How to Make and Sell Merch in 2023
As a content creator, one of the best ways to strengthen your relationship with your supporters and connect with them on a deeper level is by selling merch.
In this article, we'll explore the best practices for creating and selling merch that resonates with your community and drives engagement. Whether you're a seasoned creator looking to refresh your merch strategy or just exploring merchandising for the first time, this guide will help you create merch that your community will love and proudly wear with the help of Fourthwall.
Selling merch under a sub-brand vs. your brand
When you begin the process of deciding to sell merchandise, you have an essential first choice to make: operate under your personal brand or establish a sub-brand. Each avenue has its unique merits.
Selling under your own brand amplifies your established identity and fosters deeper connections with your supporters. It also streamlines your merchandising strategy by allowing you to connect it to your content, and reinforces your overall brand message.
Alternatively, creating a sub-brand provides the flexibility to explore distinct themes or styles without diluting your core brand. This would create an additional thing for you to be recognized for, on top of the content you make.
A great example of a creator who leaned into a sub-brand is YouTuber Emma Chamberlain. She made all kinds of content on her YouTube channel, some of which included her expressing her love for coffee. She decided to launch a sub-brand because of this, which is how Chamberlain Coffee was created. Now, Emma continues to be a popular youtube creator, and has a successful coffee company, which has its own merchandise (hoodies, t-shirts, mugs, and other branded apparel) and following.
Why Do People Purchase Merch?
Supporters purchase merch for many different reasons: to show their support, to get the feeling of having exclusive or limited edition items, to be a visible part of the community, or even the thrill of acknowledgement from a creator they admire.
From a creator's standpoint, merchandising can offer several benefits, such as:
- Intensified supporter engagement
- Creation of an additional revenue stream
- Heightened brand awareness
- An avenue for creative expression
Take inspiration from the successful creators in your industry to see how they are connecting with their fans and generating revenue through merch sales.
How to Make and Sell Your Own Merch: 8 Steps
Getting started on Fourthwall is fun and easy. Follow these steps and your online store will be up and running in no time.
Step 1: Create your merch store
Set up your online store that showcases your products and branding. Fourthwall's easy-to-use platform with drag-and-drop components and ready-to-go templates allow you to set up your shop with your branding in just minutes.
Step 2: Choose designs for your merch
Define your brand identity and choose what kind of designs you want on your merchandise. It can range from a simple logo to a full line of unique graphics. With Fourthwall, you can easily display your beautiful designs on your products using our easy-to-use creation tools, making it a fun and effortless process.
Step 3: Pick your products
This can be done before or after you pick what designs you want to use. Consider which products align with your brand and what your audience would want to buy. Fourthwall’s extensive product catalog allows you to find products that are the perfect fit for your followers. We suggest involving your supporters in the process by posting on your social media platforms asking what they would like.
Once you’ve created your products and approved the mock-ups, we suggest ordering samples. It’s important to know what will be shipping to your supporters, and it’s also good to use as marketing.
Step 4: Set your prices
Set reasonable prices that match your designs, products, and targeted audience. Fourthwall helps you set competitive prices that are fair for your fans and profitable for you. While the amount you charge is up to you, here are some average price ranges for products:
- T-shirts: $20-$35
- Hoodies: $45-$60
- Stickers: $4-$10
- Bottoms: $45-$60
Step 5: Launch your online store
Once your merchandise line is designed, priced, and curated, it’s time to launch. Either schedule your launch and show a “coming soon” countdown screen, or go live immediately. Managing inventory, sales, and payments are handled automatically, so you can focus on what you do best - creating content.
Once you launch, be sure to check out this guide for our recommendations on how to get your first sales.
Step 6: Collect payments & shipping information
Fourthwall has built-in payment and shipping methods that handle inventory management and shipping calculations. Your supporters enter in their information, and the rest is done automatically for you.
Step 7: Fulfilling and shipping your orders
Once your fans have placed their orders, fulfillment and delivery is critical. Fourthwall manages the order fulfillment and shipping processes for you, so it's one less thing to worry about. With print-on-demand products, there’s no inventory, which means no work or stress for you. If you’re interested in shipping your own products from home, that’s also an option.
Step 8: Maintaining high standards and providing excellent customer service
Prompt order fulfillment and exemplary customer service go a long way in building long-term relationships. Fourthwall’s support team helps you with inventory management, payment, and order fulfillment services.
How to Promote Your Merch
Once your shop is created, you should focus on marketing your merchandise. This can be done either before or after you announce the launch of your site. Implement a multi-channel promotion strategy across social media, newsletters, and other platforms. If you’re marketing after you launch, consider sending personalized thank you videos to your customers through the Fourthwall app. They may post the videos to their social media pages, encouraging more people to check out your site.
Here are some other effective techniques:
Social Media Marketing: You should find ways to promote your merchandise wherever you create content regularly. Showcase your apparel online and request pictures of fans wearing your merchandise on social media. Here are some unique ideas based on your platform of choice:
- Twitch: Announce your new merch drops during live streams and use Fourthwall's Twitch gifting feature to incentivize viewers. This feature allows viewers to gift your merchandise to others in the community, creating buzz and a sense of camaraderie around your brand.
- Instagram: Utilize the stories, reels, and static posts to showcase your merchandise in action. From unboxing videos to quick styling tips featuring your merch, the visual-centric nature of Instagram makes it an ideal platform for detailed product showcases.
- Twitter: Make use of Twitter threads to take your followers on a journey from the idea inception to the final product. You can also pin a tweet with a direct link to your merch store at the top of your Twitter feed to ensure maximum visibility.
- TikTok: Create short, engaging videos that cleverly incorporate your merch. Whether it's a fast-paced fashion show or a behind-the-scenes look at your design process, the quick, viral nature of TikTok can get your merch in front of a massive audience quickly.
- YouTube: Incorporate your merch directly into your video content, whether through unboxing segments, style guides, or simply wearing the items during your videos. Don't forget to use YouTube's built-in merch shelf feature, which allows viewers to browse and buy right from the video page.
Email Marketing: Leverage Fourthwall’s email capabilities to keep your supporter base in the loop about new launches or exclusive promotions.
Special Promotions: Generate buzz through special discounts, promo codes, giveaways, or personalized messages. Fourthwall accommodates these promotional mechanics effortlessly.
Check out how L’Agence recommends promoting your drop using modeling videos.
Start Selling Your Merch to Your Supporters
Selling merchandise is a powerful tool for content creators to engage audiences and expand monetization options. Fourthwall simplifies the process by offering the ability to customize a website as well as products, plus seamless payment processing and fulfillment, allowing creators to focus on creating content. Get started on Fourthwall today!
Need more help getting your merch business started? Check out some of our relevant blogs: