A Merch Guide for Content Creators

create your own merch

In the modern digital age, content creators have various avenues to monetize their creativity and engage with their audience. One popular money-making option is creating merchandise, commonly known as “merch.”

Whether you’re a YouTuber looking to expand your brand or an individual with a creative spark, producing and selling merchandise can be a rewarding endeavor. In this guide, we’ll explore the process of making your own merch and highlight the tools and resources that YouTubers and creators use to bring their merchandise ideas to life.

Understanding Merchandise and Its Appeal:

Merchandise refers to a range of products adorned with designs, logos, or slogans that represent a brand, concept, or personality. It’s a powerful way to strengthen the connection between content creators and their audience. When fans wear or use merchandise, they become walking billboards, essentially promoting that creator’s content to a wider audience.

merch products

Types of Merchandise You Can Create:

The possibilities are endless when it comes to creating merchandise. You can offer a variety of products, such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, stickers, hats, and more. Each item provides a unique canvas for your creative expression.

Generating Creative Ideas for Your Merchandise:

One of the first steps in creating successful merchandise is generating unique and appealing ideas. You can draw inspiration from your content theme, catchphrases, inside jokes, or iconic visuals. Brainstorming sessions and feedback from your audience can also spark innovative concepts.

The Essential Steps to Creating Your Merch:

Bringing your merchandise ideas to life involves several key steps, including design, production, and marketing. It’s essential to have a clear plan in place before you begin. Research reliable platforms that offer on-demand printing services to ensure a hassle-free production process.

merch design

Effective Merchandise Design:

Design is at the heart of great merchandise. You want your creations to stand out and resonate with your audience. Consider collaborating with professional designers or using design tools to craft eye-catching visuals that reflect your brand’s personality.

Producing Your Merchandise:

Platforms like Spreadshop offer convenient on-demand printing services, allowing you to upload your designs and have them printed on various products like T-shirts, sweatshirts, and stickers. This minimizes upfront costs and ensures that you only produce what you need.

Cost Considerations:

While creating your own merchandise can be financially rewarding, it’s important to consider costs. Expenses may include design work, production fees, and marketing expenses. However, many creators find the return on investment to be well worth it.

content creator merch

Promoting and Selling Your Merch:

Promotion is key to the success of your merchandise venture. Leverage your social media presence, website, and other platforms to showcase your products. Engage with your audience and create a sense of exclusivity and urgency to drive sales.

Challenges to Keep in Mind:

While creating merchandise is exciting, there are challenges to be aware of, such as ensuring product quality, managing inventory, and dealing with customer service inquiries. However, with careful planning and dedication, these challenges can be overcome.

Creating merchandise offers content creators a fantastic opportunity to expand their brand, connect with fans, and generate additional income. By following the steps outlined in this guide and utilizing the tools and resources available, such as on-demand printing platforms, you can turn your creative vision into tangible products that resonate with your audience. Remember, the key to successful merchandise lies in thoughtful design, effective promotion, and a genuine connection with your community.

Create merch for your audience TODAY with Spreadshop! There’s no cost. EVER.

5 Reason Your Merch Isn’t Selling

 

sell more merch

If your merch isn’t selling, you’re not the only one. We know how difficult it can be to connect with like-minded customers and monetize your passion. But it’s totally possible!

It all comes down to three factors: good merch designs, promoting your products and knowing your audience. These are essential to building a successful (and profitable) merch line.

Want to know what you’re doing wrong with your merch and how to fix it? Here are the 5 reasons why your merch isn’t selling.

merch for your audience

You Don’t Know Your Audience

You can’t just make merch to make merch – you need to have an audience in mind. Otherwise, you’ll end up creating a bunch of random designs that don’t resonate with anyone.

So, what’s your niche? The thing that makes your merch standout. Take Plants with Krystal, for example. She’s passionate about helping beginner plant parents feel more confident. And she’s been able to take that same passion and sell custom, branded designs in her shop.

