Format Review: How to Make Money as an Affiliate

Disclosure: some links in this post are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What Is Format?

Format is a portfolio website builder made for creative people. Photographers, artists, designers, and filmmakers use it to show off their work and run their business.

That focus is what makes it different. General website builders try to do everything. Format is built around images, galleries, and the stuff a working photographer deals with every week.

Here's what you get:

• Portfolio themes that look good on phones
• A drag-and-drop layout tool called Flex Block
• Client galleries and proofing
• Client contracts and a light CRM (on higher plans)
• File transfers for sending finished work
• A commission-free online store for prints and products
• Lightroom integration and built-in SEO tools

So it's not just a website. It's a website plus a small back office.

How Does Format Work?

You pick a theme, upload your best work, and publish. Then you use the same account to share galleries with clients and sell prints.

For Users

1. Start a 14-day free trial (no credit card needed).
2. Choose a portfolio theme.
3. Upload your images, or pull them in from Lightroom.
4. Arrange your pages and connect a domain.
5. Add client galleries or a store if you need them.

For Affiliates

1. Apply to the Format affiliate program through PartnerStack.
2. Get approved and grab your link.
3. Recommend Format to creatives in your blog posts, videos, or emails.
4. Earn a share of every payment your referrals make in their first year.

Because there's a free trial with no card, it's an easy yes for your readers to at least try.

Format Pricing

Format has three plans. Paying yearly costs a lot less than paying monthly.

Format sometimes runs intro deals on its yearly Pro and Pro Plus plans, so the price you see may be lower. Add-ons include branded email ($100/year) and domains ($30/year).

Always check Format's pricing page for current numbers. Plans and promotions change.

Who Should Use Format?

Users

Format is a great fit if you:

• Are a photographer who needs a portfolio plus client galleries
• Are an artist or designer who wants a clean, image-first site
• Want to sell prints without paying a commission on each sale
• Don't want to stitch together five different tools

Affiliates

It's a great fit if you:

• Write about photography, art, or design
• Teach photography or editing on YouTube
• Run a blog about freelancing or creative side hustles

Pros and Cons of Format

Pros

• Built for creatives, not a general tool with a portfolio bolted on
• Client galleries, contracts, and file transfers in one place
• Commission-free online store
• 14-day free trial with no credit card
• Low starting price

Cons

• The Basic plan is tight: 10 pages, 70 images, and no store
• Monthly billing costs much more than yearly
• Not a great choice if you're not a visual creative
• Fewer design and app options than big builders like Webflow

Format vs Alternatives

If your reader wants full design control, send them to my Webflow review. If they mainly want to sell digital downloads like presets or guides, my Payhip review and my Sellfy review cover simpler options.

Here's the short answer. For a photographer who wants one tool for the portfolio and the client side, Format is hard to beat.

How to Make Money with Format as an Affiliate

Here are the terms from Format's affiliate page:

• Commission: 50% of each recurring payment during a referred customer's first year
• Cookie: 90 days
• Platform: PartnerStack
• Payout minimum and method: not listed on the page, so check inside your dashboard

Half of a full year of payments is a strong deal for a tool at this price. And a 90-day cookie gives people plenty of time to finish the free trial and decide.

New to PartnerStack? My PartnerStack review explains how it works.

Content Angles That Work

1. Best-of lists. "Best portfolio websites for photographers." These readers are ready to choose. Put Format near the top if it fits.

2. How-to posts. "How to build a photography portfolio in a weekend." Walk through it step by step using Format.

3. Creative business posts. Photographers also need to market themselves. Pair Format with tools like the ones in my Later review for scheduling Instagram posts.

Keyword Ideas

• Format review
• Format vs Squarespace
• Best portfolio website builder
• Best website for photographers
• How to make a photography portfolio
• Client gallery software for photographers

Common Questions About Format

Does Format have a free trial?
Yes. 14 days, and you don't need a credit card.

Can I sell prints on Format?
Yes, on Pro and Pro Plus. Format doesn't take a commission on store sales.

Is Format only for photographers?
No. Artists, designers, illustrators, and filmmakers use it too. But it's clearly built with photographers in mind.

How much do Format affiliates earn?
50% of each payment a referred customer makes during their first year.

How long is the Format affiliate cookie?
90 days.

Final Thoughts

Format knows exactly who it's for. That's its biggest strength.

If your audience is creative people, you're recommending a tool built for their daily work, not a generic website builder. That kind of fit makes recommending it feel natural.

Add a 50% first-year commission and a 90-day cookie, and it's worth a spot on any creative niche site.

Try Format free for 14 days here.

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