Believe it or not, creating and selling printables is still one of the accessible and profitable ways to make serious profit online (even in 2024!).
Take it from someone who made $123,000 selling printables in the last 8 months alone! And despite what you might have heard, the market is far from saturated!
In this step-by-step guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to create printables that truly sell like crazy, including product ideas, design tips, platforms to sell on, and how to market your creations.
Let’s jump in!
How to Make Printables that Sell Like Crazy Online
Step 1: Understand What Printables Are and Why They Sell
When you know the reason printables sell, you’re more likely to create something people actually want and far less likely to create a flop product!
Printables are downloadable digital products that customers purchase, download, and print themselves at home.
The beauty of selling printables is that you only create the file once but can sell it multiple times, without worrying about shipping, inventory, or packaging.
Why Printables Sell:
- Instant Gratification: Customers love that they can purchase, download, and print the item immediately.
- Customizable: Many printables can be personalized to suit the customer’s needs (e.g., adding their name, selecting colors, or choosing layouts).
- Low Production Costs: You don’t need to invest in manufacturing physical products, which reduces upfront costs.
- Versatile Uses: Printables cater to a wide range of needs, from functional items like planners to creative items like wall art and decorations.
- Seasonality: You can create printables for various holidays and trends, making them desirable year-round.
Examples of best-selling printables:
- Planners and Organizers: Daily, weekly, monthly, or specialized planners (budget planners, meal planners, etc.).
- Party Decorations: Printable banners, cupcake toppers, and invitations for themed parties or events.
- Wall Art: Inspirational quotes, minimalistic designs, or kids’ room prints.
- Worksheets and Educational Printables: Activities, flashcards, or learning aids for homeschooling or school settings.
Related: 21 Printables That Sell Like Crazy Online ($5,000+ Month Business Idea)
Step 2: Identify Your Niche
Before you start designing, choose a niche. The more specialized you are, the easier it will be to stand out from competitors.
The best niche is one you’re passionate about or knowledgeable about because this will reflect in the quality and creativity of your printables.
How to Choose a Niche:
- Consider your interests and skills: Do you enjoy organizing? Consider creating planners. Do you love design? Create home decor printables. Are you passionate about education? Try worksheets or learning aids.
- Look for gaps in the market: Search popular platforms like Etsy or Pinterest to see what’s trending. Then, find gaps or underserved niches where you can stand out.
- Combine trends with functionality: For instance, if eco-friendly products are trending, you could create eco-friendly-themed meal planners or zero-waste checklists.
Niche Ideas:
- Event and Party Planning: Printable invitations, banners, and party games for themed events or holidays.
- Educational Printables: Flashcards, worksheets, or homeschooling materials.
- Seasonal and Holiday Printables: Printables for Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, or other holidays (like gift tags, party decor, or wall art).
- Home Organization: Meal planners, weekly schedules, cleaning checklists, and budgeting sheets.
- Kids’ Printables: Coloring pages, learning aids, activity books, or holiday-themed games.
Related: 30+ Small Business Ideas to Become Your Own Boss (& Take Back Your Time)
Step 3: Research Market Demand
Before creating your product, I highly recommend spending some time researching what sells!
Take a look at what is currently selling well on places like Etsy, see what customers are asking for in reviews, and get inspired by top sellers – they’ve already refined the process!
How to Conduct Market Research:
- Browse Etsy and Creative Market: Look at the best-selling items in your niche and see what customers love.
- Check Pinterest Trends: Pinterest is a goldmine for popular ideas, especially in DIY, home decor, and organizing printables.
- Read Reviews: Customer reviews on competitors’ products will tell you what people love and what they wish was different or improved.
- Use Google Trends: See what people are searching for and find ideas to tap into seasonal or growing trends.
What to Look for:
- Product variety: Check what types of printables are selling. For example, are holiday-themed planners more popular than regular planners? Are customers buying printable wall art?
- Pricing: See how your competitors are pricing their items. You’ll want to price competitively without undervaluing your work.
- Keywords: Look at the keywords used in product titles and descriptions. These are crucial for getting your products found by search engines.
Step 4: Design Your Printables
The design stage is where your creativity shines. The good news is you don’t need to be a graphic designer to create beautiful printables.
Tools like Canva make it incredibly easy to get started, even for beginners.
Tools You Can Use to Design Printables:
- Canva: Canva is beginner-friendly and offers plenty of pre-made templates for everything from planners to invitations. You can easily customize fonts, colors, and designs. This is the best option for beginner to intermediate users!
- Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop: For more advanced users, Adobe products offer full customization and high-end design options.