These designs appeal to her audience: plant parents. She uses plant puns and quirky images to connect her with followers. You need to use your niche/hobby to your advantage to grow your merch sales. Make designs that speak to that audience and you’ll find success.

talk about your merch

You Aren’t Talking About It

T-shirts aren’t going to sell themselves. You’ve got to do some hustling if you want to make money from your merch line.

If you have a following online, of course it’s important to promote your merch. But a lot of shop owners make the mistake of forgetting about their family and friends. The people closest to you are the ones that most want to support you.

Let people know you just made merch because it’s a big deal! Merch is a tangible extension of your passion and should be treated as such. Your family and friends will be there to buy your merch.

make better merch designs

Your Designs Aren’t That Great

We’re sorry to say, but your designs kinda suck. No offense. It’s tougher than it looks to make quality designs that sell.

Here are 3 things you can do to make profitable merch designs:

1. Don’t Do Too Much

You can’t, and really shouldn’t, try to be doing it all with your merch designs. We get that you want to be creative and share your passions with people, but it can be overwhelming. We’re saying it again, but it’s easier when you boil your merch designs down to a singular niche or interest.

2. Basic is Boring

Find your brand colors and use specific imagery that resonates with potential customers. Mila the Chi is an adorable chihuahua whose funny antics have gained her over 100K followers. She often contorts herself into positions where she’s upside down.

Her owner capitalized on this and decided to make a merch design out of it. That’s the kind of thinking you need to have when it comes to your merch designs. 

3. Hire a Pro

You might just have to accept that you’re not a merch designer. Design tools like Canva make it easy for people to make designs, but even then your options are limited.

That’s why we recommend hiring a professional. You can connect with hundreds of designers through Fiverr. Search keywords like “T-Shirt design” or “podcast design” to find the right designer.

customize your merch shop

You Haven’t Customized Your Shop

Having great products is one thing, showing them off is another. Your clothing line deserves the star treatment, and you can give it that when you customize your Spreadshop.

Customizing your site is a great way to solidify your brand. Upload your brand colors and any associated imagery. The Kind Mind Co. has one of our favorite website designs. Emily, host of the podcast, used an image of herself in the banner for her shop. It’s welcoming and totally on brand. And her latest products/designs are available for purchase on her start page.

Taking the time to customize your site creates an immersive experience for your customers. They’ll feel more connected to you and your brand and sales will come naturally.

promote your merch

You Don’t Have Good Promotional Content

If your merch isn’t selling, you might just not be promoting it well enough. Letting your followers know about your latest merch drop is one thing, but using high quality photos and videos is another.

A lot of shop owners don’t know the best posting strategies and make common mistakes. Here are some dos and don’ts when promoting your merch on socials:

DON’T

Use screenshots of your merch or shop.

Rely on stock images to showcase your merch.

Copy and paste the link of your shop in captions.

Ignore comments or feedback from your followers.

DO

Take professional photos of your merch. Get family and friends to model your designs.

Direct people to a link in your bio to buy merch. Instagram now allows up to 5 links in your bio.

Respond to comments and repost positive feedback. Take any negative feedback and use it for your next merch drop!

Haven’t made merch yet? Make your own custom merch for FREE with Spreadshop.

Keep track of it all with YouTube Studio

Keep track of it all with YouTube Studio

Merch flying off the (virtual) shelves in your Spreadshop? Now is the perfect time to conquer YouTube’s merch area, too. You can well and truly get your sales off the ground with the latest metrics features from YouTube Studio. Read more

Get even more insights with YouTube Studio

Get even more insights with YouTube Studio

As a content creator, you know how important it is to engage your fans and build a dedicated community. High-quality videos and merch in your Spreadshop help you boost your brand. Have you heard of the latest features offering even more insights in YouTube Studio? They’re guaranteed to help you optimise your merch sales. Read more

Start your YouTube merch business! 

Start your YouTube merch business!

Do your fans love your video content? Do you already run your own Spreadshop? Then we’ve got exciting news for you! With YouTube’s latest merchandise features, you can use your channel to boost sales of your products. Read more