Tag: society6

Redbubble vs Society6 – Which One is Better for Selling Your Art Online?

redbubble vs society6
~ Julie ~ 3 Comments
redbubble vs society6

Today I’m sharing a comprehensive guide on Redbubble vs Society6 for selling your art online.

These two popular Print on Demand websites are great options if you want to generate an income from your art and designs online without paying for inventory, shipping etc.

You can watch my video below, or read on to learn more about selling your art through Redbubble vs Society6 and determine which one is best for you!

Artist Store Front

Rebubble and Society6’s store fronts are visually quite similar. 

The most obvious difference is the custom header on Redbubble is a lot larger. Both store fronts feature custom logo or bio pic, a small bio section, and can be slightly customized to show specific item categories on Society6 or feature a collection on Redbubble.

Your Redbubble storefront shows your products sorted by most relevant by default. On Society6 you can choose whether to showcase your products in order of most popular items, most recent, or random.

There store front layouts have apparently been optimized for shoppers and to increase sales based on marketing research by the respective companies.

Type of Audience

Both Society6 and Redbubble cater towards a young, hip, and trendy audience.  Think festival gear, college dorm or first apartment decor, stickers, and unique accessories.

Trendy pattern designs and quotes are popular on both websites, but I think Redbubble is more on the trendy side while on Society6 you will find more abstract art and modern art based designs.

The audience on Redbubble is slightly younger though than Society6 as they focus more on stickers which are popular with teenagers and young adults.  However, Society6 has stickers too which can be popular with the right design.

Overall I think the target audience for both of these sites are young adults (20s and 30s) and their parents buying gifts for them.

Ease of Uploading Artwork

Redbubble’s uploading tool is easier and more efficent than Society6, hands down.

Not to say you shouldn’t spend the time uploading your art on Society6, just expect it to take longer. Their current uploading tool is an improvement on what it used to be, and they are planning further changes for the future.

What is better about Redbubble’s uploading process?

  • You can upload one image for all products, and individual images as needed.
  • You can set a background colour for all products.
  • The ability to create square or offset patterns.
  • The “Copy” tool which allows you to copy all of the settings from an existing artwork, great to quickly upload recolours.
Products from Redbubble featuring my designs

Redbubble vs Society6 Products

Society6 and Redbubble offer a similar range of print on demand products including apparel, tech cases, home decor items, and accessories. But both have some unique products as well.

For example:

Myself, family and friends have purchased items from both sites. The quality has been good overall, and any time there was an issue it was resolved promptly.

Both websites add new types of products from time to time, which is fun.

Reviews of different Redbubble and Society6 products I own:

Earnings and Payment

Redbubble earnings are paid automatically around the 15th of every month (to Paypal, or direct deposit), and there is a $20 minimum threshold. If you don’ t meet the threshold by the end of the year they pay you out in December.

Similarly, Society6 pays automatically to Paypal, with whatever balance you have on usually on the 1st of every month.

Both are reliable and I haven’t had any issues getting paid from either.

society6 can cooler review
Can coolers from Society6

Product Marketing

Redbubble and Society6 have their own marketing departments who are professionals and good at driving traffic to their own websites. However, until your designs get their attention they probably won’t be promoting them. You will have to do some of your own marketing as well.

They do have re-targeting ads which means if someone views your design on their site a “cookie” will make it so they will see ads for your design on Facebook and Google etc.

Tips for Marketing your Print on Demand Products:

Most products have nice mockups that are easy to share or take a screenshot for social media, blogs and other marketing initiatives. 

You can also find some nice Photoshop mockups on the Redbubble blog.

throw pillow mock up template selling art redbubble
Redbubble throw pillow mockup

Society6 sends out e-mail notices to artists prior to upcoming sales. They will often provide a link to download a .png overlay to use for your ads. Usually it’s just text containing the discount amount and promo code.

