The hardest part of switching to a new system is usually the setup, not because it's technically difficult, but because it's easy to put off. This guide breaks ShootQ setup into six concrete steps so you can go from a blank account to a fully working booking workflow in one sitting, without getting stuck figuring out what to do first.

Follow these steps in order. Each one builds on the last, so by the end, a new inquiry will move through your entire system automatically, from first contact to signed contract, without you touching anything manually.

Step 1: How Do You Set Up Your Studio Profile in ShootQ?

Start with the basics: your studio name, logo, contact details, and branding colors. This information appears on every contract, invoice, and client-facing email ShootQ sends, so getting it right at the start saves you from re-sending corrected documents later.

• Upload your logo and set your brand colors so client-facing documents look consistent with your website.
• Add your studio's contact information, business hours, and time zone.
• Set your default currency and tax settings if applicable.
• Add any team members or second shooters who'll need access to the account.

Step 2: How Do You Create Service Packages in ShootQ?

Packages are the foundation everything else connects to: contracts, invoices, and workflows all get linked to a specific package. Build one for each service you offer, with clear pricing and deliverables.

• List each service type separately: weddings, portraits, events, commercial work, and so on.
• Set a base price for each package, plus any add-ons clients can select.
• Write a short client-facing description of what's included, since this often appears on your booking form.
• Mark which packages require a deposit versus full payment up front.

Take the time to get packages right here. Every contract template, invoice trigger, and automation you build later attaches to one of these packages, so a clean structure now saves rework later.

Step 3: How Do You Set Up Booking Forms and Lead Capture?

Your booking form is the front door of the entire system. It's where a lead's information first enters ShootQ, so setting it up correctly determines how clean your lead data is from day one.

• Build a form with the fields you actually need: event date, location, package interest, and contact details.
• Embed the form on your website, or use ShootQ's hosted form link if you don't manage your own site.
• Set the form to automatically create a lead record and enter it into your pipeline the moment it's submitted.
• Test the form yourself with a sample submission before sending it live.

Step 4: How Do You Sync Your Calendar in ShootQ?

Calendar sync is what prevents double bookings, one of the most common and most avoidable mistakes studios make when managing shoots manually. Connect ShootQ to the calendar you already use so shoot dates, meetings, and personal commitments all live in one place.

• Connect your Google, Outlook, or iCloud calendar to ShootQ.
• Confirm bookings automatically create a calendar event with the client's details attached.
• Block out unavailable dates so booking forms can't accept a request you can't fulfill.

Step 5: How Do You Set Up Workflow Automation Triggers?

This is where the individual pieces start working together. Automation triggers connect a booking stage, such as a signed contract or a paid deposit, to an action, such as sending a welcome email or generating an invoice.

• Set a trigger to send a welcome or onboarding email the moment a booking is confirmed.
• Set a trigger to generate a contract automatically when a lead books a specific package.
• Set a trigger to send an invoice once the contract is signed.
• Set reminder triggers for unsigned contracts and unpaid invoices.

Step 6: How Do You Test Your First Booking Flow?

Before going live, run a full test booking through the system as if you were a client. This is the step most studios skip, and it's the one most likely to catch a misconfigured trigger or missing merge field before a real client sees it.

• Submit a test inquiry through your own booking form.
• Confirm the lead appears correctly in your pipeline.
• Book the test lead into a package and confirm the contract generates with correct details.
• Sign the test contract and confirm the invoice fires as expected.
• Once everything checks out, delete the test record and you're ready to go live.

Time-Saving Shortcuts Worth Knowing

A few small setup choices make a bigger difference than they seem. Building your contract and email templates with merge fields from the start means you never have to go back and manually personalize a document again. Setting your booking form to only show packages you currently have availability for prevents leads from requesting dates you can't take. And connecting your calendar before you build automation triggers means every trigger you set from that point forward has accurate scheduling data to work from, rather than needing to be reconfigured later.

What Should You Do in the First Week After Setup?

Setup isn't quite finished the moment your test booking works. The first week of real bookings is where small gaps tend to surface, a merge field that renders oddly for an unusual package name, a trigger that fires slightly earlier or later than intended. Check your dashboard daily for the first week, review each new booking's contract and invoice for accuracy, and adjust templates as needed. After that first week, most studios find weekly check-ins are enough to keep everything running smoothly.

• Review the first handful of real bookings closely rather than assuming automation is correct by default.
• Keep a running note of any template wording you want to adjust once you see it in a live context.
• Revisit your package pricing and descriptions after a few weeks to confirm they're converting the way you expect.

Frequently Asked Questions