As a content creator, one of the best ways to strengthen your relationship with your supporters and fans, connecting with them on a deeper level, is by selling custom merch.

Let's explore the best practices for creating and selling custom merch that really resonates with your community and drives engagement. Whether you're a seasoned creator looking to refresh your merch strategy, or just researching merchandising possibilities for the first time, this guide will help you create merch that your community will love with the help of Fourthwall!

Why Do People Purchase a Creator's Merch?

Let's start by learning a little about our potential customers. Your audience might purchase custom merch for many different reasons: to show their support to a favorite creator; to get the feeling of having exclusive or limited edition items; to be a visible part of your community; or even the thrill of acknowledgement from a creator they admire. 

From a creator's standpoint, merchandising can offer several benefits, including:

• Intensified viewer engagement and support
• Creation of an additional revenue stream
• Passive income once the merch line is established
• Heightened brand awareness
• An avenue for creative expression

Take inspiration from the successful creators in your industry, like YouTuber Danny Duncan, to see how they're connecting with their fans and generating revenue through merch sales!

Which Type of Brand to Choose for Your Merch 

When you begin the process of deciding to sell merchandise, you have an essential first choice to make: operate under your personal brand, or establish a sub-brand. A personal brand is built around an individual, while a sub-brand is a specific brand established within a main brand, organization, or company - and each avenue has its unique merits.

Selling under your own individual brand amplifies your established identity and fosters deeper connections with your supporters. It also streamlines your merchandising strategy by allowing you to connect it to your content, and reinforces your overall brand message. 

Alternatively, creating a sub-brand provides the flexibility to explore distinctly different themes or styles for your custom merch without diluting your core brand. This could create an additional avenue for you to be recognized for, on top of the content you make.

A great example of a creator who leaned into a sub-brand is YouTuber Emma Chamberlain. She made all kinds of content on her YouTube channel, some of which included her expressing her love for coffee. She decided to launch a sub-brand because of this, which is how Chamberlain Coffee was created. Now, Emma continues to be a popular YouTube creator, and her successful coffee company has its own merchandise (hoodies, t-shirts, mugs, and other branded apparel) and its own loyal following. 

How to Make and Sell Your Own Merch in 8 Steps

Getting started on Fourthwall is actually fun and easy!

Follow the steps outlined in this video, and your online store will be up and running in no time - we'll even give you more details on the exact steps below the video:

1. Create your merch store

Set up your online store to showcase your custom merch products and branding. Fourthwall's easy to use platform with drag-and-drop components and ready to go templates allows you to set up your Fourthwall ecommerce shop with your own dedicated branding in just minutes! 

2. Choose designs for your merch

Define your brand identity and choose what kind of designs you (and your fans!) want on your custom merchandise. Your designs can range from a simple logo to a full line of unique graphics. With Fourthwall, you can easily upload your beautiful designs to your products using Fourthwall's listing creation tools, making it a fun and effortless process.

3. Pick your products

This can be done before or after you choose what designs you want to use. Consider which products align with your brand and what your audience would want to buy. Fourthwall’s extensive product catalog allows you to find products that are the perfect fit for your followers. You can involve your supporters in the process by chatting about your merch line on your streams, and also by posting on your social media platforms, asking what they would like. 

Once you’ve created your products and approved the mock-ups, it's a good idea to order samples. It’s important to know what you'll be shipping to your supporters, and it’s also good to have some samples to use for promotions and marketing.

4. Set your prices

Set reasonable prices that match your designs, products, and targeted audience. Fourthwall helps you set competitive prices that are both fair for your fans and profitable for you. While the amount you charge is up to you, here are a few average price ranges for products:

• T-shirts: $21-$35
• Hoodies: $45-$60 
• Stickers: $3-$10
• Bottoms: $45-$60

5. Launch your new online store!

Once your merchandise line is designed, curated, and priced, it’s time to launch! Either schedule your launch and show a “coming soon” countdown screen, or go live immediately. Inventory, sales, and payment management is handled automatically on sites like Fourthwall, so you can focus on what you do best - creating merch and content!