Redbubble sends an e-mail to their subscribers when there’s a sale. It’s useful to be signed up for their newsletter to get these notifications so you can promote these.

Shipping and Packaging

Redbubble and Society6 both have pretty reasonable shipping costs which vary depending on your location, the product size and weight.

Redbubble has manufaturers worldwide and products are shipped from the closest one to your location. They usually add in a free sticker with your purchase, and the packaging is cute and fun to open.

Society6 works with manufacturers in the U.S. and they often have free shipping worldwide promotions.

Both companies work with different manufacturers for different products. So, for example if you ordered a t-shirt and coasters, they might come in separate packages and at different times.

Note: Some products take longer to manufacture than others so it could take longer to ship and receive!

Summary

I hope you’ve found this breakdown of Redbubble vs Society6 helpful. Society6 and Redbubble are both great options for selling your artwork online, but overall I prefer Redbubble, mainly because of their streamlined uploading process. I think it’s better for beginners.

However, both have great things to offer including unique products and audiences, so it really depends on what you like and what works for you.

I use both because, as they say, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.


Want to learn more about selling your art online?  Here are some more great posts to check out!

Cheers,

julie signing off

[Editor’s note: This post was originally published in March 2018 and has been updated in 2023 for clarity and accuracy.]

How to Sell More Art with Pinterest

how to sell art with pinterest
~ Julie ~ 3 Comments
how to sell more art with pinterest

Pinterest is an excellent free marketing tool for Artists. Rather than a social media platform, Pinterest is a visual search engine. You can use this search engine to sell more of your artwork!

Whether you sell original paintings, art prints, or physical products through Print on Demand platforms, using Pinterest can really help boost your sales. And the best part is, it’s totally free!

You can either watch this video I created which explains my Pinterest strategy specifically for Redbubble (but works for any print on demand store), or scroll down to read about it in detail.

Pinterest Marketing Strategy

Create a Pinterest business account

You can either create a brand new business account, or convert your personal account into a business account.

The benefit of converting a personal account is if you’ve actively been using Pinterest for a while your account may have more authority and better standing than a brand new account.

You can easily hide boards unrelated to your niche (recipe boards etc.) but still have access to them and the ability to pin to them, so you won’t lose pins you want to keep.

Once you have a business account you can utilize Pinterest analytics to see how your pins are performing.

Claim your website(s)

You can track what people are pinning from your website (if you have one) by claiming your website on Pinterest.

You can also claim social media accounts like Instagram and Youtube to track pins from those platforms as well.

Create boards related to your niche

You should create boards related to your art style as well as interests your target customers may have.

Example: Say you paint and sell acrylic landscape paintings.

  • You should create boards dedicated to painting like Landscape Painting Tutorials and Acrylic Painting Techniques for example.
  • You also want to think about who buys landscape paintings so you could create boards like Beach House Decor, Art for the Office, Art for the Cabin etc.

If you sell your art through print on demand websites you may also want to create boards related to the products you sell like Women’s Fashion, Boho Home Decor, Cute Animal Mugs or Floral Cell Phone Cases.

Use Nifty Toolz Speed Sharer to fill up your boards

This is a handy tool created by a fellow Print on Demand artist and seller which you can use to fill up your Pinterest boards quickly and easily, while taking advantage of Society6 and Zazzle’s affiliate programs.

You can pin your own products or other people’s products and potentially get a commission if they sell.

Spend a few minutes each day Pinning

Pin from around the web as well as from your own websites and curated Pinterest feed. Don’t just pin your own stuff, strive to have a good mix of your own and other’s pins.

As your profile grows you will start to see some traffic coming in through Pinterest if you have analytics on your site. It may take some time, but after a few months you will see it can be worth it to use Pinterest to promote your art and products for sale.

Looking for more tips on how to sell your art online? Check out my definitive guide – a round up with all of my blog posts on this topic!

I hope you found this post useful, let me know if you have any other tips for using Pinterest to promote your art!

