Make Money With Merch This Season

Make Money With Merch This Holiday Season

Spooky season is officially over and the Holidays are nearly here!

If you want to make some extra money for gifts (for loved ones or yourself, we don’t judge), opening up a print on-demand shop is a great idea. You don’t have to worry about storing inventory and shipping out your own products with print on-demand. We take care of all that. All you have to do is upload some awesome designs and start promoting your products!

Holiday merch is some of the hottest selling items all year. Custom-printed funny T-shirts, ugly Holidays sweaters for parties, cozy socks, and ornaments are just a few of those must-have items, especially when they’re made to order!

See why you should be selling print on-demand merch this season.

Make Sales AND Please Your Family!

Holiday merch is a big crowd pleaser and there are a lot of opportunities to make sales. Between Nov. 1 and Jan. 31, there are at least 13 gift giving days!

But your merch isn’t going to sell itself; you’ve got to promote it on your socials. Instagram offers Reels and carousel posts that allow you to showcase multiple images. TikTok is another place to show and promote your merch in quick video format. Use trending songs in your videos so the algorithm will boost your content. Capcut is a great video editing tool that allows you to easily cut clips, add music, and more.

All of these socials are great places to attract a new audience hungry for Holiday gifts and quality merch.

Custom gifts searches have grown by 60% in the last couple of years.

Customized gifts are prized by their recipients and feel extra special. We know giving a gift card is easy, but it doesn’t look like you put in any effort. People want to feel special and will love that you made something just for them! Capitalize on that by opening up your shop.

The opportunities are limitless when it comes to products, too. You can offer everything from hoodies and t-shirts, to coffee mugs, decals, and hats. There’s literally something for everybody. Pets, too!

Platform Options

If you’re concerned about upfront costs, platforms like Spreadshop and SPOD are FREE to use.

You’ll need an e-commerce platform like Order Desk or Shopify to connect to SPOD, and each have a small monthly cost. But a few sales will quickly pay for the monthly subscription fee. With Spreadshop, everything is built into the platform, which allows you to start selling in minutes! Learn more about the difference between Spreadshop and SPOD to see which one is right for you and your merch needs.

What about designs?

Spreadshop and SPOD both come loaded with FREE designs you can use on your merch. It’s easy to grab an image and customize it with the Customize Tool.

If you don’t want to use these options, try FREE design programs like Canva or Stencil. These apps are great to get you started and spark your creativity. They have thousands of images, graphics, and text options you can use to make your merch completely your own.

Once you’re up and running, you can event try to find a local designer to help with designs. Or use a service like Fivver where designers are ready and waiting to bid on projects, like making custom merch designs.

Artists, Bands, and Creators

Artists, bands, and creators can make special merch for the Holidays, too. 90s grunge rock legends Pearl Jam make a Halloween shirt for their fans every year. That makes one collectible item that brings buyers back again and again.

If you’re in a band or are an artist, your fans want to support you, and this is a great way to earn their support. Create something that resonates with your audience and speaks to them. Your fans truly want to support you. Why not create a New Year shirt while you’re at it?

Some Final Thoughts

Don’t try to make your merch about everything under the sun. Stick to a few classic designs and find your niche when you start. That’s especially important during the Holidays when everyone is looking for fun, specific gifts for their loved ones. We know you can’t disappoint with a good cat sweater, but if it doesn’t match your style or product, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to sell.

At the end of the day, sell what you love. Discover your niche, and what your audience wants. It’s not rocket science. It’s just T-shirts, so have fun with it!

Top 5 Merch Mistakes Creators Make

Merch is a great way for creators to build their brand, but it’s not always a success. We’ve seen many creators fail with their merch launch because of simple mistakes. Knowing what your brand and your audience are both key to making sales.

You need to be confident in yourself and sales will follow. Here are five tips to help you make your merch launch a success:

Merch is a Powerful Tool

If you’re a creator, chances are you’ve thought about merch at some point. Merch is a great way to monetize your content and leverage your brand. The creator economy is booming, and merch is a big part of that. Brand deals, ads, and services are also key ways to make money online.

Consumers looking for this niche content are willing to pay money to be a part of a community dedicated to their passion. A creator’s brand should feel like an experience and can exist outside of the normal social channels.

