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Making Merch Is Easier Than You Think

Making merch is easier than you think thanks to Spreadshop. Our platform is FREE and easy to use. You can start creating and selling merch in seconds (literally)!

We’re a print on-demand service, which means we print merch when there’s a demand for it, or when orders are placed. This means you don’t have to deal with shipping orders or storing boxes of merch that might not even sell. And we have hundreds of products to choose from.

Our platform is fully customizable and designed to help you grow your brand. Sharing to socials and connecting with your customers is integrated into your shop. Read on to see how easy it is to make merch with Spreadshop!

Sell in Seconds

Don’t worry, you don’t have to fill out a bunch of forms to open your shop. All you need is a shop name, email, and password. You can change your shop name at any time if your brand or aesthetic changes. Have more than one creative endeavor? You can open up to 10 shops with a single account. And that’s just one of our many unique features.

Link your Paypal account or opt for direct deposit to access money made from merch sales. We set a base price for our products, but you make whatever you set beyond that. This is handled in the backend of your shop, the storefront view is completely up to you.

Upload Designs Today

There’s no holding period, start uploading your designs on day one! Your designs can be in different files – JPG, PNG – and we provide recommended dimensions. The placement of designs is up to you. Place certain designs on the back of hoodies, or make them smaller for t-shirts.

If you’re having trouble coming up with designs, there are plenty of graphic design tools out there (FREE or pay-to-play). Canva is one of our favorites. They have plenty of templates and graphic elements to choose from. It’s also a great place to get inspiration. You can even set your brand colors.

We’ve Got Plenty of Products

At Spreadshop, we don’t have a shortage when it comes to product options. Think bigger than your basic tee, though we do appreciate a good graphic t-shirt. Sell hoodies, hats, buttons, even fanny packs! They’re back in style, you know.

Even though we have a lot of products to choose from, that doesn’t mean you need to have all of them in your shop. You can toggle products on or off as you please. This is ideal for different seasons. In the summer, consider putting the hoodies on the back burner and tees and water bottles up front.

Production is On Us

Fulfilling orders and shipping them can be a headache, especially when you’re doing it from your bedroom. We have warehouses across the globe that will handle all of that for you. When an order in your shop is placed, one of our warehouses will be notified and start fulfilling it for you. That’s where print on-demand comes in handy!

The Holidays are a particularly busy time for us, but we’re equipped to handle the hectic, seasonal bustle. We also offer promos every month to bring attention to your merch and boost sales. You just have to do a good job of promoting.

We’re Social

Connecting with followers on socials is crucial to creating a community around your merch, especially if you have a particular niche. You can toggle buttons on in your shop for different socials – Instagram, Twitter, Twitch, etc. – that hold direct links. This makes it easy for customers to find you on all platforms.

You should also have the link to your Spreadshop in all your profiles. Link in bio tools like Linktree are great for housing multiple links in a clean format.

Making merch on Spreadshop is easier than you think. Find out for yourself when you launch your shop today!

Unique Shop Features

Spreadshop has plenty of unique features that are exclusive to our platform. These features allow you to make the most out of your merch.

Did you know you could run multiple shops (up to 10!) under one account? Upload designs, manage your shop and collect payments from the same place. With our automated product creation, you can see what your designs look like on your merch before it goes live. Sizing and placement is up to you.

Spreadshop is a customizable platform. Express your personality and let your merch be an extension of that with different themes and product display options. Find out what sets us apart!

Make it Yours

Your Spreadshop start page is fully customizable. You can adjust the theme of your shop to change the overall vibe of your shop. Dedicate your start page to promoting your products, or create your own banner to grab attention. Consider featuring a newly launched design here. Even design a logo for your shop; this is going to help solidify your brand.

You can make changes to your shop layout at any time. Consider revamping your shop depending on the season. Now is the perfect time to do some spring cleaning. Put seasonal products like tanks, totes, and water bottles front and center. Update the About Me page on your site to house the most up-to-date information.

It’s easy to link to your socials with Spreadshop. We have icons for different platforms – Instagram, Twitter, Twitch, etc. – that live at the top and bottom of your start page. This makes it easy for people to find you and hear shop news first.

It’s Automatic

Knowing what your designs are going to look like on different products is key to creating a merch line you’re proud of. Spreadshop’s product auto creation automatically gives you product options when you upload a design. You can choose what products you want your designs on with this feature. Limit it to standard options like t-shirts and hoodies, or pick from products you might not have considered, like buttons and magnets.

With the automatic product creation, you can also adjust the placement and size of your designs, too. Certain designs might look better as graphics on the front of a t-shirt or as smaller designs in the corner of a hoodie, for example. This can also help you determine if your designs are merch-ready. Catch mistakes you might not have noticed beforehand and see what colors will work with the color options of our apparel line.

Multiple Shops Under the Same Roof

Your Spreadshop isn’t limited to just one shop. You can actually house up to 10 shops all under one account. This is ideal for people with different hobbies, business ventures, or organizations they might be involved with. Having these shops under one account makes it easy to track your earnings and access the backend of all your shops. You don’t need multiple usernames and passwords – it’s that simple. This is a particularly unique shop feature.

Even if you don’t feel like these features are beneficial for you right now, it’s great to have the option. Maybe down the line you’ll want to make merch for a new hobby of yours. Even use merch raise money for a fundraiser for your church. This way, you won’t have to create a whole new account.

Promotional Perks

Every month, Spreadshop has promotional offers shop owners can blast out to their followers. Promote discounts of various levels and special offers from time to time, like free shipping. These are great tactics to keep old and potential customers engaged in your shop. Everyone loves a good deal!

We have a lot of awesome promos rolling out this spring. Advertise these offers in the lead-up to their scheduled time slots. It’s nice to give your followers ample notice. If you want to encourage more sales, time these promos with new merch drops. It will feel fresh and sales are likely to spark more interest.

If you’re true to the message of your merch, it won’t feel like you’re being super sales pitchy with these promos. Be sly with your advertising and remind people at the end of social captions or in short-lived content like Instagram Stories.

These unique shop features set Spreadshop apart from other merch platforms. Start taking advantage of them today when you make your own merch!

Spring Clean Your Shop

Spring cleaning isn’t just for dirty garages and forgotten closets. Your Spreadshop could also use some dusting!

Your shop should be an ever-changing platform. You don’t want to get stuck with the same look and products forever. That’s why it’s important to make some tweaks to your site every now and then. Play with theme options, add new designs, try a different marketing strategy, etc.

Your customers will be more inclined to support you when you make this extra effort. But this doesn’t mean you’ll need to do a major overhaul of your shop. See how some small changes can have your shop looking as fresh as a daisy!

Out with the old, in with the new

Launching a new design is a fun way to refresh your shop. You don’t need to be a professional graphic designer, either. FREE tools like Canva have a bunch of text and graphic elements that will inspire you. Create a graphic in honor of the new season or add something you know your fans will love.

Ask for feedback on your socials and whatever channels you typically use: Twitch for streamers, Youtube for content creators. You want to drum up as much excitement as you can around a new design before it launches. And the more you involve your fans and followers, the more likely they are to buy your merch design when it launches.

With the addition of a new design, you also might want to consider retiring an old one. Maybe it just doesn’t fit your aesthetic anymore or wasn’t a big seller. Give it a proper sendoff by marking down the price and promoting it on socials one last time.

Hit the refresh button

While you’re adding new designs, it’s also important to put the seasonal products on display. This means having your tanks, t-shirts, water bottles, totes and more, front and center. These are the items people are going to be reaching for more as the weather changes. Beach and camping trips are just around the corner!

We’ve added some products since last spring that will be staples for this season. Our new fanny pack has a retro vibe but is perfectly on trend. This is a fun merch item that will attract eyeballs wherever you go. It will also look great styled in photos (more on that later).