Feel free to follow me on Pinterest so we can re-pin each other :)

Cheers,

julie signing off

How to Sell Your Art Online – The Definitive Guide

how to sell you art online definitive guide
~ Julie ~ 10 Comments
how to sell your art online - definitive guide

Are you an artist wanting to learn how to sell your art online? You’ve come to the right place! I’ve been selling art online for over 6 years now and have written many blog posts on the topic, sharing what I’ve learned along the way.

Today I’ve created this definitive guide to round up many of those posts in a new, and hopefully helpful way.

If you want to get a crash course on how to sell your art online, don’t miss my Skillshare class: From Design to Product: Sell Your Art Online Through Print on Demand

Otherwise, read on to learn more about how to sell your art online.

Getting Started

To get started selling your art online you’ll need to have a collection of designs to start off with, decide on a platform for selling your art, and optimize your artwork for the web.

Then, you’ll need to upload your art or list your products on the platform you’ve chosen. Finally, you’ll need to market those products to your customers.

To dive deeper into some of these topics, check out the following posts:

how to sell your art online

Where to Sell Your Art Online

The website you choose to sell your art online will depend on factors like your artistic medium, and what you want to sell. If you want to sell original paintings or screen printed t-shirts you could try Etsy.

On the other hand, if you don’t want to carry an inventory or ship physical goods yourself, then a Print on Demand marketplace like Society6 might be better for you.

If you want to sell your art through your own website (best if you already have a large following), then you might consider Printful, which integrates with e-commerce platforms on your own site.

There are a lot of different options which I’ve discussed in depth in other posts on this site, which are listed below.


How to Market Your Art Online

Marketing your art can mean handing out business cards to your network, sharing on social media or even blogging. You can try all of these, or just focus on a few like sharing on Instagram and Pinterest.

One thing I recommend is having consistent branding across all of your stores and social media channels. This includes having the same or similar headers, logo and profile photo. These can be changed and improved over time so just start with something simple and go from there.

I have several in depth posts about the different marketing platforms I’ve experimented with. You should do your own experimenting, or take some marketing courses (many are free!) if it is not your strong suit.

Running an Art Business

If you want to make money from your art then you need to think about it as your business.

You may already have a career or full time job, but that doesn’t mean you can’t also be an artist or business owner. Thinking about it this way can really help you reach your goals in the long run.

As with any business there are risks and responsibilities, like paying taxes! It’s best practice to keep a log sheet in Google Sheets or Excel to track your business expenses and income. This will help you determine where your money is going, and where it is coming from.

Most large businesses have an accountant, a marketing person, a CEO, and other roles. As a small business owner, you are all of these. As a result, there is a lot to learn, but you should strive to continue learning and filling in your knowledge gaps.

Below are some posts I’ve written on topics related to the business side of things:

Resources

Now that you have a handle on how to sell your art online, you may be wondering what the quality of the products are like. And how to optimize your shops to increase sales.

Below are some posts including product reviews, conducting keyword research, and other things you can do to improve your stores and reach.

Find even more resources in the Artist Resources section of my website!

My Print on Demand Stores

Below are links to my different print on demand storefronts. I’ve also got a shop on my own website you can take a look at for inspiration.

julie erin designs redbubble
julie erin designs threadless shop logo
society6
julie erin designs spoonflower
zazzle
teepublic

I hope this guide will be useful for all of you artists out there who are trying to make some extra money by selling your art online through Print on Demand websites.

Be sure to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss any new posts, and bookmark this guide so you can come back to it whenever new information is added.

If you want a more in depth crash course, don’t miss my Skillshare class: From Design to Product: Sell Your Art Online Through Print on Demand.

You can watch the intro below:

Let’s do this!

Cheers,

julie signing off

10 Ways to Get Your Print on Demand Shop Ready for the Holidays

print on demand holidays
~ Julie ~ 5 Comments
print on demand shop holiday tips

The holiday season is nearly upon us, and for those of us who sell through Print on Demand it’s the most profitable time of the year.!

