Tag: samples

Categories
Digital Insights

Your go-to guide for the holidays

Some creators sell more during the holiday season than the entire year combined. Make this holiday season your most successful yet. 

It may seem a little overwhelming at first—but we’ve got you. Below, we’ve laid out key dates you can follow to put yourself in the best position possible. Here’s how.

1) Create a holiday product collection

We’ve found certain products sell especially well during the holidays. Here’s what’s been proven to sell the best (based on current trends and recent years):

  • Hoodies (and matching kids hoodies)
  • Premium Tees
  • Mugs
  • Stickers
  • All-Over Print Sweatshirts
  • Leggings
  • All-Over Print Unisex Joggers
  • Stainless Tumblers
  • Tote Bags 
  • Long Sleeve Tees
  • Bucket hats

Design your holiday collection

Spring’s Instagram grid is packed with design inspo, so head over to check it out. Also, don’t forget about all the free design resources available to you.

Aim to create your holiday product collection by October 1st. This will give you enough time to order samples, prepare your content schedule, and maximize sales over the next 3 months. Take note of the Christmas delivery cutoff dates for fans too, so no one misses out. Add new products to your collection just in time for the holidays, and add limited edition holiday designs.  

2) Order samples and x3 your sales 

Once you’ve finished creating, it’s time to promote. Best way: Ordering product samples. Creators who do so sell 3x more than those who don’t. 

That said, we’d recommend ordering your product samples by October 10. This gives you enough time for shipping, then for you to create your promo content. Flick through the samples guide to find out the best ways to use samples to promote your products.

Tag us (@springforcreators)in social content featuring your samples, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #createshareearn for the chance to be featured in our 2021 holiday campaign on Instagram and get more eyes on your brand ✨

Order samples

3) Prepare for Black Friday weekend

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the biggest online shopping days of the year. Creators who offer discounts during this weekend can double their sales. We suggest running sales during those days—creators who’ve done so in the past have doubled their sales. In that, you’ll want to schedule your sales by November 1st, so you’re ready to switch your promotions on in your dashboard when the time comes.

Ready to get started? Check out these tried and true tips for the Cyber weekend. Plus, check out our guide to running a successful sale.   

Prepare promo codes

4) Prepare your store for peak seasonal selling

We’ve got three quick ways to optimize your store for the season: 

  • Feature products in your store: these can get 20% more views on average.
  • Add your branding to your store: stores with custom branding see 35% increase in conversion rates. 
  • Customize your domain: creators with custom domains can sell up to 5x more on average than those who don’t. Also, when you set up a domain with us, you’ll automatically receive an SSL certification, making your store more search friendlier as well as more secure or fans.

We recommend doing all of this by November 1. If you need a good example, see @ashleyooacevedo’s top tips. 

Browse custom domains

5) Keep profits rolling until Christmas with digital products

Okay, we just threw a bunch of dates at you. One thing with a bit of flexibility is digital products. Since these don’t have to actually ship anywhere (fans download immediately), you have up until the holiday itself to sell these products. Ensure your digital products are added to your store ASAP, so you can start promoting right away. Go extra hard on promotions after Cyber Weekend.

Get fans excited with special promotions on holiday themed digital products. Include bonus products (e.g. a free wallpaper background) with their digital product purchase—this is a great way to boost your sales even more.

Find inspo for digital products to create for the holidays, and don’t forget, we’ve got free digital product templates you can download and customize here. 

Create holiday digital products
Categories
Insights

Let’s talk samples

Congratulations on receiving your sample. Now, head out with friends, style them in your products, get snapping—the best way to send fans into a frenzy over your new collection (and increase sales).

So your sample has just arrived—this is the fun part. Paired with your expert content creation skills, they’re sure to increase sales. Like a lot.

Unboxing your sample

Get your community excited by capturing your sample unboxing moment. Once your box arrives, take pictures of yourself opening your package, or share a short video like @exploreeffectgear or @liannefrankel. Sharing teasers gets fans excited that something new is coming. Consider creating a countdown or giving fans a release date to build anticipation for your product launch.

Don’t forget to tag @springforcreators or use the hashtag #createshareearn for the chance to get featured on our Instagram grid. Click below to get started.

Share

Promote on social media

Creators who feature samples in promotional content can increase sales by up to 6x compared to those who don’t. Posting sample imagery on socials is an engaging way to create excitement around your collections. See how other creators are using their samples on our Instagram grid below.

Sample content inspo

Pair social content with a link straight to your listing. Present products underneath your videos using the YouTube Integration, or set up the Instagram Shopping Integration to begin tagging your products in posts (and more). Don’t have access yet? Start using the Linktree Integration, available to all creators right now.

Check out inspo from our top creators killing it on socials below.

6 ways to create content using samples

There’s no one way to create genius, eye-catching content. Our advice? Head to a beautiful spot (like the beach), and unleash some creative genius. You’ll have a blast, and sell some products. Win win. 

