Words. They’re everywhere. It’s nearly impossible to exist in this world without seeing an amusing or relatable message conveyed with the written language in some form or another.
People LOVE words and typography. They enjoy displaying them on just about anything, especially on T-shirts.
That said, you probably already know selling T-shirts can be a very profitable venture, simply because they’re absolutely everywhere!
Here’s your step-by-step guide on how to make money with a creative business featuring funny sayings for shirts.
How to Earn Money by Creating T-Shirts with Sayings
Keep reading to learn how to make your own T-shirts with sayings, to find tips for coming up with creative shirt saying ideas, and to start selling your brand!
Step 1: Gauge Interest in Funny Sayings for Shirts
You’ll want to do a little recon to see what people are into and what’s trending. If you’re an artist, particularly a graphic artist, you most likely already have a creative edge. That said, you probably also have a specific style, are attracted to a particular culture, or enjoy creating in a niche genre.
Either way, your first move should be to find out what people are into currently or if they’re already familiar with your existing work or vision. Here are a few ways to gauge interest and determine the best strategy for your T-shirts with sayings.
- Post on social media
- Talk to people you know
- Look for search volume using an SEO tool
- Look for community forums or online interest groups
- Find out what text T-shirts are selling well
During your research, you should bear in mind that not all popular T-shirts with sayings are unique. More often than not, you could find that a saying or quote from a T-shirt is from somewhere else, whether it be a television show, song lyric, hype word, or even long-known idioms or other famous phrases.
For a more unique and creative product, you may want to source creative thinkers, marketers, or designers to help you in that department. But either way, you must get a good read on what people are laughing at.
Step 2: How to Create Your T-Shirt Saying Design(s)
At this point, you should have a pretty good idea of the messaging you’d like to convey, as well as a shortlist of your favorite sayings, quotes, or texts to feature on a T-shirt. From here, you can narrow the list down to only the top words or sayings.
Even better, is that you don’t have to be a Photoshop pro to create the design. There are a ton of free and low-cost design tools that are super user-friendly. Creating your T-shirt saying designs is a breeze with any of the following free or low-cost apps, software, and websites.
Free and low-cost graphic design tools
- Pixlr– Free photo editor and quick and easy graphic design with a very user-friendly app version available
- Canva– Free to use basic features and pay to upgrade to the full version with many options great for beginners or the time-pressed
- Adobe Spark– Free to use basic features and pay to upgrade to the full version with many branding options and other features
- Design Wizard– Free to use basic features, pay to upgrade to the full version with more options
Create your text-only T-shirt design
Once you figure out how you’d like to create your text-only T-shirt design and which platform you’d like to use, it’s time to consider other factors such as:
- Font type and size
- Color & Composition
- Image Size
- Positioning
Many print on demand providers offer interfaces that may require you to complete 100% of the design work before it goes to print. However, some excellent print on demand services allow you to create a text design right on their website, like Printbest.
Step 3: Set Up an Online Store and Add Your Products
Okay. You’ve got your T-shirt design en queue and ready to print to order.
So… Now what? Well, obviously, you need an online shop to sell your beautiful tees!
Again, be sure to research. What kind of store do you want to open? Will it be strictly text-only T-shirts, or will you print and sell your funny sayings on other items, such as tote bags, mugs, posters, or something else?
Here are platforms that can support your online T-shirt store.
Ecommerce platforms
With an ecommerce platform, you’re basically in charge of it all, and you have more control over the broad spectrum of your sales, presentation, customer service, branding, and your business in general.
The following are some of the best ecommerce platforms out there. While some are entirely free to use, others have premium services that can be upgraded based on your budget and overall business plan.
You should use these to build a brand if you prefer not to depend on third-party services such as Merch by Amazon or Etsy. Just keep in mind that the overhead will likely cost more, and you’ll probably spend more time promoting on social media and other outlets to get your brand and website out there and in people’s minds.
Online marketplaces
If you’re brand new to the world of selling anything online, the best bet is to start slow and tread lightly while getting to know the market and your industry.
Using a third-party online marketplace instead of your own website or web page can be ideal, especially if you’re too busy to maintain a dedicated brand website and its daily idiosyncrasies and demands. Websites like Printbest can help you with just about every aspect of the process, including design, shipment, payment, and more!
Here are some of the most popular and third-party marketplaces that are useful for selling T-shirts:
While these are all great resources to utilize, learn and profit from, it’s worth it to keep in mind that these are third-party websites selling YOUR product for you. That said, there will be fees associated with each service that you use this will cut off the top of your profits.
Any platform representing your brand will happily take credit for getting the word out and usually ensure they get at least a percentage of sales. But you can’t beat the convenience and streamlined benefits, without having to put in all the work yourself.
Your own website
Another option for selling typographic T-shirts online is to use your own website. Whether you already have a brand, company, or personal website, there is undoubtedly a place for you to sell T-shirts with funny sayings on them.
Several self-hosting websites are available, many of which have been around for years and have learned to adapt and serve users of all lifestyles, industries, services, and products. Keep in mind that more advanced coding knowledge might be required when hosting and building your own website, so keep your skillset and budget in mind, especially if you have to hire outside resources.
Check out these web hosting platforms if you possess intermediate to advanced skills in web building, SEO, graphic design, or content creation. They’re definitely made for more customized needs and wants but can easily be integrated with many ecommerce platforms, such as Shopify and Squarespace.
Step 4: Promote Your Hilarious Text-Only T-Shirts
If you’ve gotten this far, you’ve done it! You’ve successfully created your own text-only T-shirts, and are ready to start raking in the money. At this point, I’m going to assume you know how to use social media to your advantage, and it’s no different when it comes to monetary pursuits like online T-shirt businesses.
Here are a few tips to use that will help you promote your T-shirts:
- Use all possible social media platforms
- Ask family and friends to share your listing
- Optimize SEO on your website or web page
- Remain relevant by staying up to date on all selling and social media trends
- Be consistent and patient. Nothing happens overnight.
Get Out There and Sell Your Typographic T-Shirts!
If you’re looking to sell your text-only T-shirt designs online with platform integration options from Printbest, you know you need to do it right from the start for the best results. In any case, these five steps outline the basics of how to get started in the typographic T-shirt business and what steps you should take to find success. Follow these simple ideas, and you’re well on your way to becoming the next big trend on the market!
