This blog post may contain affiliate links. If you click on these links and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Please note that this blog is primarily for educational purposes and the content here is not intended to be a substitute for professional financial advice. Please review my disclaimer and terms here.
In the digital age, you can’t underestimate the power of viral content. With a bit of creativity and marketing, you can create print-on-demand designs and products with viral potential. Your designs can capture the attention of millions of people around the world.
Below, I share tips for making print-on-demand designs that people can’t resist sharing. Hopefully, this helps you unlock the potential for viral success.
Let’s take a look…
Know your business’ target audience
To create print-on-demand designs that go viral, you need to understand your target audience. Who are they? What are their interests, preferences, and pain points? What kind of content resonates with them?
By deeply understanding your target audience, you can create designs tailored to their likes and dislikes. That way, you can increase the chances of your designs resonating and being shared.
While this isn’t mega LHS at first, it can be as you dig into specific niche markets.
To learn more about your audience…
- conduct market research
- gather data
- engage with your audience
Use tools like surveys, polls, and social media to learn about your audience’s needs, preferences, and behaviors. This information is your foundation for creating designs aimed at your target audience.
After you get that you can get some great design ideas.
Example: If your target audience is young professionals who love to travel, design products that feature popular travel destinations or incorporate travel-related quotes and imagery.
Create shareable and visually appealing print-on-demand designs
If you want your print-on-demand designs to go viral, you need to make them shareable and visually appealing. People are more likely to share content they find pleasing, unique, and engaging.
Consider the latest trends and create simple, text-based designs with widespread appeal. Use humor or inspiration to create shareable and memorable designs. Make sure your designs are easy to understand and resonate with your target audience. That could be through pop culture references, social issues, or other relevant themes.
Here are some resources to help you find trending design ideas:
How to use Google Trends to find design and keyword ideas, and compare niches
Turn current trends into fantastic, new design ideas for your ecommerce store
Example: Use bold, contrasting colors or combine hand-drawn illustrations with modern typography to create a memorable design.
Boost your business with user-generated content
User-generated content (UGC) is a powerful secret weapon to make your print-on-demand products go viral. UGC is any content made by your happy customers or enthusiastic fans, such as reviews, testimonials, photos, or videos. This type of content can strengthen trust, credibility, and engagement with your target audience.
To make the most of UGC, invite your customers to share photos or videos of them using your print-on-demand products on social media platforms. To encourage even more participation, offer exciting incentives like special discounts, freebies, or exciting contests. User-generated content brings an authentic and personal touch to your products, making them more appealing and shareable. After all, people are more likely to trust recommendations from their friends and family.
By harnessing the power of user-generated content, you can supercharge your marketing strategy and elevate your print-on-demand business to new heights.
Script: “Share a photo of you wearing our latest design and tag us for a chance to win a $50 gift card! Use the hashtag #OurBrandRocks.”
Collaborate with social media influencers to promote your designs
Influencer marketing can be a powerful strategy to create viral print-on-demand designs. Influencers are social media personalities. They have large followings and influence over their audiences. By collaborating with influencers who align with your target audience, you can leverage their reach to promote your products.
Identify influencers in your niche or industry with large followings and lots of engagement. Look for influencers on platforms like…
- YouTube
- TikTok
Reach out to them with a collaboration proposal, such as…
- creating sponsored posts
- reviews
- giveaways featuring your print-on-demand products
Ensure the collaboration is authentic and aligns with the influencer’s brand and audience to maximize the impact.
Provide incentives for sharing your designs
One of the most effective ways to make your print-on-demand designs go viral is by providing incentives for sharing. To customers who share your products or refer their friends to buy something, offer exclusive, time-sensitive…
- discounts
- promotions
- freebies
This encourages more sharing. And it creates a sense of urgency for customers to share your products.
Here’s more information about how to create discounts and promotions for your products:
How to create coupon codes and discounts on Amazon, Etsy, eBay, and UseGearBubble
You can create a referral program in which customers earn special coupons for each successful referral they make. (That is, whenever they refer someone to your store who buys something). Or you can run promotions that let customers receive discounts every time they show you they’ve shared one of your products on social media.
Make sure the incentives are enticing and valuable to your customers. For example, you could give them a coupon for 25% off the next item they buy. Then, promote these incentives across your marketing channels to encourage more sharing.
Optimize your designs for sharing on social media
Social media platforms are a powerful tool for creating viral print-on-demand designs. To optimize for social media, make sure your designs are easily adaptable to different social media formats. For example, you should create designs that are visually appealing as thumbnails or square images for Instagram. And you should create designs that work as vertical images for Pinterest and TikTok.
Consider the context in which your designs will be shared. Then, create easily recognizable designs, even in a small size. Use engaging headlines or captions that encourage sharing and the tagging of friends. Additionally, to increase your designs’ discoverability, use…
- relevant hashtags
- mentions
- tags
Use emotional triggers when you create print-on-demand designs
Emotion plays a crucial role in viral content. Customers are more likely to share designs that evoke strong emotions, such as…
- laughter
- nostalgia
- inspiration
Consider using emotional triggers in your print-on-demand designs to connect with your audience.
Think about what emotions resonate with your target audience. And consider how you can convey those emotions throughout your designs and product listings. Use storytelling or relatable situations to evoke emotions that drive people to share your products. Emotionally charged designs and product listings are more likely to connect with your audience. And this can lead to increased sharing and virality.
Here’s a resource of 273 words to use to make your copywriting more emotional:
Test, learn, rinse and repeat
Creating viral print-on-demand designs is not an exact science. It requires continuous testing and learning. To understand what resonates with your audience and what doesn’t…
- keep track of your designs’ performance
- measure engagement
- analyze the data
To see what works best for your audience, experiment with different design…
- styles
- themes
- messaging
- marketing strategies
Use A/B testing to compare the performance of different designs or marketing tactics. Then, use the insights you gain to improve your future designs. Be willing to learn from failures. And adapt your approach to create designs that have a higher likelihood of going viral.
Creating viral print-on-demand designs requires…
- A deep understanding of your target audience
- Visually appealing designs
- User-generated content
- Influencer collaborations
- Incentives for sharing
- Optimization for social media
- Emotional triggers
- Testing and iteration
By following these tips, you can unleash the power of viral designs and create print-on-demand products that people can’t resist.
…Want to see how fast you can take your product listings to the next level? Take advantage of my 14-day free trial of the Easy POD Mastermind! It’s the perfect way to test drive our monthly new workshops and action-based strategies to grow your shop fast: www.EasyPODTrial.com.
Get an inside look below:
I hope you find this post useful! If you have any other tips about how to create print-on-demand designs that go viral, leave a comment below. And if you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and followers.
P.S. My Journal Bootcamp starts next month and runs for 4 weeks! If you’re interested, let me know!