Once you’re done, tag us with the hashtag #CreateShareEarn. We’ll feature our favorite promo images on our Spring Instagram feed.

Try your hand at product photography

You don’t always need to be wearing or holding your products to show off the quality of your designs. Sometimes the beauty is in the details. @aestheticallyrica definitely has the right idea.

Show how fans can enjoy your products IRL

Feature your samples in a way that feels natural to you and the style of content your community loves seeing on your feed. Take for example @weretherussos, who put their die cut sticker on the back of their 4×4.

Create video content using your products

For YouTubers, it’s a no brainer. Wear your samples in videos. Instagram creators: videos get more engagement—It’s a known fact. @delta_of_phoenix is a shining example. Featuring samples in TikTok content is always a great way to inspire fans to purchase your products too. Don’t forget to have your Spring store accessible within your Linktree.

Get creative with your imagery

@ashleyooacevedo includes samples in almost all of her Instagram content. Check out how she has photographed her hoodie design and jazzed up her Instagram post with her own illustrative touches. Super cool!

Combine samples and online design templates to promote sales  

Just like @loudmouthpod has below. Hands down, the best way to shout about a promotion on your social media. Choose from hundreds of completely free post templates on Canva, including sample imagery.

Organize a giveaway contest

Samples make it easy for you to run giveaway contests on your social platforms. All you need to do is mail them to the lucky winner. Giveaways are a great way to thank your community for their support and boost engagement on your content.

We created an example using sample imagery below. Head to Canva to get started with yours.

Create a giveaway post

Categories
Insights

Why samples are essential for promo content

Did you know featuring your products in promotional content can increase your sales by 50%? Whether you’re a creator, gamer, or internet marketer—showing off the quality of your products to followers and fans can significantly help increase your sales.

You can order samples of your products at base cost within the “Listings” section of your account at any time. Get inspired by the creators in this post and check out all the ways they’re featuring merch samples in video + photo content to increase their sales. 

order samples

Featuring your products in promotional content is a key step in selling. Thousands of creators are using samples to generate engagement and hype around their personal brands. Sharing photos and videos of your products is one of the most effective ways to increase your sales. 

Merch photo inspiration

Check out examples of how Teespring creators use merch samples to promote their products in an engaging way.

@unfollowcarter (254K subs)

@moriahelizabethofficial (3.77M subs)

@quietcoolkid (184K subs)

@xfor3v3rfaithfulx (621K subs)

Merch video inspiration

Our team has compiled several of our favorite promotional merch videos. Some creators go full-on to produce top quality branded content, others explain the story behind their designs to connect with fans, and some simply wear their merch and remind viewers where they can purchase it. As long as you’re wearing your products and reminding fans where they can get their own there’s no way to go wrong! Check out the list of merch-promoting videos and get inspired.

@Simplicissimuss (329k subs)

An engaging video-essay channel, Simplicissimus used Teespring to create a totally custom apparel brand called CultureCulture. They used a range of products from their line to create a stunning video segment and photoshoot using models to showcase the product range. They also created a dedicated Instagram account to promote the collection.

@MaxDiamond (1.3K subs)

Max is an amateur magic creator whose channel features trick tutorials, product demos, and commentary content. In addition to creating a standalone merch promo video he also hosted a giveaway (see section above) and wears his merch in videos to promote sales.

@PetrolHeadGarage (71.3K subs)

This channel is run by a group of mechanics (and friends) based in Spain. We love this video because it calls out the quality of their new Teespring merch line and focuses on how important their community is to the channel.

@Wintergartan (1.5M subs)

Wintergarten takes his merch promo to a whole new level by turning blueprints of his amazing music machine into custom posters. In this video this Sweden based creator explains the design process and showcases all the product available in custom poster collection

@ItsYeBoi (2.33M subs)

ItsYeBoi showcases his new merch collection in the beginning of his video. Apart from wearing his merch, showing new products available, and calling out where to buy them—he also reminds followers to tag him in photos once they receive their order and hints at an upcoming giveaway.

Using merch for giveaways & events

Apart from featuring merch in promotional content many creators also order their merch for giveaways and events.

Giveaways

Consider hosting a contest or giveaway to increase channel subscribers, newsletter subscriptions, social media followers, increase purchases, etc. When it’s time to reward the winner order your merch from your dashboard and once it arrives, mail it to your winner and add a personal touch like a note or photo in the package.

Max Diamond celebrated reaching 1k subscribers on his channel by launching his new merch line with a giveaway. The first 10 people to order a tee or sweatshirt also received a deck of cards. Followers could also win freebies by subscribing to his channel too.

Events

Planning to attend an event? Order your merch ahead of time to give away or sell. The team from Holding Space Films ordered poster merch samples in preparation of their film tour—they’ll give away items as prizes and also hang posters at screenings to promote their film + drive online merch sales in their Teespring store.

Make ordering samples an integral part of building your brand with Teespring. Once you’ve created your products, order a sample, promote it and start selling–check out the video below to see how easy it is!

order product samples