Transcripts
1. Introduction: If you're a print
on demand seller on Etsy or you're just
getting started, you're probably
doing a lot right. You found a supplier, you're designing products,
and you've got listings up. But despite all that work, the sales are not coming
in the way you expect. This course is going
to change that. You're going to learn
why most print on demand sellers are
unknowingly repelling buyers, the psychology of its buyers and why it's different
from other platforms. How to shift your brand and presentation to match what
actually works on Xi. The real reason Is
rewards certain sellers and why you don't have to
look like a big brand to win. By the end of this course, you'll walk away with
a clear action plan, a fresh understanding
of what Is wants, and a shop that finally feels right to your
target customer. Let's start by understanding
where most people go wrong.
2. Mindset Shift: Most POD sellers treat Its like it's Amazon or their
personal website. They upload generic mockups, basic white background images, slap on some SEO heavy titles, and hope for the best. But Its is a different
beast entirely? It's not just a marketplace. It's a storytelling platform. Shoppers come to Its looking
for something special, something with a
so not something that looks disconnected
and mass produced. Most print on demand sellers fail because they are trying
to be too professional, too polished, too cold, and that just doesn't
connect with its buyers. They use mockups that look like they belong
on a fashion website. They write descriptions as if they're selling to
a corporate client. They don't understand
the culture of Ise, which is rooted in small
business handmade, personal connection,
and storytelling. So when shoppers scrawl through Its looking for a
product and they see your product next to a
cozy handmade looking product, they skip your listing, not because your product is bad, but because it does
not feel personal. It does not look like
it belongs on Itze. And that brings me
to the next point. Now you might be
thinking, but, hey, I'm not selling
handmade products, and you're right,
you're selling print on demand products. But
here's the thing. Buyers don't care about
your fulfillment method. They only care
about the feeling. You can be a print
on demand seller. But still feel handmade. That's what Isi wants. That's what the buyers want. Izzi shoppers are drawn to
unique personal experiences, a connection with the
seller or the story, the idea that they're buying
something intentional, not something mass produced
in bulk for profit. Your job isn't to pretend your products are hand
sewn in your living room. But it is to present
your brand in a way that feels small,
thoughtful and human. This means choosing mockups that feel real and
not corporate, writing in a friendly,
approachable tone. Use JAGPT for that one. Making your branding and
images warm, creative, and human again,
highlighting your process, your story, your
quality control. All the things that feel
like you actually care. The moment you stop
trying to look like a big brand and embrace your role as a
small creative business, things are going to change. Your listings feel different. Your shop feels more relatable. Your products become desirable because now they
fit the platform. Remember, you don't
need to be big. You need to be believable.
3. Your Branding is Hurting You: Now, let's go to
model number two. Your branding is hurting you. Let's get one thing straight. Itsy buyers are not looking for a brand that feels
like Nike or Zara. They are not here for corporate, they are here for character. But what do most print
on demand sellers do? They try to look like a
premium lifestyle brand with high end ultra
polished mockups. They use the same white
background sterile product only images you'd see on
major ecommerce websites. And then everything
looks too clean, too staged, and too perfect. Buyers assume one thing. This seller is probably drop shipping or selling
something generic, and that's not the
assumption you want. When your branding
feels too professional, too polished, too big
business, it backfires. You lose the trust even
before you get the click. You might think
you're impressing people with your
modern sleek look, but what you're doing is
you're blending in with the mass market products and getting scrawled right pass by. So what's the fix? It starts with
understanding what its shoppers actually want. How to make print on demand. Look handmade and authentic. The truth is you can absolutely
sell print on demand and still feel handmade if you build that feeling
into your brand. This means your shop
should feel like it's run by a real
person with taste, values, and intention, not an anonymous company pushing
out digital designs. Here's how you start
creating that handmade vibe, tell a small business story. Even if you're using
print on demand, you're still the designer. You're the one
picking the colors, writing the descriptions,
testing ideas. That's handmade
thinking, share that. Focus on personality,
not polish. People want warmth
and authenticity. Let your images, language, and branding reflect that. You don't need everything
to look perfect. You need it to look personal. Highlight the human
behind the product. Talk about yourself, your
inspiration, your process, use your about section and even listing images
to remind people, this is a creative
business run by you. The goal is not to pretend that your product is
physically handmade. It's to sell the experience
of buying something personal, small batch, and thoughtful. You're not just
competing on product, you're competing on feeling. And the first place
this shows up, mockups. Choosing mockups
that build trust. Mockus are one of the most powerful and
misunderstood part of your Is branding. Mockups you choose tell the customer everything they should feel about the product. If you choose mockups that
look like they came from a POD catalog, flat
white background, zero personality, no context, you're signaling mass produced,
uninspired, low effort. But on the other hand, if you use mockups that feels cozy, real and situational, suddenly your product feels like it
belongs in someone's life. That builds trust, and
trust leads to sales. Here's how to pick
better mockup. Use lifestyle mockups. That means your product
is in a real setting on a bed on a person in a home, give people a visual story. Avoid ultra
professional lighting and overly retouched models. You don't want it to feel
like a stock photo shoot. You want it to feel natural, something that could
have been taken by a small business owner. Choose mockups with character. If you sell mugs, pick a mockup where it's on a rustic
table next to a book. If it's a t shirt, choose a mockup with someone wearing
it in a casual scene, not posing like a fashion model. And here's a hack. When
in doubt, go to Ids, search for your product and
apply a high price filter. Now scroll through the results. What do the thumbnails of those higher priced
listings look like? You'll notice they almost always use lifestyle mockups
with a handmade feel. That is not by accident. These sellers know
their presentation, builds perceived value. And that's what
you're going to start doing presenting your
products like they were made with care designed by real people and meant
for thoughtful buyers.
4. Thumbnails & Image Strategy That Converts: Why white background
images don't work on Etsy? Let's talk about thumbnails. The very first image a buyer sees when they scroll
through Its search results. Your thumbnail doesn't
instantly catch attention, you've already lost the sale. One of the biggest
mistakes I see print on demand sellers make is using
white background images. This might work on Amazon. This might work on your
personal website or a catalog, but on Its, it's
a huge red flag. Isi is a visually driven,
emotionally led marketplace. People scroll here looking for warmth, creativity, and style. A product on plain white
background feels empty, clinical, and mass produced. Basically the opposite
of what shoppers want. In fact, white background on your images can make your
listings appear cheap or worse invisible because
everyone who's using the default print on demand mockups end up
looking exactly the same. No soul, no hard work, and definitely no clicks. That is where the
lifestyle mockups come in. Lifestyle mockups are
the secret weapon. A lifestyle mockup
is any image where a product is shown in context, in real life setting, being used or worn by a real person or surrounded by elements
that tell a story. And on Etsy, these
kind of images win. Why? Because they help
buyers visualize. They create an
emotional connection. They make your product
feel more real, more premium, and more wanted. So your job is to
find mockups that feature real environments
look natural, not staged, include soft
lighting and textures. Make your product look
like part of a lifestyle, and the best part is, you do not have to create
these mockups yourself. There are great lifestyle mockup resources
available online. First up, there is
placed.net Now, from this side, you
cannot download the mockups to your
computer and use them. They are web only mockups, but their mockups
are pretty nice. Next would be Envato Elements. By ad, I mean creativemrket.com. Next resource for mockup
would be Is itself. I'm going to take example of a T shirt because it's
the most common product. So just search for T
shirt mockups and you'll find thousands if not hundreds
of thousands of mockups. There is another website
I have, it's freepig.com. All you have to do is you
visit freepig.com and look for free mockups that you can download and use
on your product. Again, it's going to
take you some time, but you can get your
mockups for free. Even their premium
mockups are pretty good. Now, before you go
to these websites and randomly choose
yourself a mockup, I want you to do your homework, and the best place to do your
homework is Etsy itself. You're not here to copy. You're here to notice what works and apply that
to your own brand. Most people do their research
by looking at best sellers, but that's not always useful. Some best sellers
are winning only because of low prices
or high ad spend. Their visuals might be bad, but their price
is carrying them. Instead, go to the filter
and apply higher price. When someone is
charging 30 or $40 for a mug or a t shirt and
still getting sales, it means their listing is
doing the heavy lifting. They're winning on presentation, branding, and perceived
value, not discounts. Look at their thumbnails. What kind of images
are they using? What's in the background? Are they using real models, close ups, angled shots? How much personality
does the photo convey? These are the sellers
you want to learn from because if they can charge
more and still sell, they've nailed their
thumbnail strategy. Once you understand this,
everything changes. You just need to make
better choices with product mockups and
pick ones that make your product feel
like it belongs in someone's life because when your thumbnail
connects emotionally, the click is automatic.
5. Listing Optimization Like a Pro: Now, let's talk about
listing optimization. Today, I'm going to give you the exact seven slide image
formula that gets attention, builds trust, and
boosts conversion. Why images matter. Buyers and Itsy are not
like buyers on Amazon. They're looking for handmade
and meaningful products. And on Its, your images
do most of the talking. In fact, most of the buyers don't even
read the description. First slide is your thumbnail. It's everything. It's your hook. You want a clean, natural
looking lifestyle mockup. Avoid overly professional cold product shots on
white background. This is not Amazon. Your mockups should look
warm, real and personal. In slide number two, show your product in a
different setting. If your thumbnail showed a
shirt folded on the table, now show it being worn. This helps the customer
visualize the item in real life. Slide number three, zoom in and show some
details if you can, the texture of the shirt, the print on the mug, the
quality of the fabric. Give them a feel of the
product with their eyes. This reduces doubts and returns. Now, again, if you can't
find a zoomed in mockup, use an alternate
angle here as well. Slide four is all
about your brand. Let them know who's behind this. Maybe it's you and your
laptop or your small team. Include claims like every
order is quality checked, locally produced with care. Add your logos in a
subtle way if it fits. Slide number five, social
proof, reviews, sell. If you've got good
ones, flaunt them. You don't have any reviews
yet, it's still fine. Start building them through
ethical review swaps. Once you have them,
style them into your visuals, clean
and consistent. Slide six is your final nudge. Promise great customer service. Say you will respond quickly and always mention your
country of origin, not your, your product's
country of origin. Made in the USA or handmade
in Portugal builds trust. Just don't say China. Even if it's true, you're better off focusing on
quality and care. And finally, slide number seven, a behind the scenes peak, people love knowing
who made their stuff. Show yourself working
on the design, sketching ideas, or
packaging in order. Even if it's staged, it builds a handmade connection. If you're the one actually
designing your products, what you can also
do is do a little meet the maker image
as your last slide. It builds tremendous
personal connection, and it looks beautiful and makes people want
to buy your product. Let's talk formatting. Always upload square images. It shows square thumbnails best across desktop and mobile. Rectangular images get cropped weirdly and weaken your impact. Also, don't upload all the
time images because you can be smart with it and don't give repeated information
across the images. For example, what
I see some brands doing is they upload
a T shirt image. So for example, they
have ten images, ten colors of T shirts, and they upload one
image per slide. I think it's pretty useless. In most cases, it's extremely
useless and waste of space. Nobody's going to scroll
through ten images, upload four images in one slide. Let's recap your seven
slide emits tack. First is lifestyle thumbnail. Second is alternate setting. Third is close up
Alternate setting. Again, this is optional. Fourth is brand and quality. Fifth is review highlights. Sixth is service plus country seventh behind
the scenes Met the Maker. Use this formula
on every listing, and you'll start
seeing better clicks, longer time spent
on your listings and definitely more sales.
6. Pricing Strategy That Drive Daily Sales: This is one of the most
powerful strategies that I've used to take my Izz shop from slow
and random orders to consistent daily sales. We are not just
covering discounts. We're talking about
price psychology and creating urgency. Let's talk about the
daily sales strategy. The core idea here is simple, run 24 hour sales
every single day. Its only shows a countdown for a sale if it's less
than 36 hours. What you have to do is
you have to use it to your advantage to create
a sense of urgency. Or a fear of missing out. Here's how to run a 24 hour
sales every single day. Go to marketing, then
sales and discounts, click Run a sale, choose today's date as the starting date and tomorrow's
date as the end date. Set the discount to 25%. Now, it just takes 30 seconds
to do it every single day. Do it daily, and you'll
see how much it compounds. Now, let's talk about
why this works. When customers see a
ticking countdown, they panic a little. They feel that nu By
now or regret later. That's four more in action, and it boost conversion
rate massively. It's one of the easiest
psychological triggers to use because it's doing
the heavy lifting here. Now, let's talk about
the smart pricing math. Here's the formula of running the everyday sale without
cutting into your profits. Raise your base
price by 33.333 3%, then offer a 25% discount. For example, if you want
to sell a shirt for $30, raise the base price to $40, offer a 25% discount, Your sale price
becomes $30 again. Buyers feel like they're getting a $40 product for $30 and you're making the
same amount of money. Let's talk about an
unpopular pricing hack. Now, here's a sneaky
but effective strategy, especially if your product has sizes and a lot of variations. Add a variation that no one will ever buy and price it lower. Much, much lower. Why? Because Dad
variations price is going to show up
on the search page. For example, if you go on Its right now and
search for shirt, most listings that you open will have this price anchoring
thing built into it. It might feel a little scummy, but it works and more clicks
is equal to more sales. Another price hack
is you dot $0.99. This is one of the
oldest tricks in retail, and it still works today. People see 29 dot
99 and perceive it as a much better
deal than $30, even though it's just a
one penny difference, want to move more products, drop the last digit
and you're done. Also enable abandoned
card offers, recently favorited and post
purchase thank you offers. They bring back people
who almost bought and help turn one time buyers
into repeat customers.
7. Product Descriptions That Don't Waste Time: Welcome to module number six, product descriptions
that don't waste time. Let's be honest, most Its sellers will never read
our product description, yet Is sellers waste countless hours trying
to perfect them. Today, I'll show you how to
write just enough to keep Its's algorithm
happy and where to actually put the most
important information. Here's the truth. 70% of Is buyers will never read your
product description, and out of the 30% that do, most are only concerned
about sizing or materials. So if you're spending tons of time writing a masterpiece
of a description, you're probably
wasting all that time. So what should you write, even if no one reads it? Its still reads
your description, even if your customers don't. So here's what to do. Write a simple two to
three paragraph blurb that includes what
the product is. Who is it for material
sizing or care information? A quick sentence about shipping
or quality you can copy your title as the first line of the description for better SEO. Keep it natural write like
you're talking to a friend. You're not trying
to sell with this, feed it C's algorithm. Use AI to write your product
description in seconds. This is where most
people overthink it. You don't need to
be a copywriter to write its descriptions. Use AI to write your
product descriptions. All you have to do is feed it some key details.
Here's what to give it. Product type, key features, any sizing or care information, shipping information, target
customer or use case. Put all of that into Chat GPT or any writing
tool and just say, write a short Is product
description using this info, casual tone, keep it
under three paragraphs. Three, four, five, you can
select whatever you want. Do this for all your listings and you'll save hours
across your shop. Now, where to actually put
the important information. Here's the real secret. Don't rely on the description
to sell your product. Put all the important
information like size, materials, and fit into
your listing images. Buyers scroll your photos way before they
scroll your text. Your images need
to do the talking. Use text overlays to highlight key information like
material or texture, shipping from either USA, UK, or whichever country care
instructions or use cases. Think of your product
description as an SEO tool and you're listing images as your
actual sales pitch.
8. Outro: Congratulations. You've made
it to the end of the course. If you want personalized
help with your shop, I offer one on one consultations
regarding branding, SEO, and overall shop strategy. I worked with over 70 Is sellers to fix
underperforming shops, optimize their listing, and develop strategies
that actually work. You can connect with me
on Upwork or LinkedIn. Both links are in the
course description. My name is Shubam Jan, and I'd love to help you take your Isi store to
the next level. If this course helped you, please write a quick
review as it helps my teacher ranking on the
platform. Thanks for watching.