(After you launch, be sure to check out this guide for our recommendations on how to get your first sales!)

6. Collect payments and shipping information

Fourthwall has built-in payment and shipping methods that handle inventory management and shipping calculations. Your supporters enter in their information, and the rest is done automatically for you. 

7. Fulfill and ship your merchandise orders

Once your fans have placed their orders, fulfillment and delivery is critical. Fourthwall manages the order fulfillment and shipping processes for you, so it's one less thing to worry about. With print on demand products, there’s no inventory to store - which means no work or stress for you in that department. If you’re additionally interested in shipping your own products from home, that’s also an option with your Fourthwall store. 

8. Maintain high standards and excellent customer service

Prompt order fulfillment and exemplary customer service go a long way in building long term relationships with your fans and customers. Fourthwall’s support team is on board with you, to help you with products, payment, and order fulfillment services!

How to Promote Your Custom Merch

Once your shop is created, it's time to focus on marketing your merchandise. This can be done either before or after you announce the launch of your site. Set up a multi-channel promotion strategy across social media, newsletters, and other platforms; and if you’re marketing after your launch, consider sending personalized thank you videos to your customers through the Fourthwall app - your fans may post the videos to their social media pages, encouraging even more people to check out your site. 

Here are some other effective custom merch marketing techniques:

Social Media Marketing: You should find ways to promote your merchandise wherever you create content regularly. Showcase your apparel online and request pictures of fans wearing your merchandise on social media. Here are some unique ideas based on your platform of choice:

• Twitch: Announce your new merch drops during live streams and use Fourthwall's unique Twitch Gifting feature to incentivize viewers. This feature allows viewers to gift your merchandise to others in the community during your live streams, creating hype and a sense of camaraderie around your brand.
• Instagram: Utilize Instagram's Stories, Reels, and regular photo/video posts to showcase your merchandise in action! From unboxing videos, to quick styling tips featuring your merch, to collaborations with other creators, the visual-centric nature of Instagram makes it an ideal platform for showing off your products.
• Twitter (X) or Bluesky: Make use of Twitter or Bluesky threads to tell your followers a journey from the inception of the product idea to the final merch item. You can also pin a post with a direct link to your merch store at the top of your feed to get maximum visibility. 
• TikTok: Create short, fun, engaging TikTok videos that cleverly incorporate your merch in an eye catching way. Whether it's a fast-paced fashion show or a behind the scenes look at your design process, the quick, viral nature of TikTok can get your merch in front of a massive audience quickly.
• YouTube: Incorporate your merch directly into your video content, whether through unboxing segments, style guides, end screens, or simply wearing the items during your videos. And don't forget to use YouTube's Merch Shelf feature, which integrates perfectly with Fourthwall and allows viewers to browse and buy right from your video page.

Email Marketing: Leverage Fourthwall’s email capabilities to keep your supporter base in the loop about new launches, drops, or exclusive promotions.

Special Promotions: Generate buzz through special discounts, promo codes, giveaways, or personalized messages. Fourthwall lets you effortlessly add these features to your shop!

Sell Your Merch to Your Supporters Via Fourthwall!

Designing and selling your custom merchandise is a such powerful tool for content creators, enabling you to engage your audience in a unique way as well as expanding your incoming revenue.

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Fourthwall simplifies the process by letting you easily customize your own website and ecommerce merch store as well as plenty of unique products, all supported by seamless payment processing and fulfillment, plus additional features like exclusive memberships for your fans and smooth socials integrations. This lets you, as the creator, to focus on developing amazing design ideas and creating more content - all the more reason to get started on Fourthwall today!

Need more help getting your merch business started? Check out some more of our relevant blogs!

• How to Create a Brand Identity as a Creator
• How to Master the Art of Design and Logo Placement on a Shirt
• How to Make Your Creator Website Pop with Amazing Social Share Graphics
• How to Prep for a Launch

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