Today I’m sharing 10 tips to get your shops ready for the busiest shopping season, so you can sit back with a glass of eggnog and watch the sales roll in.

10 Ways to Get Your Print on Demand Shops Ready for the Holidays

1. Go though your older designs and update them with new and improved keywords and descriptions. Especially your holiday themed designs.

2. Add as many high quality designs to your stores as you possibly can, including different versions of your best selling designs.

3. Enable new product types that you might have missed from earlier in the year.

4. Create Hoilday specific designs.

Do some research to find out what’s trending for the current Holiday season and create some new artwork based on that. (Ex. Trending themes, colors or patterns). I like to use Pinterest for this.

5. Create templates and promotional material for big sales coming up, especially Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

society6 sale promo template example

6. Set up a promotional calendar to remind you of when major sales are occurring in your different stores so that you can promote them.

You could also add reminders on your phone to pop up on certain days to remind you to post something on that day.

7. Design some greeting cards and/or wrapping paper for holiday gift giving.

8. Refresh your shop banners and profile picture if they are looking a little out dated or no longer reflect your brand.

9. Create holiday themed collections in your shops. Society6, Redbubble and Zazzle all have this option.

holiday print on demand collection on Zazzle

10. Update your store profile description, collection descriptions, and just generally make sure everything written has been updated.

BONUS TIPS:

  • Take some holiday themed photos of your products to post on social media using your own household decorations!
  • Create custom holiday themed banners and profile pictures for the holidays. I like to add a Santa hat to my profile pic for some easy and cute holiday flair.
avatar with santa hat

That should keep you busy for a while, and then you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the Holidays.

Cheers,

julie signing off

You may also enjoy these posts:

How to Grow Your Instagram Art Account

how to grow your instagram for artists
~ Julie ~ 16 Comments
how to grow your instagram art account

Hey guys! Today I’d like to share with you some tips for growing your art account on Instagram.

If you’re an artist and not using Instagram, get on it! I find it’s better than Facebook or Twitter for artists because it’s more visual based.

In fact, many artists today use Instagram as their art portfolio instead of having a website. While I don’t recommend that, as having your own space on the internet is always best practice, it can be a great place to connect with fans and other artists.

Keep in mind that no one really knows how the algorithm works except the folks who work at Instagram. People will tell you to do this or that or don’t do this or that, but they really don’t know either, so take it with a grain of salt.

These tips are just things that have worked for me personally, and are not guaranteed to work for you. Don’t focus too much on your follower count. Being authentic, focusing on creating quality content, and engaging meaningfully with your fans and followers should be your main focus.

Tips for growing your Instagram art account

  • Find your niche: what kind of art do you want to share with the world? Whether it’s painting, sketches, or digital art, make sure your content is focused and consistent.
  • Post high-quality photos. Make sure your photos are clear and of high quality. People are more likely to follow an account that posts beautiful photos.
  • Post daily, if not to your feed at least to stories.
  • Create fun and interactive stories using polls, stickers etc.
  • Respond to comments on your posts.
  • Respond to other people‘s stories.
  • Use relevant hashtags when you post. Use a mix of broad and smaller hashtags with less than 1 million posts. For example, use #art and #artistsoninstagram, but also use smaller hashtags that are relevant to your specific style of art or the subject of your post.
  • Switch up hashtags from post to post, don’t use the same ones every time.
  • Experiment with posting at different times of the day.
  • Experiment with Reels.
  • Add a location to your posts. It could be the location you actually are, or a different location depending on the post subject or target audience.
  • Create content that isn’t pushing people to buy anything, but simply showing your work or offering something of value to your followers.
brunette girl selfie pink mandala design
Selfies with or wearing your designs get a lot of engagement.
  • Post selfies. Even as an artist, selfies get high engagement on Instagram. Take photos of yourself holding your art or wearing and using your products if you sell through print on demand.
  • Engage daily by liking and commenting on posts in your home feed.
  • Follow hashtags that are relevant to your niche or art style and they will show up on your home feed.
  • Check out the top posts and use them for inspiration, but don’t copy.
  • Every day, if you can, go through a few hashtags relevant to your work or style and like/comment/follow accounts using that hashtag.
  • Add Alt Text to your posts.
  • Tell a story. Your captions should be more than just a description of the photo. Tell a story about your art, or share your creative process with your followers.

