Categories
Creators

Update – Delayed Creator payouts

Following up from the message I sent on Monday, August 15th, I wanted to confirm that all outstanding creator payments have now been made. If you missed that email, please see the FAQ below.

If you requested a payout on or before  08/06/2022 and have not yet received the funds, please reach out to creatorhelp@spri.ng as soon as possible. We will investigate and respond within 24 hours.

Once again, please accept my sincere apologies for the issues leading to this incident as well our communication about it with you. Unfortunately, we have continued to see an increase in suspicious and attempted fraudulent activity that has continued to drain our resources – we are actively addressing this. Rest assured, the Spring team and I have learned a great deal and continue to make changes to our product & processes to continually improve monetization for creators.

As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at creatorhelp@spri.ng if you have additional questions.

Chris Lamontagne
CEO | Spring

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


What is the situation? 
Some creators have experienced delays receiving their requested payouts on Spring. Impacted creators are understandably upset and have asked for information and action.. 

When will it be fixed? When will I get paid?
We are already catching up with payments to creators and plan to complete all delayed payments by August 29th. Catch-up payments will be made in batches based on the date the payout was requested.

How did this happen?
Making sure creators get paid is a critical and complex part of our business. Over the last 3 years,  more than 5 million new creators have signed up with Spring. This caused a substantial increase in the number of small (under $10) payout requests and strained our legacy payment systems. We are working hard to keep pace and, in the course of implementing a more automated payment solution, inadvertently broke some of the systems we use to ensure prompt payment to creators. We should have done more to ensure we had the relevant checks and balances in place to manage such an important transition. We apologize for the disruption and have updated our protocols to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

Why hasn’t Spring communicated earlier?
We were unable to diagnose the situation fast enough and did not want to miscommunicate information or provide inaccurate timelines for fixes. In hindsight, we should have communicated sooner and provided frequent updates instead of waiting for the solution.

What is being done to fix the situation?
We have rolled back the changes to our payment systems in order to ensure we can pay creators on time going forward.

How will Spring ensure that this doesn’t happen again?
We are working on solutions to ensure that we avoid future issues with creator payouts, including but not limited to improvements in our automated payment processing, greater transparency and real-time updates.

Categories
News

How to sell more merch using YouTube’s new livestream update

Now you can ‘pin’ your merch to the top of chat while live streaming! This feature enables you to drop merch in an engaging way by highlighting your products for all viewers on stream. It’s also extremely effective for driving sales when combined with samples, promo codes, and limited edition merch drops. Keep in mind you need to have access to the YouTube merch shelf in order to pin merch when using YouTube Live. 

Don’t forget, Teespring’s integration with Streamlabs empowers YouTube streamers to reward and engage fans with live OBS alerts for every merch purchase. Alerts have proven effective for encouraging other viewers on the stream to follow suit and purchase as well

3 way to increase sales while streaming + pinning merch

There are lots of ways you can take advantage of this feature to drive more sales (especially during Black Friday and over the holidays). Check out the most popular methods below.

  1. Samples: Currently creators are using samples to increase sales by up to 50% and when combined with YouTube Live this can be an extremely effective promotional technique.  Order samples of your merch ahead of time and wear them while streaming to get viewers excited about your products. 
  2. Limited time promo codes: Another great way to drive sales and engagement while streaming is to offer promo codes that expire in a short amount of time (like after the stream ends). You can create promo codes instantly in your Teespring account to share on stream.
  3. Limited edition merch: Announcing limited edition merch during live stream is also very effective. Make the product available for a very limited amount of time to create a sense of urgency and make the purchasing experience both special and memorable. If you’re planning a merch drop make sure to update the listing’s visibility setting to ‘public’ ahead of time so your products will be added to your Merch Shelf product catalog.

 

How to pin your merch during live streams

Follow the steps below to create your own live stream merch drops now. 

  1. In YouTube’s Live Control Room, create a new live stream or navigate to one you have already created
  2. Click on the Merchandise tab below the live stream preview
  3. Select the merchandise item you would like to promote by searching through your list of items, and click it or drag it to the Merchandise preview panel
  4. Click on “Pin merchandise” to pin the item on top of chat and promote it to your viewers
  5. To end the promotion, click on “Unpin merchandise”

Ready set up YouTube Mech Shelf?