If you have at least 1,000 subscribers, you can start making money from your channel. Feature your merch directly below your videos using YouTube Product Shelf! When you have these tools at your disposal, it’s important you don’t let them go to waste. You never know what’s going to get someone to buy your merch, but you should know who you are and what you want to say to your audience.

Have a Strong Identity

If you’re thinking about launching merch, it’s important to take some time to consider what you want your brand to represent. Who are you as a creator, and what do you want your content to say about you? It’s ok if you don’t have all the answers right away – this is something that can evolve over time.

However, it’s important to have a general idea of the personal pillars of your brand before moving forward. This will help your audience connect with you and understand what you’re all about. Clueless Bushcraft is a great example of a creator who knows exactly who he is and what he stands for. When you enter his merch shop, there’s no doubt what his brand is all about.

So if you’re ready to launch merch, start by defining the core values of your brand. Then, lean into those values to create content that is truly representative of who you are as a creator.

Put Your Followers First

If you want to be successful as a creator, it’s important to remember that all markets are conversations. That means you need to tap into the hearts and minds of your audience and create merch that speaks to their feelings and values. One way to do this is by asking your audience for input on designs. This way, you’ll have an idea about who will support you and buy your merch when it’s released.

Another tip is to focus on creating designs that are not only about you, but also appealing to the people who follow you. Remember, your personality is a big part of your channel, but it shouldn’t be the only thing! Make sure your merch reflects why people followed you in the first place.

Have Quality Designs

We get it. It can be tough creating merch designs when you’re not a professional artist. When coming up with merch designs, consider what message you want to communicate with your designs. Make sure that they are cohesive with the overall aesthetic of your brand. If you’re unsure where to start, take a look at some professional merch designs for inspiration.

If you’re not a professional artist, don’t worry – there are still plenty of ways to create great merch designs. Canva is a fun tool for beginners, and has a large stock library of images and graphics you can use. Plus, you can upload your brand colors and logos to help get you started!

If you’re still struggling, find a designer through services like Fiverr who can help bring your vision to life. Or try finding someone local. Ask around colleges in your area to see if there are any graphic designers eager to build their portfolio and gain experience.

Drop Every Design At Once

Before you launch your merch shop, there’s one important thing to keep in mind: Don’t drop all of your designs at once. We see a lot of creators make this mistake. They drop all of their merch designs at once to generate interest in their shop. This might get you a lot of sales initially, but people will lose interest in your shop quickly. Spread out your merch drops to ensure people come back. Launching one to two new designs a month is perfect.

We also hear from a lot of people that they’re waiting for the right time to drop their merch. But the right time doesn’t exist. You’ll just be prolonging yourself from doing anything. Do some research, come up with a plan, and launch your merch store when you’re ready.

There’s no perfect time to launch your merch store. But these are definitely the top 5 mistakes among creators. We hope you keep this in mind for your next merch drop.

Open up your own Spreadshop and start selling your own merch – It’s FREE!

Creator Economy: Monetize Your Content

creator economy and what you need to know

If you’re a creator, chances are you’re always looking for new ways to monetize your brand. The good news is that there’s a growing space online that’s perfect for creators like you: the creator economy.

In the creator economy, creators make money directly from their audience. This means that you don’t have to rely on things like advertising or sponsorships to make money – instead, you can just focus on creating great content that your audience loves.

See how!

The Breakdown

There are plenty of ways to use the creator economy to leverage your content online. For example, platforms like TikTok, Teachable, and Patreon connect creators directly to consumers. These platforms allow them to raise funds and offer unique experiences. Other businesses, such as analytics software and content creation tools, support independent creators.

Consumers looking for this niche content are willing to pay money to be a part of a community dedicated to their passion. A creator’s brand should feel like an experience and can/should exist outside of the normal social channels.

The creator economy is a network of people that are passionate about what they do and want to see others succeed. There are key players in different areas online that are leading the way for people to achieve their creator goals, like Roberto Blake.

A Creator Success Story

Roberto Blake is one of the leading creators in the creator economy that’s helping motivate other creators to succeed and find ways to monetize their content. And he just published a book all about it!

In his new book, Create Something Awesome, Roberto explores the opportunities available for creators in the creator economy. He provides insights on how to unlock these opportunities and grow a successful channel as a full-time creator.

Roberto has helped hundreds of channels grow from zero to 100,000 subscribers and knows what it takes to succeed in the content game. In his book, he covers topics such as understanding the “creator mindset”, setting goals, and monetizing your channel. Spreadshop is proud to receive a shout out from Roberto in the book!

