Women to Watch: Rachel Greiman, Copywriter for Photographers

It’s always a little intimidating to write a blog post about someone who writes for a living.

But nevertheless, here we are.

I found Rachel on Instagram a while back and loved her ever-relatable Reels. And after digging into some of her website copywriting projects, I knew she’d be someone I’d want to collaborate with on a website design.

Fast-forward a bit, and I’m currently in the middle of designing a website around copy she wrote for one of our clients. And telling you the copy is good is an absolute understatement.

Rachel owns Green Chair Stories, a copywriting studio for photographers. And the writing genius that rolls out of her studio is awe-inspiring.

Naturally I asked her if I could interview her for the Women to Watch series. So without further adieu… meet Rachel Greiman, Owner of Green Chair Stories, a copywriting agency for photographers.

When did you start your business and why?

I started my business in 2014 as a family photography company. I was the copywriter and photographer for a large nonprofit at the time and had a bunch of friends asking if I would take their family photos. What started as something small quickly overtook all my free time, so I went full-time with Green Chair Stories that year. We pivoted into doing copywriting for photographers when I was in all the photo Facebook groups, learning how to run a business. I realized there were like 10 questions every week that people had about writing their copy. I felt like I could help contribute to the group by helping people with their writing. And then before you know it, people were paying me for it and I had to create an entirely new arm of my business in 2016.

What do you feel makes your audience special?

My audience is made up of mostly photographers at this point and they love to laugh. They are serious business owners, but they have a sense of humor. I love that about them. They open their Instagram app or emails from me and want to be entertained. I like the challenge of entertaining them.

What platform do you use for your website, and why?

I have a custom Wordpress site. I had a custom Squarespace site for the first 8 years as a business owner and we literally ran out of room for coding. My designer got a message that we reached our limit, which she had never seen before. And when we rebranded my site in 2022, we knew it was going to be an absolute beast to move all my stuff over. My site is huge. At this point, it’s almost a decade of blog posts!

So we went with a custom WP site. It’s gorgeous, but it’s … overwhelming in the backend. I have to pay a developer every time I need a change and I don’t love that. But you can’t tell me that site isn’t pretty haha.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about starting their own business?

Do as much as you can by yourself. DIY everything! It will save you money, but you’ll learn so much. And it’s so valuable to understand the backend of everything: your website, your finances, your audience. It will serve you well to spend hours on YouTube and chatting with customer service support. And you’ll spend a lot of time, but DIY-ing will save you tons of money. It will also help you be very smart about what you pay for in the future!

If you could go back in time and do something differently, what would you do and why?

Oh, so many things. I wish I trusted myself more when I started copywriting. I wish I marketed it more forcefully back when Instagram wasn’t quite so saturated. I have a great system and process and what I do is very special for our niche audience. I wish I believed that sooner.

How long did it take you to launch your business once you decided to do it?

I bought the domain in March and launched in June. When I say I’m doing something, I go allllll in, hard and fast.

How did you promote your website when you first started out? Has anything changed between now and then?

The internet is a completely different place in 2023 compared to 2014 when I launched. I literally posted a link to my first blog post on Facebook on launch day. And that was it! And then I shared more blog posts every day that week. It wasn’t sophisticated and it took me a long time to build my audience.

Did you start your email list when you launched? What is the most effective way you have grown your email list?

I honestly don’t remember? I know that I eventually had a list on Mailchimp, but I don’t think that was until later, like 2016. I had no idea how powerful email marketing was when I started. I was a nonprofit copywriter for years, but didn’t realize I could use an email list in the same way as a small business.

What would be your entrance song? You know—the one playing as you walk on stage?

Bang Bang by Jessie J/Ariana Grande/Nicki Minaj

How do you keep track of what you have to do?

Her name is Jess and she is our Captain of Organization. Without her, this business would be sad and very closed. She is my checklist, half of my brain, and the backbone of Green Chair Stories.

What apps, gadgets, or tools can’t you live without?

Genuinely, embarrassingly, TikTok. I get all my recipes from there, so many good business ideas, and all the giggles. It helps me unwind and lets me turn off my brain.

How do you recharge or take a break from work?

Long walks on the beach in my neighborhood. I take one almost daily and it’s so good to step outside, get some Vitamin D, and give my brain a break from work and life.