Want to sell more tees? We highly recommend promoting on your own channels. It can seem daunting – especially if you’ve not run a pre-order T-shirt campaign before. So we’ve put together a series of tips to get you started, for everything from how to sell tees on Instagram, to how to shoot pics that’ll perform.
Aside from how, it can be tricky working out where is best to promote your campaign. You can check out the stats on where our sales come from here. But in short, while the vast majority of our orders come via Instagram (45%) we’d always advise using what you’re already comfortable with, and where you have the strongest network. We’ve pulled together a complete promo guide to help you along the way. Just keep scrolling.
HOW TO TALK ABOUT YOUR CAMPAIGN ON YOUR CHANNELS
Giving context to your design will build a greater connection with your audience and increase your chances of selling. Here are some things you could talk about…
The inspiration behind your design. Why it exists, what were your references?
How you made it happen. What materials or techniques you used, especially if they’re unusual.
If it’s for a cause or a charity Why it’s important to you, what the cause is about, the fundraising details.
The garment. How it fits, why you like it, it’s ethical credentials.
The pre-order model. Why is it better than bulk?
The printing method. Whether it’s screen printed or digitally printed and what that means.
HOW TO TAKE PICS OF YOUR WORK
You can order printed samples of your tee so you can see the tee before it goes to print –and have some fun with your promo. ‘UGC’ (user generated content aka product shots) is great for sales as shoppers can better visualise what they’re buying. Plus, UGC shots usually perform well on social. Here’s how to make it work for you.
- Photos of people wearing tees always perform – just make sure the design is clear. Capture some mood shots but also some close up detail shots.
- Get creative. No model? No problem. Pics of T-shirts hanging up, laid flat, folded or held up also work!
Take a look at our Everpress instagram for some inspiration.
HOW TO GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR VISUAL ASSETS
No sample? No problem. There are plenty of ways to promote your campaign in interesting ways.
Make a visual in your own style. An illustration, a close up of the design, a character that you’ve drawn wearing the tee
Use Photoshop. Create realistic (or not so realistic) mockups. Go wild with the background, which can be informed by the design or your practice.
Play with memes. When have you ever known memes and GIFs to go wrong?
Collage. No limits or rules here
Animation. More time consuming but movement = attention grabbing.
WHICH CHANNELS CAN YOU PROMOTE ON?
Creators that talk about themselves and their work on their channels tend to make more sales. Here are some channels you might wanna think about.
Social. Instagram Reels, IGTV, Stories, grid posts, social bio links always work well – as do TikTok and Pinterest.
Your own mailing list. More creators are migrating their followers over to mailing lists, to proof themselves against platform fickleness. Why not give it a go?
Your own website (and others!) Everpress can now integrate via API with a number of platforms so you can reach your audience where they already are.
Physical spaces. QR codes linking to your campaign work well at events or work spaces
Other channels. Reddit for fundraisers, Facebook for groups and Bandcamp for music merch.
HOW TO CREATE HYPE
Start creating hype a few days before your campaign launches (this can have a good impact on early sales) and keep it coming all campaign long. Here are a few effective ways to hype build with your audience
Teasers and countdowns. A simple picture of your design, or even a zoomed-in section of it, will generate some intrigue.
Polls. This is a really nice way to make the process more collaborative, while building hype.
Competitions & giveaways. A great way to drive conversations and shares
Videos. Run a Q&A with Instagram live or unbox your work when you receive your sample
Social proofing. Share comments from your community throughout the campaign
HOW TO KEEP THE CONVO GOING THROUGHOUT YOUR CAMPAIGN
WEEK 0 – TEASER TIME
Share some pics that might suggest a campaign or the design, keep the mystery and start building the hype
WEEK 1 – LAUNCH!
Time to shout about it, talk about why you have a tee out, what the design is about, why you do it by pre-order, what the garment is like etc. Post an Instagram feed post and make it a paid ad if you can.
WEEK 2 – ARTWORK FEATURE
Talk about how the design came about, the idea behind it, why it’s important to you, what your process was like.
WEEK 3 – 1 WEEK COUNTDOWN
Share more pics of your design and thank the people who’ve already ordered by saying what their purchase means. Don’t forget to tell them how many days they have left to order.
WEEK 4 – 24 HOURS
Now’s the time to push that incentive and get people engaged! Keep in mind that campaigns usually end at midnight, so the last day to order is the day before the deadline.
And as ever, we love reaching out to our community for their advice and tips. Check out:
- How Jessica Luostarinen runs photoshoots on a shoestring budget
- Why Jor Ros uses videos to promote his T-shirts
- Aiste Stancikaite’s top tips for taking photos
- Why SODA, Amnesty International and Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity all rate having a social media plan