Editable templates are among the most popular digital products on Etsy. While Canva is the default choice for many sellers, it lacks certain features such as a demo editor and design protection.
My choice of design platform is Corjl for my 8,000 sale digital template Etsy shop, and in this guide, let me walk you through step-by-step of how to use Corjl to sell editable templates on Etsy. Not only will I include screenshots to make sure you can follow along, I’ll also share some insider tips that I’ve learned over the years.
Let’s get started.
Corjl is an online platform designed for sellers of digital products. It allows customers to edit templates after purchase, directly in a web browser, without the need for design software. Letting customers edit the designs to their liking provides more value and often helps with conversion rates. Etsy sellers use it to make templates like invitations, labels, social media content, etc.
Here’s why Corjl is great for Etsy sellers:
Corjl does a lot of the heavy lifting for Etsy sellers:
But Corjl isn’t without some drawbacks. Its mobile editor is not great compared to Canva’s mobile editor. Also the selection of graphics on Corjl is not as high quality, which means you are likely to have to bring your own graphics or stick with text-based designs.
Templett offers almost the same set of features to Corjl but overall is a little bit more expensive. It’s still a great choice for selling editable templates.
JetTemplate is ideal for new sellers because it has no monthly fees. You only pay a percentage of your sale after you’ve made a sale, making it a low investment option to get started.
To be honest, all 3 are great options for selling templates on Etsy. If you want a deeper comparison, check out this article where I compare all four options.
Once set up, Corjl does most of the work, letting you focus on other important aspects of selling on Etsy like creating more designs, marketing, and providing great customer service.
The Corjl editor is pretty user-friendly. If you are familiar with other graphic editors like Canva or Photoshop, then you should have no problems adjusting to Corjl. Here’s what it looks like:
In the editor, you can see the design in the middle, with the controls of colours, fonts, styling on the right-hand side panel.
And on the left, you can find the settings that control the whole design, like the export format (like JPG and PDF), background colour, etc. You can also control the fonts that are usable in the particular design. Under Fonts > Fonts Library, you can pick additional fonts to use for your designs. This is also where you can subscribe to Creative Fabrica through Corjl for $9.99 a month to access additional fonts.
On the left-hand side panel is also where you can upload your own fonts or graphics if you have them. Just make sure you have the proper license for them. You can source good quality ones through websites like Creative Market.
Alternatively, you can change the default setting for all your designs under Settings > Listing and Design Settings. For example, for my printable template Etsy shop, I’ve enabled download options for PDF (which lets customers print multiple design on one PDF page), JPG, and PNG (allow for transparent backgrounds) formats. and I’ve also allowed customers to make unlimited edits and never have the order expire. Here are what the settings look like for my Etsy shop:
When it comes to creating designs, start by brainstorming the type of templates your target audience needs, including the design style, set of features, etc. For inspiration, browse popular Etsy shops in your niche, explore Pinterest boards, or visit design inspiration sites like Dribbble or Behance.
Once you have a clear idea, use Corjl's editor to build your template step by step. Focus on clean, user-friendly layouts and make sure your designs are versatile enough to appeal to a wide audience. I'll talk about design best practices more in future articles.
After creating your designs, it’s time to link the designs to Corjl listings. Keep in mind that this section takes about linking to Corjl listings, but not Etsy listings which we will cover in the next step.
Adding a ‘customer instruction’ file to every order can be very helpful in your customers’ editing process. I include an instruction in every order, which teaches customers how to change the background colour, how to add images, etc. Customers can also find common icons and shapes where they can copy and paste in their templates to further customise.
Continuing from the last step, now it's time to link your Corjl listing to your Etsy listing (assuming you have already connected your Etsy shop and have the Etsy listing ready):
After a customer place an order, Corjl automatically sends an email to the customer with a link to access and edit their templates. If they don't have a Corjl account, they will be prompted to sign up for a free one easily. This is what the email from Corjl looks like for the customer:
If a customer pays with Apple Pay, Corjl wouldn’t be able to send the access email. In that case, Corjl will notify you so you can manually ask your customer for their email address. And you can resend the email by going to the ‘Orders’ tab in Corjl and find your customer’s order.
Once they signed in, customers can edit text, fonts, colours, and add their own images directly in the Corjl editor. Your customer instruction file can help them greatly during this editing process.
Once they are happy with the design, customers can save their editing progress, or download the file for printing or digital use.
All of this is done automatically without any work from the seller, which is one of the big advantages of using Corjl.
Even with a detailed 'Customer Instruction' file, some customers may still need help in editing their templates.
Corjl makes this easy by allowing you to log in as the customer and directly access their design. You can make adjustments on their behalf, which can be incredibly helpful when troubleshooting more complex issues. This feature also opens up an opportunity to upsell additional services, like edit-for-you service, to open up another additional revenue opportunities.
With this guide, you now know all the essential steps of using Corjl to sell editable digital products. It’s now time to find some inspiration for your digital products. Here are some free guides to help you get started:
