Etsy Print-On-Demand Success Strategies

Implementing business mindset, extensive research, focused niches, personalized items, loss leaders, ads, and long-term planning boosts Etsy sales.

### 7 Tips for Success in an Etsy Print on Demand Business
* 💼 Treat your shop as a business from the beginning, focusing on **long-term goals and consistency**.
* 🔍 Prioritize research to identify **trends and customer preferences** across various platforms.
* 🎯 Target specific niches, starting with **1-3** to gather data and improve designs.
* 🎁 Add personalized items to **stand out and offer unique, emotionally engaging products**.
* 💰 Use a "**loss leader**" strategy for pricing, offering some items at a **lower cost to attract clicks**.
* 📊 Consider running ads as a way to **collect data and make informed decisions** about your products.
* 🗓 Plan ahead for holidays and events, adding relevant designs to your shop **8-12 weeks in advance**.
* 📈 The speaker shares a personal success story of starting a new Etsy shop from scratch, implementing these strategies, and achieving **consistent sales growth**.

I have sold over $300,000 with my Etsy PR man business, and I made a ton of mistakes, but I've also found a lot of success, and I want to be sharing with you guys today the seven things that has helped me get here. As well as if I was to start a new shop, what I will do, which I did start a new shop last year. And if you want to hear more about that shop, then stay to the end because that's when I will give you the details about it. So let's just get right into it. The number one thing is treating it as a business from the beginning. Again, if you just want this to be a hobby, if you want this to be a pyic, by all means keep doing what you're doing. But again, when you treat something as a business from the beginning, you see it different. You're thinking long term, like not just like how do I get a quick bug right now. You're thinking five plus years from now. So you're putting the time, you're putting the effort, you're

put in the consistency you're showing up every day, and you're doing the work. If you're saying you're going to be listing every day, you're doing that. If you're saying you're going to be doing the research, you're doing that. You're doing the things that you say that you're going to do because, again, you're looking at this from a long-term perspective. You're looking at this as this is going to change your life. You're going to be able to quit your job that you hate so much and be able to do this and live life on your own terms. The second thing is research. Again, if you're not new here, if you're a subscriber, welcome back, and you know what I'm going to be talking about because I truly believe that the money is in the research. The moment that I switched my thinking and I started focusing so much on research is when I saw a huge difference in my shop. Again, if you're new here, what the heck do I mean by research? And research is just

literally training your eyes, training your brain to figure out what people like. Literally, you can do this everywhere. You can do this on Etsy, you can do this on Pinterest, Instagram, Walmart, Target, anywhere. It's literally just keeping your eyes open and you just see things. You can even sign up for like the online retailers' newsletters where they're telling you, Here's the summer drop, here's the fall drop. Those are all things that people want. You're literally looking everywhere for what people want, what's in demand, and this inspiration happens everywhere because again, yeah, of course you're selling on Etsy, but I always like to think outside of the box because people are shopping everywhere. And if something sells here, it's more likely that it's going to sell elsewhere. And again, you're looking at the patterns, you're looking at the design, you're looking at the font. And for example, if you're in Pinterest and you're looking at nails, which I do because nails are trendy, you know people are going to pick patterns, colors that

are trending. So if you're seeing daisies on somebody's nails and then you go on Etsy, you're seeing daisies, these are all patterns that you're picking up on, things that people want. So again, truly spend the time to research, whether that's 20, 30, whatever time that you can get every single day. The more that you do this, the better, because you literally are training your eyes and your brain to do this. And this is like not like a step one, do this, step two. No, this is a very messy thing. This is rabbit holes are your best friend. You literally are going, let's say, if you go on Etsy, you type in, I don't know, women's shirts, you're letting everything lead you. You click on this, click on that, and you're just looking. You literally are looking at everything and you're soaking everything that you see because again, once you decide what niche you're going to be working in, you'll start seeing all these patterns and all this that you already saw on your research. So when it comes to designing

it makes designing so much faster and easier. You know exactly what to do, and then you're bringing designs that are unique because you found inspiration from so many different places. So again, please, please spend your time. Spend more time researching than you do the signing, and you'll thank me later. The third thing is targeting specific niches, and I would say no more than two, three niches at a time. Again, when you're new, your designs are not going to be that great. So if you're all over the place, you're not even going to know what's working because you're going to design, let's say, two designs here for teachers, and then you're going to move on to the nurses and do two other designs, and you're going to move on here, and then you're going to be like, Well, nothing is selling. Well, yeah, of course, because at the beginning, you don't know what works. And if you're only designing one to two things in one niche and then moving on, you don't have enough traction.

