How to Create a Loyalty Program for Tattoo Clients (That Doesn’t Devalue Your Work)
Here’s a conversation I had with a client last month: “Hey, I love your work. My coworker wants to get tattooed — should I send her your way?” I said “Yeah, absolutely!” She sent her coworker, who booked a $600 half-sleeve session.
No reward. No thank you. No incentive for her to do it again.
That’s a referral — the highest-quality lead in any business — and I gave her nothing for it. Meanwhile, she could have referred to a competitor who’d give her a $50 credit. Stupid on my part.
A loyalty and referral program isn’t about discounting your work. It’s about rewarding the behavior you want more of: repeat bookings and referrals. Here’s how to set one up without undercutting your value.
Why Most Tattoo Loyalty Programs Fail
I’ve seen shops try these and fail:
The punch card: “Get 10 tattoos, the 11th is free.” Nobody gets 11 tattoos in a timeframe where they remember a punch card. Plus you’re giving away potentially hundreds of dollars of work. Terrible idea.
The point system: “Earn 1 point per dollar spent. Redeem 500 points for…” Nobody is tracking points. This isn’t Starbucks. Your clients get tattooed 2-4 times a year, not twice a week.
The percentage-off-everything: “All returning clients get 10% off.” You just permanently reduced your prices for your best clients. Why?
These fail because they’re designed for high-frequency businesses (coffee shops, restaurants), not tattoo studios where clients visit 1-6 times per year.
What Actually Works for Tattoo Studios
The Referral Program (Highest ROI)
This should be your #1 priority. Referrals are the highest-converting leads in tattooing — a personal recommendation from someone who already loves your work.
Structure:
- When a new client books and mentions a referrer, both get a reward
- Referrer gets: $50 credit toward their next session
- New client gets: $25 off their first session (optional — some shops only reward the referrer)
- Track in your CRM or booking software
The math: A referred client has a lifetime value of $1,500-3,000+ (multiple sessions over years). Giving the referrer $50 for generating that value is an incredible ROI.
How to promote it:
- Aftercare card: “Love your new tattoo? Refer a friend and get $50 toward your next session.”
- Post-session email: “Know someone who’d love our work? Send them our way and we’ll both say thanks with $50 off your next booking.”
- Instagram highlight: Permanent story highlight explaining the referral program
- In-shop signage: Simple card at the reception desk
The Milestone Program
Instead of points, use simple milestones based on total spend or number of sessions:
| Milestone | Reward |
|---|---|
| 3rd session | Priority booking for flash events |
| 5th session | 10% off that session |
| $2,000 total spent | Free touch-up on any piece (anytime, no expiration) |
| $5,000 total spent | 15% off a session + exclusive flash designs (only available to this tier) |
| $10,000 total spent | VIP — first access to new flash, priority booking, annual free touch-up |
Why milestones work: They’re simple to understand, feel achievable, and reward your best clients without discounting every transaction.
Tracking: Your CRM or shop management software (Porter, TattooPro) tracks total spend per client. Flag clients when they hit milestones and apply rewards at their next session.
The Flash Insider Program
This is my favorite because it drives flash sales without discounting custom work:
- Build an email/text list of “Flash Insiders”
- Flash Insiders get 24-48 hour early access to new flash drops before public release
- Insiders also get a small discount on flash (10% off, or “insider price”)
- Signing up is free — just provide email when booking
Why this works: Flash drops sell fast. Getting early access is genuinely valuable. Clients feel like VIPs. You sell flash faster. And you’re not discounting your custom work at all.
The Birthday/Anniversary Program
Simple and thoughtful:
- Track client birthdays in your CRM
- Send a birthday email: “Happy birthday! Here’s 10% off your next session as a gift. Valid for 30 days.”
- Optional: Track tattoo anniversaries. “It’s been a year since your sleeve! Free touch-up if you want to freshen it up.”
Birthday discounts have high redemption rates because they feel personal, not promotional.
What NOT to Do
Don’t give discounts to everyone, all the time. A loyalty program should reward your BEST clients, not reduce prices for everyone. If every client gets 10% off, it’s not a loyalty program — it’s a permanent price cut.
Don’t make it complicated. If you need a spreadsheet to explain how it works, it’s too complex. “Refer a friend, get $50 credit” is the perfect complexity level.
Don’t discount your custom work heavily. Your custom design work has artistic value. Offering 50% off custom pieces cheapens your art. Keep significant discounts to flash and smaller pieces.
Don’t make rewards expire too quickly. “Use within 30 days” works for a birthday discount. “$50 referral credit expiring in 7 days” is annoying — your client might not need a tattoo this week.
Don’t forget to promote it. A loyalty program nobody knows about is worthless. Mention it in person, in emails, on Instagram, and on your website.
Setting It Up Technically
If You Use Porter ($79-249/mo):
Porter has built-in client tracking and tagging. Set up custom tags for loyalty tiers, track total spend automatically, and apply credits to client profiles. Some features require manual setup but the data is all there.
If You Use TattooPro.io ($29-89/mo):
Basic client tracking with total spend. You can add notes to client profiles marking their tier. Credit application is manual but workable.
If You Use Spreadsheets:
Create a “Loyalty” tab in your client tracking sheet:
- Client name
- Total sessions
- Total spend
- Current tier
- Credits earned / redeemed
- Referrals made
Update after each session. Takes 2 minutes.
For Referral Tracking Specifically:
Add a “How did you hear about us?” field to your booking intake form with options including “Referred by a friend.” When selected, ask for the friend’s name. Track in your CRM and apply credits to both accounts.
Communicating Your Program
Website: Dedicated “Loyalty & Referrals” page explaining how it works. Keep it to one screen — if clients have to scroll through paragraphs, they won’t read it.
After each session: “Hey, just so you know, we have a referral program — if you send a friend our way and they mention your name, you’ll get $50 toward your next session.”
Email: Include a one-line referral reminder in every post-session email: “Love your new ink? Refer a friend and earn $50. Details: [link]”
Instagram: Create a highlights reel explaining the referral program. Pin a post about it periodically.
My Program
After testing various approaches, here’s what I run:
Referral program: $50 credit for every referred client who books and completes a session. No limit on referrals. Credits don’t expire.
Flash Insider list: 48-hour early access to all new flash drops. Free to join. 400+ subscribers.
VIP tier (for clients who’ve spent $5,000+): First access to everything, annual free touch-up, 10% off one session per year, exclusive designs.
Cost of the program: Maybe $200-400/month in credits and discounts.
Revenue generated from referrals alone: $3,000-5,000/month in new client bookings.
That’s a 10-15x return. Not bad for a program that took an afternoon to set up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do loyalty programs work for tattoo studios?
Yes, loyalty programs increase repeat booking rates by 20-35%. Keep it simple — complicated point systems confuse clients. Use milestones (every 5th session gets a perk) or referral rewards ($50 credit for each referral).
What rewards work best for tattoo loyalty programs?
The most effective rewards are referral credits ($25-50 per referral), percentage discounts on future sessions (10-15%), free touch-ups, priority booking for flash events, and exclusive flash designs for loyalty members.