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What NIL is and How it Relates to Merch

NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) is a burgeoning market for college athletes and relates to merch in more ways than one. Merch not only has the power to earn athletes money, but help set them up for future success.

Having control of your name, image and likeness is a powerful thing. College athletes have been shut out of these rights for too long. Legislation has only recently started to turn the tide in favor of college athletes.

NIL rights allow athletes to express themselves, build a brand and make a profit. College athletes are now considered a singular voice with the ability to make decisions in THEIR best interest.

Learn how Spreadshop is empowering athletes to take control of their image while saying something worthwhile!

What is NIL?

NIL gives college athletes the chance to take advantage of professional athlete opportunities. They weren’t able to endorse products or accept sponsorship deals before. Newly passed legislation will finally allow college athletes the right to earn compensation and brand themselves like the pros do.

With NIL rights, athletes decide how they want to market themselves. The college no longer holds all the cards and can stifle their voice. It’s up to these college athletes to rep what they’re passionate about.

Owning your name, image and likeness is crucial for a professional or would-be professional athlete. But what does that mean? How do you own yourself?

NIL allows students to step in the spotlight. A student athlete doing commercials for a chain restaurant, a student athlete wearing a brand’s clothing on Instagram in a sponsored post, a student athlete creating their own merch and selling it to their fans. These are all the things a student athlete can do that relate to their name and image.

NIL allows athletes to express themselves and earn some money, but at the end of the day, it’s about building a brand. The deals these athletes now can impact their professional standing for years to come. And they don’t even have to still be playing sports.

College Students Can Build Their Brand Now

What if there was a more personal and direct way for athletes to grow their brand? That’s where print on-demand merch comes in. Athletes can earn a percentage of the profits when they launch their own fashion brand through e-commerce merch sites.

Spreadshop is leading the way in the print on-demand space through official partnerships with NoCapSports and Fanword. These partnerships aim to educate student athletes and guide them as they launch merch for the first time.

Merch development is a fun and creative process, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be profitable. When you market it that right way, merch is an essential brand builder. Spreadshop is a free and easy option that creators, businesses and now athletes can use to develop their merch line. It’s valuable in helping fans new and old alike understand who you are and what you stand for.

Your brand is how people will come to identify you. The increase in NIL opportunities has signaled an emphasis on branding to build a career. College athletes no longer have to hide behind the symbols of their college – they can create their own.

Merch sets college athletes up for life-changing and money-making opportunities.

How College Athletes Are Making Money With Merch

Restaurant and car dealership deals are standard for locally renowned athletes, and are a natural entry point. But sometimes athletes just need to have complete ownership of their name. They need to be the one making the decisions.

Merch allows college athletes to market directly to their fans and create a close bond with them. It’s an engaging and interactive process that makes both parties feel represented. NIL rights allow college athletes the chance to build a merch brand. A merch brand gives athletes power and professional backing. That might sound like a lofty thing, but it means a lot in an industry associated with uncertainty and instability.

Less than 2% of college football players will go pro, so what are the options for those that don’t? NIL relates to merch in that it puts a plan in place for an athletes’ future while they’re still in school. They’ll learn how to market themselves and figure out what they have to offer, whether that’s in sports or not.

Merch is more than just promoting an athlete and their brand, though. It also helps to raise awareness of important issues.

More Than Just an Athlete

Tre Tipton has been through a lot on and off the football field. The Pitt athlete has endured depression, suicidal thoughts and serious injuries. But the love of the game helped pull him through and reignited a new purpose for him.

Tipton founded L.O.V.E. (Living Out Victoriously Everyday), a program that helps “empower, provide hope and build a community for collegiate student-athletes who are dealing with mental, emotional, and physical struggles.” Tipton wants to help other people dealing with similar experiences and break down the stigma behind mental health, especially in sports. His newly launched merch line is a great way to raise awareness.

“Adversity is a comma in the sentence of life, not a period.”

This is just one of the inspiring quotes you can find on Tipton’s merch. He’s more than just an athlete: he’s a motivator and mentor. His merch is more than just growing HIS brand. It’s about creating a community and letting other athletes know they’re not alone in their struggles.

NIL just doesn’t relate to merch in a business sense, but in a deeply personal sense, too. It has the power to boost an athlete’s brand and confidence, and create meaningful conversations.

Open your Spreadshop today to start putting your voice above the noise on the field!

Meet SPOD: A Spread Group Brand

Meet SPOD, a Spread Group brand that allows access to our network of fulfillment facilities by integrating with external shop systems.

What is SPOD?

SPOD stands for “Spreadshirt Print on Demand.” Like Spreadshop, SPOD is a Spread Group brand. Using the SPOD, you can sell your own customized products on Shopify, WooCommerce and other e-commerce platforms and benefit from the usual service and the print-on-demand expertise of Spreadshirt for your online store.

With SPOD, you as a merchant have full control over your prices, returns and communication with your customers. As soon as someone orders something from you, SPOD takes over your order fulfillment and shipping. When it comes to relating to your customers, you, your store and your brand are in the spotlight. And if you need help, SPOD support will be there to back you up.

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, eBay and Idealo. You can relax and focus on your online business while SPOD takes care of the fulfillment for you, including production and shipping.

Is SPOD for you? Give it a try and find out!

Register with Shopify (14 days free trial)
Install the free SPOD app and add your products
Done!

What are you waiting for? Download the free SPOD App now and start your business today.

SPOD vs. Spreadshop

When you run your own shop with Spreadshop, you design and market your products yourself. We take care of everything else: Customer service, shipping and returns, support, store templates and production. Spreadshop is always free for you.

SPOD merchants run their store on Shopify and are responsible for their own customers and sales channels. For example, they set the shipping method and cost, choose printing methods and much more. There are no discount promotions for SPOD merchants like there are for Spreadshop. For every order that comes through your Shopify store, merchants pay a fee to SPOD and Shopify.

Despite the differences between SPOD and Spreadshop, there are also some similarities. On both platforms you set your own customer prices and can unlock our Design Tool for your customers. Furthermore, you are always responsible for the success of your store, regardless of whether you sell through Spreadshop or SPOD. Your mission is to bring traffic to your store with targeted marketing or promotions.

How SPOD can help you build your own business

Here are some of the advantages of using SPOD to build your brand:

You have full control over your retail prices and shipping costs (you can also offer free shipping).
You control your marketing, customer service and more.
You have free access to your customer data.
You can sell print-on-demand products exclusively or offer other products in addition to your SPOD products in your Shopify store – e.g. a coffee shop that also sells specialty coffees, barista classes or accessories.

SPOD Europe vs. SPOD United States

Depending on where you want to sell your products, you can select Europe or the USA as production location in the SPOD app. If most of your customers live in the USA, set up the SPOD app for North America. Not only will we be able to deliver to them faster and in a shorter, more environmentally-friendly way, but we’ll also be able to offer a range of products tailored specifically to your region. If you want to sell in both regions, simply create two accounts and sell in Europe and the USA (including Canada and Australia) at the same time.

Your business, your way!

SPOD is the most flexible way for you to run an online store selling print-on-demand products. Simply integrate the SPOD app into your Shopify store or other e-commerce platforms. For a full list of marketplaces and shop systems that integrate with SPOD, see here. Design your own products and take the relationship you build with your customers into your own hands.

Whether SPOD or Spreadshop is the better print-on-demand provider for you depends on your goals. You can also sell through SPOD and Spreadshop at the same time or use them to complement one another.

Do you have questions about SPOD? Leave us a comment or ask us directly on Facebook.

The Rise of Micro-Entrepreneurs

The rise of micro-entrepreneurs has helped shift the focus from big media to individual creators as a source of trust. Big media doesn’t have a monopoly on valuable information anymore. There’s so many voices worth listening to now.

The creator economy is a network of millions of independent creators that work in the social media and content space. Their goal: empower fellow creators and help them realize their passion.

Spreadshop Brand Ambassadors like Roberto Blake embody this message. Blake has made a career out of helping creators and influencers build their brands. Creating a merch line, getting brand deals and ways to gain subscribers are just a few of his insights. His content is more personal and engaging than what a large marketing corporation could put out.

The rise of micro-entrepreneurs empowers people to take ownership of their voice. Anyone can build a brand with the right tools.

Be Your Own Boss

A great attraction to being a micro-entrepreneur: you don’t have to answer to anyone. There’s no deadlines or requests from upper management that need to be satisfied. You set your schedule and decide the type of content you want to put out there.

Micro-entrepreneurs exist across every area of the digital space. Youtube, Instagram and TikTok are burgeoning platforms for creators and influencers who want to make their mark. Full-time content creator Daniel Batal is an OG Youtuber with boss-level status.

“I like the idea of owning my future,” Batal says.

Youtube gives Batal a platform to connect creators with the resources they need to succeed. And he owns all the content. A large media corporation can’t control the rights and use it to their advantage for years to come.

Being a micro-entrepreneur, you don’t have to punch in or out like you do at a nine-to-five job. Putting out creative and engaging content has got to be the motivator though, not views. Finding a niche that suits you sets you apart and gives you direction.

Own Your Niche

With so many people vying to become micro-entrepreneurs and full-time creators, it’s creating a crowded content market. Having a niche helps you stand out.

At Spreadshop, we come across unique niches everyday. If there’s a hole in the market, that gives you the opportunity to step and be the solution. Large media corporations and big businesses spread themselves thin trying to cover anything and everything. As small-time creators, micro-entrepreneurs have the power to devote themselves to one topic.

Tom aka Clueless Bushcraft has carved out his own niche on TikTok. The bushcraft lifestyle requires one to have knowledge of the natural environment and how to survive. But Tom’s a newbie to the lifestyle and his name makes sense. He’s experiencing everything with his audience for the first time!

“I’m just a normal guy learning all these new things and I’m just sharing it with the world – you guys can be Clueless Bushcraft.”

Tom also incorporates his merch into the occasional TikTok video in a way that remains true to his niche. He isn’t showy about anything – he makes it feel natural. Tom knows his brand and how to best market it.

Brand Yourself Better

You’ve likely heard about how important it is to have a recognizable brand. But what does that necessarily mean?

Your “brand” is how people come to identify you. The rise of micro-entrepreneurs has signaled an emphasis on branding to build a career. Creators no longer have to hide behind the symbols of a company – they create their own. Merch is the best way to get your name out there and start building your brand.

Spreadshop is a free and easy option that creators can use to develop their merch line. It’s valuable in helping longtime and new followers understand who you are. Micro-entrepreneur himself Brian G. Johnson knows a thing or two about that.

“What’s your message to the viewers that land on your channel,” Johnson asks.

Your merch is going to be tied to how people perceive you so you want to make sure it’s effective. Brian’s merch reinforces his brand by incorporating catchphrases he uses in his videos. These phrases are key to what he does with his channel: helping his followers create something awesome.

Your identity as a micro-entrepreneur doesn’t just live on the internet. With merch, you can carry that into the real world and into peoples’ lives. Merch is just one of the ways to foster a community environment.

Make Those Connections

Whether you’re talking about brand deals or partnerships with fellow creators, it’s true that micro-entrepreneurs can’t go it alone. Your content won’t benefit from living on an island and not interacting with anyone. Making connections with those in your community is going to show how much you care.

The best way to do that is to market anything associated with your brand – content, giveaways, merch – across socials. People live on multiple platforms today: TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. And you need to go THEM.

The rise of micro-entrepreneurs has created competition between individual creators trying to get their name out there. You need to create effective and engaging content tailored for each platform. But sometimes even that’s not enough.

“People who choose to advertise on these platforms have a larger audience than those who try an organic approach.”

Instagram shop ads and Facebook features are essential components micro-entrepreneurs should be taking advantage of. Free and paid ad options are going to help you get your name out there. You’ll get better at marketing yourself.

Earn Money

The creator economy may be about making worthwhile content, but it’s also about setting yourself up for financial success. Making money with your brand can be done in virtual and in-person spaces with extra effort.

Cross promote merch by creating engaging content across social platforms like Youtube, Twitch and Instagram. Make connections locally at events that showcase small businesses and sellers. Leverage your merch seasonally.

Your merch line will be an opportunity for people to connect with you and create that initial conversation. The rise of micro-entrepreneurs has put more money in the hands of creators. There’s no limits on the endeavors you can take on to boost your brand.

Large media corporations designate what projects their employees work on and cap their salary. Creators have taken the reins and can decide how much work they want to put in. What they get out of it is up to them.

Using Spreadshop to sell merch is the most efficient option for creators. You won’t feel burdened by the hassle of inventory or dealing with the production side of things. We handle everything on the backend. This forgoes unnecessary headaches and keeps creators and customers satisfied.

The rise of micro-entrepreneurs is changing the way we consume content and creating career options. The creator economy is a growing market with plenty of room to grow.

Open your Spreadshop today and start building towards your career goals!

Get Spooky With Spreadshop!

Get spooky with Spreadshop by adding Halloween-themed designs to your shop! Now’s the time to create designs that will attract ghouls and ghosts alike and reinvigorate interest in your brand.

We love to see how shop owners interpret all things spooky season. Maybe your interests already live in that territory, like Undead Storyteller. They narrate horror stories on Youtube. And there’s plenty of material to work with there.

Or you have a specific niche like Queer Deer. They specialize in cute, queer designs. Putting a pastel twist on spooky creatures is a fun shake up for their shop.

Spooky season gives shop owners the opportunity to do something new while still staying true to themselves. You’ll attract people interested in all things Halloween and create better engagement with your current audience.

We hope seeing these shop owners embrace all things spooky inspires you to do the same!

Bake It Out Witch

Bake It Out Witch is a one-woman (or one-witch, we should say) show run by Payton Stantis. Payton is a boutique baker from Biringham, Alabama who concocts delicious and spooky creations.

