Since the Covid pandemic started, the Print-On-Demand T-shirt industry has boomed in fame and profits. With a computer, a network of printers and an ambition, anyone can launch a POD T-shirt brand. But many startups couldn’t make it past the first six months. Have you ever wondered why, and how to avoid that path?
In this article, you will read a ton of advice from the market research expert of the POD brand Lion King Shirt. Sandra Richter Is One Of The POD Content Experts Of LionKingShirt, and she has witnessed T-shirt brands come and go for the past 5 years. With her sharings, your business can stay afloat and thrive.
Crafting Your Brand Identity And Message
1. Defining Your Values And Buyer Personas
When running a POD T-shirt startup, it is very easy for one to chase after customer taste and lose track of their own brand’s identity. That’s why you must be crystal clear about your brand’s higher purpose and values, which drive your brand beyond profits. What change do you want your T-shirts to make in the world?
Next, take a deep dive into understanding your target customers. Utilize surveys, interviews, and data analysis to map out a detailed buyer persona. You have to at least capture their demographics, psychographics, interests, and T-shirt shopping habits. This allows you to speak directly to their identities and lifestyles in a creative way.
2. Cultivating Your Unique Designs
Any POD T-shirt startup must understand the power of individuality. What personality traits do you want your designs to show the world? What vibe do you want your T-shirts to have? Will the designs be funny, irreverent, emotional, or nostalgic? Be sure to craft messages that reinforce those personality aspects. Your brand voice humanizes your startup and forges connections with the buyers.
All the graphics and phrases have to celebrate the interests that your community cares about. Only then will buyers take pride in buying your products. Stay true to your vision through selective products.
3. Storytelling With Transparency
It never hurts to be sincere and straightforward to your buyers. Especially if you’re a startup and nobody’s ever heard of your brand, honest storytelling becomes more important than ever. Share your origin story, founder journeys, and behind-the-scenes content. Those stories will build trust and emotional connections in no time.
By sharing honest content across the platforms, buyers will know the real people and purpose behind your POD T-shirt brand. Bonus points if you highlight the team of talented artists, sustainable materials, state-of-the-art printing, and quality control. It is only natural: values-focused brands will attract values-driven buyers.
Mastering The T-Shirt Production with Sandra Richter
Once you’ve established the brand identity, it’s time to focus on the technical side of the POD brand.
1. Select High-Quality Printing Methods
The most important part of a POD T-shirt is the printing phase, which brings all the interesting images onto the fabric. You have to thoroughly research the printing methods available, including direct-to-garment (DTG), screen printing, foil printing, embroidering, and hybrid options. Compare those methods in terms of print quality, longevity, customization capabilities, order minimums, and costs.
If you want to outsource a printing partner, then choose a partner that utilizes state-of-the-art digital DTG printing presses. They’ll be able to print photorealistic full-color designs, without requiring a minimum order quantity. The technology and ink quality will determine the vibrancy and age of the T-shirt, so make sure you scrutinize your partner.
2. Assess The T-Shirt Brands and Styles
According to Sandra Richter, all POD T-shirt brands have a manufacturing partner that makes all the T-shirts. As a startup, your job is to assess the partners for the quality of their fabrics, manufacturing ethics, size ranges, and variety of styles. Pick out the T-shirt styles, cuts, and textiles that you know the target audience loves.
T-shirt buyers will have all shapes and sizes, so provide diverse sizing options for your products. If possible, you have to request that the partners print custom neck tags and inner labels featuring your brand name. Exposure is vital to the survival of startup brands.
3. Take Realistic Mockups
Once the T-shirts are complete, you have to prepare your mockup photos thoroughly. Invest in collecting a large variety of mockup images - closeups of logos, shirts hanging, folded stacks of shirts, etc. However, the best mockup is of real-life models, wearing the designs of your brand. They allow potential buyers to imagine the experience of owning and wearing your T-shirt designs.
The most relatable way is to show real-life models wearing your T-shirt designs
Execute A Targeted Go-To-Market Strategy
1. Measure The Demand
Before you fully invest in producing a design, always research to know how much people want to buy it. Conduct market research for your T-shirts by offering pre-order periods or early access events. This prevents you from spending too much resources at the wrong time. Only after you have measured the market appetite, and figured out the buyers’ enthusiasm, can you scale up manufacturing.
2. Launching With A Limited Test Collection
When debuting, instead of launching a massive 50+ design catalog, you should start with only 5 to 10 most promising concepts. Show your most popular styles first, and then after the launch, slowly expand your catalog's depth and variety in later collection drops. By starting small like this, you reduce the financial risk of overestimating the demand. Always remember that less is more at the beginning.
3. Seeding Giveaways To Influencers
In your brand's pre-launch phase, send free Lion King Shirt samples to relevant influencers, bloggers, and KOLs who align well with your target demographic and brand aesthetic. Ask the influencers to promote your T-shirts on their content, and in return, they’ll earn endorsements, features, and word-of-mouth reputation.
If you want to start your POD brand, never underestimate the power of influencers. Their massive audience can be your potential customers if you choose to commit to them.
4. Running Contests And Teasers
Launching a new line of POD T-shirts is never easy. You have to build a lot of pre-launch hype, getting the customers to anticipate your every movement.
According to Richter, the fastest way to build hype is to hold social media contests and giveaways. Give your audience some sneak peeks of your T-shirt brand and upcoming product releases, in exchange for follows, shares, and email signups. These special promotions function as strategic teasers to get audiences excited. They turn anticipation into conversions.
5. Feedback Is The Mother Of Improvements
After the T-shirts are sold out, the work is still not done. A good brand would send surveys to gather open-ended feedback from the earliest customers. You need to ask about their ordering, unboxing, and wearing experiences. Keep a close tab on social media and product reviews too, so you can fix the buyers’ pain points through data-driven improvements.
The Ending Statements
Long story short, you have just read the sharing of an expert, showing how POD T-shirt startups can make their visions come true. The personalized T-shirt industry will be as competitive as ever in the future, but there is always room for growth if your brand embodies authenticity and purpose.