Have you ever thought about adding digital or printable products to your physical product Etsy shop?

Or, you’re brand new to Etsy & you’re thinking that creating a shop of entirely digital products is the way to go?

Today, we’re sharing the 101 on adding printable products to your Etsy shop, with helpful tips from our friend Julie Berninger, of Gold City Ventures.

You can listen to the episode here with Julie live as a guest, or keep reading below!

What is a “printable?”

 If you're not familiar, a printable is simply a digital file that you create on your computer using a program like Canva or Adobe Illustrator, and then upload to Etsy for customers to purchase and print out on their own. 

But don't let the term "printable" fool you – there are many different types of digital files that fall under this umbrella, including things like:

• Resume templates
• Digital invitations for special occasions
• Online courses
• Planner Templates
• Printable artwork & home decor
• Kids’ education
• Self care templates or guidebooks

The possibilities are endless!

Why should you sell printables on Etsy?

Now, let's talk about the benefits of selling printables on Etsy. One of the biggest advantages is that it's a hands-off way to make passive income. Once you've created and uploaded your digital file, there's not much else you need to do. 

As long as your printable is popular and in demand, it will continue to make you money with minimal effort on your part.

But, as Julie points out in our podcast episode, there's no such thing as true passive income. 

Setting up an Etsy shop and creating a product takes effort and time. There are tools and tricks to learn before you start selling, so don't expect to make a killing right away.

Where should you begin when it comes to making Printables & other digital products? 

The best place to start creating is Canva.

For most sellers, they may be familiar with Canva, but if you don't have an account yet, we recommend starting there. Canva is a user-friendly, drag-and-drop design software that is perfect for those just getting started with creating printables. But if you're more comfortable with other programs like Adobe Illustrator, then feel free to use whatever program you are already proficient in.

Another tip for getting started is to join an Etsy training program specifically for e-printables, like the one offered by our friends at Gold City Ventures. These programs will not only provide you with ideas, but also help you learn the tools and tricks to be successful on Etsy.

How do you really get SALES on printables?

One thing you should consider when making printables is to find your customer's pain points and create digital products that solves those pain points.

A good example of this is a vision board printable kit, which is a popular trend, that helps people to create their own vision board, helps them in visualizing their goals and aspirations, that's one of the reason why it's a best selling products in many Etsy shops, and you can add even other related things like manifestation check or journaling prompts.

We (Studio Sisters) and our friend Julie both successfully sell Vision Board printable kits on Etsy!

The important thing to keep in mind is that even if a trend is big, there's room for multiple sellers to offer their own flavor of that trend, so don't be discouraged if you see other sellers selling similar products. 

Stay true to your niche, your own ideas and your own flavor, and you'll be sure to find success.

Is it too late to start selling printables on Etsy?

In the world of digital and printable products, Etsy has been leading the charge for a while now. 

But the truth is, we're only just scratching the surface of what's possible. 

The options for how we can sell digital products on Etsy are going to change and grow in the next couple of years. I think we’re going to see variations of digital products and maybe even offering recurring subscriptions very soon.

One thing to keep in mind is that the competition in this space isn't a bad thing. In fact, it's a good thing because it means there is demand for these products!

One thing that's important for those selling digital and printable products on Etsy is knowing your SEO, your branding and style, and how to accurately describe your products. 

Just like with physical products, you want to make sure your customers know exactly what they're getting when they purchase a printable from your shop.

Another tip for success is to hook your customers with good product descriptions.

It's all about catching their attention and giving them a compelling reason to make a purchase. It's crucial to be very clear and detailed about what they can expect in terms of getting a digital file instead of something physical.

Whether you're selling a printable or a handmade item, one key to success is helping your customers understand the benefit of making a purchase beyond just the features of the product. 

In the world of printables, it can be easy to get bogged down in the details (like the number of pages or the file format) without highlighting what makes your product truly valuable to the buyer.