Having these items up front shows potential customers that your Spreadshop is active. You don’t want it to look like something you set up months ago and haven’t touched since. This is essential spring cleaning right here.

Shake up your strategy

Your strategy doesn’t need to be as complicated as this graphic is making it, we promise! A marketing strategy is basically just how you go about marketing and promoting your shop. If you don’t have one, now’s the time!

Think about where your customers spend most of their time. Go to those channels and create conversations. If you already have similar interests, it’s going to be easier to market your merch. You can speak in a personal tone. Beyond what you do on your own, you should also take advantage of offers from Spreadshop!

We have promos running nearly every week this spring. Everyone loves a discount or deal, so use these as an incentive to get people to purchase. Pro tip: cross-promote these promos with the launch of new merch to draw more attention! Your socials will be a valuable asset to your shop if you have a marketing strategy in place this spring.

Time for a revamp

The landing page of your Spreadshop has a real impact on your merch sales. You want it to be inviting, clean and easy to navigate. This boils down to different design choices and the vibe you want to create with your shop.

If your shop doesn’t have a logo or flashy promo images, let your products do the talking. Have your landing page be a simple banner with product options available to browse (make sure they’re seasonally appropriate). Feature your newly launched designs here, too. That way, customers won’t be clicking on other sections. It will already be there for them to view and shop.

Maybe things have changed for your shop in the past few months. You have a new message, a new passion. If it’s not there already, toggle on the About Me feature in your shop settings. Create an updated bio that lets people know who you are and why you have merch in the first place. People want to connect with you and your merch, so give them a reason.

Share your merch on socials

We’re not saying you need to be a professional model or anything, but it’s important to rock your merch here and there. It will feel more tangible to people if they see you take a selfie wearing one of your t-shirts. This shows you are giving your seal of approval.

If you really don’t want to be in front of the camera, recruit family/friends to model for you. The photos should have a natural and relaxed vibe. You don’t want them to look too posey. These shots will be great to reuse on socials in different formats: Instagram stories, static posts, boosted ads. If you get a few you’re extra happy with, consider putting them in your Spreadshop. Use one as a banner, put some on your About Me page.

Photos with people in them traditionally get better engagement on socials than text or graphic-based posts. You’re bringing your merch into the real world instead of having it live exclusively online. Likes and sales are sure to follow with these of posts.

We hope these tips got you ready to spring clean your shop!

Looking for merch? Open your own Spreadshop right now.

Spreadshop Supports Digital Artists

Spreadshop is an advocate for digital artists in all spaces. We’re aware that there’s been a backlash concerning merch from shop owners in the crypto and NFT communities. Here at Spreadshop, we want to make our mission clear: we support digital arts in their creative endeavors.

Merch is made for people to express themselves. Sharing your passion is what our platform is made for. As long as it’s not hurting anyone, there’s plenty of room for different niche interests.

At Spreadshop, we want to see people grow their brand and create their own community. And the crypto and NFT communities are growing places for digital artists. Merch is a logical step to connect with a fanbase, and we’re here to help make that happen.

Build a brand with Spreadshop

We don’t associate ourselves with blockchain technology. We occupy the print on-demand space which makes the merch production process a breeze for the typical shop owner. You upload designs and plan a social strategy/promotion for your shop. We handle the rest: printing, packaging and shipping.

Spreadshop doesn’t participate in the sale of NFTs, either. If an NFT artist wants to upload their artwork onto products and sell them, that’s where we come in. Having a piece of art you created on merch is a big deal. You’re giving new life to something and creating conversations in the process. Your digital art portfolio just became your own personal merch brand!

The Snowmen of Knoff is a prime example of that. Their whimsical designs look great on products people can use in their everyday lives: caps, tees, mugs and more. Someone who has no experience with NFTs will just think they’re really cute designs. Merch is for everybody, not just people who are familiar with your niche.

