How Affiliate Marketing Can Enhance the Client Experience for Photographers

Earn Passive Income While Helping Your Clients Prepare Like a Pro

If you’ve felt like there’s no way you could use affiliate marketing in your photography business. Give me a chance to change your mind. I think there’s a real opportunity for you to share your experience and resources with clients. Plus, create an additional revenue stream in your business.

Let me explain—photographers are more than just people with cameras. You’re timeline keepers, dress fluffers, tissue passers, boutonnière fixers, and confidence boosters. So why not share the knowledge you’ve gained over the years to create an unforgettable client experience and earn a little extra income while you’re at it? Consider exploring using affiliate marketing in your photography business to further leverage your skills and expertise.

I recently listened to a podcast episode that lit a fire in me. Nina over at The I Do Wedding Marketing Podcast was interviewing Katie Mast, Director of Community at Rock Paper Coin. They were talking about affiliate marketing and how wedding professionals can use it to genuinely help their clients prep for their big day. And I thought YES. This is exactly what creative service providers need to hear.

Here’s the thing: you’re already curating resources, sharing advice, and helping your clients prepare. Affiliate marketing just gives you a way to be compensated for that work while continuing to wow your photography clients. Win-win.

Share What You Know, Not Just What You Sell

This isn’t about throwing up a bunch of links and hoping someone clicks. This is about genuinely serving your clients with thoughtful, well-timed resources.

Let’s take wedding photographers as an example. You already know the little things that go wrong on the day of, like a bridesmaid scrambling to find an iron for her dress or a bride who’s trying to clean her ring with toothpaste (yikes). What if you could prevent all that?

Imagine giving your couples a beautifully branded guide that includes:

• A checklist for the big day (including having rings, shoes, florals, and jewelry in one place)
• A link to your favorite travel garment steamer
• That magical jewelry cleaner that makes the ring sparkle
• Skincare and makeup recs you actually use (hello, waterproof mascara!)
• Comfy but cute reception shoes (you know the ones)
• Getting-ready robes that photograph beautifully and don’t wrinkle in a suitcase

These are things you’re probably already recommending. Affiliate marketing just lets you get rewarded for sharing them.

Affiliate Marketing is Not Just for Wedding Photography Businesses

Brand photographers, newborn photographers, family photographers, florists, hair and make-up pros, and other service-based businesses—this works for you too. There are so many ways that you can improve your client experience simply by sharing your knowledge and those little tricks and tips you’ve learned along the way.

Let’s say you’re a brand photographer. (I just had a branding shoot, so it’s on my mind.) Here’s how you could create a stellar client experience while sprinkling in affiliate marketing links throughout your photography business workflows:

🗓 Brand Photography Prep Timeline

6 Weeks Out
Send a planning checklist + inspiration guide.
🛒 Affiliate ideas: notebooks, planners, your fave brand workbook, book recommendations, prop lists, etc.

5 Weeks Out
Share outfit planning tips + how to accessorize.
🛒 Affiliate ideas: wrinkle-resistant clothing, statement jewelry, your go-to lipstick, shapewear that’s actually comfortable.

4 Weeks Out
Packing checklist + “don’t forget this” items.
🛒 Affiliate ideas: portable garment steamer, jewelry cleaner, tote bags, under-eye masks.

2 Weeks Out

Your favorite things for having fun and feeling fabulous at branding shoots.

🛒 Affiliate ideas: herbal tea, chill playlist, hydrating face spray, lip balm.

1 Day Before
Final reminder with a calming note.

The best part? You can automate this entire process using your CRM. Set it up once, and every client gets this VIP experience.

How to Get Started With Affiliate Marketing in Your Photography Business (Without Feeling Spammy)

This isn’t about pushing products. It’s about serving your clients well, and saving yourself from repeating the same recommendations over and over again.

Here’s how to do it with integrity:

1. Only recommend what you truly love – or what fellow vendors you trust swear by.
2. Be transparent – let clients know you may earn a small commission if they purchase through your links.
3. Deliver it in a thoughtful format – like a welcome guide, prep checklist, or series of emails.
4. Automate it – use your CRM to send these resources at the perfect time in your client journey. I highly recommend brain dumping it all into your favorite mind-mapping software or scribbling it on sticky notes and re-arranging them until you have a timeline that makes sense. If you frequently get questions from clients on recommended resources to solve x,y,z problems at a certain part of their journey, add an email or resource here to solve that problem.

Bonus: Canva makes it ridiculously easy to create gorgeous, professional guides you can link to in your emails or client portal.

Affiliate Marketing = A Photography Client Experience Upgrade

When done right, affiliate marketing isn’t just about passive income. It’s about going the extra mile, showing your clients you’ve thought of everything, and creating a smooth, enjoyable experience from start to finish.

Whether it’s a perfectly timed email reminder or a curated prep guide, those little things add up to a big “wow.”

Ready to Create an Automated Workflow That Does This For Your Clients?

If this blog post has your wheels turning, and you’re thinking, “I want this set up yesterday,” I’ve got you. This is exactly the kind of system I help creative entrepreneurs build inside tools like Dubsado and HoneyBook—so you can work less, make more, and wow your clients without lifting a finger once it’s live.

Want help setting this up inside your CRM?
Book a free discovery call or slide into my DMs @amyspearson_ and let’s make it happen.