That’s it! I hope you’ve found some helpful tips here. If you have more to add feel free to leave them in the comments below. You can also check out my artist resources page for even more tips!

Oh and make sure you follow me on Instagram!

Cheers,

julie signing off

You may also find the following posts helpful:

Tips for Selling Your Art on Amazon Merch on Demand

tips for merch by amazon selling
~ Julie ~ 13 Comments
what I've learned after 1 year of merch by amazon

If you’re an artist or graphic designer, applying to sell your designs through the Amazon Merch on Demand program can definitely be worth your time.

Everyone shops on Amazon these days. And after a year of selling my designs on Amazon Merch on Demand, I thought I would share some of what I’ve learned!

What is Amazon Merch on Demand?

Firstly, what is Merch by Amazon? It’s essentially a Print on Demand service, similar to Redbubble or Society6. You can upload finished artwork to a variety of products, including t-shirts and cell phone accessories, and then they are printed and shipped out after a customer purchases that item.

Below is a screenshot of my earnings from September 2018 – August 2019. These figures are not huge compared to others out there, but it’s nothing to shake a fist at either! For reference, I only have about 100 products listed at the time of this writing.

As you can see, I’ve made about $2000 in total so far. I hope to double or even triple that figure in the next year!

Here are some things I’ve learned along the way.

Tips for Selling on Amazon Merch on Demand

  • Getting started can be frustrating. Application rejections don’t always make sense and are likely automated, so make sure your application is filled out correctly. One wrong thing could lead to automatic rejection.
  • Getting accepted takes time. Be patient. It can take a few weeks in some cases.
  • Once your application is approved, you start with only 10 design slots. Think carefully about which 10 designs you want to use. Once you sell a few products you will be able to add more.
  • Each level is known as a “tier” and each tier comes with more design slots.
  • Regarding tax withholding – use your SIN number or other similar tax ID number otherwise they will withhold 30% of your earnings (if you are a seller outside of the U.S.). I couldn’t figure out what my Tax ID number was at first, so they withheld 30% of my royalties for the first 5 months. I eventually received those with-holdings but it took an additional 5 months to get it.
  • The brand name doesn’t matter much but may aid in search.
  • You don’t have a storefront unless you sign up for the Amazon Influencer program. You will also have to apply for this using one of your social media accounts, and you are not guaranteed to be accepted.
purple mandala popsocket amazon merch on demand
Popsockets from Amazon Merch on Demand
  • T-shirts and PopSockets seem to be the best selling product types.
  • Keywords and descriptions are very important.
  • Design rejections happen. They don’t always make sense and are often automated, so just revise and try again. Make sure to follow all of Amazon’s guidelines for keywords and descriptions to avoid this as much a possible.
  • Not everything will sell, and what does sell might not even be your best work.
  • Your design will be deleted if there are no sales after 1 year. When this happens, you can either revise your keywords and description or move on and try another design.
  • There are no discounts or sale promotion on Merch products.
  • You can sell in other marketplaces, like Germany, Italy, Spain and even Japan.
  • There is a lot of competition on Amazon, so make designs that are unique and stand out.
  • Never use anything copyrighted, or you can risk losing your account altogether.

I hope you’ve found some of this information useful. Check out my Artist Resources page for even more tips on how to sell your art online.

Have you considered selling on Merch by Amazon or are you already? I’d love to hear your thoughts below. Happy selling.

