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How Much Can You Earn With SmugMug? A Review

SmugMug Review

Thanks for joining me today for my review of SmugMug.

Smugmug is an online platform designed to provide an opportunity for its members to earn money with their photographs.

In my review I will be finding out all you need to know about this platform, including how much you can potentially earn.

About SmugMug

SmugMug is an online service that allows both professional and amateur photographers to store, share and sell their photos and videos conveniently.

Essentially, the platform acts as an online portfolio where photography enthusiasts can display and promote their work of imagery to other members and potential buyers.



What makes SmugMug different?

The beauty of joining SmugMug is that it allows you to create customizable galleries and websites within a matter of minutes using their highly innovative site-building tools, with no coding required.

Additionally, the platform offers great E-Commerce options that you can use for your online business such as digital photo downloads, photo prints and creative photo gifts.

The best part is that SmugMug offers unlimited and secure storage, unlike other platforms that seem to be restrictive. You can store all your photo and video files and access them from anywhere and at anytime.

Signing Up

SmugMug makes it easy for you to register, regardless of your geographical location. You just need to enter your name and email address to sign up.

Interestingly, you will be issued with an URL address that you can use to direct potential customers to your portfolio.

Membership Plans

It is important to note that SmugMug is not a free service. You have to subscribe to any of the four plans after the 14-day trial period elapses.

Here is a breakdown of the SmugMug membership plans.

– Basic – $5.99 monthly

– Power – $8.99 monthly

– Portfolio – $23.99 monthly

– Pro – $41.99 monthly

Whether you are searching for secure storage for your images or you want a package for professional photographers, SmugMug offers incisive features and plans to meet your photography needs.

Also, you can upgrade or downgrade your account at anytime depending on your preferences.



How to make money with SmugMug

SmugMug is a photo-hosting platform. However, you can make money by selling your favorite images to prospective clients. The platform allows you to upload as many photos as you want with no stringent review processes.

What is good about the platform is that SmugMug allows you to set your own prices for prints and digital downloads. You can also add digital watermarks to your photos for patent and copyright purposes.

With your own price list you can make as much money as you want for digital copies of your photos.

Nevertheless, getting started with selling your photos can be difficult at first, but SmugMug makes it easy for you by providing a number of great features and tools that you can use to jump-start your business.

Some of these features include:

– Color correction and back printing

– Image-protection features

– Third-party uploader options

You may use these features to crop your images and correct the color of your photos to make them more attractive to customers. You may also import additional photos from other platforms using FTP and third party uploader options.

How much can you earn with SmugMug?

For every photo you sell, SmugMug retains 15% of the markup amount. For instance, if you sell a photo for $100 you will earn $85 while SmugMug retains $15.

The 15% retained caters for credit card payment fees, administrative costs and customer service.

Of course the amount of money you can make all depends on your sales. For this reason, it is important that you upload high-quality photos that are not only captivating, but also relevant to the current trends.

SmugMug also has a referral program that promises to pay you 20% of the subscription fee of your referrals. However, you cannot cash out this amount. Instead, you will receive 20% off on your next billing cycle.



Cashing out

Interestingly, SmugMug allows you to set your own payout threshold. Once you have accumulated this amount, you will receive your earnings automatically through your preferred payment method.

Available payment options include ACH for U.S. members and PayPal for international members.

What We Like About SmugMug

– Available worldwide

– Affordable price plans

– Unlimited and secure storage

– Members set their own prices

– Excellent e-commerce options

– Adjustable payout threshold

– Referral program

What You May Not Like About SmugMug

– You have to subscribe to a plan after 14 days

– SmugMug retains 15% of your earnings



Some Final Thoughts

SmugMug is an excellent platform for both amateur and professional photographers.

The fact that you can upload as many photos as you want without any restriction sets it apart from its competitors. Members can also set their own prices, subsequently increasing their earning potential.

If you think you can produce high quality snaps that people will buy then SmugMug is certainly worth joining.

Are you a member of the SmugMug platform? If so let us know how much you have earned and whether you recommend it to others.

Star Rating 3.5/5- A great platform for both professional and amateur photographers alike. Apart from the 14 day trial however there are no free membership options available. It is also important to note that SmugMug do not market your photos, and therefore you must undertake that yourself.

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Thanks for checking out my review of SmugMug. I hope you found it informative and will help you decide whether The SmugMug platform will benefit you.

I have written hundreds of similar reviews and articles about making money online here on my website Wealthinflator.com. You will find all my latest posts HERE

 

9 thoughts on “How Much Can You Earn With SmugMug? A Review”

  1. I was using them until recently, that’s when everything with Smugmug went into the toilet. Up til leaving they were friendly, helpful…when I asked about a refund on the 9 months remaining on the plan, they said no refunds! I would be cautious with them as there are much better companies out there that offer far superior service.

    1. Hi Byron,
      I’m curious to know what other platform you would suggest other than Smugmug to sell prints.
      Thanks!
      _S

  2. Smugmug is an excellent way of endorsing my own photo and selling it also. I would like to know if the Smugmug has a lot pf potential buyers? I don’t want to waste my money monthly without getting good amount of traffic. And the commission they get is really high. 

    1. Hi Vincent,
      It’s important to realise that SmugMug do not market your photos for you. It would be a great advantage for you to know something about online marketing first, especially as this is a paid platform. You can learn all about online marketing at Wealthy Affiliate, simply click on the link above to find out more. Thanks for your comment.

  3. Interesting about Smug mug! I love the name! I wanted to have a look at the platform but did not see a click button but I can google it. I’m sure my brother would be interested in it!

    If the 15% smug mug charges does not cover marketing, does that mean that smug mug does not advertise their site at all …for people to buy their photo collections?In other words the users or members really market  sugmug?

    1. Hi Liz,
      I’m glad you found the article informative. SmugMug doesn’t market your photos, they do however make it easier for you to present your work to your clients. For example they enable you to share your gallery on social media with one click, and you can link from your blog or website to SmugMugs shopping cart. Thanks for your comment.

  4. I was looking for some platform where I can store my photos. Actually I am glad that I have found this article.

    since I travel quite a lot, I find the SmugMug as very helpful platform. I am about to start the basic membership – as I can see “no harm done” since I can change the membership later on.  – that’s a good one.

    I have not earned anything yet, still I am a new member though:)

    1. Hi Michal,
      I’m glad to have enabled you to learn more about this platform. Good luck with your online endeavours and thanks for the comment.

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