How To Make And Sell Merch On YouTube (The Easy Way)
Want to learn how to make merch for YouTube? I’ve got you covered.
Selling merchandise is one of the best ways to monetize your YouTube channel and diversify your revenue streams. And it’s not as difficult to do as you might think.
In this post, I’m going to show you how to create and sell merch the easy way, using print-on-demand.
I’ll also show you how to design products your fans will go nuts for and share some tips on how to promote your merch effectively on your channel.
Let’s get started…
Why sell merch on YouTube?
First, in case you’re still on the fence about selling custom merch, let’s review why it’s such a good idea.
- It’s an owned revenue channel. If you rely exclusively on ad revenue and brand deals, your income is at the mercy of YouTube and third-party companies. Selling your own merch gives you another revenue channel that you have full control over.
- More predictable earnings. As any YouTuber knows, ad revenue is notoriously unreliable. RPM changes like the wind, and you never know if a copyright claim will tank your earnings for the month. In contrast, merch revenues tend to be more predictable and consistent.
- Merch promotes your channel. When customers wear your merch out and about, they act as walking billboards for your brand. Every item you sell can become an advert that promotes your channel. So, selling merch doesn’t just work as a revenue stream, it’s also a great way to boost brand awareness and grow your audience.
- It strengthens your community. Having your own line of merch gives your most loyal followers a way to show their support and buy something that makes them feel like a member of an exclusive club. This helps to build a strong community around your brand, which is good for your channel in the long term.
- No minimum subscriber count. You need 1k subscribers to join the YouTube Partner Program and earn through AdSense. If you don’t meet that requirement, you can still monetize your channel by selling merch.
The benefits of print-on-demand
By far the easiest (and best) way to sell print-on-demand merch is to use a print-on-demand service.
With print-on-demand, you don’t have to make or hold any stock. You don’t have to worry about packing and shipping orders, or inventory management. You don’t even have to deal with refunds or customer service inquiries. The supplier you work with takes care of all that for you.
All you have to do is choose the products you want to sell from the supplier’s catalog and create digital mockups (I’ll show you how to do this later). Then, start selling them in your own online store.
When one of your customers places an order, your supplier will print the product on-demand and ship it straight to that customer for you from the nearest fulfillment center, then bill you afterward.
You only pay for what you sell, so there are virtually no upfront costs—it’s almost entirely risk-free. And you set your own prices, so you’re in full control of your profit margins.
Designing your YouTube merch
Before you’re ready to sell, you’re going to need to design your YouTube merchandise. So next, I’m going to show you how to do that, step by step.
Note: For this tutorial, I’ll be using Sellfy—an industry leading print on demand provider and ecommerce platform. I’ll show you how to sign up for Sellfy and use it to create your merch shop later in this post.
Choose the products you want to sell
Step one is to decide what types of products you want to sell.
Most print-on-demand suppliers have a large catalog of different merch items for you to choose from.
For example, Sellfy offers 100+ print-on-demand products in its catalog, including:
- T-shirts
- Sweatshirts
- Tank tops
- Dresses
- Hats
- Bags
- Homeware
- Posters
- Drinkware
- Mobile phone cases
- Accessories
Plus a whole lot more.
A lot of YouTubers with merch lines stick to the basics, like t-shirts, mugs, and tote bags. These sorts of items are best-sellers, so it’s worth having them in your merch line.
However, adding more niche items like custom yoga mats and pillowcases to your catalog is a great way to stand out from the crowd and could bag you more merch sales.
You’ll also need to consider your niche. For example, if you have a YouTube gaming channel, products like custom mouse mats and keycaps will no doubt sell well. Likewise, if you have a travel vlog channel, products like passport holders or luggage are worth considering.
And of course, don’t forget to think about price.
Print-on-demand services like Sellfy tell you how much each item costs to buy from them, and the difference between that and the price you sell for is your profit margin. Some products, like phone cases, tend to offer better margins than others as the base cost is lower.
Choose your print techniques & locations
Most print-on-demand suppliers will offer different print techniques.
DTG (direct-to-garment) is the most common printing method for apparel as it’s less expensive than other printing methods and offers reasonably good quality.
But you also have other options, like embroidery, in which your designs are stitched onto the fabric rather than printed. Embroidery works well on things like beanie hats, as well as t-shirt logos, etc.