have enough data to see what works. So, I truly believe that you should spend your time in like one niche at a time and truly study that niche. Truly figure out what those customers like, what they like, what they don't like, what fonts do well, what mockups do well, what designs do well. And then you start adding more and more designs. You will be able to gather better data doing this than if you're jumping all over the place. And then you're like, Well, nothing works. No, of course it didn't work because you only have two designs that were terrible. Again, designing is one of those skills that you get better the more you do it. So, if you stick to one niche at a time, every design will get better as you learn the customer more. Things just get better. And then you'll be able to gather data so much easier and faster. The fourth thing is adding personalized items. Again, personalized items have changed my Etsy shop. Again, if you don't believe me, go and search for personalized items on Etsy. There's so

many shops that are killing it. I mean the number one at C shop. Stills personalized jewelry again. People come on because they want to find something unique. They want to find something that they wouldn't find nowhere else. And what better way to offer something unique that's emotionally connecting, that stands out, that's something that's personalized again. This is the perfect way to stand out in the market. Even like if you're coming into a new Niche, this is a great way to stand out amongst your competitors, especially if like that Niche has like no type of personalization. Just adding a name or a DAT will literally help help you stand out so much more than just keeping the design as this again. It's this whole thing of like what would you rather buy somebody something that has like a name on it or something that just has like let's say like it's a teacher. Would you like to buy a teacher something that just say teacher or it says teacher Miss Williams again. It comes down to that. So moving forward see what the signs are.

selling for you. And see if you can add personalization to them. Or as you're thinking about designing, can you add a personalization to them? And I know personalization can be daunting. It can be a lot of work. But again, you can use the system like Hello Custom that helps you kind of just automate the whole process. And it will make it so much easier. But again, do not stop offering this because there's so much money to be made. And I'm going to tell you that the moment that I added this to my Etsy print on demand business, my shop literally skyrocketed. So I will be doing you a disservice if I don't talk about it. The fifth thing is incorporating a lost sleeve. What is a lost leader? A lost leader is like an item that you're willing to either lose a little bit of profit on or break even on. So when you're on Etsy and you search for something like, let's say, t-shirt shirt, Etsy is going to show the cheapest price of that item. And again

when you're competing with so many people, especially when you're new, and you're looking at the designs, you know, side by side, and they're pretty competitive, but you're looking at one that's maybe a little bit cheaper, you're going to click on that one a lot more. And again, you're trying to get more clicks that eventually those clicks turn into sales. So if you're new, I would do it. I mean, obviously, you can just pick one item, like let's say, like your white small shirt, you make it that price. You don't have to make all of your items that price. I also wouldn't like do it with items that are not inside of that listing. I know a lot of people do it, but to me, it will make the customer kind of upset if you're saying like, Oh, here a bodysuit, and you don't even offer the bodysuit. Or, Oh, here's a toe bag, and you don't even offer that. Or, Oh, it's an extra small, and it's always sold out like I

will make sure that the item that you're saying is your last leader that you do offer that and that you do show them on the listing photos. That the item is available. But I have found that to be helpful especially when you are competing. And then what you can do is that you can make your shipping a little bit more expensive to kind of help with that cost. That you're loosening on the front end. And again adding to that just turn the whole 35 free shipping off. The moment that I did that I literally saw a difference in my sales. People pay for shipping. I know NC has this whole thing of like oh if you have this on we will show your things more Essie wants to make money. If Etsy makes money you know they're going to show your items. If your items sell Etsy's gonna show you items. Because Etsy gets to make money too. So this whole loss leader is just to help you get traction get more clicks. And again your design do have to be good. You cannot have a design that's terrible and.

