The number one mistake artists make with merch is designing for themselves instead of for fans. Your logo blown up huge on a blank shirt is a billboard for you, not something people want to wear. Fans buy merch that looks good as fashion first and promo second. Study the brands your audience already wears and aim for that quality. If strangers would wear it without knowing your music, you have a winner.
Simple designs outsell busy ones almost every time. One strong graphic or a clean lyric line beats a shirt covered in dates, socials, and clip art. Your lyrics are merch gold: one memorable bar on the chest will move more units than your whole tour schedule on the back. Keep the color palette tight and the print placement intentional. Less really is more on fabric.
Sell what fans can wear every day. T-shirts and hoodies outsell posters and hats because they live in people’s rotations. If you print hats, make the design subtle enough for everyday wear. Consider items fans use constantly: tote bags, phone accessories, or a quality beanie. Everyday wearables turn one purchase into months of free promotion walking around your city.
Test before you print big quantities. Post mockups on socials and run a small pre-order batch to see what actually moves. Nothing hurts more than boxes of unsold shirts in your closet. Print twenty of a new design before you print two hundred. The designs your fans vote for with their wallets are the ones worth scaling. Let demand, not your ego, decide your inventory.
Price your merch to protect your margins. A shirt that costs you twelve dollars to make should sell for at least thirty. Cheap merch that loses money is worse than no merch at all. Know your numbers before you print a single unit.
About the Author – Ruben Burgos: Ruben Burgos brings over 25 years of music expertise and more than 15 years of model guidance to the table. He is the indie major pinnacle to retaining credits for musicians and helping them navigate this wicked industry without the fuckery.