Etsy is fantastic as a platform. Yet, there are many things you need to consider if you want your product to perform as desired. But this doesn’t just apply to Etsy; it applies to almost every platform.
What You Need to Do to Make Your Product Attractive?
To make your digital product attractive on platforms, you must have great thumbnails.
The image is the first thing prospective buyers see. In a second, they decide if this product is for them.
If you catch their eye, they will click on your listing.
Have great thumbnails
Make some mock-ups on Canva or Adobe Express. Also, with digital products, it’s important to let your buyer see it on a smartphone, iPad, or something of the sort. It helps potential buyers how they will use the product, which is what I did with my digital guides. See the thumbnail below as an example of how I placed images of my digital guides on an iPhone and iPad for visual appeal.
Keywords
Keywords are important. Etsy works like a search engine, and having the right keywords is important.
Put keywords in the title of your listing. Etsy also has a space for keywords when you create a listing. Make sure you use all 13 spaces.
Have these keywords in your description. And if you’re having trouble finding keywords, do a search and see what your competition is doing.
An even better way to do this is to sign up for an eRank account. They have a free version where you can look up keywords and see performance metrics.
Ever Bee is also a good plugin for your browser. It shows you how a listing is performing, what keywords it uses, and other important metrics.
So, find a popular listing and see the keywords they’re using. It’s pretty cool.
Good Descriptions
Speaking of descriptions. Make sure your Etsy descriptions are well thought out. Add a few keywords in there, accurately describe your product, and anticipate any questions your buyers might have. The more information, the better.
I constantly got emails asking where they could download their Etsy guide after purchasing it, and chances are you will, too.
It’s important because if you want passive income, answering many emails is not very passive.
Doing the work upfront will save you a lot of time in the future.
Make it a Gift
Etsy now has gift mode, which makes it easier for you to find, let’s say, a Father’s Day gift for dads who love hunting.
So, one thing every Etsy seller now needs to do is add the word “gift” or the phrase you want to target, such as “The perfect gift for dads who love to hunt,” to the description. You only have to add this one time, either in the title or description. There’s no need to overdo it.
Become a Star Seller
On Etsy, being a good Etsy seller comes with perks. If you are constantly getting 5-star reviews and ratings, and answer emails quickly, you can become a Star Seller on Etsy.
Etsy places Star Sellers’ listings at the top, which means you will get more sales. It’s a beautiful cycle.
Once you become a Star Seller, it’s easy to keep as long as people continue to love your product.
This may sound like a lot, but it becomes second nature once you know how to get it all done.
It’s easier than you think.
And even though Etsy is a fantastic platform, there is one important thing you should consider when choosing a platform. But sometimes, you just have to test the platform out and see if it works for you.
What’s the thing to consider when choosing a platform?
Consider your demographics. Who are you selling to? Is your ideal person buying products on Etsy? If they are, and you know this as a fact, then this is a fantastic platform for you.
I sold a lot on Etsy, but the thing is, I was bringing 100 percent of my traffic. And although gay men shop on Etsy, it doesn’t seem that they shop for travel guides or even gay travel guides.
I did my research, and I was one of the VERY few people selling guides. A few of them were digital guides, and I was the only one who sold gay travel guides.
In other words, gay men have no clue you can get digital, gay, downloadable travel guides on this platform.
How I Discovered I’m Using the Wrong Platform
I’ve currently made about 7K on Etsy. But all the traffic came from my blog, YouTube, and even TikTok.
And even though I was making sales, I decided to place my guides on Gumroad.
The reason I placed my guides on Gumroad is because they contain NSFW material, and there is a grey area on Etsy where they allow it, but maybe they don’t. So, I needed a backup in case I ever got shut down.
Gumroad also has a grey area, but in the past, they’ve allowed adult content and NSFW material.
So I gave it a try.
A/B Testing
If you’re not aware (and it’s okay if you’re not), let me explain. A/B testing means you get to test something but have two different sets of parameters to see which one is better in some say.
While I wasn’t necessarily A/B testing, I quickly discovered that even without my blog traffic, Gumroad users are interested in NSFW material.
My guides began to sell on Gumroad without me bringing my own traffic. Although I didn’t sell many, Etsy has yet to bring me a customer I did not provide.
So, while this test continues, I am now in the process of shutting down my Etsy store and sticking to Gumroad.
And that is why I am quitting Etsy.
What’s Next?
I’m sticking to my preferred selling platform, which is Gumroad. It makes buying so much easier, especially for big digital files. It’s a mobile-first buying platform, and it creates minimal friction for buyers.
For now, I will continue my A/B testing and wait for the results to come in.
