Photography Side Hustle
Photography Side Hustle
11 Ways to Sell Your Work
Episode 168 - 11 ideas that will help you sell your work.
The Transcript page - https://photographysidehustle.com/168
ConvertKit - Set up a free account with a list of up to 1,000 emails.
Please leave a voice message for Andy at SpeakPipe.com Ask a question and get on the podcast, you know it makes sense.
Join the Facebook Group and ask as many questions as you like.
Visit PhotographySideHustle.com, and you get access to all the downloads, including the Pricing Calculator, mini-courses, and videos of how I process my RAW images.
Hey, how’s it going? I’m Andy Jones, and this is episode 168 of the Photography Side Hustle podcast.
So, this week, I’m going to give you as many options for selling your work as I can think of.
I want you to think about how these could work for you. You might be concentrating on landscapes, local landmarks, flowers, macro, or anything.
If your genre is specific to an industry, like real estate, most of these ideas probably won’t work for you. You will need to market directly to realtors.
But if you shoot images that could interest the general population, then these ideas could help you sell your work.
Okay, let’s get started with your …
Website
You can use your site as an online store and sell your work directly to customers. The first problem you will face is getting people to visit your website.
Social media is a great way to attract visitors, and you can also use the next nine selling ideas to do the same.
The more people you attract to your site, the better your chances of selling a print.
Okay, next is …
Cafes and Restaurants
The aim here is to get your work onto the walls of a restaurant, cafe, or bar. You could approach the owner and try to sell the prints or offer them for free. By free, I mean you still own them, and the cafe, restaurant, and bar act like a gallery.
All the prints have your details and a price. When a piece is sold, the owner gets a percentage of the selling price. Plus, they get free wall art.
If a customer goes directly to your website and buys, you could still offer the cafe owner a percentage. You just need to use a personalized web address for each business you work with.
Like yourbusiness.com/janescafe. There are lots of ways to track visitors, but I think it's best to have a separate sales page for each business you work with.
Hotels
Hotels are another great way to either sell your work or offer to give them a percentage of sales.
Just think about the wall space available. Reception, corridors, and individual rooms. How many people could see your work and scan the QR code that takes them to your website?
Hotels want to promote the town or city they are in and keep people coming back, so photos of local landmarks are a great subject.
Next is …
Gift Shops
Selling your work through a gift shop is another option you have.
In the Facebook group, past podcast guest Suzanne Hawken mentioned that she was selling her work through gift shops. She said postcards didn’t sell as well as greeting cards and small prints.
While store owners wanted anywhere from 10% to 60%. You just need to contact stores in your area and find out if they are willing to sell your work and at what percentage. I would avoid anyone who wants over 25%.
Right, number five is …
Furniture Stores
This one hit me like a bolt of lightning. We were in a local furniture and appliance store buying a fridge and couch. The walls of the furniture section were covered in wall art, priced from $80 to $250.
But there were no photos of local landmarks. This is a huge gap that needs filling. I asked how many prints they sold and they said as many as thirty a month.
So, I’m going to shoot specifically with that furniture store in mind. When I’ve got six decent images, I’ll get them printed and approach the owner. I’ll let you know how it goes.
The next one is …
Community Centers
They are a great place to let a variety of people see your work. Because towns and cities don’t take a percentage like a store owner would link up with a local club or charity.
If the sale of your work raises money for a seniors club, they might be open to it.
Just think about the amount of people that go in and out of that center every day.
The same goes for …
Sports Complexes
If you shoot sports, this is the place for you. It's more of a place to post examples of your work.
If you can link up with a team that plays in the complex, you might be allowed to put up posters and offer your services to other teams and individuals.
Next is …
Spas and Hair Salons
Now, not all hair salons have that much wall space available. But some of the bigger ones do, and spas do.
The customers in these places are in there for hours at a time. So, what better place is there for people to see your work?
Again, offer the owners a percentage.
Number nine is …
Offices
Think about all the offices out there. Next time you are out driving count how many offices there are. Offering them wall art on a commission basis isn’t the way to go if they don’t get many visitors. But you could offer to sell them your work or even rent it to them and offer to change the prints every 6 months.
There are companies out there that supply businesses with towels and floor mats and change them weekly. So why not do the same with wall art? I watched a show where a guy supplied plants to businesses, so anything is possible.
Local Markets
Local markets are great places to show and sell your work. Although it takes up a lot of your time, chatting with potential customers is a great way for people to remember you.
Don’t just turn up with large prints. Offer a wide range of price options. If you shoot family portraits or weddings make sure to advertise it.
Okay, last but not least …
Stores Related to Your Genre
So, if you shoot weddings, try to get your work on the walls of jewelers, bridal stores, or flower shops. If they don’t want wall art, try to get them to show your brochures on the counter.
Offer them a percentage of any bookings you get. Again, use a personalized web address for each store.
You can do the same if you shoot landscapes. Contact cottage-related stores.
If you are a pet photographer, contact pet stores, groomers, and kennels.
It doesn’t matter what you shoot. Start thinking about where you can sell or promote your work.
And remember, the best photographers in the world were once in exactly the same place you are today. So, keep moving forward.
Right, that is it for episode 168. I’ll be back next week. Talk to you soon, bye.