Words of encouragement

[digitalpri]

This community feels like a safe place to share with you all. I'm kicking my a^^ off on Zazzle but it seems never enough. Need some words of encouragement. Help your girl 😔

[Jadendreamer13]

Some things you can do to grow your business:

Join a facebook group for Zazzle creators

Watch Youtube videos and tutorials on how to create and run a successful Zazzle shop

Take online courses to learn from successful Zazzlers

Take online design courses to improve your design skills (even seasoned designers are always looking to learn more and improve their skills)

Take online courses to learn about typography

The bottom line: Keep learning, designing, growing your business and design skills.

My words of encouragement: You’ve got this!

[tiffjamaica]

All good advice from @Jadendreamer13.  Just keep going!  Your store isn't very old and consistent sales take TIME to gain momentum.  Zazzle is a slow burn - you must have the inner confidence to keep going and going and put in the work (making it here is definitely not passive). Your designs are good, but I didn't see any cover photos - definitely consider creating cover photos to help them stand out! 

[digitalpri]

Yes, It's not even one year yet. I started in late 2022. Do you have any tips for creating cover photos? Like, which tool do you use? and some more tips? TIA 🙂

[KeegansCreation]

There are three methods for creating cover photos. I use all three for variety.

1. Use a subscription service such as Canva or PlaceIt. You download the artwork from the product page and upload it to the appropriate mockup on their website. Pro: Your cover photo looks very professional. Con: It's a subscription service. Also, you have to be very careful that the mockup you choose looks just like Zazzle's actual product. This means paying close attention to such things as length of sleeves, apron and bag straps and cup handles.
2. Premade mockups. These are also professional looking although they rarely involve people as models (unlike the subscription services). As with subscription mockup services, you download artwork from the product page. They can be bought from pretty much any place that also sells graphics; Creative Market, Creative Fabrica, Design Cuts etc. You can find some limited ones free if you google around. Pro: Buy individually rather than subscription service. This is a good choice if you think you are unlikely to use a subscription service often enough to justify that cost. Con: Some of them are compatible only with Photoshop so if you aren't using that, you are out of luck. Always check the product description.
3. Make your own. You download one of Zazzles mockups from the product page rather than the artwork. Then you remove the background and add in your own background. Pro: Can be done for free, unlike the other options. Con: It's more difficult and time consuming than using premade methods. You have to remove Zazzle's background yourself, make your own background and then make your own shadows (if applicable) which takes quite a bit longer than just having a premade do all that.

[digitalpri]

Thanks, this helps 🙂

[knightlyattire]

I create most of my cover photo mockups using Midjourney, check out my page. Unfortunately MJ is no longer free, but there are other free text to image generators out there like, Adobe Firefly, Leonardo AI, and BlueWillow AI, to name a few.

[Lea]

Be original! Create your own work with your own ideas. Make sure you're not just redoing what other people have already done very well.

[cniem14]

I am new to Zazzle also (started about 8 months ago), however, I have been using other POD websites for three years. I get relatively consistent sales more so on the other sites but that is likely due to the maturity of those accounts. One of the standout observations I have uncovered in my experience with POD that is not often mentioned but has been crucial for me is build your community first! Often, people interested in POD, jump in, start designing, learn about SEO, proper tagging, etc and after all of the work and effort with this, they are left scratching their heads because even with all of the hard work and dedication, this is not converting to sales. I have built a sizeable following on Tik Tok (in my estimation). I don't have a following like influencers but I have about 9-10,000 followers. I attribute the community I built on Tik Tok as the primary reason I have been making conistent sales with POD. I often market to this group, not every day, but maybe once a week. I would be more invested in marketing and promotion if I did not work full time and still had kids to raise. If I didn't have the Tik Tok community to interact with, I would be sunk. I feel like I would be spinning my wheels and getting nowhere because this market is highly competitive and saturated. Making a mug, personalizing it with a name and not promoting it, will not get you anywhere is today's POD market. I know you are looking for encouragement, and I believe if you start building a community, making your designs a brand, your products will be seen and sales will convert. 

[everyday_insp]

I feel you, for sure.

Users here have been sharing lots of useful tips, all thanks to you opening the thread. So thank you 🙂

I haven't taken off myself with my stores at all, but I know it can take time. Keep it up, your hard work will be repayed! I just feel it in my bones. Best wishes 🤗