I’ve covered how to make printables before briefly to offer as a free download for your blog, maybe as a way of growing your email list or to gain traffic and attract readers to your site, but today we’re going to talk about how to make printables to sell as a digital download. I will also cover where and how you can sell them. It can be very lucrative once you have it set up, and then there is minimal maintenance, so you can generate a passive income stream.
Choose your niche
Firstly, decide what sort of designs you’re going to make. There’s the wedding niche, kids’ parties, planners, meal planners, and loads more to choose from. Think about what you enjoy and would enjoy designing. Of course, you don’t have to stick to one niche, but it might be helpful if you want to be known as an expert in the field. If you offer everything and anything, you may not be taken as seriously.
Head over to Etsy for a bit of research. Type in what you plan to sell in the search bar and check out the competition. Skip over the ads at the top, as they will have paid to place their shop or products at the top of the search. Look at the products that come up on the first page, they are your competition. Can you do a better design? More user-friendly? More pages? More helpful? Take a look at what they are putting in their title and description and put similar words in yours.
Design your digital downloads
There are different design software tools around, my favourite is Canva Pro. You can use the free version until you’re ready, but I do recommend getting the pro version so that you can get access to more unique design elements and save your brand colours and logos. If starting from a blank page is daunting for you, then use one of their ready-made templates. Just type in what you are designing to the search bar and choose a template to edit. Make it your own style. Once you’re happy with the design, download it as a PDF file. This will be the file people get when they buy your download.
Where to sell your printables
There are quite a few different ways you can sell your printable. You can use your own website, which is perfect if you already own a website such as a blog. You can easily add a shop page via woo commerce, payhip or shopify for example. For a comprehensive list of options on selling digital products via your platform, see this post by my web host lyrical host. If you choose this option, you will pay no commission, and all the proceeds of the sale go to you (apart from what you owe the payment provider). You will be responsible for paying any tax you may owe on your earnings.
If you don’t have a website, then Etsy is a good place to start. It’s a small business hub known for selling unique and handmade items. Yes, digital downloads are handmade and qualify for Etsy! Anyone can open an Etsy shop and sell their products there. You pay a listing fee and a percentage of the sale to Etsy, but they do advertise for you, and you are more likely to get seen on the Etsy site rather than your own site. If you have high traffic to your site or a large social media following, then you will be better off selling on your website.
How to promote your digital download shop
Whatever you decide, you will then need to promote your products on social media and through content marketing via your blog if you have one. You can run ad campaigns via Etsy or on social media to gain customers. Experiment with ads to see which ones give you the best return. Once you have some sales, encourage the buyers to leave a review for you. Good reviews will boost your ratings and push you up in the search rankings. Unless you have managed to tap into some yet unknown market, it’s not as simple as just listing the products and watching the money come in. Trust me, I’ve tried it! Like everything, it will require hard work and time to see what works for you and your business.
I am planning a seperate post on the specifics of opening an Etsy shop, including everything I’ve learnt by trial and error. Let me know if there is anything in particular you are struggling with when it comes to selling printables and digital downloads. Maybe you’re struggling to brainstorm an idea that sticks, or the design software is giving you serious rage? I will help you with your pain points and hold your hand.