then have this because again people are shopping on Etsy with their eyes, and looking at the thumbnail. So your design do have to be good. If you have a design that's doing well, and you combine it with this last leader, you're going to get more clicks that are going to turn into sales. The sixth thing is running ads again. I know not a lot of people are for ads, but I love ads because I love to collect data. Again, if you can look at ads as a way to collect data and not be emotionally attached to them, then you can do them. Because ads is one of those things that you cannot turn them on now and then turn them off just because you feel like they're not making you any sales. Again, you have to leave them on for a minimum of 30 days. Etsy needs that much time to figure it out if it's working or who to show the ad to. You can't just come in and say, Oh, it's been two 3 days and I lost $5. Like, you got to let them

be I mean you can go into the ads and turn off specific keywords that are not relevant to what you're selling. So like if you're selling a T-shirt and ET showing into like a PNG, of course, you can turn it off because you're not selling a PNG. But don't turn the ad off. Remove your emotions from it. Treat this as your electronic collect data. Treat this as like a marketing expense. Every business runs marketing. Keep this as being part of your business like it's a tool that you use. And again, you only pay when people click. People can look at your ad all day and you're not going to pay. You only pay when people click. But this is an amazing way to figure out what's working and to figure out what's not working too. So you can pivot. So you can make changes. Because again, I love doing ads because it's the perfect way to get data for me to see, Ooh, okay, people really click on this. Bought this listing. Ooh, I should now add this listing list thing to a shirt. Or now I should.

change the design and add it into this Niche, or whatever, something like that. But it will help you make decisions like that or people are clicking on it, but they're not buying. Okay, well, maybe the design is not good enough, the thumbnail, like what is it about it, but again, you will be able to know that data so much faster, and you'll be able to make decisions that's going to move your business further. The seventh thing is always thinking ahead 8 to 12 weeks. You always got to be ahead of the game. You always got to be thinking about, okay, what holidays coming, what awareness is coming, especially if you're in a certain Niche that already does well for you, always think about that Niche. Like for example, you're on the teacher Niche, and you already sell. What's always coming up for that Niche? Is it Easter? Is it, you know, Fourth of July? Is it, you know, Teacher Appreciation Week? Like always think about that, and then you should be adding the signs. I would say like 3.

months in advance. I like to be that early because that way you start to get favorites. You start to get added to cards. You might get some sales, get some reviews, and then when the masses are shopping, your listings have some traction. So this is the perfect way to get extra sales is to add like holiday or awareness things that revolve around the niches that you're in. Again, I will not just go and add a random holiday design that say merry Christmas, happy New Year, because that does not work. I will combine holidays with niches. Again, if you have a niche that already works for you, can you add holiday designs or awareness designs to that niche. If you're thinking about going into a specific niche, add a holiday to it, but do not go in with generic designs and then sitting back and wondering why you have no sales, because that does not work. You have to target the holiday with a specific customer in mind. And again, if you're still here, I promise I did started an Etsy Shop last summer because again.

I'm in so many Facebook groups, and I keep seeing people saying, Well, SEO is too saturated, there's no money to be made, and the people that are on YouTube, they're talking about their shops, they're already making six figures, they're not starting from scratch, and all these things that you're telling yourself. And I did this as an experiment because I wanted to prove that you can still make money on Etsy and that all the things that I'm teaching you guys work. So I literally, all the things that I'm telling you is what I implemented in the new shop. I opened it last summer, and I got my first sale like within a month compared to like my main shop. It took me like 3 months to get my first sale. So again, that shop is actually a very niche-specific shop. I have like 20 listings or less. So again, this whole like, Well, how many listings do you need to make sales? My main shop had over 100 listings, and I had no sales. This shop

had like 20 listings or less than 20 listings, and I made my first sale. And then it, like I said, it took only a month versus my main shop. It took three months. And again, it was summer. I didn't have much to do, you know, it was kind of like a slow time with my main shop. So that's when I opened it. And then I kind of just let it be because then I wanted to get ready for Q4. So I have not done anything with that shop. I only go and like answer messages here and there if people message me. But I have not added new designs. Like I do nothing with it. And I would say like this month, as I'm recording this is March, this month has been like my best month. Like I've been getting like three to four, three, four, or five sales in a day. At a minimum, I get like one or two sales a week, which I'm like, you're probably thinking like, well, one or two sales is not a lot, but guys, but for a shop that I do nothing with it.

