How to Sell Event Photos Online After an Event

Selling event photos online after an event depends on what happens between finishing the photographs and putting the gallery in front of the people who are most likely to buy. Uploading the images is only one part of that process.

A useful post-event workflow covers preparation, gallery launch, distribution, reminders, purchasing and delivery while the event is still relevant to attendees.

Prepare the sales plan before the event if possible

Decide in advance how people will hear about the gallery, whether photographs will be sold individually and who will help distribute the link afterwards.

This avoids finishing a large edit and only then trying to work out how potential customers will find it.

Finish and organise the gallery before promoting it

A fast launch is useful only when the gallery is ready for real visitors.

Remove unsuitable frames, organise large collections sensibly and check the buying route before announcing that photographs are available.

For the structure itself, read How to Organise Event Photo Galleries for Sales.

Launch while the event is still memorable

Interest is usually strongest while attendees are still thinking about the event and sharing their experience with other people.

That does not mean rushing unfinished photography online, but it does mean having a repeatable editing and publishing process that avoids unnecessary delay.

Give people one reliable gallery link

Use one clear destination rather than circulating temporary links, preview folders and separate payment instructions.

The simpler the route into the gallery, the easier it is for organisers and attendees to share the correct destination.

Work with the event organiser

When appropriate, give the organiser concise wording and the final gallery link so they can help tell attendees that photographs are available.

Make the process easy for them. They should not need to explain complicated ordering instructions on the photographer's behalf.

Explain that photographs are available to purchase

Do not assume everybody opening an event gallery knows it is a sales gallery.

Use clear presentation so visitors understand which photographs can be purchased and how to reach checkout.

Keep prices understandable

Potential buyers should be able to understand the cost without going through most of the checkout process first.

If you are still deciding the pricing structure, read How to Price Digital Photo Downloads.

Make purchasing easy on mobile

Many attendees will open the gallery from a link on their phone.

Test the route from opening the gallery through finding a photograph, viewing the price and reaching checkout on a mobile screen.

Use reminders rather than assuming one announcement is enough

People may see the first gallery announcement while travelling home, working or dealing with other things after the event.

A sensible later reminder can reach customers who intended to look but did not purchase immediately.

Give reminders a reason to exist

A follow-up should be useful rather than repetitive.

It might remind people that the full gallery is available, highlight the ordering process or communicate a genuine time-limited promotion where one exists.

Avoid constant discounting

Discounts can create urgency, but customers can learn to ignore the standard price if every gallery immediately turns into a promotion.

Use offers as part of a deliberate sales strategy rather than as the automatic response to a quiet first day.

Make purchased delivery straightforward

After somebody pays, receiving the photograph should feel like the natural final step.

A confusing fulfilment process can undo much of the convenience created by a good online gallery.

See FolioDen's photo download tools.

Learn from each event

Different event types produce different buying behaviour.

Keep track of which events attract gallery visits, which produce orders and whether people tend to buy one photograph or several.

Use those patterns to improve future gallery organisation, pricing and promotion.

Create a repeatable post-event workflow

The process becomes much easier when each event follows a familiar sequence: cull, edit, organise, price, publish, announce, remind and fulfil.

A repeatable workflow also makes it easier to shorten turnaround without sacrificing the customer experience.

Where FolioDen fits

FolioDen lets photographers combine event galleries with online photo sales, checkout and digital delivery rather than building a separate manual process for every order.

For a broader conversion strategy, read How to Build a Gallery Sales Funnel for Photographers.

You can also view the demo gallery or create a free account.