You’ll also need to choose where you want your designs added to the product.
For example, if you’re selling t-shirts, do you want the graphic printed on the left chest? Center chest? Sleeve? Back? You get the idea. Consult the print-on-demand suppliers catalog to see what options are available.
A lot of providers will also let you customize the inside and/or outside labels, so that’s another factor to consider.
Create your designs
Once you know which products you want to sell and you’ve chosen a printing method, the next step is to create the graphic designs that you want printed on your merch.
Ideally, you’ll want those designs to be themed around your brand on YouTube. So for example, your designs might incorporate:
- Your YouTube logo
- Your YouTube banner
- Artwork you use in your videos
- Quotes from your videos
- Anything else that’s relevant to your channel & will resonate with your audience
Here’s an example of how YouTube channel Good Mythical Morning has incorporated its logo and other relevant artwork into its merch designs for your inspiration.
Most print-on-demand services come with built-in design tools that you can use to create your graphics. However, these are usually pretty basic and will limit your creativity.
I’d recommend using a more versatile tool like Canva to create your designs instead. Canva has a built-in library of millions of stock images and graphics that you can incorporate, which should come in useful.
Also, keep in mind that different print-on-demand suppliers have different recommendations/requirements for graphics, and you’ll want to make sure you follow those recommendations to the letter.
For example, if you’re using Sellfy, you should avoid using semi-transparent images and solid colors in your graphics. You should also only use 1-3 colors per design, and stick to sRGB or CMYK color profiles.
Bonus tip: If you don’t want to create the graphics yourself, you can always hire a professional graphic designer to do it for you on sites like Upwork or Fiverr.
Apply your designs to create a mockup
Once you’ve created your designs in Canva or your preferred graphic design tool, download them in the recommended file format for your POD provider (usually PNG).
Then, open up your print-on-demand service’s mockup generator, upload your designs, and place them on the products to create your mockups.
Your mockups are the preview images customers will see when they browse your store and should be a reasonably good replica of what the product will look like when it’s shipped.
Order samples to check the print quality
One final step before you’re ready to start selling your merch is to order product samples.
This is super important as you need to be sure the print quality is up to scratch and that the real-life products look like the mockups you’ve created.
Some print-on-demand suppliers will offer discounts on product samples. I’d recommend that you order at least one of each item you plan to sell before listing them for sale in your store.
How to sell merch on YouTube without an existing store
If you don’t already have an existing store, I’d recommend signing up for Sellfy.
It’s an ecommerce platform and print-on-demand supplier rolled into one so it has everything you need to make and sell merchandise in one place.
You can also sell other digital and physical products alongside your POD merch with Sellfy.
It’s super beginner-friendly too and doesn’t charge any transaction fees, so it gets top marks all around.
Here’s how to get started:
Step 1: Sign up for your preferred plan
Sellfy offers several pricing plans depending on your needs and budget.
The main difference between them is how much you can sell per year (up to $10k on the Starter plan, $50k on the Business plan, or $200k on the Premium plan).
Choose whichever one best meets your requirements. You can also get started for free with a 14-day trial.
Once you’ve signed up and logged in, Sellfy will build the foundations of your store for you straight away. You can customize it later. But first, let’s add some products.
Step 2: Add your print on demand products
From the sidebar, click Add new product > Print on demand. This will open up Sellfy’s POD catalog.
Choose whatever product you want to sell in your merch line to open it up in the Editor.
From here, you can upload/add & place your graphics and text, choose your product colors, and select your print technique. You’ll also be able to see the product cost and fulfillment facility locations.
Once you’ve added your designs, click Continue and Sellfy will automatically generate a bunch of product mockups/preview images.
Next, add a product name and description, set your price, and add any product variants as needed. If you want, you can also order a sample on this page.
Once you’re done, click Save product, and Sellfy will add that product to your store, ready for customers to buy.
Step 3: Connect a payment processor
Next, go to Store settings > Payment settings.
Then, connect a payment processor. You can choose between PayPal or Stripe.
You’ll need to do this to be able to take payments from your customers.
Note: You can also connect a custom domain through your Store settings. I’d recommend doing this before you start promoting your store on YouTube as a branded URL will convert much better.
