Photohawk Studio
Organiser marketing that gets race photos seen: email, SMS and app timing
By Photohawk team · · 4 min read
Great photos only help if people see them. Most participants hear about their photos from the organiser, not the photographer: in the pre-race email, the results email, a text on the way home, a post on the event's page. Each of those messages is a chance to put the gallery link in front of the people in the photos. This page is for organisers: what to say, when, and through which channel, whether the photos are free or for sale.
The moments that matter
Think of the photos as part of the event, not an afterthought. There are five natural moments to mention them.
1. Registration. Say that photos will be taken, how participants will find them (bib number, selfie, browsing) and who provides the service. This is also where the privacy notice for face search belongs. Our GDPR checklist for organisers lists what to include.
2. Race week. In the final instructions email, one line: "Photos will be online on [day], at [link]. Wear your number on the front so you can find yourself." Telling people where to pin their number genuinely helps bib search.
3. Race day. If the gallery is live the same day, say so where people already are: the event app, a text with finish times, a post on your social channels. Previews first means galleries can go live much sooner than they used to.
4. The results email. The most opened message of the whole event. Put the photos link near the top, not below the sponsor logos.
5. A week later. A short reminder for people who missed it, especially useful when photos are for sale. One reminder is a service; three is marketing.
Email: the results email does the heavy lifting
Results emails are opened by nearly everyone who finishes. Make the photos impossible to miss:
- Subject line: mention photos if they're ready: "Your results and photos from [event]".
- First screen: result, then a clear "Find your photos" button.
- How to search: "Search by your bib number or a selfie."
- If free: "Free, thanks to [sponsor]."
- If for sale: no prices in the email; let the gallery show them.
If photos aren't ready when results go out, say when they will be, then send a short, separate email when they are: "Your photos from [event] are ready."
SMS: one line, once
Text messages are personal. If participants agreed to texts (many events text finish times), one line with the link is welcome: "Your photos from [event] are ready: [link]". Don't send several. Keep the link short and recognisable; a link on your own event domain or the gallery's address is better than an unfamiliar shortener.
Apps and social channels
If you use an event app, add a "Photos" button beside results. On social channels, post the link when the gallery goes live, with one or two great crowd shots that don't single anyone out. Pin the post for the following week.
Our page on adding photos to race results covers the results page itself.
Timing: the faster, the better
Interest in photos is highest in the hours after the event, when people are sharing their day. Ask your photographer when the gallery will be live, and plan your messages around it. With previews first, on every plan, Photohawk Studio's web uploader puts light previews online before the originals, so the gallery can be searchable the same day. See how preview-first uploads work.
Free photos versus photos for sale
The messages are the same either way, with one difference in tone:
- Free photos: "Your free photos are ready, thanks to [sponsor]." Make the sponsor part of the good news. Our page on free race photos paid for by sponsors explains the setup.
- Photos for sale: "Your photos are ready to view." Let people find themselves first; the gallery shows the options. Our article on how to sell race photos online covers what helps photographers sell.
Don't oversell, and respect consent
Only send photos messages through channels participants agreed to, and keep them about their photos. Avoid inventing urgency ("only 24 hours left!") unless it's true. If face search is used, link the privacy information in the photos email as well as at registration.
A photos-messages checklist
- Registration: photos and face search mentioned, privacy notice linked.
- Race week: when and where photos will be; number on the front.
- Race day: link in the app, text or social post as soon as the gallery is live.
- Results email: "Find your photos" near the top.
- One reminder a week later.
Photographers who want to share a gallery link with their organisers can create a free Studio account and see the pricing.
Questions people ask
When should we send the photos email?
As soon as the gallery is live, ideally the same day as the event. If photos come out with results, put the link in the results email near the top; if they come later, send a short separate email the moment they're live.
Should we text participants about their photos?
If you already text finish times and participants agreed to it, one short line with the gallery link works well. Keep it to one message; texts are personal.
How many reminders are too many?
One reminder, about a week later, is usually welcome. More than that starts to feel like marketing rather than a service.
What should the photos email say?
Three things: your photos are ready, how to find them (bib number or a selfie), and the link. If they're free thanks to a sponsor, say so. If face search is used, link the privacy information.