Etsy Seller Interview with Windsor of WindsorPresets

How WindsorPresets 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?

Hey there, I’m the creator behind Windsor Presets, an Etsy shop selling professional-grade Lightroom presets created for both mobile and desktop users. My journey into this little side-business adventure started when I was a new mom on maternity leave, and I noticed a bunch of presets on Etsy that I thought I could improve upon. With my background as a film colorist, I knew I could bring something special to the table—something a bit more pro, but still easy enough for any busy mom to use. After those first few sales rolled in, I was hooked!

Creating a preset is kind of like cooking up a new recipe for me. Sometimes, I get inspired by a specific look, and I’ll create a moodboard and then whip up a pack of 10 presets, each fine-tuned for different lighting, all to capture that initial vibe. Other times, it’s all about the research. I’ll spot a niche, like the world of Bookstagrammers, a passionate community of book lovers on Instagram. Then I’ll see what’s trendy within that niche and craft presets that bring those popular looks to life. Or I'll bring my own to the table that I think would suit the type of content they’re creating. It’s a bit of art and a bit of science.

Favorite items

What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?

Oh, picking favourites is always a bit of a challenge, but here we go!

First up, our oatmeal preset. This one has a special place in my heart because of the lovely feedback from moms. It’s so heartwarming to hear how this preset has helped them capture those precious maternity or baby moments just the way they envisioned. Their joy genuinely lights up my day! 

Next would probably be our Bookstagram Bundle, which was inspired by the fabulous Bookstagram community I mentioned earlier. It’s a collection that includes many looks that are a bit out of my usual style—think vintage, moody, and a bit weathered. But that’s what aesthetic many of them are after, so crafting the look that will make their Instagram pages pop and hearing their excitement about it is absolutely satisfying.

And lastly, our Dusty Rose preset. It might not be a bestseller, but it’s the preset that started it all for Windsor Presets. It’s like the first pancake of the batch, and I still adore its look and am proud of how far we’ve come since creating it.

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?

Our first sale happened pretty much right out of the gate! But here’s the little secret: we asked our family and friends to be our first customers and reviewers. It’s a little trick I’d definitely recommend to any new Etsy sellers. Those initial sales and reviews give the Etsy algorithm a little nudge, saying, “Hey, people are into this shop! Let’s show their products to more people.”

In terms of getting our shop out there, SEO has been our trusty sidekick. We used Marmalead in the early days to suss out niches and dial in on our titles and tags. If you’re like us, this has always been a bit of a mystery and a dark art. But it seems to be working. We also keep track inside Etsy to see what keywords are driving traffic and sales, and we might zero in on those for other products or keywords to use for other listings. Almost immediately, we also jumped into Etsy's advertising, which now brings in a hefty portion of our sales.

We’ve dipped our toes into social media marketing but never dove headfirst. Lately, though, we’re playing around with email marketing. The plan is to grow our email list and turn that into a place where we can reel in some more repeat sales and keep our lovely customers in the loop!

Managing WindsorPresets

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?

It’s called Windsor Presets, but it should really be called Windsor & Husband Presets! I’m the creator behind all the presets and the one you’ll chat with for customer service, while my husband takes care of the graphics and backend magic. We’re a dynamic duo, if I do say so myself!

Our toolkit is pretty Adobe-heavy when it comes to crafting our products. We lean on Lightroom, Photoshop, After Effects (for those demo videos), and InDesign. Marmalead was our go-to for SEO insights in the early days, and now we’re dabbling with Aweber for email marketing. Plus, we’re planning on creating more content for Instagram and Pinterest.

One of the perks of selling digital products like our presets is the hassle-free "shipping"—customers  get their new presets instantly! But, of course, the digital world comes with its own quirks. The most time-consuming part of the job (which at this point is almost entirely passive) is spent helping some customers navigate through installing their new presets, ensuring they get the results they’re looking for.

The future of WindsorPresets

What goals do you have for your shop in the future?

In the short term, we’re diving deeper into email and social media marketing. Looking a bit further down the line, we’re planning on launching a heavily discounted) master collection bundle that will include every preset we sell, all-in-one.

But the ultimate dream is to empower other busy moms to carve out their own slice of the Etsy pie. I want to create a course that shows them how they can start their own preset shop and bring in some extra income on the side. Because, let’s be real, who couldn’t use a little extra, especially when it comes from doing something super fun and creative?

Advice for new sellers

What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?

My biggest piece of advice for new Etsy sellers is to just dive in! Don’t wait around for everything to be "perfect,” because, let’s be honest, when is it ever? Especially if you can create something that eventually turns into passive income, that’s the sweet spot. That’s why I’m all in on digital products. I dabbled in print-on-demand initially but quickly realised that dealing with physical products, shipping, and all the customer service that comes with it just wasn’t for me.

Between Windsor Presets and our sister shop, Luma Presets, we’ve hit close to six figures in sales. And the best part is that after the initial hustle to get everything set up and all the presets created, it’s become almost completely passive. So, find your digital niche, get that shop up and running, and start enjoying a bit of passive income. If an exhausted mother of a newborn could start a successful shop like me, trust me when I say you’ve got this!