If you’re looking to get started in the creator economy or want to take your channel to the next level, Create Something Awesome is a must-read. Order your copy today!

How to Monetize Your Content

When you have a dedicated audience, it’s easy to seek out other opportunities to monetize your content. And remember: It’s better to have a thousand supportive followers than a million followers that aren’t engaged.

By finding different ways to monetize their content, creators can earn money from their fans. But you should always lead with your niche if you want to succeed in the creator economy. For example, gaming live streamers should leverage Twitch, whereas videographers monetize platforms like YouTube and TikTok.

Are you a YouTuber? We know Adsense can be confusing and annoying, so consider monetizing your channel with officially-branded merch. If you have at least 1,000 subscribers, you can feature your products directly below your videos. Not at that number just yet? We have some suggestions for you!

You can also make money by partnering with brands that are relevant to your niche. If you’re an outdoorsy vlogger, for example, reach out to companies that share your vision. The key to making money as a creator is to have a dedicated audience that cares about what you’re doing.

How We’re Making an Impact

Last month, we launched the official Spreadshop Creator Advisory Board to empower creators everywhere. This means we’re bringing 12 top-notch creators in on internal conversations to make sure creators are at the forefront of the Spreadshop decision-making process.

At Spreadshop, helping creators succeed is one of our biggest passions. We’ve already seen so much success working with a few of these pros. We have experience helping smaller creators monetize their channels/brand, so being able to scale that program with a wider variety of experts is exciting. Our goal is to help even more creators in the future. We will shape the new creator economy!

Spreadshop’s Creator Advisory Board meets regularly to give feedback, discuss the creator economy, and demo upcoming platform features. Check out the full line-up of creators on our blog.

Are you ready to join the creator economy? Start monetizing your content with merch. Open your own Spreadshop today!

Spreadshop or SPOD For Merch?

If you’re looking to get into the merch game, you might be wondering which print on-demand service is right for you and your merch needs. Spreadshop and SPOD are both great options, but they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Let’s take a look at the two side by side to see which one is better for your needs!

Spreadshop is perfect for creators and businesses who want a basic shop setup all-in-one. The platform is easy to use and has all the basic features you need to get started selling your merch right away. Plus, it’s FREE – you can start selling without zero money upfront!

SPOD is great for wherever you’re at in your creator/career journey and is also FREE to use. It integrates easily with your existing e-commerce website. Sell print on-demand merch via your online store and reap the benefits of social marketing tools from e-commerce sites like Squarespace, Shopify, and more.

The Platform

If you’re running a print on demand shop, then the interface is probably really important to you. The main difference between Spreadshop and SPOD is the fact that SPOD is an extension. It’s an app you can connect to your Shopify, a plug-in on WordPress, and an extension on other e-commerce sites. Spreadshop is its own platform that doesn’t require any extra integration but still allows you to link to relevant socials and control the layout of your shop.

As a SPOD merchant, you can sell your products not only in your own store, but also on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, as well as on digital marketplaces like Etsy, Amazon, and eBay.

Business Owner or Creator?

If you’re looking to start monetizing your content without any extra hassles, Spreadshop is the way to go. With its easy-to-use interface, Spreadshop makes it quick and easy to start making money on platforms like Facebook and Youtube thanks to partnerships. You’ll be able to connect with your audience and start generating revenue in no time.

– Sell your merch on YouTube with YouTube Product Shelf and link your shop on socials.

– Spreadshop regularly adds new products and has promotional offers to help drive sales every month.

– A Creator Advisory Board to help creators monetize their channels successfully.

SPOD is favored by all kinds of entrepreneurs and creators. With SPOD, you have more control over the prices and marketing of your shop. While you don’t have access to promotional offers, you can decide when you want to do FREE shipping and mark up the price on your products so it doesn’t cut into your payout.

– You control features like pricing and shipping.

– You own data regarding your customers and can see specific insights.

– Sell products in addition to your SPOD merch in your e-commerce store – e.g. a coffee shop that also sells specialty coffees, barista classes or accessories.

Specific Capabilities

Spreadshop is a platform that lets you design and market your products yourself, while we take care of everything else like customer service, shipping and returns, production, etc. Plus, Spreadshop is always free for you to use.

