Make money, sell merch

When the creator of Youtube sensation Lucas the Spider launched a plushie to sell to his fans, things got wild. In just 10 days of pre-sale, Joshua Slice sold 40,000 units of the soft toy, reeling in an estimated $1.2m profit by the time sales closed.

“I never intended it to go viral like it has,” Slice said in an interview with Digital Arts Online. “I just wanted to make a cute spider.”

But whether you make videos of animated animals, run a prank site or share make up tutorials, selling influencer merch can make you money. It might not make everyone a millionaire, but with success stories like Lucas the Spider out there – and the fact that influencer merch site Fanjoy ships close to million items a year – it’s no surprise so many Youtube channels and Instagrammers are using influencer merch to boost their income.

T-shirts, hoodies, caps and accessories are the most common form of influencer merch sold, as was the case with Slice, who started off selling a few t-shirts, before it “blew up”.

If you’re wondering how to make merchandise as an influencer, this guide is for you.

How to make merch as a Youtuber or influencer – a guide

Step 1: Are you ready for merch!?
Step 2: Create something unique!
Step 3: Plan for production
Step 4: Decide where to sell your merch
Step 5: Have a promo strategy
Step 6: Summary

Step 1: Are you ready for merch?

This is the first question to ask yourself as a Youtuber or influencer. But being ready doesn’t necessarily mean having millions of followers. You could have a large number of followers but they might not be interested in buying products from you, or you could have a tiny collection of followers that would all jump at the chance to buy a t-shirt in support of your work. So before you throw money down the drain, make an assessment to establish whether you’re ready enter the world of influencer merch.

• Check those stats!
  

  This is one way to get a sense of whether or not you’re ready to start selling influencer merch. Do a Google search – is your brand getting lots of mentions? But more importantly – what’s the engagement like with your posts? Are your followers actively participating with your content through likes or comments? Or are they just watching? The more engaged your followers are the more likely they are to enjoy the chance to buy some merch.

• Ask your followers
  

  Another way to gauge your audience is to ask them. Seems obvious right? Share some posts or videos asking whether your followers would want to buy merch from you. It’s also a good chance to find out what kind of merch they’d want to buy. Think of it as market research.

Want to start selling influencer merch? Contact ICON Printing for a quote in minutes

Step 2: Create something unique!

Think hard about what makes your personal brand stand out. You want the merch you create to reflect that. You want it to be bold and most of all, personal. Making something generic won’t appeal as much as something that builds on the personality and individuality of the content you create.

• Be specific
  

  Do you have a catchphrase you use in your videos? Or in-jokes your followers really connect with? These should be good sources of inspiration for influencer merch.

• Collaborate with a designer
  

  One way to make sure you have a professional design is to work with…a professional. Collaborate with a designer or artist (perhaps one of your fans or followers?) to create merch that really does look good – rather than something someone quickly mocked up in five minutes. (If you have any design queries –  however specific – our expert team are always ready to offer tips and advice. Get in touch!)

• Link it in with major events/milestones
  

  Another way to make your merch relevant is to link it in with events that appeal to your fans. If you produce content relating to, say, sport, you might want to make a special t-shirt to sell during the World Cup or the Superbowl. Similarly, you might want to create merch to celebrate milestones for yourself as an influencer, for example, when you hit a thousand (or a million (!) followers).

Ready to start selling influencer merch? Contact ICON Printing for expert advice on design and printing

Step 3: Plan for production

Once you’ve got your design (or designs) under wraps it’s time to think about the logistics of your merch operation. There are a few elements of this to consider:

• Set a budget
  

  Decide how much investment you want to put into your merch. It could be worth doing a small trial run before throwing more money into a big print run. Make an assessment of how much you expect to sell and work out your profit margins accordingly. While it’s important to make a profit – you don’t want to over-price your merch and not sell anything.

• Find a printer
  

  Getting a good printer for your merch is crucial to the success of your business model. While print on demand is popular due to the low investment, it can often mean lower quality products and the profit margins are often lower. Printing with a quality print company means high quality products, expert customer support and the potential to negotiate deals or discounts on bigger runs that could mean you make much more profit. If you’re interested in a quote – or want any advice or guidance about printing merch – take a moment to speak to our in-house team, who have years of experience in the industry.

Step 4: Decide where to sell your merch

There are lots of options for selling merch online. Choose a platform that works best for you in terms of your audience and fan base. Two popular options include:

• Big Cartel
  

  Designed for independent creators (and fully independent in its own right), Big Cartel makes it easy to set up shop and start selling. Key features include custom themes, a creative community and no sale fees – just monthly plans. It’s great for independent creators looking to sell a wide-range of products. 

• Shopify

  The big competitor to Big Cartel, what it lacks in hipness it makes up for in features. Shopify boasts over 100 themes, unlimited bandwith, full access to HTML and CSS for customisation and 24/7 support. It cost a bit more but is the best choice for serious sellers looking for a high spec online sales platform.

Step 5: Have a promo strategy

So you’ve designed and printed your merch, now it’s time to start plugging it. Having a strong promo strategy is vital to success here and it’s important to come up with fresh ways to encourage your followers to buy your merch. A few suggestions:

• Create unique content
  

  This should go without saying. But whether you’re on Youtube, Instagram or TicToc, making original content to entertain your followers is crucial. Producing content shows off your swag in all its glory is one way to introduce your followers to your product range and start getting some sales in.

• Wear your merch
  

  Show your followers you believe in your product! Wearing your merch in your posts is a great way to generate interest and keep merch on the minds of your followers. Giving it out to other influencers or friends to do the same is another way to gain more coverage.

• Platform your followers
  

  Once you’ve started selling your merch you can generate even more hype by sharing pics and posts of your followers wearing it. Shout outs are a great way to engage with your fans and encourage others to join the community

• Run promotions
  

  Competitions are another great way to promote your merch. Offering free merch for shares or engagement is another way to encourage more engagement from your followers.

Step 6: Summary

If you think you’re ready to start selling influencer merch there’s lots to think about. First get a sense of your follower base – are they engaged enough to buy it? The next task is to create something unique that really sings to your personal brand – keep it specific – generic merch won’t be anywhere near as engaging. Making a production plan is important too; set out a budget and find a high quality printer – you don’t want to sell your followers low quality products. Next, pick a sales outlet – Big Cartel and Shopify are two popular options. Finally, promote! Run competitions, shout outs and create amazing, unique content to encourage your followers to get behind your merch machine.

Ready to start selling influencer merch? At ICON Printing we offer fast turnaround printing and embroidery with a wide-ranging catalogue from t-shirts to caps to bags. Get a quote in 2 minutes online.