How to Kickstart Your Print on Demand Business with Your Blog

Introduction

Print on demand (POD) allows you to sell customized products featuring your designs without having to pay for inventory or manufacturing costs upfront. When a customer places an order, the print on demand company prints and ships the product for you, and you keep the profits.

POD integrates seamlessly with blogs and websites, enabling bloggers and publishers to expand their offerings beyond digital content. By selling customized products featuring your brand, you can increase revenue while delivering more value to your audience.

The steps to set up print on demand include:

• Choosing a print on demand company to partner with
• Designing products like t-shirts, mugs, and phone cases
• Uploading your designs and setting up your online store
• Integrating your store with your existing website or blog
• Promoting your products to your audience
• Fulfilling orders as they come in
• Analyzing sales data to refine your offerings

With some careful planning and design work on the front end, POD can become an excellent passive income stream that also strengthens relationships with your loyal readers. The minimal upfront investment and lack of ongoing inventory costs make it easy to get started.

Choose a Print on Demand Company

When getting started with print on demand (POD), the first step is choosing a POD company to work with. The top players in the space are CafePress, Zazzle, Redbubble, Printful, Teespring and Spreadshirt. Here's an overview of each to help you select the right one:

CafePress

• One of the first and largest POD companies
• Wide range of products from t-shirts to phone cases
• Custom branding available for storefront
• Integrates with popular e-commerce platforms
• Higher base prices but good quality

Zazzle

• Massive product selection including apparel, posters, mugs
• Easy to set up a storefront and integrate with a blog
• Large marketplace where you can sell alongside major brands
• Higher quality printing but fees per product are high

Redbubble

• Popular for graphic designers and artists
• Specializes in t-shirts, stickers, wall art, masks
• Built-in audience of shoppers looking for unique designs
• Lower base prices but you have less control over products

Printful

• Integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, eBay
• Dropshipping model so no upfront inventory costs
• Wide selection of clothing and other products
• Lower fees but you handle fulfillment and shipping

Teespring

• Crowdfunding model where you sell a limited batch of shirts
• Easy to get started with very low costs
• Limited product selection focused on t-shirts
• Need to market campaigns heavily to hit sales targets

Spreadshirt

• Sell custom t-shirts, hoodies, mugs and more
• Simple pricing with no monthly fees or minimums
• Provides marketing tools to promote your storefront
• Lower quality printing compared to other PODs

Take stock of the types of products you want to offer, your e-commerce setup, and costs to narrow down the best fit. Many bloggers start with Teespring or Redbubble to test demand before expanding to a more robust POD site.

Design Products

One of the most important steps when starting print on demand is determining what products you want to offer and creating tailored designs for each one. This allows you to provide a diverse product catalog while ensuring your designs are optimized for each specific item.

Determine What Products to Offer

Consider which print on demand products align with your blog's niche and audience. Popular options include:

• T-shirts
• Hoodies and sweatshirts
• Mugs
• Tote bags
• Phone cases
• Wall art
• Notebooks and journals

Focus on 3-5 products to start. You can always expand your catalog later.

Create Designs Tailored for Each Product

Ensure your designs are formatted correctly for each product type. For example, a t-shirt design will be very different from a phone case design.

Use relevant graphics, custom illustrations, inspirational quotes, and more to create designs your audience will love. Take advantage of print on demand capabilities like full-color designs, multiple placement areas, and all-over prints.

Design templates tailored for each product type are offered by most print on demand companies. Use these to ensure proper sizing and formatting.

Use Graphics, Templates, Etc.

Take advantage of graphics sources like Canva and Creative Market to find images, fonts, templates, and other design resources.

Many print on demand sites also offer free images and design tools right within their platforms. Use these to easily customize and optimize your products.

With tailored designs for each product type, you'll be able to offer a diverse, high-quality catalog aligned with your brand and audience. This maximizes the potential of your print on demand offerings.

Upload Designs

Uploading your designs is a critical step in getting your print-on-demand products ready for sale. You'll need to upload your designs to the platform of the print-on-demand company you've chosen to work with.

When preparing your design files for upload, it's important to optimize them for high-quality printing. Here are some tips:

• File formats - PNG and JPG are recommended for most printable products. SVG is also accepted for some products. Check your print provider's requirements.

• Resolution - Use 300dpi or higher for best print resolution. Lower resolutions may look pixelated when printed.

• Size - Upload designs at the maximum dimensions for the product. This allows the print provider to scale down as needed while retaining resolution.

• Color mode - RGB is preferable to CMYK for most printable products today.

• Bleed - Add 0.125 inch bleed if the design extends to the edges. This ensures no white borders.

• Proof your designs - Review your uploads carefully and print test samples before listing products for sale. Verify print quality.

With properly optimized design files, your print-on-demand products will look crisp and professional. Take the time to prepare your uploads correctly so customers get quality prints. Double check everything looks perfect before making your products live for sale.

Integrate with Your Blog

Integrating your print-on-demand store with your existing blog is crucial for driving traffic and sales. Here are some tips:

Add Store Link in Navigation Menu

Add a prominent link to your print-on-demand store in your blog's navigation menu. This ensures readers can easily find and access your store from any page on your site. Position the link in the primary navigation so it's visible on all screens.

Feature Products Through Posts and Sidebars

In your blog posts, organically mention and link to relevant products from your store. For example, if you review books, link to the print version in your store. You can also feature specific products through images and text in your sidebars or widget areas. Just make sure the product integrations feel natural and relevant.

Drive Traffic to Store

Leverage your existing audience and content to drive traffic to your print-on-demand store. Promote new product launches, sales and special offers through blog posts, email newsletters and social media. Run periodic promotions where customers get a special discount by coming from your blog to your store. This incentivizes your audience to visit your store and make purchases.

Promote Your Products

Promoting your print on demand products is key to driving sales. Here are some effective strategies:

Leverage Social Media and Email Lists

• Share your new products frequently on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Post photos showcasing the products.

• Send an email blast to your subscriber list announcing your new print on demand offerings. Include discount codes to incentivize purchases.

• Run social media giveaways where people can win your products. This helps spread awareness...

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