SPOD takes care of things on the production and shipping side with those costs being charged to merchants. SPOD merchants, however, are in the drivers seat when it comes to customer data, taxes, prices, margin, and more. These functions are set by the merchant, rather than being directly handled by SPOD.

When someone buys your merch, merchants are charged for the product, print and shipping. But when that customer gets their order, they’ll never know it was sent from SPOD thanks to white-label packaging, unlike with Spreadshop. SPOD gives merchants more control of their margin and how much money they can make, but it takes extra effort. With Spreadshop, there’s a base price for every product, and shop owners can set how much money they want to make with their prices

So, which one is right for you? If you’re looking for a platform that allows you to start selling without any additional steps, Spreadshop is a great option. But if you’re comfortable managing your own brand on your own and want to control more of the process, SPOD could be a better fit.

Whichever route you choose, you’ll be able to create some amazing custom products. Start selling your print on-demand merch with Spreadshop or SPOD!

How to Get 1,000 Subscribers on YouTube

It’s a goal among many YouTube creators to attract more subscribers. But there’s a certain number that stands out.

When creators reach 1,000 subscribers on YouTube, it unlocks a lot of opportunities. It’s not only an indicator of a dedicated following, but an opportunity to start monetizing and growing their channel.

They can finally join the YouTube Partner Program and make money from their content with ads. Or sell products like merch using YouTube Product Shelf. Here are some ways creators can make better content, attract more viewers, and reach that goal without getting burnt out.

Be Reasonable

Remember, be reasonable with yourself when setting your goals. 1,000 subscribers might seem like a lot, but it’s actually not that bad when you break it down into smaller goals.

For example, if you want to get 100 subscribers by the end of November or 250 in the new year, that’s much more manageable. Plus, it’ll be more fun when you achieve these mini goals along the way.

Include keywords like “YouTube” and “subscribers” in your content to help people find your channel more easily. And most importantly, don’t give up! With a little consistency and dedication, you’ll reach your subscriber goals in no time.

Use That Button

The YouTube subscribe button is a great way to increase your subscribers. You can create your own button or download a graphic you find online.

How to add a Subscribe Button:

– Go into YouTube Studio.

– Click Customization in the left hand menu.

– Select the Branding tab.

– Find the Video Watermark section.

– Upload your graphic and choose the time during the video you want the button to appear.

– Finally, hit publish!

Identify Key Content

DID YOU KNOW: If you have over 30 videos on your channel, you can see which videos brought in the most subscribers? You can track this in the YouTube Analytics page of your YouTube Studio. It’s incredibly helpful to see what content is resonating with people and bringing in subscribers.

This also makes it much easier when you’re coming up with a content plan for your channel. You don’t have to waste time trying out a bunch of different video ideas when you know what’s the most successful. Identify the titles and keywords that are successful for your channel. The numbers don’t lie!

Expand Your Audience

If you’re looking to grow your YouTube channel, consider collaborating with other YouTubers who share your interests. This can be a great way to expose yourself to new audiences and come up with fresh video ideas.

To find potential collaborators, start by searching for popular keywords related to your niche. Then reach out to creators who seem like a good fit and see if they’re interested in working together.

By collaborating with others, you can not only get more subscribers but also have more fun creating content that you’re passionate about. So don’t go it alone – there are plenty of other YouTubers out there who would love to team up with you!

Always Have New Videos

It’s easier to get subscribers than it is to be consistent with uploading new videos onto YouTube. The YouTube algorithm is less likely to boost your channel and content to other YouTubers when you haven’t posted in a video in a month or even two weeks. People will find another creator that can satisfy their viewing needs and feed the content machine.

That doesn’t mean you have to go overkill with the videos, though. Find a schedule that works for you. Once a week is a good model to follow. Make it easier on yourself when you plan ahead. We have some tips on that:

– Make sure your videos are high quality and offer value to viewers.

– Don’t post too frequently or infrequently – find a happy medium that works for you.

– Be consistent with your posting schedule.

– Have a content plan to make things easier on yourself.

– Use keywords and tags to help YouTube’s algorithm boost your content.

– Interact with other YouTubers and viewers in your niche to grow your audience.

We know growing your channel is hard work, and we hope these tips help that subscriber count grow in time. When you do reach that 1,000 subscribers benchmark, merch is a fun and easy way to monetize your channel.

Start selling your own merch for FREE with Spreadshop!