7 Tips To Get Your T-Shirt Merch Looking Good & Profitable

How To Print Your T-Shirt Merch & Grow Your Brand In 2024.

Are you considering printing T-Shirt Merch on high-quality apparel to create your brand and generate revenues from concerts and shows or for business promotions?

We’ll go over 7 Basic Tips to print your t-shirts merch, prepare a basic marketing strategy and begin receiving orders and start selling.

We’ll also talk about what to look for when setting out to print your own clothing line and how to avoid some common first-time mistakes. 

We’ll touch on How to Market and Promote your t-shirts and show you how to get orders coming in before you print a single t-shirt.

Note: On E-commerce 

Your website is perhaps now the most important online real estate you can own.

And with e-commerce-enabled website themes, your clients and customers can come directly to you from any part of the world and purchase your products or services online.

If you do not have a website, we would suggest securing your domain name and learning through Youtube Videos on the basics of building a WordPress e-commerce site.

Or you can hire someone that knows about e-commerce and online apparel sales. 

If you already have an online store(s) / blog/website earning $10k+ per month you can skip this part.

If you don’t have a website, your local SBDC can help you get started for Free, at no cost, ask to see an e-commerce specialist and they should be able to refer you to someone to get the ball rolling, 

We work with the Chamber of Commerce in Paramount CA, Charlie our business advisor referred us to the Long Beach SBDC where I met with Se who helped us develop our website and online shop.

Your website is not just a one-time thing you do, you need to update constantly it with helpful, entertaining, and educational content and if you can provide all 3 styles of content for your audience you’re more likely to increase your chances of winning online.

Aside from your Facebook Page, Instagram, and YouTube Channel, we would suggest based on what we know now, allocating more time to developing your online store/ shop.

Use social media channels and platforms to create awareness and drive people back to your website where they can see the products or services that you offer.

As I was editing this post I realized how important and powerful your company’s website can be, the topic and subject deserve their own post.

Not so long ago the website was looked at by business owners as a large business card where people would just come to see your portfolio and get your basic contact info to call you or find your locations.

Now, business owners are realizing the power of going online with their own e-commerce site and directly to the buyer. 

E-commerce-enabled sites have made it fairly easy to take payments for the products that you sell.

Today your website needs to be focused on Mobil and enabled for e-commerce to have an advantage locally, Nationally, and World Wide.

Websites like WordPress, Shopify, and other E-commerce Platforms make it super easy to create your online store with a very little upfront cost.

If you can learn how to build a website yourself even lower cost, however, you have to spend hours learning how to build your online store, it may take you some time but it’s a super valuable skill to have at this age.

E-commerce is a whole new topic and subject that we will have to write more about in detail explaining the basics in another post in the future. 

If you would like us to keep you posted on the e-commerce article, sign up for our email list, and when we publish it you’ll be the first notified.

Continued.

Making and selling t-shirts online has never been easier.

When I was coming up, we didn’t have all the online tools and an abundance of free resources in the palm of our hand.

Going to local print shops in the beginning for me was very intimidating.

I didn’t know what questions to ask or where to begin.

As a 19 or 20 yrs old at the time, there was no internet or websites like there is today that could help you get started.

So.. I did the next best thing, I got in my 1989 brown Ford Taurus that my sister passed down to me and drove to The Barns & Noble Book Store.

I bought books on How to Screen Print, Design Books, Marketing Books, Personal Development Books and Business Books and read them to gain knowledge about the subject I was interested in learning.

Today in 2018, if you live in the U.S. or any part of the world with wifi access you’re fortunate to go online in a matter of seconds to research any topic or subject you’re interested in the comfort of your home.  

And it’s all for free!

That truly is amazing to think about.

Now, we bring you this article to help you avoid the common mistakes we’ve made along the way and to provide you with an overview on how we see the apparel industry changing and how to help you make an informed decision going forward with your clothing brand.

