Ever created a store with products only to … not sell anything?
This is a post specifically for new or beginning Print on Demand sellers.
Getting started with POD can be particularly challenging. I’ve been there too:
- I created an Etsy shop
- I spent time doing research (via e.g. Everbee.io)
- I spent time designing products (via e.g. Canva any design tool)
- I spent time creating mock-ups (via e.g. Placeit.net)
- I uploaded products to my store via a Production Partner (e.g. Awkward Styles, Printful or Printify)
FYI recently I discovered a new tool (MyDesigns.io) that can ALL OF THE ABOVE in a matter of MINUTES — I wrote about it here:
I Published 52 listings to Etsy in 10 Mins with this AMAZING Tool! – michielschuer.com
Anyway…
Imagine you did all the steps I wrote above. You spent a lot of time and now your store is finally ready.
But what now?
Nobody is buying.
You got some views, cool. And maybe some fake messages on Etsy (yes, there are a lot!) — But still… nobody is buying. ZERO SALES.
So, what can we do?
Here are some tips!
1. Ask Friends and Family
Recently, a friend of mine started a new e-commerce store on a platform here in Belgium/Netherlands (called bol.com).
The way to get ranked high on this platform is basically the same as it is on every platform:
- Amount of sales
- Amount of “good” reviews
- Amount of views, comments interactions etc.
So what I did to help my friend was — I bought the products from his store, and he refunded me afterwards.
Because of this:
- His brand new store got sales
- I was able to provide him with good reviews
And believe it or not, this actually helped! The days after, he got 3 more sales! And it continued to increase.
Today, he sells for around $10k-$15k per month!
2. Make your store looks pretty (and mobile friendly)
This one may seem obvious, but SO many people fail at this step.
They think “ah, the store doesn’t matter. As long as the products look good, it’s fine!”.
That’s partially true.
In a world where mobile devices rule the web, having a clean and mobile-friendly design is SUPER important.
If your website doesn’t load well on smartphones — especially during check-out, you WILL lose potential sales.
3. Start a Blog
I’m ‘guilty’ of this 🙂
I’ve created some digital (and physical) products, and sometimes I write about them in my blog.
It’s a bit of a way to promote them, but also because I’ve put a lot of time & effort in creating them, and I’m proud of it and I love to share my efforts with people.
The products I create are useful for me, so I suppose they could be useful for other people too 🙂
Some examples of products I’ve created are:
- A income & expense finance tracker for Microsoft Excel (I’ve just updated it for 2024)
- A daily routine planner notebook & habit tracker
As a POD seller, you could also use your blog to promote your products!
4. Optimize Your Site for Search Engines
SEO is super-duper extremely important.
What’s the point in putting in all that effort, if nobody will find your work?
So, make sure to get your website & products noticed by search engines with the magic of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Think carefully about the keywords your audience uses when searching for products like yours. Use ChatGPT (or if you’re using MyDesigns, you can use their new tool “Vision AI”, works sooooo good)!
Finally, on the topic of SEO: write titles and descriptions that tell search engines what your page is all about.
5. Sell Through Multiple Sales Channels
Just like with investing: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Upload your designs on multiple platforms. Some possibilities are:
Redbubble, Teepublic (although I use these ones less since recently), Shopify, Etsy, Walmart, eBay, Amazon, Amazon Merch, TikTok…
So, explore multiple sales channels, including marketplaces, social media, and comparison shopping sites.
Make sure to target the right audience for each channel, as different platforms attract different customer types.
6. Collaborate With Influencers
If you have a blog or social media platforms, it could be really beneficial to collaborate with influencers.
Normally, influencers ask a lot of money for promotions, but maybe you can consider for example interviewing them for your blog, YouTube or Podcast.
If you have a good story, product, or original idea, I’m sure you’ll be able to work something out that could be beneficial for both of you.
On the other hand, you can indeed simply pay them money.
I’ve earned a lot of money with this business model in the past (Shopify + Instagram influencers). You can read more about it here:
How I Made $6590 in just a FEW DAYS With Shopify & Instagram
7. Send a Newsletter
I joined Substack about 1,5 years ago.
Substack is a newsletter platform — amongst a bunch of other things. And on that platform, I came in contact with a few real famous bloggers, that have tens of thousands of followers.
I asked them the following question:
“Why do you send out mails, if you’ve got SO MANY followers on Medium.com and visitors on your websites?
One of the guys answered:
“Because, with email, you deliver your content DIRECTLY to your followers. But with blogs, your content might get lost in all the other content out there.”
“My read rate on emails is 60%, while on my Medium.com articles it’s only about 15%.”
Simple enough, right?
Email marketing has a very high conversion rate (if done right), and can be a super effective tool for your business.
I’ve tested with a bunch of newsletter platforms, I particularly like Substack & GetResponse. For selling stuff, GetResponse is the better option (because of built-in funnels & landing pages etc).
You know, you can even share product recommendations, discounts, and engaging content with past customers. They’ve bought once — maybe they’d like to come back for more.
8. Offer Discounts and Coupon Codes
Platforms like Etsy and Shopify have this functionality built in.
Actually, you should ALWAYS run a sale.
Who can resist a good deal?
So, always offer discounts, whether it’s free shipping or a percentage off, this can seriously boost sales.
Tip: Use promotions for holidays (like VALENTINE24) or create a sense of urgency to encourage purchases (e.g. 20% OFF ONLY TODAY).
9. Create Exciting Product Videos
You need videos, period.
Just look at what’s happening in Social media.
Everything is about “reels” and short videos now. Simple Instagram pictures don’t work anymore.
It’s even been proven on Etsy! Product listings that have videos are way more likely to sell!
One way to create videos for POD products, is via www.placeit.net.
10. Instagram
Create a new Instagram account (or use your existing one) to showcase your products.
Simple as that.
Edit your profile description a bit, post nice looking pics or videos with relevant hashtags, and interact with your audience by offering discount codes and seeking feedback via DM.
11. Pinterest
Now I’ll be honest with you here — I haven’t really actively used Pinterest in the past.
However, I’ve read a lot of stories from people who are promoting their POD products via Pinterest, so if you’re already on this platform, it could be a great way to engage with your target audience!
Also, Etsy directly integrates with Pinterest:
12. Facebook Groups
There are millions of Facebook groups out there.
Search for anything you’re interested in .
For example, I love salsa dancing and today I was by chance searching for some Facebook groups about it:
It could be a good idea to create some funny, catchy Salsa merch and somehow slip it into the groups in a “subtle” way — Group owners usually don’t like people promoting stuff in their groups, so be subtle about it 🙂
You can also join a group to contribute positively, answer questions, and provide useful information. Build connections and rapport without feeling pushy.
People will listen to you “as an expert”, and they’ll find your links, stores & products.
13. TikTok
Finally, there’s TikTok.
If you’re targeting a younger audience, then TikTok is a great place to showcase your products.
Keep your content engaging, direct & short. Use TRENDS and user interactions to get your products noticed (e.g. dancing videos while wearing your products).
Conclusion
That’s it! Those are 13 ways that you can promote your Print on Demand products as a beginner.
It’s important to remember that creating things is “easy”. There are MILLIONS of people out there that are creating products and trying to sell them.
However, most of them NEVER SELL ANYTHING.
The hardest part is getting sales. So, focus on that. Create, connect, share, explore… get your awesome stuff out there!
Best of luck!
-Michiel
Thanks for reading!
If you’ve got questions or thoughts, drop them in the comments and I’ll get back to you! Follow or ???? if you’d like to see more content like this. Or buy me a coffee, this stuff is magical 😉
P.S. did you claim your copy of my free e-book yet?