Cheers,

julie signing off

You may also be interested in these articles:

What to do When Sales are Slow in Your Print on Demand Store

what to do when sales are slow on print on demand
~ Julie ~ 2 Comments
What to do when sales are slow print on demand stores

Today I’m sharing my thoughts on what to do when sales are slow in your Print on Demand stores.

In retail, whether online or brick and mortar, there are sales cycles.  This means that sales slow down at certain times of the year and peak during other times, like at Christmas.

It can be frustrating and confusing to go from making several sales in a month to barely any, but that is totally normal and just the reality of retail. It does not mean you’ve failed, so don’t get down!

Think about how you personally shop. What times of the year do you spend the most money and when do you save? You will most likely find this reflected in your sales.

Here you can easily see the cycle peaks and lows during the year from my Redbubble analytics:

sales cycles on print on demand online retail stores

You can see my sales peak in November and December and drop down in the spring. Then they steadily climb back up until August when people shop for Back to School.

This sales cycle is totally normal and something you will need to get used to and prepare for, especially if your sole income is through online retail shops.

Instead of getting frustrated and throwing in the towel, there are lots of things you can do during these low times to get your shops ready for when the sales start to rise again!

Here is a list of things you can do when sales are slow in your print on demand stores:

  • Update your website or blog. Start creating one if you haven’t yet.
  • Create and add new designs to your shops.
  • Find new ways to promote your shops. Start using Pinterest for example.
  • Grow your social media followings.
  • Go through your stores and update or delete under-performing designs.
  • Go through your designs and update titles and keywords to be more SEO friendly.
  • Enable new products you haven’t offered before.
  • Do a brand overhaul: refresh your logo, banners, etc.
  • Create designs for upcoming holidays or other themed days of the year.
  • Promote sales going on in your shops. If your sales are slow, so are the websites you sell on and they will often have really good sales during slow times to get people to buy.
  • Ask others for feedback. You could ask friends or other Print on Demand artists for feedback on your stores and/or designs.
  • Network. Find and join support groups with like-minded individuals. There are lots of Print on Demand groups on Facebook.
  • Learn new business and marketing strategies through YouTube, Skillshare or other sources.
  • Take a break. Sometimes we need some time away to replenish our creativity.  Go on a holiday or spend time with friends and family and come back with new ideas.
  • Open a new print on demand store. There are lots of print on demand sites out there, perhaps there is one more suited to your style. Here is a list of Print on Demand sites to try.
  • And most importantly don’t give up!

Looking for more print on demand tips? You can find lots more tips about selling your art through Print on Demand websites in the resources section of my blog.

Happy selling!


Cheers,

julie signing off

How to Fill Out the W-8BEN Tax Form for Print on Demand Royalties

print on demand tax forms and information
~ Julie ~ 7 Comments
print on demand tax forms and information

Ah, tax forms. They’re one of those tedious administrative tasks that we simply can’t avoid when it comes to selling artwork online through Print on Demand websites. If you’re using a U.S.-based Print on Demand company like Zazzle, you’ll likely need to fill out and submit a W-8BEN tax form to ensure your payments are processed correctly.

**This post was updated to reflect the most current information available in July 2023.

Let’s dive in and explore the importance of the W-8BEN tax form specifically for royalties on Print on Demand platforms.

Now, this form can be quite confusing, and here’s the kicker: if you fail to submit it or fill it out properly, you might find yourself facing a hefty 30% withholding tax on your royalties. Ouch!

Fortunately, there’s good news for individuals residing in countries that have an income tax treaty with the U.S., like Canada. You may be exempt from paying this hefty withholding tax or, in some cases, eligible for a reduced withholding tax rate. To determine the specific withholding amounts based on your country, refer to the comprehensive list available on the IRS website.

