Create Your Own Press – Start a Blog

Not getting the press you need for your Etsy, ArtFire, 1000Markets, or other selling platform shop?

Create your own!

Until you get picked up by other Bloggers or featured on Etsy’s front page, there are many things you can do with a blog of your own.

HandmadeMarketing.org finds many sellers who are scared to being their own blog for one reason or another. Will readers respond to the blog? Will people even read it? Do I have time to blog along with all the other things going on in my life?

Starting a blog could very well be the best thing you’ve ever done.  Check out what one HandmadeMarketing.org reader shared with us:

“It was suggested to me many times in Etsy forums to add a blog link on my shop’s announcement. I was really nervous to do it and would have never done it until it was suggested. I added a blog link and have received many comments on how people like it. People especially like my photos of me and my family!”

However, creating a blog isn’t the end of the promotion… blogging needs to become a key piece in your marketing plan.

Below are common obstacles our team sees:

1. Out of Ideas. Many Etsy sellers can write a post or two targeted to potential buyers, but then they get lost in the “blogging black hole.” Yes, some readers want to see photos of your dog or latest trip to Mexico, but you should create a personal blog for those posts. If you are creating a blog to boost business, you should talk about, well, your business! Out of ideas for fresh posts? Check out some interesting post topics to help your imagination.
2. Oh… That Blog. Once you start a blog to help with your shop marketing, keep the blog lively! Posting once in a blue moon won’t help you promote your shop. Our team recommends posts at least twice weekly. Don’t worry – posts don’t need to be long and detailed. Just give your readers enough to keep coming back, and your potential buyers enough to find you in the wide world of blogs.
3. No One is Reading. If you find your readership numbers are not what you expected, figure out why. Try a different kind of post. Consider interviewing a recent buyer about your products or shoot a video blog post (or “vlog) showing how you make your latest handmade item.

Although the number is constantly changing, our team has heard estimates of over 200 million blogs currently listed. Wow. Helping your blog stand out isn’t an easy task, but the increase in handmade sales may make it worth it!