If you're running an e-commerce brand, you're on the content treadmill. You know the one. It’s the never-ending, high-speed belt that demands fresh product photos, lifestyle shots, videos, GIFs, and now, a constant stream of authentic-looking UGC. Your Shopify store is hungry. Your social feeds are starving. And your ad campaigns? They’re practically screaming for new creative every other week.
For years, the process has been a special kind of painful. You either try the DIY route—turning your spare room into a makeshift studio with questionable lighting—or you shell out a small fortune for a traditional creative agency. The latter involves weeks of back-and-forth emails, mood boards that miss the mark, and a final invoice that makes you question your life choices. And then, you find out you only have the rights to use the photos for a year. Ugh.
I’ve been in the SEO and traffic game for a long time, and I've seen brands with amazing products fail simply because their visuals couldn’t keep up. So when a platform like soona comes along, promising to blow up that old, clunky model, my curiosity gets piqued. They claim to offer on-brand creative content in minutes, not weeks. A heck of a promise. But can they actually deliver?
So What Is Soona, Exactly?
It's easy to look at soona and just see an online photo studio, but that's not quite the full picture. Think of it more like a creative command center for your brand. It’s a hybrid platform that blends professional studio services with powerful AI tools and a slick digital asset manager (DAM). It's built from the ground up for one purpose: to help ecomerce brands create content that actually converts, and do it fast.
Essentially, they’ve taken the most frustrating parts of content creation and built a streamlined, tech-driven solution. You get access to professional photographers, stylists, and even models, but all through a slick online interface. No more scouting locations or renting gear. It's like having a world-class in-house creative team on-demand, without the six-figure overhead. A pretty compelling idea, right?
The Soona Experience: A Virtual Photoshoot Walkthrough
This is where things get really interesting. The core of the soona experience is its “virtual photoshoot.” And it's as cool as it sounds. The process is brilliantly simple.
First, you book a shoot online. You pick your backdrops, props, and maybe even a hand or full-body model from their diverse, royalty-free talent pool. Then, you ship your products to one of their studios. When shoot day arrives, you don't have to go anywhere. You just log into a dashboard from your computer.
Visit soona
From there, you watch the entire photoshoot happen live. You see the shots as the photographer takes them, and you can give instant feedback. “Hey, can we tilt that bottle a little to the left?” or “Let’s try a more playful shot for this one.” You chat directly with the crew, approve your favorite shots in real-time, and only pay for the content you absolutely love. Once the shoot is done, your edited photos and video clips are ready in your account within about 24 hours. A total game-changer. Seriously.
Breaking Down The Old vs. New Content Model
The difference between soona’s method and what most of us are used to is night and day. It’s worth taking a moment to really appreciate the shift.
The Traditional Grind
The old agency model is just slow. From briefing to final delivery, you’re often looking at a 2-4 month timeline. It's expensive, with costs easily running into the tens of thousands for a single campaign. And the worst part, in my opinion, is the usage rights. You pay all that money, and you're often boxed in with licensing agreements that limit where and for how long you can use your own content. It feels archaic because it is.
The Soona Shift
Soona flips this on its head. That 2-4 month timeline? They shrink it to 24-72 hours. The murky pricing? They offer à la carte options and transparent membership tiers. And those restrictive usage rights? Gone. With soona, you get unlimited, perpetual usage for any content you purchase. It’s yours. Forever. Their own stats boast some impressive figures: 5x more content production and a 29.5% increase in add-to-carts for brands using their assets. That’s not just a workflow improvement; that’s a direct impact on the bottom line.
Beyond Just Pretty Pictures: Soona's Key Features
While the virtual shoot is the star of the show, the platform has a few other tricks up its sleeve that are worth talking about.
The AI Creative Suite
This is the nerdy SEO in me getting excited. Soona has built-in AI tools like Listing Insights, which analyzes your existing Shopify or Amazon listings and suggests what kind of visuals you’re missing. It can also generate new scenes and prop ideas, taking some of the creative guesswork out of the equation. It's a smart way to make sure you're creating content with a purpose, not just filling a void.
The Power of UGC
We all know that User-Generated Content is gold for building trust and authenticity. But getting good UGC can be a logistical nightmare. Soona also offers services to help brands source and manage high-quality UGC, giving you that authentic, customer-centric look without having to slide into a million DMs.
Managing Your Assets (DAM)
Once you start creating all this amazing content, you need a place to put it. Soona's built-in digital asset manager (DAM) solves the “where did we save that one photo from last year?” problem. Everything is organized, tagged, and easily accessible for your whole team.
Let's Talk Money: The Soona Pricing Breakdown
Alright, the all-important question: what does this cost? Soona’s pricing is flexible, which is both a pro and a potential con. It's not a single flat fee, so you need to figure out what works for you.
Here’s a simplified look at their main options:
- Studio Pass: For a $149 studio fee per booking, you can get in the door. This is their pay-as-you-go option. You pay the fee for the shoot, and then you buy the photos you want à la carte (they start at $39 per photo). This is great for one-off projects or if you just want to test the waters.
- Basic Membership: At $13/month (billed annually), this is for brands that know they'll have some ongoing needs. You get free US ground shipping for your products and a couple of free photos or a video clip each month.
- Standard Membership: For $49/month (billed annually), this tier is for brands that are serious about scaling. It includes everything from Basic, plus more free content each month and a dedicated creative producer to help you plan your shoots.
- Enterprise: If you're a larger company, they offer custom packages with bespoke pricing to fit your scale.
The model is designed to be accessible, but it's important to remember that the membership fee doesn't include the cost of all your content—it just gives you access and some perks. You still purchase the assets you need on top of that, though members get preferred pricing.
My Honest Take: The Good and The Not-So-Good
So, is it perfect? Nothing ever is. After digging in, here's my unfiltered perspective.
The good is… really good. The speed is phenomenal. The quality of the creative is top-notch. The virtual shoot model isn't a gimmick; it’s a legitimately better way to work for many brands. And the fact that they've bundled it with AI tools and a DAM shows they’re thinking holistically about the entire content lifecycle. For a scaling e-commerce brand that's constantly fighting the content beast, soona feels like a powerful ally.
Now for the real talk. The biggest operational hurdle is that you have to ship your products to their studios (located in Austin, Denver, and Minneapolis). If you sell large furniture or perishable food, this could be a non-starter. Also, while the pricing is flexible, it can feel a bit complex at first. The best features and support are naturally reserved for the higher-tier Standard membership, so small brands on the Basic plan might not feel the full effect of the platform's power.
Conclusion: Is Soona Right for Your Brand?
Soona isn’t for everyone. If you’re a local service-based business or a B2B company with no physical products, this obviously isn't for you. But if you’re an e-commerce brand, from a plucky startup to an established name, and you feel like you’re losing the war against the content treadmill, then I think soona is absolutely worth a serious look.
It solves a very real, very expensive problem in a smart, modern way. It gives control back to the brand, collapsing timelines and making professional-grade creative more accessible than ever before. It's an investment, for sure, but when you compare it to the cost and headache of the old way… it might just be one of the best investments you make in your brand’s growth. If the grind has you burnt out, soona might be the breath of fresh air you’ve been looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- How much does a soona photoshoot actually cost?
- You can start with a $149 Studio Pass for the booking. After that, you purchase the content you like, with photos starting at $39 each and video clips at $93 each. Memberships offer better rates and some free content credits monthly.
- Do I get to keep the rights to my photos and videos?
- Yes, and this is a huge benefit. Any content you purchase comes with unlimited, royalty-free usage rights. You can use it anywhere, forever, without any extra fees.
- What is a virtual photoshoot really like?
- It's a live-streamed session where you join via your browser. You see exactly what the camera sees and can type instructions and feedback directly to the photographer and stylist in real-time to get the perfect shot.
- Can soona help with user-generated content (UGC)?
- Yes, they have a network of creators and offer services specifically for sourcing and producing authentic UGC-style content for your brand's marketing campaigns.
- Does soona integrate with Shopify?
- It does! Soona has integrations with major e-commerce platforms like Shopify and Amazon, allowing its AI to provide visual analytics and content recommendations based on your store's performance.
- Do I have to sign up for a membership?
- Nope. You can use the Studio Pass for a one-time booking fee to try out the service without committing to a monthly or annual plan, making it low-risk to see if it fits your workflow.
Reference and Sources
- Soona Official Website
- Soona Pricing Page
- The Growing Importance Of User-Generated Content In Marketing - Forbes