To get started on your tax journey, head over to the IRS website and download the W-8BEN tax form. Now, filling out this form correctly is crucial to ensure your royalties are processed smoothly. Here’s an example of how to complete the form as a Canadian artist.

w8-ben royalties for print on demand websites canada

Let’s go over a few key points to remember:

  • The Foreign Tax identifying number (Box 6a) is equivalent to a U.S. Social Security Number and serves as your personal identification number for tax purposes in your country.
  • To find the correct Article and Paragraph number you will need to consult the tax document for your Country, which is provided on the IRS website.
  • The ____% rate of withholding (Line 10) will vary based on the withholding tax rate of your resident country. Remember to consult the same list provided on the IRS website for the specific rate applicable to you.

In conclusion, dealing with tax forms may be a bit of a hassle, but when it comes to selling your art and earning royalties through Print on Demand websites, it’s crucial to understand and comply with the W-8BEN tax form requirements.

By properly filling out this form and ensuring your eligibility for tax treaty benefits, you can avoid unnecessary withholding taxes and receive your hard-earned royalties in full.

I hope this guide has shed some light on the importance of the W-8BEN tax form for royalty payments on Print on Demand platforms. If you have any thoughts or questions, feel free to leave a comment below.

Cheers to a successful and tax-compliant art-selling journey!

julie signing off

Looking for more information about selling your art through Print on Demand sites? Check out the resources section of my website.

Also check out these posts:

How to Design for Print On Demand Websites

how to design print on demand websites
~ Julie ~ 5 Comments
how to design print on demand websites

If you’re just starting out selling your art on Print on Demand websites it can be overwhelming!  How do you decide what kinds of designs to make?  How can you optimize your artwork for all of the different Print on Demand sites?

Below I’ve compiled a list of tips to make it easier for you.  I’ve been selling my art through Print on Demand websites for over 8 years now, and I’ve learned a few things in that time.  I use Photoshop and Procreate mainly, but these tips can work with whatever apps you use.

So, read on if you need help with designing and optimizing your artwork for sale on Print on Demand sites such as Society6, Redbubble, Zazzle, Teepublic and others!

Design for Print on Demand Websites – Best Practices

  • Research trends. Use Pinterest or a search engine to see what kind of art is currently trending, then use this for inspiration to create something in your own style.
  • Start with a large file size (10,000 pixels covers most products).
  • Keep your designs in layers to easily make changes or re-use elements later on.
  • Design with the products you want to sell in mind.  For example, most Print on Demand sites offer products like t-shirts, throw pillows and cell phone cases.  Keep these products in mind while you create your designs.
  • Keep images crisp (300 DPI), high resolution and colours relatively saturated (more saturated colors tend to look better when printed on fabric).
  • For drawings, use a scanner if possible (rather than photographs) and use the available settings to scan a large, high DPI image file.
  • For line drawings or black and white drawings, use Illustrator to make your lines crisp.  Check out my tutorial below on how to digitize your art for print on demand.
  • Don’t up-size your artwork if possible, this leads to a pixelated fuzzy look on the final product (this is why you start with a large file size in the first place).
  • Depending on what kind of artwork you make, you may need to adjust the size or medium you use in order for them to look good on the computer. Play around.
  • Don’t use copyrighted images, text, logos or anything else, or you risk the image being taken down, or even your account being suspended.  Some sites allow “fan art” but make sure you follow all the rules.

Now that you have some designs to work with…

Optimize your Designs for Print on Demand

  • Each website has it’s own file size and type requirements so make sure to check that before you start uploading.
  • Curate designs for each platform. Some designs might work better in different stores depending on their audience.
  • Save layers separately if you sell on Zazzle because you can layer different images and text on that particular POD site.
  • Create the same design in different colors and variations, especially once you have an idea of which designs are popular with your audience.
  • Adjust designs for individual product types. For example, use a transparent background for a t-shirt or sticker, use coloured background or make the design into a pattern for tapestries and pillows, remove text for leggings and apparel where it doesn’t work, etc.

