How to Plan and Execute a Successful Merch Drop

A successful merch drop is not only dependent on you being authentic to your brand - it’s about knowing how to market to your audience.

Time your drops so they have the most impact in terms of engagement and sales, making quality designs to meet the moment, posting authentically on socials -

Spreadshop makes it simple to design and sell custom apparel. No fees, inventory or order processing needed - we print and ship everything for you.

That means you can focus more on planning your merch designs and organizing promotional material.

Here are 4 easy things you you need to do to have a successful merch drop.

DO: Use Tools to Make Quality Designs

If you want to have a successful merch drop, you need to make sure your designs are top-notch.

But don’t worry – you don’t have to be a professional graphic designer to create amazing designs. There are plenty of tools out there, like Canva and Pixlr, that make it easy to create quality designs in minutes.

Streamline the design process with pre-made templates, customizable graphics and endless font options.

Design tools like Canva even have a brand kit that allows you to save colors, fonts and logos. You can create new designs and optimize existing designs.

When you’re creating your designs, it’s important to always have your audience in mind. Pick colors and graphics that resonate with them. Involve followers in the design process by asking them to vote on designs and pick their favorites. That way, once your drop their merch, they’ll already be invested.

Looking for more design tools to make your merch?

Check out our full breakdown of the top 10 design tools. We highlight unique features, experience level and pros/cons.

DO: Promote Your Merch With Lifestyle Photos

Now that you have your merch designs ready to go, it’s time to start the promotional process of your merch drop!

One great way to do this is by taking professional-looking photos of you and your friends wearing your merch. This will help show potential customers how great your merch looks in real life.

Everyone has a great looking camera in their back pocket these days, so there’s no excuse not to take advantage of it! And you don’t need to overcomplicate things either – the photo above from a shop owner shows that you can keep things simple and still get great results.

If you want to go the extra mile, you could even create a theme for your photoshoot. This can help make your merch stand out even more. Whatever you do, make sure to have fun with it! Promoting your merch should be enjoyable.

The best way to promote merch? Order samples.

How to Order Samples:

1. Login to your Spreadshop: Select your shop name and click the “Order Product Samples” button in your shop preview.

2. Add items to cart: Add your desired promotional products - hoodies, t-shirts, stickers, whatever to your cart.

3. Place your order: Buy your samples at base price.

DO: Implement a 3-Step Strategy

You can’t expect your merch drop to be a success if you don’t put the work in. It’s important to have some kind of strategy, but it doesn’t have to involve a lot of moving parts.

You’ve got to make the proper moves to get people intrigued. And this require a lot of effort on your part, but it helps when you have a plan.

Curating a successful merch drop can be a fun and easy way to get your fans involved with your brand. Here are a few tips:

1. Tease out your merch drop with sneak peeks. Utilize the countdown feature on your Instagram stories or post about it on your other social media channels.

2. Post lifestyle photos or engaging shots of your products. Remind people of when the drop will be in the comments and ask them to sign up for alerts.

3. Want to generate even more interest? Run a giveaway leading up to your merch drop. This will increase engagement on your channels and make it feel more like an “event”.

DO: Find Your Niche, Build a Brand

Building a brand is easier than you might think.

Find your logo/brand imagery, identify what you want to say that’s going to make an impact. Incorporate these colors and styles not only in your merch, but in your social content when you promote your merch drop!

Like Plants with Krystal does. They know their niche and reflect it with their designs and when they’re sharing to socials.

When promoting your merch drop, stay true to your brand and incorporate your colors and style into your social media content. This will help create a cohesive and impactful merch experience for your followers and customers. Shoutout to Plants with Krystal for being the best!

Now that you know how to have a successful merch drop, it’s time to design, sell and optimize your products.  Launch your free Spreadshop today!