Santagato Studios is a broadcasting + media productions company that hosts podcasts and shows on YouTube and other platforms. Within their first 6 months on Fourthwall, they surpassed their goal of making six figures in sales. They’ve continued to grow since then, and have done multiple successful merch drops - most recently their Holiday merch line. This is what they did to make their online shop so rewarding, and how you can do the same. 

Creating a Successful Holiday Drop 

The team chose to drop a line of knit sweaters, sweatshirts, and stickers for their recent drop. They picked 6 designs that they’ve adapted for the different products. Not only did they manage to create the perfect designs that are relevant to their content and their community, but they also were sure to order samples to ensure top-notch quality for their supporters. They’re offering a variety of products for this season, with stickers starting at $8 to custom knit sweaters starting at $69. Small items like stickers or accessories are great for stocking stuffers or as additional affordable treats. This allows supporters to choose products that are within their budget, or they can purchase multiple different items to have a complete collection. 

Their promotional strategy has proven to be incredibly successful (they’ve made over six figures in sales within their first 6 months) with their community. For this holiday drop, they used a combination of content types: comedic and informative. 

This works so well for them because they know their audience and they’re catering to their preferences. Their audience loves funny content (hence why they’re following the Santagato Team) so offering humorous content that flows with their usual tone is perfect. 

We recommend following in their footsteps with this strategy:

1. Make designs that are relevant to your community
2. Order samples to test quality and to use for promotional content
3. Add products at different price points for more accessibility
4. Find ways to promote your drop to your community 

Promotions and discounts are always a great way to encourage sales during the holiday season. During the second promotional post for this drop, they announced a one-day only promo code ‘squirreljugz’ to encourage supporters to order before shipping cutoffs arrive. 

No matter what kind of content you make, when it comes to dropping merch you should always keep these two steps in mind for a successful launch:

1. Lean into your audience, your community’s sayings, memes, etc.
2. Let your audience know where they can find your merch, and when they need to order by (if it’s limited edition or there are shipping cutoffs) if necessary

An Interview with Santagato Studios

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Joe Santagato and Greg Dybec, the creative minds behind Santagato Studios, to gain some more insight into their experience growing their brand:

Shop promotion

When it comes to promoting their shop, Santagato Studios has a multi-faceted approach. They use segments in their episodes to generate excitement around each new merch drop, engaging their loyal followers and building a sense of community. This is a perfect setup for them, because a lot of their designs are based on bits from the podcast, so they can promote it seamlessly. Joe and Frank also make sure to wear products like their shirts, hats, and other products from their shop in their videos, providing real-life visuals to their supporters.

Deciding what designs + products to sell

It’s important to find ways to keep coming up with creative designs. Santagato Studios collaborates with their team’s designer, Athena Austin, who works to bring their wildest ideas to life. They mentioned that their top source of inspiration is their own content. Themes and inside jokes from Joe and Frank’s show “The Basement Yard” serve as loose directions for their designer, and then she adds their own creative input with random, humorous ideas that resonate with their audience. 

The Fourthwall product page also serves as a source of inspiration, helping them curate a well-rounded shop that appeals to their viewer demographic. The team mentioned that they usually finalize designs, and then choose what products to put them on. Santagato Studios has done an amazing job of using many unique products from the Fourthwall catalog, like the knitwear they’re currently offering. 

Why Santagato Studios loves Fourthwall 

The decision to join Fourthwall was influenced by various factors, with margins being a major driving force. The studio was thrilled to have the opportunity to maximize profits without compromising on the quality of their merchandise. Here are some of their favorite Fourthwall features, that you should consider exploring too:

• The Fourthwall Mobile App - Which gives you easy access to your store plus allows you to send Thank You videos to supporters
• The Product Catalog - The Fourthwall team is always working to add more instantly-customizable products to our catalog. We have a wide range of products, from hoodies to candles and pillows (which Joe and Greg specifically noted that they love!)
• Print Techniques - They’ve played around with different print techniques, and they specifically love the embroidery feature which serves as an easy way to elevate products. 

Another tip: They noted that they’ve found success in leaving all of their products up on their site, because their loyal supporters go through and buy old products. 

If you’re interested in checking out more of their content:

• Check out the Santagato Studios YouTube Channel
• Check out the Basement Yard YouTube Channel
• Follow Joe Santagato on Twitter
• Get yourself some holiday merch

Want to set up your own shop? Create your free Fourthwall account to get started. If you’re looking for a guide to having a successful Black Friday/Cyber Monday, check out our recent blog.