As Print on Demand sellers, we want to earn money.

And to earn money, we need to create designs that will capture attention.

In this article, I will cover the process that I follow to create designs in high-demand niches using Kittl, a very nice tool.

Let’s get started!

Finding High-Demand Niches

Before you can create designs that sell, you need to know what’s currently trending. That’s where Google Trends comes in handy.

It’s a completely free tool that I frequently use to see what’s hot these days.

Tip: Subscribe to Daily Trends: Head over to Google Trends, scroll to the bottom of the page, and sign up for the daily trends newsletter. This will keep you updated on what’s hot and give you a steady stream of niche ideas.

In a recent newsletter I got, I noticed that some sports related to the Olympic Summer Games were hitting all-time highs in search interest:

• Rugby
• Fencing
• Skateboarding
• Horse riding

This provides a solid foundation to start our niche research.

Drilling Down into Sub-Niches

Knowing what’s trending is just the first step.

To truly capitalize on a niche, we need to find sub-niches that have been validated by actual sales.

In other words: we want to make sure that this stuff is actually already selling!

For this, I’m using Podly, a powerful tool that has a massive database of print-on-demand listings.

It’s perfect for data mining and finding what’s already working in the market.

• Example: Researching Skateboarding Niche: Since skateboarding was highlighted as a trending sport, I decided to dig deeper into this niche. Using Podly, I searched for “skateboarding” and found a range of designs that have been selling well.

For example, I found a cool design featuring a silhouette of a skateboarder in front of a large moon.

This design concept has proven itself with consistent sales, so we’re going to use it as inspiration for our own creations using Kittl.

Designing with Kittl AI

Let’s head over to https://kittl.com.

Now that we have a niche and some inspiration, it’s time to create our own designs using Kittl.

Creating a Skateboarding Design in Kittl

1. Set Up Your Canvas

Start by setting up your canvas in Kittl. For print-on-demand t-shirts, I recommend using the 4500×5400 pixel size optimized for Amazon Merch.

I usually design for darker shirts, so I set the background color to black.

2. Generate Graphics with AI

One of the standout features of Kittl is its AI capabilities. Using Kittl’s AI, I generated a silhouette of a skateboarder in front of a large moon.

Here’s an example of the result:

I know this design doesn’t look the best (like, where are the wheels???), but for demo purposes I’ll continue with this.

Tip: You might have to run the AI tool multiple times to generate different versions of your graphic. This gives you a variety of options to choose from, and you can pick the one that best suits your design vision.

3. Remove Backgrounds

Once you have the graphic, use Kittl’s background remover to clean up the image and make it ready for printing.

This is especially important for t-shirt designs, as you want the design to blend seamlessly with the shirt color.

4. Add Text

While the original design didn’t include text, adding text can enhance your design and make it more marketable.

You don’t want to create exact copies, but rather IMPROVE/INNOVATE on your example designs.

Don’t have inspiration? ChatGPT to the rescue:

For this design, I added the phrase “Skateboarding, cuz gravity is overrated” which is a fun, relatable slogan for skateboarders.

5. Experiment with Fonts and Effects

Kittl has a variety of text pre-sets and effects. You can customize these to match your graphic or create a unique look.

Just be cautious with complex effects — they might look great on screen, BUT they don’t always translate well to print.

6. Refine your Design

If the initial design doesn’t feel quite right, Kittl makes it easy to tweak and refine. You can play around with the size and positioning of the text and graphic to ensure they complemented each other.

You can also experiment with different color combinations to find the best match.

7. Text-Only Versions

Some customers prefer minimalist designs without graphics.

Kittl allows you to easily create text-only versions of your designs, offering more variety and increasing your chances of making a sale.

Explore More Niche Ideas with Kittl

The skateboarding niche is just one example.

As you continue your design journey, use the same process to explore other trending niches.

For instance, I also created other designs based on the other ChatGPT output phrases.

For example, I generated a new graphic of a skateboarder performing a kickflip, paired it with text, and refined the design until it was ready for upload.

Maximizing Your Sales Potential

Once your designs are ready, it’s time to list them on your print-on-demand platform of choice.

But don’t stop there — continue to monitor trends, refine your designs based on customer feedback, and explore new niches regularly.

The print-on-demand market is constantly evolving, and staying ahead of the curve is key to long-term success.

Tip: Utilize Multiple Platforms

Don’t limit yourself to just one marketplace.

Print-on-demand platforms like Amazon, Etsy, and Redbubble each have their own audiences, and listing your designs on multiple sites can dramatically increase your exposure and sales.

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 😉

Did you know? I also write about different passive income streams on my website https://michielschuer.com, check it out!

P.S. did you claim your copy of my Income/Expense Tracker or FREE E-Book yet?