How to Start an Etsy Print on Demand Business in 5 Easy Steps

About this video

The creator lays out five steps to start an Etsy print-on-demand business where the seller designs products and a provider prints, packs, and ships them, so no inventory is held. Step one is choosing a product type — such as apparel, mugs, wall art, or tote bags — and narrowing to a specific niche by topic, like sports or the outdoors, or by style, like retro or minimal. Step two is choosing both a provider and a sales channel, comparing catalog, base costs, shipping cost, and turnaround; she names Printify among popular providers and favors Etsy over building a standalone Shopify site for beginners because Etsy brings a built-in shopper audience, and says her own shop reached multiple six figures and the top 1%, as she describes it. Step three is creating designs in Playground AI, including editing templates, generating images, and exporting with background removal and upscaling. Step four is adding designs to products, illustrated with a Bella Canvas t-shirt, and publishing to the connected shop. Step five is marketing, prioritizing content marketing on one platform to grow an email list, which she says converts better; she cites sponsor Omnisend’s claim that its customers average $68 back for every $1 spent. Bonus tips cover ongoing research using Etsy search suggestions and bestseller badges plus tools like Sales Samurai or EverBee, lifestyle mockups, and regular incentives such as discounts or free shipping.

Key takeaways

• Pick a specific product type and niche down by topic or style instead of designing for everyone
• Choose a print-on-demand provider on catalog, base cost, and shipping speed, then connect it to a sales channel like Etsy
• Use Playground AI templates and generation tools to create, upscale, and export designs with transparent backgrounds
• Drive traffic deliberately with content on one platform and build an email list rather than waiting for sales
• Research demand continuously, upgrade to lifestyle mockups, and use periodic incentives priced into your margins

Episode details: published June 6, 2025 · 16:36 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Kate Hayes’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

← Previous: 18 BEST DIGITAL PRODUCT IDEAS to make money online in 2026 💸 · Next: How to use CANVA AI to create digital products that will FLY off the shelves 💰 →

All Kate Hayes videos · Kate Hayes profile · Kate Hayes on YouTube