Looking for more print on demand tips? Check out the Artist Resources section of my website!

You may also like these posts:

Here are some more posts to help you sell your art online.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you’ve found these tips helpful.  If you have any other ideas or questions feel free to post in the comments below!


Cheers,

julie signing off

15 Tips to Increase Your Sales on Print on Demand Websites

increase sales on ecommerce websites
~ Julie ~ 11 Comments
how to increase sales on print on demand websites 15 tips

Are you looking for ways to increase your print on demand sales? If so, you’re in the right place! In this article, I’ll be sharing with you 15 tips to will help you maximize your print on demand sales, whether you sell through your own website or a marketplace like Redbubble or Etsy.

If you’re just getting started, you may want to check out these posts first:

There are a few things you can do to maximize your print on demand (POD) sales. POD is a great way to get your work out there, and it can be a great supplemental income stream. But like with anything, there are ways to optimize your POD sales and make the most out of this opportunity. By following these tips, you can give yourself a better chance at success.

photo of a woman thinking about how to increase print on demand sales

Tips to Increase your Sales on Print on Demand Websites

  1. Try to complete at least one task per day related to your print on demand business. For example: post one tweet, one Instagram post, create one new design, one update to your website etc. If you can do more than one task that’s great, but even just one thing a day will help your business grow over time.
  2. Connect with other artists on social media (Facebook groups for example) or forums where available (Zazzle). Ask for feedback from them if you feel comfortable doing so!
  3. Upload as much high quality work as possible. The more designs you have, the more chances you have of making a sale.
  4. Research the latest trends and use them as inspiration to create new designs in your own style. You can use Pinterest or check the top selling designs on your chosen POD platform.
  5. Update your social media pages, even just one or two and focus on them. Instagram and Twitter great for artists. On Facebook it’s challenging to get likes on your page, but it could get your real life friends interested. Try using new tools like Facebook or Instagram stories, or even Snapchat if you are adventurous.
  6. Post new designs and products consistently. Try to stay somewhat active and consistent in all of your POD shops (uploading new work, commenting/following etc.) I’ve definitely noticed an increase in sales/activity when I’m active. If you have too many stores to stay active, maybe pare it down to the few that you have been most successful on.
  7. Don’t stretch yourself too thin.  Going off the point above, if you have too many stores you might feel overwhelmed or too lazy to upload work to all of them, so I suggest deleting those ones you don’t like or don’t have much success with.
  8. Research your target audience and find out what they like to see and buy on products.
  9. Make new colorways of popular designs that are well received. Different colour variations of a popular design or rework an element of that piece so it can have more mass appeal.
  10. Have a website or blog external to your social media, like this one! It helps with your visibility and to show up in Google searches.
  11. Tell your family, friends and coworkers about your stores and they might support you! You could even gift them stuff from your own stores for Christmas and birthdays etc. to get them excited about your work.
  12. Go back through your old designs and either delete ones that aren’t working for your brand or update titles, keywords, descriptions, etc.
  13. Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions (SEO). When buyers are searching for products on a print on demand marketplace, they will often use keywords to find what they are looking for. Make sure that your product descriptions include relevant keywords that buyers are likely to use, in order to increase the chances of your products being found.
  14. Always keep learning.  There are lots of great sources online for marketing your brand or honing and learning new skills.  Check out Skillshare for some free or paid courses in marketing, design and many other skills.
  15. Subscribe to my blog!  I’m always posting new content on selling your art on POD websites so make sure you don’t miss out.

By following the tips above, you can make the most of your print on demand stores and ensure that your products are selling as well as they can. With a little bit of effort and some creativity, you can take your print on demand business to the next level and make it a success.

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ve found this blog post helpful.  Let me know if you have any other tips to add in the comments below! Also check out the resources section of my website for even more print on demand tips.

Cheers,

julie signing off

Check out these other posts for more information on selling your art on POD websites: