How to sell photos with Pixieset

Photography allows us to preserve memories, capture important life events and share how we experience the world. Some of the luckiest people get to transform photography into their full-time job. And while creativity and artistic expression are at the forefront, so is running a sustainable business and enjoying financial security. One way to achieve that is by mastering the art of selling images. This doesn't have to involve pushy sales techniques. There are other simple, genuine ways to motivate clients to buy photos, while helping you increase your income. 

The art of selling photos

When scaling your photography business, think about sustainable growth. Instead of trying to book more clients and overloading yourself, consider looking at your current sessions. You might find hidden opportunities to boost your income right within the work you’re already doing. One such instance is including extra images in your portrait, commercial and mini session galleries, so clients can buy them.

For example, many photographers take more photos than what’s included in their package. By sharing all the shots and offering clients the option to purchase extra images, you can easily boost your earnings. Clients will appreciate having access to all their photos and will likely want to buy beyond what was initially included. Another popular approach is to charge for the session only and sell the photos separately. Either way, make sure it’s easy for clients to buy additional photos. We recommend setting this up directly in their photo gallery. Below, we’re sharing a simple step-by-step guide on how to sell photos inside your Pixieset gallery.

How to set up your Pixieset gallery to sell photos

Follow these simple steps to empower your clients to purchase photos right from their gallery, while also ensuring there are no unlicensed downloads. 

Step 1. Set up a price sheet inside your Pixieset online store

First, you’ll need to set up your prices for selling photos as digital downloads. In your Store dashboard go to Products, then click on +Add Price Sheet. Name the price sheet, for example “Digital downloads price sheet”. Click on Add Product and choose Digital Download. Here, you can add the option to purchase single photos, or the entire gallery. Add both options. We also recommend adding a few photo bundle packages — 5, 10, 20 digital images, so your clients can choose what works best for their budget. Learn how to set up digital packages.

Pro tip: Consider the psychological perception of pricing

How you price and present your photos can really influence what your clients buy. Here’s a simple tip: make larger bundles of photos look like a better deal by lowering the price per image. For example, instead of charging $20 per photo, offer 10 photos for $150 and 20 photos for $200. This way, clients see they're getting more value for their money and might buy a bigger package.

Another tactic is determining the right number of packages. Too many choices can overwhelm clients, while too few might not convince them to buy. Aim for three packages: a small one, a middle option that looks like the best value, and a large one. For example, you could price 10 photos at $200, 30 at $350, and the whole gallery of 50 photos at $600. This setup makes the middle package seem like the best deal.

Lastly, remember to factor in your costs and desired profit per session. Make sure your pricing covers all your expenses and meets your profit goals.

Step 2. Apply a watermark

Adding a watermark to your images helps protect them from unwanted screenshots. With Pixieset's built-in watermark feature, you can easily add your logo or custom text to all your images right from your dashboard. Watermarks will only show on photo previews, and once your client downloads or pays for the images, they’ll receive the originals without any watermarks. Learn more.

Step 3. Limit photo downloads and turn on Store

Inside your photo collection, limit downloads to the number of photos that are covered by your session fee, or simply turn off downloads if photos are to be purchased separately. Then turn on Store inside the gallery and select your price sheet that you’ve created in Step 1. When you share the gallery with your client, they can preview all the photos, download the included number of images and explore purchasing options for the rest.

Pro tip: Save time with collection presets

A collection preset works like a template for your galleries, with predefined settings for design, Store, downloads, watermarks, and more. It saves you time as you can apply all the settings at once when creating new galleries. We also recommend turning on download PINs and client-exclusive access, for an extra layer of protection. Learn more about collection presets.

Step 4. Share the gallery 

When you deliver the collection to your client, include information about the download limit and how they can buy extra images. It’s a good idea to let them know early on that they’ll have the option to purchase additional photos inside their gallery.

Pro tip: Turn on Gallery Assist

Though Pixieset galleries are very user-friendly, sometimes clients need a bit of guidance to fully explore their collection. Turn on the Gallery Assist feature to help them navigate their photo gallery. This feature provides walkthrough cards, showing clients how to download photos, create a favorites list, access the print store, and share images with family and friends — all within their gallery.

Step 5. Enjoy each order and celebrate

Not every client will purchase digital images, but offering this opportunity inside your galleries increases your chances of making sales and growing your income. Experiment with different options for packages and pricing to find the approach that works best for both you and your clients.

Celebrate every order that comes in! With Pixieset, you keep all your earnings, as there’s 0% commission for users on paid Client Gallery and Suite plans.

Pro tip: Sell prints through your gallery

If you’d like to take your passive income to the next level, consider selling printed products through your Pixieset gallery. With automatic fulfillment, the orders are printed, packed and delivered to your client’s doorstep by our print lab partners. You just set up your price sheet once, and the rest happens on autopilot. Start with one or a couple of print products that you believe would be popular among your clients, and extend your offering from there. Learn how to sell prints with automatic fulfillment.

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Follow these steps to start selling photos right from your galleries. As you receive feedback, continue making adjustments to find the perfect combination between your offering and what your clients are looking for. If you want to further streamline your process and make the most out of the Pixieset tools you use, here are a few additional features that you can try for free inside your dashboard:

• Booking site — have clients book you online via a calendar.
• Online documents — send digital quotes, questionnaires, contracts and invoices.
• Projects — organize your client work using a project board.
• Contact forms — create custom forms to capture leads automatically.
• Website — use a pre-made theme and build an elegant website for your photography business.
• Bio Links page — create a link in bio page with your brand’s essential links to share on social profiles.

New to Pixieset? Sign up for a free account and enjoy all the tools you’ll ever need to grow your photography business.