Drone videography: a guide for pros

What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.

Offering drone videography

Drone clients need a pilot who plans each flight around the site, the airspace and the people nearby. Show your certificate, your checks and your safety plan, and explain what the footage can and cannot show on the day.

What customers ask

  • Are you licensed to fly commercially here?
  • What checks do you run before a flight?
  • Do you have insurance for drone work?
  • Can you fly over our site or event safely?
  • What happens if the weather stops the flight?
  • Can I see aerial footage from a project like mine?

How to win the job

  • On the first call, ask for the site, the purpose of the shoot, the date and the shots needed, then say what the airspace check will involve.
  • Ask for the site address, the boundaries and any restrictions the client knows about, and confirm the permissions needed in writing.
  • Show a sample aerial clip with the site checks and the flight plan noted, so the client sees your planning.
  • Put the flights, the checks, the permissions the pilot handles, the footage delivery and the weather plan into the quote, so the client knows what is included.
  • Plan a backup date in the agreement for weather or airspace changes, and say how it will be charged.
  • Share your certificate and insurance details in writing with the client before the shoot.

What to put on your profile

  • Aerial samples, with the site type and the checks noted, shared with permission.
  • Types of drone work you do, such as property, events, construction or promotion.
  • Your process: site check, permissions, flight plan, flight, edit and delivery.
  • The certificate and insurance you hold, stated accurately with dates.

Follow-up that helps the customer

  • Offer a repeat flight for progress footage on a construction project, on an agreed schedule.
  • Suggest a short aerial clip for a second use, such as a listing or a social post, from the same flight.
  • Offer to fly the next event in a series with the same safety plan.

Licenses and permits

Commercial drone work often requires a remote pilot certificate or similar approval from the aviation authority where you fly. Check the current rules for your location and for any local permissions, and keep your certificate, insurance and the permission for each site on file.

Questions

How do I show I am a licensed pilot?

Show your certificate, with its number and dates, and say what it covers. Do not claim a certificate you do not hold, and check that it is current before each booking.

Should I fly over a crowd?

Only if the rules and your plan allow it, and the people on the ground are safe. Do not accept a crowd flight without a written plan and the permissions it needs.

What insurance should I carry?

Carry insurance that covers commercial drone work, and show the client the certificate when you book. Confirm with an insurer or a lawyer that the cover matches the work you do.

About this guide

This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.

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