Save with Spreadshop

Since Crypto and NFTs are such hot topics right now, it can be tempting to invest all your resources into them. It’s important to hold back in some areas. That saying “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” is corny, but true. Opening a Spreadshop is a low-cost risk. It’s FREE and easy to use. And you won’t be stuck with boxes of t-shirts if things don’t work out.

It’s important to be true to your art at the end of the day. Avoid scammy websites or platforms that claim to promote your art and make promises they can’t keep. We don’t ask for personal information and all sales are legit. You can feel confident about promoting your shop to your followers.

Before you get too far into the crypto and NFT game, see how merch with your art on it does. If certain designs perform better than others, make similar designs available. Find what attracts an audience and run with it in a way that still feels authentic to your brand.

Spreadshop sticks to the facts

One of the first things we hear is: “NFTs hurt the environment.” People like to talk about how much electricity it takes to mint a digital file. Meanwhile, millions of ATM machines are running non-stop and using so much energy. Does that mean you’ll stop using cash?

We’re mindful that with any new market disruption there is propaganda that comes from both sides. Anyone remember NAPSTER? Corporations and gatekeepers do not want the control in the hands of the artists. Some of the same arguments against NFTs are used when it comes to free music online, but it’s become commonplace to have Spotify or Apple Music.

We’re not experts. For now, until the facts are very clear and scientifically studied, we choose to support digital artists within our own community standards.

Do you have facts for or against NFTs? Please share them with us in the comments below!

Celebrating Women’s History Month

Spreadshop is celebrating Women’s History Month by spotlighting women-owned shops. Everyday, we see a diverse range of women opening up shops and launching brands that relate to their personal mission.

Merch gives women the opportunity to tell their story. It’s a way to connect with others who have similar passions and interests. Your Spreadshop is whatever you want it to be, and these four women have proven that to be true.

Rainelle Jones

We’re proud to call Rainelle a Spreadshop athlete. The University of Maryland volleyball player is a powerhouse on the court and is sending a powerful message with her merch, too. Her decision to kneel in solidarity with those affected by racial injustice is being amplified.

“Fighting for what you believe in is bigger than us,” says Rainelle.

NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) has created opportunities for Rainelle and other college athletes to brand themselves and earn money. Rainelle is using her platform, like so many others, to create change. She has an influence on her team, her school, her community. And she’s using it for good.

Sicily Rose

Sicily Rose is a triple threat: actress, singer and dancer. At 15, she has amassed over 560,000 followers on TikTok and 650,000 followers on Instagram. Sicily has formed a bond with her followers, and her merch helps strengthen that connection.

Sicily’s shop feels fun and fresh. Phrases like “I’m good by myself” and “I’m good, babe” emphasize her independent spirit. She’s doing good all by herself and isn’t looking to anyone for approval.

She’s also a model and often wears her hoodies and t-shirts in her social posts. Channel some of that energy when you buy merch from Sicily’s shop!

Nena Shelby

Nena Shelby is another young woman who’s blazing her own path and building a brand. Her Youtube channel features guitar tutorials that have generated thousands of views. She’s empowering young women from all over to pick up a guitar and speak their truth.

Nena emphasizes on her channel that skill level and how long you’ve played guitar aren’t as important. What matters is that you speak to your soul through your playing. Nena’s merch is simple and super cute. She even uses one of her own guitars in her designs.

Whether you’ve been playing guitar for years or have just started, Nena’s channel (and merch!) are there to help motivate you.

Monique Empath

Monique has carved out a unique niche with her merch. She is a psychic medium that gives people insight into their lives and future. She doesn’t predict anything, rather read energy. She provides her clients with insight about concerns and questions so they can determine the best solution for themselves.

She is really a transmitter for all of this energy and information, which makes her merch so spot-on. A symbol of a person, arms outstretched with a signal over their head represents the openness you have to lead with in her sessions, and in life. Monique wants to see her clients succeed, that’s why she does what she does.

We’re so inspired by all these women. They are all unique and have their own passions that are taken to the next level thanks to their shops.

Want to make your own merch? Launch a Spreadshop today!