The first graph image below is from a recent 2018 google trend search, for the terms White t-shirts, Black t-shirts, Blue t-shirts, Red t-shirts, and Yellow T-Shirts.

The 1st graph shows 14 years of Google Data and analytics and shows that the White T-shirt color is the most searched and popular color.

Second to that is the Black T-Shirt color and coming in at third place is the Red t-shirt Color.

2004 -2018 White T-Shirt Comparison Colors

This is something to consider when looking to find the right t-shirt color to use for printing, you also want to become familiar with google trends to catch trends before they blow up. 

The 2nd graph shows the comparison between the search term Christmas Sweater compared to t-shirts.

This means if you have a unique and cool Ugly Christmas Sweater Design Idea, you can catch the Trend going up starting in the months of October, November, and December.

2013 -2018 Christmas Sweater vs T-Shirt Trend

If you’re hoping to run a profitable company based on printing Quality Business T-Shirts, there is more to it than just a cool t-shirt design or a catchy phrase.

There is data online to help you minimize risk and help you make a great product for people.

But first, you need to practice these 4 Disciplines every day:

1. Patience
2. Market Research
3. Curiosity
4. Take Action 

If you don’t think you possess either of these qualities, don’t worry because they all can be easily learned, it just takes a little bit of #1, patience. =)

So without further ado let’s dive into our top 7 tips!

1. Reach Out to Manufacturers

First things first, you need to find a company either online, local, or out of the country that will Supply You with Quality Blank T-shirts and Apparel.

From our experience quality t-shirts have fewer returns and a higher perceived value when selling and the quality of the material feels better on your skin.

So, choosing the right t-shirt quality is perhaps one of the most important parts of the clothing brand creation process.

Aside from your printed design element, the quality of the t-shirt, run neck and neck when it comes to your clientele deciding whether to buy your products or not.

If you’re giving t-shirts out for free it’s tempting to go with the cheapest t-shirt.

But if you think about it, you may be hurting the value of your brand by printing on a cheap tee.

A cheaper t-shirt that shrinks and fades with your logo printed on is not a good look when it’s associated to your t-shirt merch and Brand.

If you’re looking to sell your t-shirts for more than $25 to a higher-end buyer you’ll need premium quality t-shirts.

We can also provide these Blank T-Shirts for you, or you can go directly to the manufacturer to cut down costs. 

You can go to Bella Canvas, Next Level, alphabroder to get a blank t-shirt as well.

However, you will need a re-sellers permit from your city hall and create a DBA or business account with these US Manufacturers.

The other route if you want to order custom designs or special materials would have to be with foreign manufacturers.

However, you would need to order in larger quantities because your going direct. If you are looking for a sample pack we offer 12 t-shirts in any brand we have available.

We offer Bella Canvas, Next Level, and American Apparel as well and you do not need a business license to buy from us, so you can get 12 t-shirts delivered to you right away.

For smaller orders ask your printer to supply the apparel.

Most t-shirt manufacturers are in Mexico, South America, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and China.

The cotton is grown in the US and then exported to these countries.

Textile mills then heat treat the cotton, spin it into yarn, bleach, dye and then turn it into large sheets of fabric, which then get exported to cut and sew factories in India, Pakistan, or South America.

If you want a full clothing line you’ll need to consider T-Shirts, Hoodies, Long Sleeves, Tank Tops for the Summer, and Back Packs for the kids.

Having multiple options of branded products at different price ranges helps you from just selling t-shirts.

If you want to test out your garments first you can start off with 12 pieces.

Ideally, you’ll want to test out, wear and try out different samples first before you commit to purchasing a larger order. We recommend sampling 12 different items to get a feel for the quality and how they fit for comfort after washing.

By ordering 12 pieces you can mix and match colors, sizes, styles, and other merchandise available through our catalog online.

This also gives you an opportunity to compare the different qualities of t-shirts or sweatshirts or long sleeves.

