• Corey is taking over at Fuel Your Photos and Dylan will focus on Sightsee
• Corey and Dylan are still friends
• I’ve been working hard behind the scenes on new updates to the course
• I’m committed to the future of Fuel Your Photos as my primary project

Q&A

If you have questions about these changes, use the comment section below!