How MeganMakesDesign got started
Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?
I’m Megan Linberger, owner of MeganMakesDesign on Etsy. I create digital posters featuring popular TV quotes, mainly from The Office." After I had my first child, I decided to switch to a career in freelance graphic design so I would be able to set my own hours and spend more time with her. With my art and design background, I knew there had to be some way to create products on Etsy. Etsy has such a variety of listings, and I decided to just try out a few different types of posters to start with. After months of no sales, I marketed my listings differently, and the office-themed ones started selling pretty well. I gradually received more and more sales and continued to expand the quantity of posters I had in my shop. It turned out to be a hit among the office community! I just had to design the posters on Adobe InDesign and then upload a few differently-sized PDFs to each of my listings. With them being instant downloads, I didn’t have to worry about shipping costs. People could just print from their homes or send them to a print shop. Etsy has quite a plethora of instant downloads on the platform, and I was grateful to make it to the top of their selection.
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
I love all of the The Office posters I’ve created because I’m just a huge fan of the show. That’s why I created those types of posters in the first place. My favorite ones are probably my best sellers, too! They’re just fun posters that can really be hung up anywhere; I have a few in my home myself! My top posters are quotes from Michael Scott, Andy Bernard, and Dwight Schrute. I think they sell well just because they’re recognizable quotes and can be hung in a variety of spaces (offices, bathrooms, bedrooms, dorms, etc.).
Getting sales on Etsy
How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?
I had to start using Etsy’s marketing tools to get my first sale since I hadn’t received one for months after I opened my shop. Once the ball got rolling, though, I didn’t have to use any marketing tools and could just let people find my listings organically. I started showing up high in the search results, and it’s just kind of taken off from there. It did take a bit to actually see any movement, though.
Managing MeganMakesDesign
How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?
Being an instant download shop, I do not have to worry about shipping and fulfillment. I am the only person who helps with my shop, and I respond to help requests as well as make personalized listings for those who ask for them. Otherwise, the shop runs itself in terms of sales. This gives me more time to spend with my kids! The apps I use include Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign. I also used the Etsy seller marketing tools when I first got started.
The future of MeganMakesDesign
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
As my shop has grown, I would love to create more listings and expand into other popular TV shows. I hope to continue helping people make any TV or movie quote into posters as well. Right now, the shop is very much a "side hustle". But as my kids get older, I would love to see it grow into something I can rely on for more sales.
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
Really look into what is selling well on Etsy and where your talents can shine through. It is a very saturated market, but if you have a unique selling proposition and set up your listings well with good keywords, you will see sales! I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to see a sale, but now I have over 2,000, and it’s so crazy how it happened!
Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.
Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: Ranges from $100 to $500
Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 3.1%