One way to do this is by positioning your product as a solution to a specific problem or pain point. 

For example, if you're selling a bachelorette scavenger hunt, instead of just listing the features (number of pages, etc.), you might highlight how the product will help the bride and the maid of honor have a fun and stress-free bachelorette celebration.

But..when looking at digitals & printables on Etsy, everyone seems to be selling them for REALLY cheap. How do people make any money on products that are $1?

Another thing to keep in mind is that, especially in the world of printables, there can be a lot of low-dollar-value products on the market.

But by learning how to do keyword research and finding more specific, higher-value products, you can stand out and charge more for your offerings. And, you'll no longer be in that bargain bin of cheap sellers. 

So, you could start with low price point products like coloring pages, but you can also consider specific items that can be sold at higher price point like Google templates and other specific digital products.

When it comes to selling digital products, one of the biggest misconceptions is that you have to sell them cheap in order to make a profit. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, I've personally found that I can charge a lot more for my products and still have them sell like hotcakes.

 

Take, for example, the Notion templates in our shop. We specialize in selling notion planner templates and we found a high value keyword that had almost no competition, but tons of people searching for it.

• We then decided to experiment with creating templates for different audiences, such as artists and Etsy sellers. And you know what? Those templates sell almost every single day. They're not cheap - they're $14 a piece - but they're tailored to a specific audience and they're in high demand. This means I have $14 digital product sales coming in passively every single day.

• Another example is our smaller notion icon template packs. These packs consist of hand-painted watercolor dots, like pink dots, blue dots, and green dots. Each pack is sold for $2.97 and even though the margin on each pack is small, people often end up buying all 5 or 6 packs at once, resulting in a sale of around $15.

• We also have a seller in our course, Dream, Create, Sell,  who specializes in selling screen-free activity pages for kids. You might think that she has to sell them cheap, but she's selling each printable page for $6  and they do really well. This just goes to show that you don't have to sell cheap in order to make a profit, especially when you find a niche and target a specific audience.

• One of Julie’s students, Michelle, has had great success with this strategy. She started by selling OneNote templates and in her first year, she made over $20,000. 

One of the reasons for her success is that she's found micro niches that have a high demand and low competition. For example, she's found a niche in providing templates for productivity software. It's amazing to see how she's able to tap into these specific niches and make a significant profit.

Finding these niches can be a challenge, especially if you're just starting out. That's where seeking guidance from experts can be helpful. 

As someone who's been in the digital product business for some time, Julie says that keyword research is critical in finding these niches.

It's a crucial step in understanding what people are searching for, and how your product can match their needs.

And yes, it's true that keyword research is a very time-consuming work, but it's the key for success.

For those who don't have time for it, there are other ways to reach the same goal. Some people spend years hustling for every sale on social media before they realize that keyword research & SEO is necessary…

But eventually?

Everyone gets to the keyword research and that's how they create a successful shop.

In this blog post, we discussed the benefits of selling printables on Etsy and how it's a great way to make passive income. 

If you’re ready for the next step, start with our friend Julie’s free Masterclass on e-printables.

• A printable is simply a digital file that you create on your computer, and then upload to Etsy for customers to purchase and print out on their own. 

• There are many different types of digital files that fall under this umbrella, including resume templates, invitations, planner templates, and much more.

• The key to success when selling printables on Etsy is to identify a niche and create digital files that fill a need or solve a problem for your target audience. 

• Seasonal niches, like holiday printables, or niche specific for certain industries or professions, like worksheets for speech language pathologists, are great ways to get started.

• To get started with creating printables, Canva is a user-friendly and drag-and-drop design software that is perfect for those just getting started. 

• Joining an Etsy training program specifically for e-printables, like the one offered by Gold City Ventures, can provide you with ideas and help you learn the tools and tricks to be successful on Etsy.

We hope this post has given you a good starting point for creating your own printables and getting started on Etsy.  

Take the next step here!