5 Ways to Market Your Merch for FREE!

There are 5 ways to market your merch for FREE that will help grow your audience and boost merch sales. Marketing your merch shouldn’t be complicated if you implement the right strategies.

Social media channels like Instagram and TikTok are obvious, burgeoning spaces for marketing your Spreadshop. But you’d be surprised how many people don’t use these apps effectively. When it comes to promoting merch, shop owners miss the most obvious thing: telling people where to purchase it.

You can do this in a way that doesn’t interfere with your content, and even helps enhance it. Use link in bio tools, add QR codes into videos and create conversations. Nothing’s worse than marketing your merch without giving followers proper links, or even coupons, to draw them in.

The below-listed socials and tips will help you market your merch for FREE and spark interest in your shop.

Instagram

Instagram is an ever-changing platform that’s always tweaking their algorithm and focus. The latest hot topic on the platform: Instagram shopping. This is a great entry point for shop owners new to marketing their merch. 

While Instagram has Shop ads specifically for their Shop tab, the feature itself is FREE to use. And Instagram has become a prime shopping destination for users who scroll their feed daily. 

Did you know: More than 130 million users tap on an Instagram Shopping post each month! There’s an audience literally waiting in the wings for the merch you’re offering. Maybe they’re into whatever the niche of your shop is already, or you can grab their attention with seasonal merch. This feature is going to connect you with that audience and help you understand how to better market your merch.

You can still engage with your followers and direct them to buy your merch from traditional Instagram content, too. Since you can’t put clickable links in captions, direct users to your bio where they can find a one-stop link.

Use Linktree or other services to house your Spreadshop link and links to relevant socials, websites or blogs. Putting out sharable content in the form of photos and videos is one thing. Making sure those posts are actionable is another.

TikTok

We’re new to TikTok and have just started to regularly upload content, but we still think we have some helpful insights. Tik Tok is the most rapidly growing platform for content creators. And this has created a heightened demand for merch.

The easiest and most efficient way to promote your merch on Tik Tok is to link your Spreadshop in your bio. This makes for good call-backs to your merch when you mention it in content. And it also grabs the attention of anyone who visits your profile.

Make sure you’re putting out content that utilizes and promotes your merch in a way that feels true to your brand.  That’s exactly what one of our brand ambassadors, Clueless Bushcraft (Tom) did. Tom filmed a Tik Tok of himself doing everyday bushcraft things while wearing his merch. He directed his followers to the link in his bio to buy merch, and even talked about upcoming merch designs.

If you don’t have the editing skills to make this kind of content, QR codes are an easy tool to add to videos. It’s an effective way of saying: “Hey, did you know I had merch?” The content itself doesn’t have to be that deep. It’s a good way to remind people of your Spreadshop.

Twitch

Another one of the 5 ways to market your merch for FREE, Twitch is a place where gamers and live streamers can build a community and launch their brand. And merch is an essential component.

The connection Twitch users have with their audience is unparalleled compared to other social channels. This gives creators an advantage when marketing their merch. They can talk to their audience about their Spreadshop in a way that’s relatable and doesn’t feel pushy.

The most efficient way to promote your merch is by wearing it in your livestreams. It’s a good practice to mention it at the end of streams and always have a link in your bio. But people would rather see what it looks on you than what they can see on your site, though.

Another great way to generate interest in your content and merch: host a giveaway! Ask people to follow you and like and comment on a particular post to be entered. It’s that simple. You’ll be creating multiple conversations at once with this tactic.

Marketing your merch for free on Twitch is all boils down to the close relationship you have with your followers. You know what they’re interested in and what they respond to, so it should come off as natural instead of money-hungry.

Youtube

Merch has been a great, additional revenue stream for content creators on Youtube since the beginning. There’s a connection creators can build with their followers on Youtube, and merch is an extension of that.

The easiest way to market your merch is, again, having that shop or one-stop link in the description bar of your videos. If you want to really get the word out, you should create a dedicated video about your merch.

Spreadshop Brand Ambassador Brian G. Johnson did just that! He did an unboxing of his merch and explained how the designs related to his brand. Johnson also gave tips to his audience on how to look at their brand differently and be inspired to make merch.

It’s also important to get input from your audience. Ask them to leave a comment about what designs they would want to wear. What style of t-shirts do they prefer? This is going to increase engagement on your channel and create excitement for any upcoming merch drops.

Podcasts

It seems like everybody and their mother has a podcast these days. It may be a crowded landscape, but there’s still the potential to stand out with merch. Podcasting in 2021 is about increasing listener engagement by selling merch tied to your podcast that listeners can’t get anywhere else.

A simple mention at the end of your podcast advising your listeners to check out your merch might be enough to get the ball rolling. Social media is also a great place for you to start advertising your merchandise. Consider creating social posts linked to your shop. Make a video of yourself wearing your merch to show it off. Even create some sort of banner advertisement to go in your cover photo.

Also be sure to include your Spreadshop, podcast and other socials in a one-stop link that lives in your bio. We really can’t enforce this marketing tactic enough! It reassures listeners to see how involved you are in your podcast. Merch proves that you’re serious about growing and finding success.

We hope these 5 ways to market your merch for FREE inspire you to implement some new strategies! Open your Spreadshop today to start marketing your merch to that target audience.