Step 4: Customize your storefront
To change the way your store looks, click the shop icon at the top of the sidebar, then hit Customize.
This will open up Sellfy’s Store Customizer.
From here, you can do things like change global styles (button colors, text, heading fonts, etc.). Plus, change your page navigation bar, SEO settings, footers, and anything else you want to tweak.
Play around with the Customizer until your store looks and works exactly the way you want it to, and you should be ready to start selling.
How to sell merch with an existing store
If you already have an existing store, or you want to sell through a marketplace like Etsy, you’ll need to use a print-on-demand site that plugs into that platform.
I’d recommend Gelato. You can connect it to Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Amazon, eBay, and most other ecommerce platforms, then start selling POD merch.
It has an enormous print-on-demand catalog with literally thousands of items to choose from so it’s a good option if you want to sell niche products that other POD suppliers don’t stock.
What’s more, Gelato has 140+ production partners spread over 32 countries. Products are printed and shipped from the nearest production facility to the customer, so you can usually get pretty good delivery turnarounds.
Promoting your merch on YouTube
At this point, you should have a store with a bunch of custom merchandise ready for customers to buy.
Now, you just need to promote that store on YouTube to start driving sales. Here are some tips to help with that.
Launch your merch in a video
Upload a video to YouTube in which you announce your new line of merch and ask your subscribers/viewers to check it out.
Get creative and try to think of a way to get buy-in from your audience and get them excited about the merch line.
For example, in your launch video, you could announce that you’re running a giveaway and will be sending a package of all your best merch to one lucky subscriber.
Another idea: Ask your audience to submit their ideas for what other designs they’d like to see on your merch and promise to add the best idea to your store.
Announce it on all your socials
Aside from YouTube, make sure you announce your newly launched merch on all your other socials: Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, etc.
It’s worth adding a link to your store in all your social media bios too to help direct traffic to your site.
Promote your merch on your end screens
On every future video that you upload to YouTube, include an end screen that advertises your merch, with a clear call-to-action (CTA) asking your audience to check it out. You can add the URL of your store on-screen.
Link to your merch store in your description & channel
Make sure you have a visible link to your merch store in every video description. It should be clearly labeled and appear near the top of the description so that viewers don’t have to scroll too far to find it. You can also add a link to your store in your channel.
Wear and/or use your merch on video
If you’re selling custom apparel, wear it in your videos. This is a great way to get more eyes on your merch and provides a strong incentive for viewers to buy it as they’ll want to look like their favorite creator.
If you’re not selling apparel, try to feature whatever merch products you are selling somewhere on-set. For example, you can hang up prints on the wall behind you, or place your custom mugs/drinkware on the desk in the camera shot.
Again, Good Mythical Morning offers a great example of this.
Their custom mugs—which are available to buy in their merch store—feature in every video they’ve uploaded, and have become an iconic part of the set. As such, they’re one of the best-selling items in their store.
Use YouTube Shopping
Eligible YouTube creators who are part of the YouTube Partner Program can sign up for YouTube Shopping to sync their merch store with their channel.
Once you do this, you’ll be able to showcase your official branded merchandise inside the YouTube app. You’ll get a dedicated Store tab on your channel homepage and a ‘YouTube merch shelf’ that shows up below or next to your videos.
Viewers can click the shopping button in your YouTube videos and channel to buy your products and/or go straight to your YouTube merch shop.
To get started, go to YouTube Studio > Monetization/Earn > Shopping > Connect Store. Then, choose the platform your store is built on.
Unfortunately, only a few ecommerce platforms are supported, including Shopify, Spreadshop, Fourthwall, and Spring. You won’t be able to use YouTube Shopping unless you’ve built your store with one of the above (Sellfy isn’t supported, unfortunately).
Final thoughts
That concludes my guide on how to make and sell custom merch on YouTube.
As you can see, it isn’t as hard as you might think. All you have to do is sign up for Sellfy or another print-on-demand provider, then choose the products you want to sell, upload your designs to them, and start promoting them on YouTube. Easy!
While you’re here, why not check out the latest social media statistics? You might also enjoy this post covering the top social media platforms by active users.
Plus, take a look at these social media automation tools that can help you save time on YouTube and streamline your social media marketing efforts.
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