Monetize Your Blog with Print-on-Demand Merch (Complete Guide)
You ever wonder why squirrels hoard nuts, even when there’s an abundance? It’s about building a stash, diversifying their income. Your blog? Same thing. Monetizing it with ads isn’t always enough, so let’s look at some ways on how you can squeeze more money out of your blog with merchandising.
Why Your Blog Ain’t Making Enough (And How Merch Fixes It)
Look, you’ve poured a lot of time and sweat into that blog. Hours of writing, researching, dealing with comments from internet trolls. And for what? A few measly ad clicks? Maybe an affiliate commission here and there? Sure, anything you earn online is great, but at if your ads only pays for your coffee, then you gotta change strategy.
Merchandise monetization for blogs isn’t some fancy guru trick; it’s a legit way to squeeze more juice out of the audience you’ve already built. It’s about giving your loyal readers something tangible, something that screams “I’m part of this tribe!” and they’re happy to pay for it.
And let’s be real, relying on just on ads, is probably not wise. Affiliate offers? They’re great, but you’re always at the mercy of someone else’s product and have to deal with affiliate networks and their rules (which sometimes piss me off). Merch? That’s your product, your brand, your profit margin. It’s a no-brainer if you wanna actually build something sustainable.
Note: You can totally blend all three: ads, affiliate offers, your merch, to maximize your profits from your blog, that’s what I always try to do anyway.
Print-on-Demand: The Only Sanity Check for Bloggers
Now, before you go thinking I’m telling you to buy 500 t-shirts and store them in your garage, slow your roll. That’s the old way. I mean sure it works if you are a brand or you already have proof of demand but if you’re just starting out, doing it the old way will probably leave you with a pile of unsellable stuff and a hole in your wallet. No, we’re not doing that. So what are we going to then? Simple: we’re POD-ing (print-on-demand merch). This is the modern hustle, the smart hustle.
With print-on-demand, you design it, put it on your store, and when someone buys, the POD company prints it and ships it. You don’t touch inventory. You don’t deal with shipping. You don’t even need a warehouse. You just collect your cut. And you don’t have to deal with dropshipping issues also. It’s glorious. It’s how you get into merchandise monetization for blogs without losing your mind or all your cash. Seriously, if you’re curious about the nitty-gritty, you should check out my guide on how to start a POD business. That article lays out the whole thing.
Designing Merch That Doesn’t Make People Cringe
This is where a lot of people mess up. They slap their blog logo on a mug or a t-shirt and call it a day. NO. Your merch needs to resonate. It needs to be an inside joke, a shared value, a catchphrase from your content, or something genuinely cool that your audience would want to wear or use.
Think about it:
- Inside Jokes: Does your community have a specific phrase or meme? Put that on a shirt. For NetHustler I would go with something silly like: “Caffeinate & Optimize”
- Aspirations: What does your blog help people achieve? Design something around that feeling. I would do a hoodie with smtg like: “Passive Income Is Not a Myth. It’s Math.”
- Value Alignment: If your blog is about sustainability, offer eco-friendly merch with a relevant design. For NetHustler’s alignment with my audience I would create a mug with text: “Get Off The Forum. Ship The Product.
- Just Plain Cool: Sometimes, a minimalist design with a subtle nod to your niche is all it takes.
And for the love of everything, make sure the designs look good. If you’re not a designer, hire one. Seriously. Fiverr, Upwork, find someone. A cheap, ugly design will do more harm than good to your brand. Your brand, by the way, is EVERYTHING. You gotta build a strong brand online, or none of this matters. You also have no excuses in the era of AI, so you can create some fire designs with Leonardo.ai or even Canva now has AI design model. I used these in the past, and they aren’t that bad (some even hang in my office as we speak).
Integrating Your Store: Don’t Hide the Goods
So you’ve got your designs, you’ve picked your POD partner. Now, how do you actually sell this stuff from your blog? You need an e-commerce platform. Shopify is usually the go-to for POD, because it integrates with pretty much everything. But there are other options too, depending on your existing setup.
The key is to make it seamless. Don’t send people to some janky, separate site that looks like it was built in 2002. Your merch store should feel like a natural extension of your blog.
Here’s the simple approach:
- Dedicated “Shop” Page: Obvious, right? A clear link in your main navigation.
- Contextual Links: If you mention an inside joke in a blog post, link directly to the shirt with that joke.
- End-of-Post CTAs: At the end of relevant articles, a subtle “Liked this? Check out our [your niche] merch!”
- Pop-ups (Carefully): A well-timed, non-annoying pop-up for first-time visitors or after they’ve consumed a certain amount of content. But don’t overdo it. Pop-ups can be annoying if done wrong.
Promoting Your Merch: Beyond “Buy My Stuff”
This isn’t just about sticking a link in your sidebar (like I do with Growth Secrets lol) and hoping for the best. You gotta promote your merchandise properly. And no, that doesn’t mean spamming your audience with “BUY MY T-SHIRT!” messages every day.
- Show, Don’t Just Tell: Take photos of yourself or your team (or even loyal fans) wearing or using the merch. Lifestyle shots are gold.
- Email List Exclusives: Give your email subscribers first dibs on new designs, or special discounts. Make them feel special. If you haven’t done it yet, build a list.
- Social Media: This is a no-brainer. Post regularly. Run contests. Get user-generated content (people showing off their merch).
- Behind-the-Scenes: Show the design process, talk about why you chose certain designs. People connect with the story.
- Collaborate: Partner with other creators in your niche. Cross-promote each other’s merch.
- Seasonal/Event-Specific Drops: Tie merch releases to holidays, big industry events, or even milestones for your blog.
And once you get some traction, you gotta think about how to scale this thing. How to grow your POD store is a whole other beast, but I’ve covered it in depth over here. It’s not just about getting more sales, but optimizing your entire operation.
Merchandise monetization for blogs isn’t a magic bullet. It takes effort, good design, and smart promotion. But if you’ve got an engaged audience, it’s a HUGE missed opportunity if you’re not doing it. Stop leaving money on the table.
Stay hustlin’,
Stephen