Here are a few basic tips to get started:

• If you Purchase Your Orders from Us at 100+ Blank T-Shirts You get Free Shipping within the US
• Typically, White T-Shirts are Less Expensive than Colored Apparel because of the dying process
• Simple 1 Color Print Designs Work Better and Cost Less Than Multi Color Prints

The more you know what type of clothing is out there the better it will be to find the right quality for your brand.

2. Craft a Relatable T-Shirt Design

Start with your Design with a “Why”.

Why are you printing these shirts?

And, “Who” are they for?

Who is your target audience and “What” specific niche is it in?

Start with these questions first.

Write the answers down on a sheet of paper and see what stands out.

We estimate a minimum of 15 – 20 different design ideas to find a winning T-Shirt Merch Design. 

You want to think about creating a product line instead of just 1 single t-shirt design when your first start out, but if you are just looking to print a single design we can do that as well.

If you’re not creative, hire a graphic designer from a site like Upwork or Fiverr to do this for you. 

You can find some incredibly talented artists on platforms like these to start off with some basic design ideas.

3. Test Your Design

We have never started a personal clothing line nor do we intend to create one, we are better suited to assist those creatives that want to create their own line.

That being said, we’ve seen the difference between a successful up-and-coming brand and brands that are just starting out.

From observation, the following guidelines seem to be the most effective at reaching new people. 

You must have multiple designs, a minimum of 15 to 25  to find 2 or 3 designs that make it to the next round.

You have to experiment to see what color combinations look good and which don’t.

Before you invest more time, energy, and money into your idea, test your designs out first.

Before you print any T-Shirt Merch, if you are just starting out and you have no clue what to do next, we suggest creating a simple Basic 15-page T-Shirt presentation book with all of your t-shirt designs to show potential buyers to get feedback on your design ideas.

You can use this as your catalog to visually show people what your collection will look like before printing on the actual t-shirts.

If your t-shirts are for people that work out and love the gym, you can show your catalog to local Independent Clothing Stores that have other fitness apparel brands, Buyers at Trade Shows, and individuals at your local gym.

The t-shirt catalog or presentation book can also give you an idea of what sizes, colors, and styles are most popular with your audience.

This way you’re not guessing what sizes or colors to print, minimizing your risks. 

To make your catalog, all you need is your home printer a presentation book, clear sheet inserts, and perhaps a hole puncher for the 8.5 x 11 plain white paper. 

No need to get fancy at this point, the most important thing is to get feedback before printing your designs.

You can always improve the quality or look of your catalog in the future, for now just get feedback on what you have to Offer!

This is the only way to figure out whether your T-shirt designs will sell before printing a full run.

Try This Exercise –

Example: If your t-shirts are for people that like to work out, find a local Body Building Competition or Gym.

Next, approach 50 people at the bodybuilding event with your presentation book.

Here’s a basic script, you can change it, however, you would like.

” Hi my name is – blank, I’m doing some market research for my personal Body Building Apparel Brand and wanted to show you a few designs to get your honest feedback and see if I need to make any adjustments to my designs”.

People are happy to help others when they see you’re out hustling, getting your name out there, and talking to people, so don’t be shy.

You then show the person your designs and ask these questions.

• Which one do they like best?
• Why do they like it?
• How much would you pay for it? 
• What is your Favorite Clothing Brand Right Now?
• Where do you usually buy your Clothing at?

This will be great for a couple of reasons.

1. You’re getting direct feedback from real people interested in Body Building or whatever niche you decide to attend.
2. You’re stepping out of your Comfort Zone, this is great for building confidence in yourself and in what you’re doing.
3. You’re building the foundation.
4. You’re meeting people that can share your mission or become fans of what you’re doing. 
5. You’re getting valuable insights you can only get face-to-face.

By the 15th person you approach, you’ll have an idea of which designs are your top 3 to print or adjust.

Ask what they like and what they don’t like about the t-shirt merch and with this information make your next move according to the feedback and insights you get from asking your potential buyers. 

If they say they don’t do any of that move on to the next store until you can have your items in their store to test out and see if they sell right away.