Freewell Gear is a seasoned veteran in the camera industry, boasting over 10 years of experience providing high-quality lenses, filters, and accessories for photographers and videographers.
Known for their premium glass, the brand positions itself as the “BMW” of camera gear, offering elite quality at an affordable price point.
In early 2025, Freewell made the strategic decision to migrate their entire store from PrestaShop to Shopify.
While the move offered better tools and scalability, it required the team to rebuild their digital ecosystem from scratch, including their SEO, customer reviews, and marketing automation.
The Challenge: Building a Sustainable Revenue Channel from Zero
Transitioning platforms meant more than just a new website; it meant Freewell had to find a reliable way to maintain sales volume while rebuilding their organic traffic.
Before the move, Freewell had never implemented a professional affiliate system, making this a critical piece of their new Shopify strategy.
“We migrated to Shopify in the month of January 2025, and at the same time, we were looking for a reliable application in terms of generating affiliate revenue,” shared Aswin Kartha, a key member of the Freewell marketing team.
The brand needed a tool that was easy to manage and cost-effective for initial testing. Finally, they chose UpPromote for its strong reputation on the Shopify App Store and flexible free plan.
Prioritizing Technical Expertise Over Follower Counts
Unlike brands that chase “vanity metrics” like high follower counts, Freewell’s affiliate program is built on technical substance.
As their products, such as anamorphic lenses and specialized filters, require a specific level of knowledge, they vet every partner manually to ensure they can actually educate the audience.
“It’s not about the number of followers or anything like that,” Aswin explained. “If they are technically strong and can explain a few things – like this is a telephoto lens or an anamorphic lens – they will be able to educate the viewers. We’re more than happy to collaborate with anyone who can educate the customers.”
Freewell used UpPromote to set up a registration form on their website to recruit affiliates. If someone joins the program, the team will manually review several times to determine whether the person is suitable or not.
By focusing on “technical film makers” rather than just influencers with large but disengaged audiences, Freewell ensures that every referral comes from a place of high authority and trust.
Building Relationships, Not Just Partnerships
The secret to Freewell’s affiliate success isn’t complicated. It comes down to one principle:treat people well.
“It’s all about treating the people. If you treat people well, they will be willing to partner with you for a long time. That’s what I’ve learned,” Aswin shared.
This philosophy has helped them build and maintain relationships with around 700 creators globally.
When deciding to work with any creators, Freewell is happy to send out free samples to trusted creators without forcing a specific script. “We don’t necessarily tell them like you have to say this or that; they can be honest about it,” Aswin said.
Creators feel free to share genuine opinions, which builds trust with their audiences. As creators aren’t pressured, the reviews they produce are genuine, which resonates more deeply with the photography community and drives higher conversion rates.
The Results: $350,000 in Revenue in 2 months
The results of Freewell’s strategic focus on quality partnerships and reliable tracking were immediate.
In the last two months alone, Freewell has generated over $350,000 in revenue through their affiliate program.
They also hit a major milestone in September, reaching 270 referrals in a single month – a significant leap from their previous average of 100 to 120.
“We are seeing a great growth in terms of affiliate marketing… for the past two months we have done almost 350,000,” Aswin confirmed. “In the month of September, we reached up to 270 referrals. That’s crazy because we never saw, we never even reached like 100 or 120.”
Lessons for Merchants: How to Scale the Right Way
Aswin’s advice for other brands launching affiliate programs is straightforward: focus on quality, not quantity.
“You have to choose your affiliates carefully because that’s what I would say. Because not just bought, they register with you and generate nothing, right?” he explained.
He also emphasized finding the right fit over recruiting large numbers.“Not just having affiliates can generate your revenue. You have to choose your affiliates carefully, always choose those who have a user base on creating videos or writing blogs for your niche“.
Ellie Tran, a seasoned SEO content writer with three years of experience in the eCommerce world. Being a part of the UpPromote team, Ellie wants to assist Shopify merchants in achieving success through useful content & actionable insights. Ellie's commitment to learning never stops; she's always eager to gain more knowledge about SEO and content marketing to create valuable content for users. When she's not working on content, Ellie enjoys baking and exploring new places.