 

FAQ’s 

For more information on YouTube Live merch, visit YouTube’s help center article.

Can you pin multiple products throughout the course of a stream?

Yes, you can pin one item at a time, but you can unpin and pin any other item among those approved.

Can you pin multiple products at the same time?

Users can pin one item at a time, this maximizes the effectiveness of the feature.  

How long does a product say ‘pinned’?

The product stays pinned until the stream ends. Fans can also dismiss the card if they prefer not to see it.

Is there a way to tell the difference between live sales from video sales in the YouTube dashboard?

Not yet, all sales will be reflected in the merchandise section of your YouTube Studio.

Categories
News

Teespring becomes the first extension to offer sub-exclusive merch on Twitch

The Teespring Merch Store extension empowers Twitchcasters to reward loyal channel subscribers like never before. Utilize this feature to engage current subscribers as well as recruit new ones by offering access to exclusive merch. 

 

Teespring currently offers the only Twitch extension where users can create and sell subscriber-exclusive merch in combination with integrated checkout and built in OBS and chat alerts.

Teespring Merch Store benefits:

  • Real-time animated OBS and chat alerts 
  • Subscriber-exclusive merch (NEW)
  • Integrated checkout on Twitch
  • Guaranteed best in industry profit margins 
  • 50+ print-on-demand products that ship to 180 countries worldwide 
  • Storefront customization
  • Hassle-free selling—Teespring handles order processing, delivery, and customer support
  • Additional features (coming soon) include customizable celebrations and special discounts for subscribers. 

 

How to create subscriber-exclusive merch

Sub-exclusive merch is intended to not only engage and reward your loyal subs, but also encourage more people to subscribe to your channel. Learn how to create sub-exclusive merch and how it can increase your subscriber count in the video below.

[button href=https://community.teespring.com/answers/twitch-extension-faqs// target=_blank]Extension FAQ’s[/button]

 

Check out the two ways shoppers are encouraged to subscribe to your channel.

Shoppers on Teespring:

  • Everyone can see your sub-exclusive merch on Teespring. However, once they click on the listing page a shopper must select “Unlock as Twitch Subscriber” to purchase any sub-exclusive merch. 
  • Once the shopper verifies they’re a subscriber to your channel they’ll be shown the “Add to cart” option and can complete the purchase. 
  • If the shopper is not a subscriber they’ll be prompted to become one and redirected to your channel subscription page. 

Shoppers on Twitch: 

  • Viewers on your Twitch Channel are able to browse your sub-exclusive products. 
  • When they click ‘Subscribe to buy’ they’ll be asked to verify their subscriber status on your channel. 
  • Once verified they’ll have the option to ‘Buy now’ and complete purchase.
  • If they’re not subscribed to your channel they’ll be directed to your channel subscription page.

 

Categories
Creators

We’re hosting a Sponsored Session at Vidcon 2019!

Just announced: we’re going to Vidcon! Vidcon will run through Wednesday, July 10th – Saturday, July 13th in Anaheim, California. Join your favorite creators and thousands of other attendees enjoying live panels, Q+A’s, live performances, and major brand announcements. As an official sponsor of Vidcon 2019, we’ll be hosting our own “sponsored session” discussing our top recommendations for selling merch while staying true to your audience.

“The secrets of selling merch, without selling out”

How do you create and sell merch without looking like a self-absorbed “influencer”? Learn from industry experts and creators who are crushing merch sales by creating custom products their communities love. Getting started with merch on Teespring is totally free, so whether you have 10 or 100,000 followers, you will leave the session with the know-how to create and sell awesome merch in minutes.

Panel Guests

Chris Lamontagne, Teespring CEO.

Draw with Jazza, YouTube creator.

David Berg, production manager for Aphmau (Twitch + YouTube streamer)

Samery Moras, rising creator and 6-time US National Champion in Taekwondo and Team USA Competitor.

Jack Farina, Creator Partnerships for Teespring.

Jared Fowler, Design Lead for Teespring.

Be sure to visit Teespring’s Sponsored Session for all of your merch questions. We’re excited to see you there!

[button href=http://vidcon.com/register// target=_blank]Get tickets[/button]