Your ultimate guide to Summer campaigns for school photography studios
Make the most of the off-season
When the final bell rings and schools close for summer, most think the school photography season winds down too. But smart studios know this “off-season” is packed with opportunity. With a strategic summer campaign, you can extend revenue, stay top of mind, and build momentum for fall, all while clearing out your archives and engaging customers with fresh, seasonal storytelling.
To learn more about how you can get ahead before the season heats up, join us for our upcoming webinar, Prepping for Fall: smarter campaigns, bigger impact.
Now, let’s dive into what makes a great summer campaign and how Captura helps you pull it off with ease.
Why run a Summer campaign?
A summer campaign is a seasonal marketing initiative that taps into consumer behavior during the warmer months. While school’s out, families are more relaxed, more engaged online, and often looking for creative ways to preserve memories or prep for the coming year.
Here’s what a well-executed campaign can do for your studio:
Extend revenue beyond peak season: Summer campaigns fill the gap between spring wrap-ups and fall bookings.
Re-engage families: Catch the attention of past customers with digital-first, instant-gratification offers.
Declutter and prepare: Archive last season’s galleries and free up your systems for fall.
Boost brand affinity: Seasonal, sentimental, or patriotic themes keep your studio relevant and relatable.
In short, a good summer campaign keeps you earning, and keeps you in the conversation.
Making sense of the data.
When it comes to email marketing campaigns, understanding what really resonates with parents is key. The top performers this past summer had one thing in common: they hit the sweet spot between value, convenience, personalization, and timing.
Open rate
Calculation: Total number of opens / Total number of sends
Purpose: Measures how engaging your email subject line is
Click-through rate
Calculation: Total number of clicks / Total number of opens
Purpose: Evaluates how effective your email body copy is at driving conversions
Revenue per send
Calculation: Revenue dollars generated / Total email sends
Purpose: Assesses the overall effectiveness of your email campaign from a revenue standpoint
Note: The following are examples of campaigns from real Captura customers. They're intended to be directional and illustrative — actual results can vary.
Here’s a closer look at the 2024 summer campaigns that turned interest into orders, and what made them work.
Three engaging summer email ideas
Father’s Day flash: emotion meets incentive
Why parents love it:
Father’s Day campaigns combine heartfelt timing with a compelling reason to act. For one studio, free shipping offers for Father’s Day drove an email open rate over 60% and another one resulted in $1.21 in revenue per send.
Try this subject line:
“LAST CHANCE for Free Shipping on Dad’s Gift”
Pro tip: Send early (May 20-25), and follow up 48 and 24 hours before the order deadline.
4th of July sales with firecracker results
Why parents love it:
The Independence Day holiday provides a natural excuse to celebrate and shop. One studio using “Celebrate the 4th of July” messaging hit a click-through rate of 5.5% and strong open rates at scale.
Try this subject line:
“Celebrate the 4th of July with 20% OFF Prints”
Best window: Run between June 29 and July 5 and pair with digital or print offers.
End-of-summer archive alerts
Why parents love it:
Archiving creates real urgency, and it converts. Gallery expiration campaigns have seen click-through rates over 7% and, in some cases, driven over $2 of revenue per email send. Don’t wait until the gallery is gone to start talking about it.
Try this subject line:
“Your Photos Will Expire Next Week”
Timing tip: Begin sending expiration notices mid-to-late June and repeat weekly.
Content calendar
This calendar is here to help, not to lock you in. Use it as a starting point and adjust to what works best for your team and workflow. Whether you roll out campaigns weekly or prefer a bi-weekly rhythm, the key is consistency and staying connected to your audience.
Smarter campaigns start with Captura
With Captura Workflow, you don’t just launch a campaign, you automate, personalize, and scale it. Here’s how:
Automated email/SMS marketing tied to events and gallery timelines
Dynamic segmentation for buyers, non-buyers, and guests
Custom discount codes, time-sensitive offers, and real-time analytics
Seamless upsells in cart, like retouching or themed backgrounds with Skylab integration
End-to-end visibility across your marketing and sales funnel
From cart to campaign, Captura powers every part of your studio’s growth, even in the slow season. Join us for our upcoming webinar to get started. Register now and prep your studio for a smarter, stronger season.
Let’s get started
Need help crafting messages or building a full summer campaign calendar in Workflow? Let’s team up.
Book a demo, and make this summer your studio’s most productive yet.