I LOVE using Chatbooks to make photo books for our kids, family events, & grandparents. I seriously don't think my kids would have photo books at this point without Chatbooks. They have certainly made it easier on me. Here are a few reasons why I love Chatbooks:
- They sync automatically from my Instagram (or Facebook!).
- I can have separate books for each kid or event or even each set of grandparents with no problem.
- I can make a series book (like I have for each child) or do custom books (like I do for grandparents at the end of the year). The series book would be a great way to have a homeschool "yearbook."
- It takes most of the work out of making photo books. The captions & dates are automatically included from when I upload to social media. I do go back when I receive my "it's about to print" email & double check for typos & choose the cover photo.
- You can add photos from your device or social media. So, a couple of times, I have taken a photo that Wesley requested that I not put on social media. I just added it to my Chatbooks manually after I took it.
- You can set your subscription based on how much money you want to spend each month. I have had it set to one book per month for HK & M. Recently, I paused those subscriptions & started SG & N's.
- Their customer service is TOP NOTCH. I have never had an issue that wasn't quickly resolved by customer service. They are seriously amazing.
- The quality is great. If you know me, you know I am very picky about our photos. As a former professional photographer, quality is something I take seriously. I have been very pleased with the books we have received. (I haven't tried them yet, but they also have prints!)
I am often asked how you link your social media to Chatbooks. I thought I'd post a little tutorial today to walk you through it. Now, Chatbooks has a great how to on their website. Just look at their FAQs & type in Facebook, Instagram, etc. I am a visual person, so I thought this might help.
**I know some people are really picky about posting their kids photos on social media. Never fear! You can still do Chatbooks. You can always just upload from your device, but if you want to do it a little at a time like I do--just create a PRIVATE Instagram account. You decide who your followers are & if you don't want anyone to see the pictures, just don't add any followers. :) Hope that helps!**
My kids' photo books are sorted by hashtag. So, each time I upload a photo to social media, I include their hashtag in the caption. (I also do that for both sets of grandparents, special trips (like PTP), our yearly book, Christmas, anything I *THINK* I might want a book for later.)
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| See Noah's hashtag? |
Go into the Chatbooks app (or their website) & click the plus sign to add a new book. Select photo book series & then where you would like to get your pictures from.
On photo sources, click MANAGE to add the hashtag(s) that you want to include. You can also set it up to add contributors (maybe if you & your spouse upload pictures or whatever).
Add the hashtag filter you want to use-you can use more than one hashtag if needed.
I don't exactly remember why I did this screenshot.....but look how precious my tiny baby was! Maybe it was to say you can click that little gear icon in the top right to manage your subscription or edit what photos are included.....Who knows! It's nap time & I am exhausted!
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions!
If you do not have a Chatbooks account yet,
PLEASE sign up through my link. You get your first book FREE & I get $5 credit. We have four kids......I take a lot of pictures........I need all the credit I can get! :)
