The aim of this course is to get you started selling, quick.
There are a million ways of starting an Etsy shop, but I’ve selected the most efficient and simple method in each step to get your Etsy shop open in a short time.
This course isn’t meant to be the end goal, but it gives you a good starting point so that you can get a head start and continue growing it in the future.
Click here to get 40 free listings if you are opening a new shop.
Let’s get started.
Find Your Product Niche
Think of what you are good at making and what you love making. It’s also good to browse the categories on Etsy and see what is selling well that you can make. Keep an eye on the “bestseller” badge and shops with a lot of reviews. Mark down some product ideas you are interested in and are comfortable in learning how to make. Search on Youtube on tutorials on how to make those products.
And if you already have your products in mind, that’s amazing.
Two main things to keep in mind for new Etsy sellers:
- It’s better to have a clear focus in your shop. Don’t put everything that you can make in one shop as that is confusing to your potential customers. For example, a ruby necklace shouldn’t be in the same shop as a coffee mug.
- Have a strong unique selling preposition, a.k.a. something that sets you apart. The chance is that there are already bigger sellers selling similar things to you. You need to come up with 'that one unique thing' so that shoppers have a clear reason to buy from you instead of competitors. It could be functional (e.g. an extra compartment for laptop in a handbag), design, quality, speed, size, etc.
Search the products you have in mind on Etsy and look at a few popular shops with decent amount of sales. Analyse what they are doing and how you can one thing different to stand out.
In the beginning, aim to have at least 10 products to start with.
Easy Product Photography
(Skip this part if you don’t have a physical product. For example, if you are selling digital goods)
Product photography is a daunting task for many, but it doesn’t need to be complicated.
Find a surface in your house that is neutral in colour and next to the window. It can be a white table, a big white towel, etc. The aim here is to find a neutral background that doesn’t have any distracting pattern or colours.
If you don’t have that, go to a stationery shop and buy a white piece of paper. Preferably a larger one like an A1, A2 paper size. Choose a matte surface to minimise reflection.
Once you have your neutral background, lay it out so that the top part of the paper is leaning against the wall. Don’t fold it in the middle. Avoid any creases. It creates a white background without any distractions.
Set that up near the window so that there will be natural sunlight.
You can shoot the photos with either your phone or a camera if you have one.
Here are some of the photos you can shoot for your product:
- Head-on
- Side
- Back
- Close-up/zoomed-in
- Top-down
- 45 degree angle
- With a common object/holding the product with your hand for size comparison
And bonus points if you can take photos of your product in use.
Editing Photos
Go to Canva.com, on the top right corner, click “create a design". Once you are in the editor, drag in your product photo and click "Edit Image" on the top. Here are some adjustments I recommend trying:
- Increase “Shadows” to 20-50
- Increase “Contrast” to 10-30
- Increase “Brightness”
When you have the result you want, right click the photo and click "Copy style", and then go to the next product photo and right click to "Paste style". Repeat until all your product photos are edited.
Alternatively, download Lightroom on your mobile phone to edit your photos.
Mockup Photos For Digital Products
I use Artboard Studio for mockup product photos. Mockup photos can help shoppers better envision your digital designs, for example, the photo can show a wall art framed on a wall in the living room.
Follow this tutorial for creating mockup photos.
Shop Name, Logo & Banner
Go to https://namelix.com/ and put in your product niche. For example, gemstone jewelry or vintage home decor. Play around with different keyword combination and choose the one that resonates most with you. You don't need to spend too much time here as shop name doesn't matter on Etsy as much as you may think.
Another quick method is to use ChatGPT to generate your shop name. It's free to use. Once you've created an account, type in the prompt using this template:
I sell (the products you are going to sell). Can you suggest 10 brand names for my new Etsy shop? The names should be 4-20 characters long.
If you don't like the names, you can also ask it to "generate more" or make adjustments like "can you generate names with the word 'xxx' in it?"
After that, go to the GYC Resources Library to choose one of the logo designs. Choose the design that fits the feeling of your brand and then change the text to fit your brand.
For Etsy banner & cover image, you don’t actually need it to begin with, but if you want to explore your options, copy one of my templates in the GYC Resources Library.
Simple Product Packaging
Because of the different sizes of different products, there’s no one size fits all solution.
Think of how you would wrap a product to send it as a gift to a friend. Your local stationery shop should have some ready-made solution like boxes and wrapping paper. Things like washi tape and colourful strings can add personality to your packaging.
Buy a stack of small cards that you can write on. In the beginning of your shop, it’s a good idea to write a personal message to your customers. It can be a simple message like this: “Thank you so much for your order (customer name)! Your support means the world to me! Feel free to message me on Etsy if you have any questions :)” Doing that can help you stand out (as not many other brands would do that) and help you gain repeat customers and fans.
Creating Etsy Account & Setting Up Shop
Now you are ready to start setting up your shop! Happy dance!
Click this article to learn how to set up your Etsy shop
With your shop set up, let’s learn how to write your product description in a quick and easy way.
Write Your Product Description
Go to GYC Resources Library and follow the templates of the Product Description Formulas. That book covers most product types for Etsy.
Once you have written the product description for one product, you can easily copy and paste to other products. You would only need to change some of the details.
Filling In Other Shop Info - Policy, About, Announcement, Receipt
You can use the simple Etsy policy template to set up the shop policy section. Choose the period of return and exchanges that you are comfortable with.
You can talk a little bit about why and how you started your shop in your About section. Try to link your story back to how you can help your customer. Read this guide for some inspirations.
Click “Settings” and “Info and appearance”, in there you can set up shop announcement and message to buyers. Announcement can just be a few sentences about how you appreciate shoppers visiting your shop and what your shop is about. Read this guide for some inspirations.
In your message to buyers, something like this would be enough: “Thank you very much for your order! I really appreciate it! Feel free to message me if you have any questions about the order. I’ll be happy to help!” Be sure to use the order receipt banner templates in the GYC Resources Library.
Getting Found On Etsy (Etsy SEO)
SEO is a big topic. It’s the most important thing to master if you want to get found on Etsy.
Here is the most important steps you can take to get you up to speed.
Put down some initial keywords like:
- Product category (e.g. lavender scented soy candle)
- Who is it for (e.g. for bridesmaid, mum, teacher)
- Uses (e.g. healing, hiking, wedding, birthday)
And then search on Etsy of what are keywords your competitors use. Look at the shops with good amount of sales on the first page of search results. Mark down any relevant keywords that you haven’t thought of.
Type in the keywords one by one in the search bar and see if the search box gives you any autocomplete suggestions. These are the actual keywords that Etsy shopper use.
Now it’s time to fill in your product title and tags.
Start the title with the most important keywords - the one that describes your product the best. For example, “Lavender Scented Soy Candle”, “100% Cotton Brown Shopping Tote”, “Purple Natural Amethyst Bracelet”, etc.
Then mix and match other relevant keywords from your list. Each keyword should be at least 2-3 words long. Separate each keyword with a simple comma or dash.
Once you have filled in all the titles, move onto the product tags. The aim is to match the tags with your title keywords.
Match the keyword exactly if you can. Use 2-3 words to describe your product. Keep in mind that each tag has a 20 character limit.
Congrats! You Have Successfully Set Up Your Etsy Shop
Big congrats to you! You have done the most important step on your Etsy journey.
Now that you have set up your Etsy shop, read our other courses and guides to learn more in-depth topics of how you can improve and sell more.