- Procreate: If you’re comfortable with drawing on a tablet, you can use Procreate for more custom, hand-drawn elements.
Design Tips for Selling Printables:
- Keep it simple but functional: Customers need to be able to use your printables, so keep them visually appealing yet functional. For instance, planners should have enough space to write comfortably, and educational worksheets should be easy for children to understand.
- Use consistent colors and fonts: Sticking to a theme helps you create a recognizable brand. For example, if you’re creating minimalist planners, use simple fonts and neutral colors.
- Ensure print quality: Make sure your designs are high-resolution (300 dpi) so they print clearly without pixelation. Pay attention to the size and aspect ratio as well (e.g., A4, letter-size).
- Create a cohesive collection: Instead of offering just one printable, create sets or bundles. For example, if you’re making a meal planner, create accompanying shopping lists, grocery inventory sheets, and recipe templates.
Related: 17 Easy Ways to Make Money with Canva ($6,000+ a Month Ideas!)
Step 5: Choose a Platform to Sell Your Printables
Once your designs are ready, it’s time to choose a platform where you’ll sell them.
Each platform has its own advantages, so you’ll need to select one based on your business goals.
Popular Platforms:
- Etsy: Etsy is one of the top platforms for selling printables. With millions of buyers already on the platform, Etsy allows you to reach a broad audience. Plus, its user-friendly interface makes setting up a shop super easy!
- Creative Market: This platform is great for more premium digital products like design templates, fonts, and professional printables. If your printables have a more high-end or designer feel, Creative Market could be ideal.
- Gumroad: If you already have a social media following, Gumroad allows you to sell printables directly to your audience. It’s easy to use and you get a higher cut of sales compared to platforms like Etsy.
- Your Own Website: If you want full control over your shop and avoid paying marketplace fees, consider selling on your own website using platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce.
Pricing Your Printables:
- Consider the competition: See how similar printables are priced on platforms like Etsy and Creative Market.
- Factor in the perceived value: A simple one-page printable may sell for around $3, while a comprehensive 50-page planner could sell for $15 or more.
- Offer bundles: Create a set of related printables and sell them as a bundle at a slight discount to increase sales.
Related: 20 In-Demand Digital Downloads to Sell on Etsy That Are Easy to Make
Step 6: Create Eye-Catching Mockups for Listings
I cannot stress this one enough!
Your listing images are key to not only attracting buyers but getting them to actually purchase your item.
Since customers can’t physically touch or see your product, you need to create digital mockups that show off your printable in the best light.
How to Create Mockups that Sell:
- Use Canva or Photoshop to add your designs to stock photos: For example, you can add your printable wall art to a framed photo of a living room or insert your planner designs into a flat lay image of a desk.
- Show different views: For planners or multi-page products, show a few different pages in your mockups so customers know what they’re getting.
- Lifestyle photos: If you can, use lifestyle images where your printable is in use. For example, show a party printable in an actual party setting, or show a budget planner filled out with colorful pens.
Step 7: Market Your Printables
You’ve created your printables and listed them—now it’s time to get customers to your shop!
There are a ton of useful marketing strategies to use, but my favorites ones are:
Marketing Strategies:
- Pinterest: Pinterest is one of the best platforms to promote printables. Create pin-worthy images of your printables and link them to your shop or website. Since Pinterest works like a search engine, use keywords and hashtags to increase visibility.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Optimize your product listings by using the right keywords in titles and descriptions. Think about what customers would search for when looking for your product (e.g., “minimalist weekly planner” or “Christmas party printables”).
- Social Media: Use Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok to showcase your designs. Posting behind-the-scenes of your creation process, how-tos, and customer reviews can help build trust and engagement.
- Email Marketing: If you have a website or blog, create an email list and send promotions, new product releases, and exclusive discounts to your subscribers.
Related: 12 Clever Ways to Make Money on Pinterest ($2,000+ Ideas!)
Step 8: Scale Your Business
Once your shop is up and running, you can start thinking about scaling – I’d say thinking about scaling is useful around the $500-$2k a month mark.
This might mean expanding your product offerings, investing in paid advertising, or creating seasonal items to boost sales during peak times.
Ways to Scale:
- Expand Your Product Line: Add more printables or explore new niches.
- Offer Bundles: Bundle similar items (like multiple planners) to encourage customers to buy more.
- Seasonal Items: Tap into holidays and trends. Seasonal printables for Christmas, New Year, and back-to-school can be huge sellers.
- Paid Ads: Consider investing in paid ads on platforms like Etsy or Pinterest to boost your shop’s visibility.