How to Come Up With A Profitable Shirt Idea In 5 Easy Steps | Print On Demand T-shirt Business

About this video

RJ Martinez walks through his process for coming up with a profitable shirt idea, aimed at beginners who want to start a clothing line or brand. Step one is brainstorming popular niches you already know, such as baseball, football, cooking and their sub-niches, because knowing the audience makes targeting easier and more enjoyable. Next he stresses learning your target audience and where they hang out, researching competitors to see why they succeed and what you could do differently, and finding a manufacturer or print provider so you do not have to print yourself. He recommends Printful and Printify, and also Merch by Amazon for lower royalties but access to Amazon customers, and advises always ordering a sample to check print quality and delivery time. He then shows research on merchresearch.com and the paid tool Merch Informer, looking at US Merch by Amazon t-shirts, Movers and Shakers, BSR changes and sales charts to spot what is selling now around events like Black History Month, St. Patrick’s Day and ‘Tuesday’ themes, and evergreen ideas like ’lunch lady squad.’ He notes funny, simple text-based designs can sell well without advanced art skills, and warns against infringing designs such as Disney properties. Finally he covers setting up a shop on Shopify, Wix, Etsy, Redbubble or Merch by Amazon with strong branding, and marketing where the audience is, including Facebook groups built on value, ranking blogs, and TikTok for reach.

Key takeaways

• Start with a niche and sub-niche you personally know, so you understand what that audience likes and will buy
• Research competitors and current Amazon sellers to find why shirts sell now, such as a holiday, trend or current event
• Use merchresearch.com for free and Merch Informer features like Movers and Shakers and BSR/sales charts to validate demand
• Use a third-party provider like Printful, Printify or Merch by Amazon, and order a sample before selling to customers
• Set up a branded shop and market where buyers hang out, including Facebook groups, blogs and TikTok, leading with value

Episode details: published February 27, 2022 · 18:02 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are RJ Martinez’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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