6 Easy Photography Upsell Ideas to Make More Money

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Article: description: Using a photography upsell is a great way to improve the bottom line of your photography business. It’s also a nice way to give your clients more value!
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Photo by andresr via iStock

Photography packages are a fine way to sell your imaging to clients. This business model works well for people pictures such as portraits, weddings, and other events. A package also lets you easily make a photography upsell or an add-on purchase.

Photo Book Press is a professional photography printing company I’ve been using for physical photo fulfillment, and their services enable some easy photography upsell ideas. Follow along as I give some photography business tips on making a photography upsell so you can make more money.

Table of Contents:

Photography Packages

Photo by MNStudio via iStock 

One of the top photography business tips for professional photographers is to sell packages. A package deal can be found in so many different types of businesses, from A/C repair to grocery stores and the cosmetic counter of a local boutique.

Photography packages work especially well for people photography. In photography businesses, it works like this: you have a set or standard fee for a sitting or session and add physical in with the time involved. 

In a standard package deal business model, the customer gains by getting more things for a discounted price compared to items sold separately. You, the photographer, gain in that you can more consistently sell the physical items along with the sitting fee because the consumer sees the package as a complete item in and of itself.

Some portrait photographers may have various levels of packages, each next one up with more items or things that are more special. Such as high-quality photo books or gifts to send to others. The photography upsell comes from moving a client to a higher-level package or adding other items. 

A similar concept can work very well for wedding photographers. In this case, the package deals may include more than extra physical photo products but also add extra photo ideas. Some deals I’ve seen from wedding photographers will include a bridal portrait or a family group portrait session.

Watch this YouTube video from Jamie Delaine Photography for an overview of working with the photography package:

Of course, two things are vital for these photography business tips to work well. One, the client or customer needs to feel like they benefit and get a higher perceived value of goods or services. Two, the photographer needs to make a reasonable profit and also get a higher volume of extra sales by using a package deal business model.

If this business model and the accompanying photography upsell don’t fit your business model, then you may wish to look into some other styles and options that photographers in your genre or niche regularly use.                

Now, the photography upsell itself. What physical printed items could you look for to increase your bottom line? Photo Book Press has several great products you can use in higher-level packages or as single-item add-ons.

Easy Photography Upsell - Softcover Photo Books

Anyone starting out as a business professional of any type usually has difficulty getting into the art of the sale. For photographers, that initial anxiety may come from a lack of confidence. So, I’m starting us out with three super easy photography upsell ideas. 

Softcover Photo Books are the easiest physical print item to sell after basic prints. A softcover photo book is perceived as a fun item, and we can set standard limits for how many pics are included and what size book. 

Easy Photography Upsell - Hardcover Photo Books

Hardcover Photo Books are almost as simple to use for making the photography upsell. They can add a slightly higher perceived value over a softcover book simply because that’s been how things are for any other type of book. From cookbooks to mystery novels, paperbacks are lower priced.

So, the easy photography upsell can be made by highlighting that general rule of thumb, and we can help ourselves by having some samples filled with our best images of the genre we’re photographing.

Easy Photography Upsell - Wall Calendars

Another simple photography upsell is the Wall Calendar filled with select images from their sessions or events. We can also highlight how a calendar makes a great gift for the client to give to someone else.

Bigger Photography Upsell - Layflat Photo Books

Once you get your salesperson feet under you, then we are more comfortable with higher value (for us and them) photography upsell ideas.  

A Lay Flat Photo Book is an upgrade from regular photo books because they show off the images in the book without that pesky gutter hiding parts of the image and making the pages curl up in the middle.  

Premium Photography - Signature Sewn Photo Books

A wedding photographer might already have this next item in their regular packages, Signature Sewn Photo Books. These are very classy and evoke an air of elegance, which is why they make great wedding albums in the first place. 

The photography upsell could come from offering extra premium items in a wedding package or making them available for portrait sessions. They are more expensive, but with that price comes a very special photography experience for anyone viewing one.

Premium Photography Upsell - Acrylic Photo Prints

A big photography upsell item could be Acrylic Photo Prints either instead of or in addition to the regular paper prints you’re already supplying as part of a package deal. 

Acrylic prints are exceptionally beautiful examples of photographic art; almost any portrait would benefit from this treatment. Again, as an important part of my photography business tips, I want to emphasize the importance of having examples on hand to show clients why one will be worth it for them.

The concept of the photography upsell can apply to other genres of photography besides weddings or portraits, by the way. Take a look at your business model and what Photo Book Press has that might be a good idea for you.

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