that I don't add anything to it. I barely just message people if they message me. This is pretty well. So, it took about what, 6 to n months for the shop to be able to get like between 1 to 5 CS in a week. So again, this is just to show you that it does take time, that you, that this doesn't happen overnight. And then again, if I was more consistent in the shop, if I actually maybe list it more often, if I was pressing more, this shop will be like even to a whole higher level than my main shop was. And again, it's because of all the skills that I'm teaching you guys, everything that I pour into my YouTube video is literally what I did for that shop. And it was just to prove the point that this business works if you're willing to put in the time, if you put in the effort, if you're willing in the work. That all the things that I'm teaching you do work because that's exactly what I did, everything that I'm

sharing with you guys in all these videos is exactly what I put into practice in that shop. It happened much faster like to get that first sale because I knew what I was doing at that point. And again, if I would had all the time, I could be growing that shop, and it probably would take off even faster than this shop did. And it's because of what I know now that I didn't know then. So I wanted to share that with you guys because for the people that feel like, Oh, were you just on YouTube sharing about you made this and you made that, but you haven't started from scratch and you can't start from scratch. I started that from scratch, like nothing, last year. I started in the middle of summer where it's like sales are supposed to be down. And it's to the point now that I shop literally I get three to five sales in like a week, which is like, that's not a lot before I shop that I do nothing with it. To me, that's amazing. So again, if you're wanted to know what's possible.

With this business, then I'm going to be linking this video next. Because in that video, I kind of showed you how I did $1,000 in one day. See you in the next one.

7 Things I Did To Grow My Print On Demand Business... If I Started Over I'll DO THIS!

stupideasypod

Treating your Etsy shop as a business from the start is crucial for long-term success, requiring consistency and dedication.

Research is key, focusing on identifying trends and demand, and it should be done diligently across various platforms.

Training your eyes and brain to recognize patterns and popular designs through extensive and messy research is essential for the success of your Etsy business.

Effective Strategies for Designing Unique Products

Spend more time researching and studying one niche at a time to improve the quality of designs and gather better data.

Focus on personalized items to stand out in the market and create an emotional connection with customers.

By offering unique and personalized designs, it becomes easier to stand out among competitors and attract more attention from potential buyers.

Maximizing Sales on Etsy: Tips for Success

Utilize personalization to boost your Etsy business, using tools like Hello Custom for automation.

Incorporate a loss leader strategy to attract more clicks and sales, while ensuring the offered items are available and well-promoted.

Consider adjusting shipping costs, as offering paid shipping can actually increase sales and visibility on Etsy.

Good design is crucial on Etsy as it attracts more clicks and sales.

Running ads on Etsy is important for collecting data and making informed decisions, and they should be viewed as a long-term marketing tool.

Always planning ahead for upcoming holidays and events, especially within your specific niche, is essential for success on Etsy.

Maximizing Etsy Sales Through Niche-Specific Holiday Designs

Starting early and incorporating niche-specific holiday or awareness designs can help generate sales and traction for Etsy listings.

It's possible to make significant sales on Etsy with a niche-specific shop and a small number of listings, especially when targeting specific customers during relevant seasons.

Despite minimal involvement, the implementation of niche-specific strategies has significantly boosted sales for the shop, even during a slow time, with one to two sales a week and up to five sales a day in the best months.

Building a Successful Online Shop: A Story of Growth and Persistence

It took 6 to 9 months to gain momentum, proving that success doesn't happen overnight.

Consistency and effort in the shop led to 1 to 5 sales per week, demonstrating the effectiveness of the strategies shared in the YouTube videos.

The shop's growth potential was evident, with the prospect of achieving even faster success based on the knowledge and experience gained.