The Print on Demand Podcast

Show Notes

In this episode, I review the 2017 results – my first year in Merch. Discuss a peculiarly timed copyright takedown that happened the first week in January, and how I dealt with a P4P copycat I found ripping off one of my designs. New standard t-shirt stock to replace the Gildan Anvil shirts & what that means for your merch going forward. Plus, Goals for 2018.

Links in this episode

* Merch By Amazon – http://merch.amazon.com

* POD Podcast Merch Dashboard Google Sheet –https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZpETPVsREufPB77PtPDI2SMZEDy6TBSmn6k2fYcRJkk/edit?usp=sharing

* Redbubble – http://redbubble.com

* Placeit.net –  – https://placeit.net/?rfsn=943594.202f7

In this Episode:

Q4 results to date – what I've been doing to keep my sales on the uptrend during this time of listing throttling, all-out suppression, and the freeze of all Merch by Amazon accounts on December 5th. I also touch on some success I've had selling on Redbubble during the quarter.

The Future of Amazon Royalties – My thoughts on the news that Amazon will be reducing Merch royalties in January 2018, and what it means for my Merch business going forward.

The 12 Tools of Merchmas – I give you a rundown of 12 tools I use on a daily basis in my POD business. From research tools to graphics to reporting, there's a little a little Christmas magic in each one.

Links to The 12 tools of Merchmas:

* Adobe CS (PhotoShop, Illustrator, Bridge) - http://www.adobe.com/creativecloud.html

* Pretty Merch - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/prettymerch-for-merch-by/ahclfnpmodphlaiidnpjlkndabpnihea

* Google Sheets - https://www.google.com/sheets/about/

* Right Font - https://rightfontapp.com/

* OneNote - https://www.onenote.com/

* DS Quickview - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ds-amazon-quick-view-exte/ilpimgbmpmhfhdaaeepjokoigelkfbee

* Merch check - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/merch-check/pekgeganoebnmmmlhifpepilmkjpeamk

* Power Thesaurus - https://www.powerthesaurus.org/

* Related Words - http://relatedwords.org/

* Placeit.net - https://placeit.net/

* TM Hunt & USPTO - http://tmhunt.com/ & https://www.uspto.gov/

* Trello - https://trello.com/

Show Notes

In this episode, I review the results of October, my best month ever. What worked, what didn't, how reporting shed some light on the Halloween niche worries I was having and the recent end of month sales drought. I set a plan I place for the rest of Q4, focusing on Evergreen designs, getting my branding in order and revisiting Redbubble. I also share a recent success I had with a local Merch play.

Links in this episode

* POD Podcast Merch Dashboard Google Sheet -https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZpETPVsREufPB77PtPDI2SMZEDy6TBSmn6k2fYcRJkk/edit?usp=sharing

* Redbubble - http://redbubble.com

Show Notes

Q4 is getting off to a great start! I share my results, details on a content policy violation, some thoughts around holiday niches in general, and What I am doing in lieu of tiering up anytime soon. I discuss the latest Merch news and what it means for our Merch accounts. I talk about diversifying my POD business - The hows and whys I've taken some of my better selling niches and started building brands with them off of Amazon. And finally, I touch on Project Transparency - we have a niche selected!

Links in this episode:

* The POD Podcast Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/PODPodcast

* Merch By Amazon Content Policy - https://merch.amazon.com/resource/201858630

* Merch By Amazon FAQs on Intellectual Property - https://merch.amazon.com/resource/201846470#intellectualproperty

* POD Podcast Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/PODPodcast

* POD Podcast YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLNOvYdHOpVOOsAChQUHCtg

* Shopify - https://www.shopify.com/

* Teelaunch - https://teelaunch.com/

* Woocomerce - https://woocommerce.com/

* Printful - https://www.printful.com

Show Notes

In this episode, I give a rundown on my September numbers, sales, royalties, etc. I talk about a new pricing strategy I put in place for new and slow-selling designs and where I am starting to see some early results.  I discuss the recent news around Hoodies, Sweatshirts and Long-sleeved tees coming to Amazon Merch and what that means. And finally a push for help on getting Project Transparency of off the ground so I can walk you through my process from picking a niche, to research, to designing the graphics, to building your listing and beyond.

Links in this episode:

* The POD Podcast Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/PODPodcast

Show Notes

In this episode, I give a quick update on my mid-month Merch progress in regards to sales and niches. I discovered on some "Blue" content on a best-selling merch shirt that set me off on deeper research into how people are using curse words in their Merch designs. Finally, I talk about a list I started compiling of all the POD service out there.

Links From This Episode:

* Merch By Amazon - http://merch.amazon.com

* RedBubble - https://www.redbubble.com/

* GearBubble - https://www.gearbubble.com/

Show Notes

In this episode, I go on a bit of a rant about Merchers who lack the moral compass to realize jumping on trending news is not always a good thing. Especial in the case of national tragedy.  Also a recap of my August stats,  shirts sold, royalties made and goals for September. And lastly, I introduce an idea I have for giving the POD Podcast community a behind-the-scenes peek at my process - from niche research to seeing my designs, keywords, and listings. No joke – Full transparency,  I want to help you learn how to do this! Listen Now!

Links from this episode

* Merch by Amazon Content Policy

https://merch.amazon.com/resource/201858630

* Teespring Charity Listings

https://community.teespring.com/answers/how-to-donate-profits-to-charity/

* Charity Navigator, Hurricane Harvey Related Charities

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=5239

* The POD Podcast Facebook Group

https://www.facebook.com/thePODpodcast/

Episode 5 Show Notes

In this episode, I discuss a recent issue I had with an Amazon Merch submission getting rejected and talk about how easy it is to inadvertently get caught by Amazon's trademark checking algorithms. Also,  I go into my reasoning and methods on tiering up and out of the starter Merch tiers of 10 and 25 designs.

Links in this episode:

* Merch By Amazon

* USPTO Trademark Search

* Know Your Meme

* POD Podcast Facebook Group

Episode 4 Show Notes

A follow-up on the Amazon Merch black shirt issue, including Amazon's official response, and lessons learned. Recap of the Teespring test for the August 2017 Solar Eclipse niche.

Site Links & Apps Mentioned in the Show

* Merch by Amazon: http://merch.amazon.com

* Teespring: https://teespring.com/

Episode 3 Show Notes

In this episode, I discuss an issue I encountered with Merch by Amazon running out of stock on a particular size/color combination. I also talk through a plan I am putting into place to promote a time sensitive niche. Including moving some designs over to an alternate POD service and using social media to build an audience to sell more products.

Links in this episode:

* Merch By Amazon - https://merch.amazon.com/

* Teespring - https://teespring.com/

* Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com

* Facebook Pages - https://www.facebook.com/business/products/pages