How To Make Merch In 2024

Think about major brands such as Nike, Reebok and lululemon. All of them sell a variety of merch products with their logos or brand names. If you’re a fan of any of these brands, there’s a good chance you’ve purchased and worn their merch with pride.

By creating your own merch, you can give your customers the opportunity to connect to your brand and encourage others to do the same. Some of these customers can even become brand ambassadors and further grow your audience.

With a line of quality merch, you’ll be able to develop more meaningful relationships with the customers who believe in your business and can’t wait to show it off to the world. It can lead to a stronger sense of loyalty and trust.

If you’re ready to jump on the merch bandwagon and grow your brand, follow these steps.

1. Dive Deep Into Your Audience

First and foremost, take the time to learn about who your target audience is and what types of products they’ll appreciate. If you already have an established following, check your social media platforms for some ideas. You can also interview current customers and turn to your competitors to see what types of merch they’re selling with success. Here are some questions you’ll want to answer:

• What do your customers use the most?
• What are their favorite colors?
• How much would they be willing to pay for merch?
• What types of designs resonate with them the most?

2. Brainstorm Ideas

Once you know what your customers are looking for, it’s time to come up with some great ideas for merch. While T-shirts and hoodies are the most popular options, you may want to branch out and offer tote bags, mugs, water bottles, keychains, framed posters, blankets and even phone cases. Get creative because the sky is truly the limit. If you’re a travel business, for example, tote bags that can be used as carry-on bags might make sense. If your brand caters to young children, on the other hand, soft blankets may be a better fit.

3. Design Your Products

Now the fun really begins! If you have the ability, resources and time, you can design your products. However, you may be better off working with a merch designer. If you do go this route, make sure you clearly convey the type of look and feel you hope to accomplish. It may also be worthwhile to create a mood board with examples and inspiration for your designer.

4. Validate Your Products

Before you go ahead and sell your merch, find out how your friends, family and current customers feel about it. Don’t hesitate to share your designs with them and ask for their honest feedback. You may uncover some issues or opportunities for improvement and can modify your designs accordingly.

5. Bring Your Products to Life

If you’re happy with your designs and received a stamp of approval from others, you’ll need to produce your merch. In general, there are two ways to do so, including:

• Print on Demand: With print on demand, you can automate production, shipping and fulfillment in a cost-effective, low-risk way. The drawback, however, is that there may be limits on products and customization. Print on demand is the way to go if you want to avoid upfront costs and/or don’t have much knowledge about manufacturing.
• Manufacture From Scratch: This is where you find a manufacturer who will make the products for you. Manufacturing from scratch allows you to be more involved in the production process but does require an upfront investment.

6. Set Your Prices

Ideally, your merch should be priced in a way that allows you to profit but is also reasonable for your target audience. Of course, you should charge more for a T-shirt or hoodie than a keychain or sticker. Here are average price ranges for various products you may sell:

• T-shirts: $20–$35
• Hoodies: $45–$60
• Stickers: $4–$10
• Phone cases: $10–$35
• Mugs: $5–$30

Remember that pricing isn’t set in stone. You can always test out different prices to zero in on what works best for you and your audience.

These resources can help you produce high-quality merch that your customers are sure to love:

1. Design Tools

Two of the most popular design programs you might want to explore if you plan to design your merch are Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. They can help you design logos, images and typography. If you don’t have the budget for these programs, Inkscape and Canva are lower-cost alternatives.

2. Graphics and Photos

Fortunately, there are many websites that offer royalty-free graphics and photos you can use for your merch designs. Several options you might want to look into include Shutterstock, Freepik, Flaticon and Vexels.

3. Graphic Designers

If you’d prefer to hire a professional to design your merch, you can find an experienced freelance graphic designer online. Browse designer profiles on websites such as Fiverr, Upwork, 99designs and Dribbble. Be sure to read reviews to get an idea of each designer’s work and service.

Once your merch is ready to sell, you’ll need to promote it to your current customers first through these strategies:

Word of Mouth

As long as you already have a loyal customer base, word-of-mouth marketing will be very beneficial. Reward customers who show off your merch. You might want to create a hashtag they can use any time they upload images or videos with your merch. A hashtag can help you track your results with ease.

Marketplaces

If you’d like to reach a larger audience, you can list your merch on a marketplace. Before you do, however, check the terms and conditions of each marketplace you wish to use. Many of them state what you can and cannot sell. Some examples of marketplaces that can allow you to promote your merch include MerchNow, Represent and Hello Merch.

Leverage Social Media

Whether you sell your merch on your website or through a marketplace, don’t forget about the power of social media. You can tag your merch in your Instagram posts and stories to create your own shop on your business profile. Another option is to share links to your products in your YouTube videos and descriptions. You could also partner with TikTok creators and ask them to develop content related to your merchandise.

Not only can merch give you the opportunity to earn an additional stream of revenue, it can connect your customers to your brand and help them feel like they’re part of a community. A thoughtfully designed, quality line of products may be just what you need to take your brand to new heights.