She claims her “witchcraft” is just combining the right ingredients, but her appropriately designed logo suggests otherwise. A pastel hair-colored witch winking and wielding a whisk is perfectly on brand for her.

Surrounded by sweets, the design has a spooky spin that sets Payton apart in the baking and merch world. And once you see the goodies she bakes, you’ll be all in! These bat-shaped pumpkin nutella cookies are a stand out that’s got us salivating.

In order get spooky with Spreadshop, you don’t need to be limited to exclusive designs. Payton’s witch design is her logo and a brand identifier with a spooky touch that works for every month!

Mad Crue

Sure, tattoos look cool inked on skin, but they look just as cool on merch. Mad Crue make tattoo inspired streetwear and offer designs for whatever art style you’re into. And that now includes all things Halloween.

Get spooky with Spreadshop in classic tees and more that celebrate the season. Mad Crue are offering “Trick or Treat” and “Happy Halloween” designs that will never go out of style.

Sometimes those classic options are the go-to when it comes to merch. These are the items people will wear year after year, and continue to reach for when spooky season comes around. How can you interpret those elements in your shop? Think about how that works with your niche and what Halloween iconography you want to use: ghosts, pumpkins, etc.

Mad Crue could have interpreted spooky season in a modern tattoo style, but these designs speak to all demographics. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you can still get spooky with Spreadshop. And feel cool in some streetwear inspired merch.

Queer Deer

When you have a niche as specific as Queer Deer, you become synonymous with that style or theme. You can spot their super cute queer-themed designs from a mile away. They use animal characters and other art that allows people to express their identifies.

They’ve put a spooky spin on their merch and even dedicated a section of their site to Halloween designs. And the new designs are on par with everything else in their shop!

For those that identify as trans, their “Greetings From Transylvania” merch is a top-notch spooky reference. A cat wearing fake fangs, a cape and a trans-colored bowtie is everything we didn’t know we needed.

Queer Deer also has another fun, feline design. This “Bisexual Cat Witch” stirring a bi-colored cauldron is cute and classic. It’s the kind of merch you could wear all year, too. It’s not in-your-face about how spooky it is.

Queer Deer were able to naturally integrate their spooky themed merch with their normal offerings with Spreadshop. If you stick within your style and just add in those classic Halloween elements, you can’t go wrong!

Undead Storyteller

Undead Storyteller have a niche that’s built for Halloween. Their Youtube channel embraces terror with narrated horror stories for whatever mood you’re in.

Listen to ghost stories that will send you off to dream land, or stories fit for fireside. They have hours and hours of content to satisfy your spooky cravings. Their merch also fulfills that requirement.

The “Stay Weird” design isn’t an overtly obvious horror reference, but it does suggest spooky things at play. A hand guiding the order of the planets and controlling the galaxy is pretty scary stuff. The tone also changes based on the color of merch you choose.

The “Embrace the Terror” design uses one of their tag lines. A creepy hand rising up out of the grave is the epitome of spooky season.

Undead Storyteller know their niche and lean into it. It might as well be Halloween everyday as for as they’re concerned.

As you can see, there’s no right or wrong way to get spooky with Spreadshop. You can interpret Halloween into your merch line without comprising your vision. It’s in your hands, be they ghost or human.

Get spooky with Spreadshop when you launch your shop today!

Metadata Made Easy

Metadata plays a crucial role in your sales success. After all, you can only sell your designs if people can find them. With the right metadata, you can ensure that your designs are searchable on Google and, of course, within your Shop. To make effective metadata as easy as possible for you, we’ve optimized metadata page to better support you.

Optimized page structure

The most obvious optimization we’ve made is to the user interface of the metadata page itself. It’s now cleaner and helps you fill in the metadata fields as well as possible, featuring new and more advanced explanations.

New features

If you need a refresher on why metadata is so important for your sales success, check out this blog post. Our top tip: metadata should be as unique and as specific as possible. To describe your designs precisely, you may need to look at them again in more detail. Now you can do that directly on the metadata page. Simply hover your mouse over the design and use the magnifying glass to zoom in on it. The moon icon next to the magnifying glass will allow you to change the design background from dark to light. Contrast is important here: if you have a light design, it will look best on a dark background and vice versa.

New translation feature for international sales

If your designs are suitable for international target groups, you can now manage your metadata translations even easier thanks to our new translation feature. Simply activate the option “Automatically translate all languages” and we will translate all metadata for you automatically – free of charge and without any extra effort from you.

If you speak a certain language particularly well, you can adapt the metadata in this language yourself. Just choose the language and correct the translations manually.

Please note: For new designs, it can sometimes take several days until the automatic translation is complete in all languages. Also, you should only adjust the automatic translations if you have a good command of the target language. This is because, as already mentioned, designs will only be found and purchased if the metadata really fits to the design.