If you’ve got a photography website, it’s worth remembering that most of your visitors probably aren’t coming to buy your photos. A lot of photographers seem to think if they build a website and post some great photos, buyers will just turn up and start offering them money for their images. But that just doesn’t happen…
The fact is, most people visiting photographer websites are other photographers! Most of the rest are simply people with an interest in the subjects you shoot. Only a small group are ever likely to be commercial photo buyers. So it makes sense to have money-options that might interest everyone else.
That’s where affiliate programs make your life easy, and done right, can make any website profitable. Basically you add links and banners to other people’s products and get paid when your visitors click through and buy something. The best are always free to join and have a proven record for paying on time.
Here’s a few of my preferred affiliate programs that you might have seen around this site… if you’re not ready to join any programs yet bookmark this page so you can come back later!
Photoshop For Photographers Affiliate Program
This is a popular Photoshop video training package recorded especially for photographers. It converts very well and pays 30% per sale, plus 10% on the second tier! It’s also available through Clickbank (with a slightly higher commission rate) but most people prefer the 2-tier option here.
These guys are well promoted already around the internet and that actually helps with conversions as people are already familiar with the brand. They also offer a second tier payout for referred business and a large selection of interactive online photography courses and training. Register Here.
Rob and Lauren offer some excellent ‘concentrated’ photography training courses… including Camera Skills, Photo Editing, Wedding Photography, Album Making and more. The courses sell well, and, you guessed it… they pay a 2nd-tier commission as well.
Clickbank is the worlds largest digital marketplace offering a staggering collection of downloadable affiliate products. You sign up with Clickbank — free- and have immediate, pre-approved access to promote any product in their marketplace. They have some excellent photography items, including the following…
GlobalEye Photography Business Solution
This is a subscription based service helping photographers market their business and sell more photos online, which means your commissions are recurring for as long as your referral stays a member. They’ve been at it a long time now– 14+ years — so it’s a very good long-term option. Register with Clickbank first then use the GlobalEye affiliate area to create your tracking links.
This is a great service for photographers needing help pricing their photography. It’s only a low ticket item but it sells extremely well and it’s well worth adding a banner or two to any photography website. Register at Clickbank then grab your tracking links from the Calculator Affiliate Info page.
This is an excellent Better Photography course package.. ebooks, videos etc, that’s great value to promote due to the recurring eZine subscription that comes with it. When you sign up a new subscriber, you get a nice upfront commission plus you get a recurring monthly commission as long as they stay subscribed. Nice!
Final Thoughts On Affiliate Programs For Photography Websites…
You might have noticed, I really like the 2-tier program. It just makes good sense to me. Realistically a lot of your visitors are going to be other photographers, and it’s fair to expect, a lot of those will be in the same situation you are… looking for a way to monetize their photography website.
So it makes sense to share these options and get a small commission on their new business if they decide to run with it.
Likewise, the recurring commission options mean more money in your pocket.
For me these are even better, as they accumulate over time. So while one or two sales a month mightn’t be a whole lot if you only got paid once, if you’re getting paid again, every single month, most of us would be happy to add one or two new subscribers a month!
Get Your Own Instant Photography Website With Affiliate Options Built-In!
If you’re looking for a quick and easy solution, you can have a photography website just like this, with loads of content and dozens of cash generating affiliate links already in place. It installs as a pre-made WordPress Blog, so you can set it up in no time at all, modify it to make it your own, and then start publishing your photos to the world.
If you’d rather be a photographer than a web-nerd, this is one option you really ought to check out!