Everyone will have a different reason for why you should create printables to sell, but for me it was the idea of making something once and selling it over and over. The work is only done once! As long as you have an interest in creating and selling things then it can serve as a great foundation for your new business. The important thing is to enjoy what you do. Your customers will soon sense if you don’t enjoy it as your creations will be half-hearted and uninspiring.
Learning
The other thing that can be your downfall is if you expect to be an overnight success. You won’t get rich very quick but as you create and build upon your stock of printables, it can soon grow. You can even save time by buying PLR. PLR stands for “Private Label Rights”. This can be printables that someone else has already made and you purchase the commercial rights to it. You then just add your own colour scheme, change up the font or add clipart and make it your own. This is how I got started. The very templates I used were made by Yadsia and they were the springboard to where I am now. I also purchased the follow up add on templates.
You will need some skills to do this (and there are many courses out there), but it’s nothing complex or with a big learning curve. In my Resources section I link to the courses I used to get started.
With access to youtube, blog post tutorials and other learning resources, there’s no reason why you can’t find out what you need to get started selling printables. Selling online can seem daunting but once you start experimenting with places like Etsy, it is a breeze! I used Etsy because they handle the VAT for you which can be a headache with the new EU digital download rules.
It really is quite simple and selling printables online works the same as selling any other item. You just need a product and a place to sell it. You need an idea and motivation.
The Basics
The three basics involved with selling printables are:
- Have a strategy
- Set up your downloads
- Attract customers.
Not sure if this is right for you? Think back to the reason that first gave you an interest in selling printables and that will help you decide if this is something that’s right for you. There’s a lot of variety, so there are niches that appeal to all kinds of interests – from the serious to funny side.
Passive Income
But maybe you are someone who doesn’t know why it’s a good idea to create and sell printables. One of the reasons you want to create these products is that they create a great source of passive income.
It is one of the fastest growing sources of income on the internet today, which is why many people are embracing it. Having passive income means that once the product is created, you won’t spend a lot of time or energy dealing with it so that it makes you money.
These are products that, once created, can continue to make money over and over again while you are free to move on. This will allow you to create more printables or have time to devote to your other sources of income.
You can make it into something that can help you become your own boss and let go of the daily office routine. There is no easy path to success, so don’t make the mistake of thinking this is a lazy or super easy way to make money.
Keep It Fresh
Don’t set it up completely and forget about it. Even after you’ve created your product, you’ll still need to make sure it gets sold. The way to do this is to make sure that what you have created is something of the highest quality.
You will have to work hard to create the printable product you have chosen. Take a break to learn what you don’t know. Spending time early on learning how to do something right will save you a lot of time later. You may or may not have a lot to learn. It depends on your current skills.
Depending on what type you are selling, you may need to update your printables, change the year or whatever if it a dated thing. There may be times when you will have to go in and remove a printable or a line of printables if something has changed and they are no longer relevant. So you will be putting in the work, especially in the beginning.
Inspiration
Once your brand and store is set up and the printables are listed, you will make money with these at all times of the day, even when you are sleeping. Printables are in high demand and this trend has not shown any sign of slowing down.
In fact, it continues to grow as new ideas are developed. Another reason you want to sell printable products is that they have a broad audience appeal. These customers will keep on coming back for more.
If you aren’t sure what to create, you just have to look at your life or that of your friends.
- What would you find useful?
- Is there a printable that would make life easier?
- Can you think of something that you would like to have?
If so, then create it!
Spy on your competition and see what they’re working on. Research what is selling a lot on sites like Etsy in the printables section. Everyone uses some kind of printable in their life.
Think about what paper products you need to keep up with your schedule. Everything from recipes to uplifting images and more is part of the printable world.
Saving Time
Don’t worry so much about getting started that you end up overthinking things and never get started. It really is easier than you might think. Printables aren’t something that will take you weeks or months to create and set up. Once you know what you’re doing you will find them quicker and easier. It is one of the reasons you should want to create printables to sell.
They’re even faster to create once you master the type of printable you’ve chosen for your niche. Plus, the more you do, the faster you will be. There’s not a lot of time involved to create simpler designs. This means you can have ready-made printables from within a few minutes to a day. It all depends of course on the scope of the project you’re working on.
You can create templates and edit any element like design or image on the page. This in some cases can only take a few seconds. Since they’re quick to manufacture, that means you can have a large inventory of products on hand quickly. This translates into more money for you.
You can create and download 5 printables per day, for example. After a week, you will have 35 printables ready for sale. You can stick with one niche when making them, or you can create them as single sheets in a variety of niches.
No Hassle
The best part about making money with printables is that you get all the benefits of selling a digital product. You don’t have to ship anything to your home or ship anything to someone else’s home.
There will be no backlog of tangible products, shipping bags or boxes waiting to be shipped. Also there will be no stuff cluttering your home or stored in your garage taking up all the space.
There is very little hassle involved when you get into creating printable items. In addition, it is a great creative outlet besides being a money generator. Another plus point for why you should create printables to sell, is that you won’t have to drain your savings to get started in it.
You don’t have to pay rent on a shop (not a real life one anyway). There’s nothing for you to dust, no need to take a trip to the post office. Shoppers just choose the printable they want, pay for it and click on download. All whilst you’re asleep!
It is that simple for them, and also for you!
