3 Tips For Maximizing Your Social Media Content

Social Media Education: 3 Content Creation Tips To Start Using ASAP 

If your social media content is falling flat, you could be missing out on clients. We’re here to help! We asked top Australian stylist and social media educator Natalie Anne, @natalieannehair to her 516k+ followers on Insta, to share her expertise on how to maximize client photos and content creation days. 

Scroll to get her tips and tricks for perfecting your lighting set up, styling cheats for photos and her go-to positioning tricks for snapping that flawless finished photo. 

Learn How To Create Multiple Looks On One Client & Maximize Your Content Creation! Become a BTC-U Member to Access Natalie Anne’s Class On BTC University!

What We Learned:

You can learn Natalie Anne’s full technique in her 90-minute course, but we’re teasing these tips you need to know now!

Tip #1:  Get The Most Out Of Lighting—No Matter The Set Up!

Depending on your salon space and location, lighting options can be limited. Below, Natalie Anne broke down how to perfect two different lighting setups. 

Natural Lighting: If your salon has access to natural lighting, use it! But keep these few rules in mind:

• Find a time of day where the sunlight is just right. For Natalie Anne, the morning is a perfect time to shoot because the sun isn’t too bright.

• Avoid direct sunlight. “Direct sunlight is too harsh, it can blow out the model’s face and can alter haircolor that doesn’t reflect its true tone,” Natalie Anna explains. Have the client stand in the shade to avoid overexposure. 

Ring Light: Use these tips for your in-salon setup:

• Invest in two ring lights. Make sure they both have a temperature control feature and an option to dim the brightness. 

• Set up the two lights so that one is positioned directly on the model’s face and the other one is focused on either the backdrop or a specific area of the client’s hair (like a voluminous ponytail).  

• When using both ring lights, set one on cool and the other on warm, creating a natural sunlight effect. 

Pro Tip: Get the benefits of both by bringing a ring light outside when shooting. This way you can accentuate a specific area of the hair or style and take advantage of indirect sunlight—the best of both worlds! 

Tip #2: Avoid Flat-Looking Styles With These Tricks

If styles look flat in photographs, don’t worry—it’s not you. “We lose a lot of depth in a photograph, so styles have to be exaggerated,” Natalie Anne explains. So, she shared some of her go-to styling cheats for photos.

• Gently backcomb midlengths and ends to create more width and space for showing off beach waves and curls. 

• Use a sectioning clip to accentuate a silhouette and create more depth. Here’s how:

• • Part the hair down the middle in the back and bring the hair facing the camera all to the front. 
  • Take a large sectioning clip and place it vertically at the part.  
  • Arrange the hair to hide any visible clip and style the silhouette as desired. 
  • Photograph the model from the profile. 

Remember: “This is not false advertising,” Natalie Anne explains. “It’s more about us creating what we see naturally, but lose it through a camera lens.” This trick also works great for shorter bobs and clients with thinner hair—just place the parting off center so you have more hair on the dominant side. 

Tip #3: How To Pose Clients So They Are Comfortable 

If a client is uncomfortable or tense, that can translate in their photos. “Giving clients too much direction can fluster them,” Natalie Anne explains. “They’ve been sitting for a long time, they are spending a lot of money and you don’t want them to work too hard.” Check out her go-to positions below: 

• If a client is apprehensive, position them into a pose that is comfortable and snap a photo. If you would like to capture a video, move your phone around to record the hair from all angles while the client sits still. 

• For clients that don’t want to show their face, position them for a profile shot and bring both sides of the hair forward. Tilt their head down on an angle and have them bring their shoulder up slightly towards the chin. Hold the camera down but position it upwards so the main focus is of the hair.  

• For those Insta-worthy hands in hair photos, the secret is “think low.” Have clients place their hands on their neck and fan their fingers out slightly at the nape.

“Clients tend to initially place their hands very high, like right below the crown,” Natalie Anne explains. “That can be cute, but it creates a lot of artificial width at the top of the head.” 

Pro Tip: When photographing the back of the head, have the client tilt their head up slightly to showcase a shadow root or dimension. 

Have Questions? Natalie Anne Has Answers!

One of the benefits of watching a course on BTC University? Artists are able to answer your questions in REAL TIME! Here are some technical questions viewers had for Natalie Anne during her livestream:

Question: “What are some of the differences between client-friendly salon looks and Instagram-worthy styles?

Answer: “When shooting for social media, the looks should be really exaggerated. Definitely emphasize the width and volume of the hair, just because we lose that depth in a photograph. So you want to use tricks and cheats to recreate what we see in real life so it translates in a photo. For an event or bridal client, I always style with extensions, so the look has sustainability. I also use a lot more product and spend more time on detailing, making sure the style lasts for the entire event, as opposed to just for a photo.” 

Q:  Do you have any advice on how to boost engagement on social media?

A: “Start a conversation! Ask questions—ask A LOT of questions! Start polls, hold giveaways, incentivize your audience to interact with you. Collaborate with other artists and giveaway a duo hair and makeup package. Those are the quickest ways to boost your engagement.”

Want To Learn It All? Click Here To Become a BTC-U Member Subscriber & Receive Unlimited Access To Natalie Anne’s Course On BTC University!