Discover Redbubble: Where Artists Thrive, Buyers Explore, Creations Shine
Redbubble is an online marketplace that enables artists to sell their artwork printed on various products, including clothing, stickers, phone cases, and home decor. It’s a platform for both established and emerging artists looking to reach a broader audience with their creations.
Redbubble and Artists
Artists upload their designs, set their prices, and Redbubble handles the production, shipping, and customer service.
The platform serves artists by providing them with a hassle-free way to monetise their art without the need for inventory or shipping logistics.
This is significant for everyone who has had a product based business, such as a market stall, shop, wholesaling to shops etc. NOT having to do ALL the work that is involved with carrying stock, storing it safely in a dry and protected environment, keeping up with stock levels and then all the work around shipping and customer service on top of all of that, is deeply appealing.
The Redbubble Crowd
But, Redbubble is crowded in the sense that there is a vast number of stores with an array of artwork and products available, but it also means there’s a diverse audience constantly browsing.
That is why being heard and doing the things that make all the difference is key.
How Buyers Find Redbubble
Buyers typically find Redbubble through online searches, social media, or word-of-mouth recommendations.
The platform started in 2006 in Melbourne, founded by Martin Hosking, Peter Styles, and Paul Vanzella.
Since then, it has grown into a global marketplace connecting artists with buyers worldwide, fostering creativity and allowing individuals to express themselves through unique and personalised products.
How to Make Redbubble Work For You
So how do you make this impressive and popular platform work for you?
The creative creature who has wonderful artwork to sell to folk all over the world? Well that is what this skills sharing story is all about, outlining the key elements that you need to do well and the mistakes to avoid.
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15 Things Your Need to Nail on Redbubble
Knowing what you need to do and not do is the difference between flourishing and wasting your time.
And let’s be frank, none of us need to be wasting our precious time. But, as with all things, it does take a while to grow and be heard above the noise.
To succeed on Redbubble and maximise visibility and sales, artists should:
1. High-Quality Artwork Works Best on Redbubble
Ensure your artwork is of high quality, as this will attract buyers and increase the chances of sales.
This is not just about the artistic merits, this is mainly about the quality of the files that you’re uploading.
Make sure that you are uploading the highest quality image that you can.
Most likely, the quality of a photo taken on your phone will let you down and end up producing lack lustre looking products.
2. Diverse Redbubble Portfolio
Offer a variety of designs across different themes and styles to appeal to a broader audience.
You don’t need to appeal to everyone by any means, you just want to make sure that your work can appeal to enough people.
3. Optimised Redbubble Product Selection
Choose products strategically based on your artwork’s suitability and popularity among buyers.
The majority of sellers (artists who have stores) only put their artwork across a few products, with t-shirts being the most popular.
So the t-shirt category is saturated with everyone.
Redbubble offers 90+ different types of products that you can put your work onto. Get into exploring them.
Maybe you do want to put the effort into putting your work across every single product option, or, maybe, you’ll find that some products suit different formats and it is better to focus on what does work easily and well.
4. Engage with the Redbubble Community
Participate in Redbubble’s community forums, challenges, and promotions to increase visibility and connect with potential buyers.
This is the same as using your professional profile, eg. Jennifer Lou Artist, to comment, like, share and follow on Facebook and Instagram.
Just as there, on Redbubble, others will see your profile and check you and your out.
So how you present yourself with what you say, how you say it, how you encourage or not, will make a difference to how others perceive you.
5. Eye-Catching Thumbnails
Create visually appealing thumbnails that accurately represent your artwork and stand out among competitors.
Again, this is about making sure that your work, the little snippet that people see immediately, looks good and entices people to dive in.
While Redbubble does all of the product thumbnails, you set up your own for categories etc.
6. Effective Keyword Tagging Makes All the Difference on Redbubble
Use relevant and descriptive tags for each design to improve searchability and reach potential buyers.
This is a biggie.
Basically this is the major way that potential customers will find your work in amongst the Redbubble search results.
The top sellers keep tweaking their keyword tags because this is where the gold is.
Keyword tags are crucial in all your online profiles, just think of your hashtags in Instagram and Facebook.
Bluethumb, Patreon, Spoonflower and Etsy all heavily rely on key words.
Just as you have your basic set that you always want to turn up on with all of your Instagram and Facebook posts, you will be able to transfer these over to Redbubble too, eg. TasmanianArtist, AustralianArtist etc.
7. Promote Your Work Outside of Redbubble
Utilise social media platforms and other online channels to promote your Redbubble store and individual designs.
This has a double whammy effect as Redbubble will see the traffic you’re bringing in and reward you for stepping up and contributing.
Your own existing supporters, buyers and friends, as well as potential customers will be led to your Redbubble store.
Do make sure you are using a link to your Redbubble store that takes your potential customers straight to your store. Always test your links before publishing on the socials.
8. Regular Updates to Your Redbubble Store
Keep your portfolio fresh by regularly adding new designs and updating existing ones to maintain relevance.
Again, this is a double whammy. And again, this includes getting brownie points with Redbubble. They want you to regularly add content and will reward you with showing your work to more people.
Plus, your own followers enjoy seeing your new products and it gives you fresh social media content.
Just as with planning out your newsletters, your Bluethumb, Patreon, Etsy, Spoonflower etc work, create a calendar for yourself so you can plot out what you need to do by when and how.
9. Optimise Your Pricing on Redbubble for Sales
Set reasonable prices that reflect the value of your artwork while remaining competitive within the marketplace.
This is important.
You can see for yourself the various pricing options your competitors on Redbubble are offering to buyers.
Don’t go into a pricing war – Redbubble does quite a few sales so you could really knock yourself sideways in a pricing war and it is a fast way to waste your time and efforts.
Unless you sell your work for big bucks and have an exceptionally loyal customer base who will buy anything you do at whatever price, aim for the middle to top half of the pack.
Submerging into the Solitude of the Studio in the Paddock with Katherine Tyson
Come meet Tasmanian artist Katherine Tyson, known as the artist in the paddock because of her picture perfect studio space in her Art Trails Tasmania Artist Profile
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Meet renowned textile artist Aukje Boonstra and her love for the ancient craft of botanical dyeing in her Artist Profile with Art Trails Tasmania
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10. Clear Store Branding Redbubble Matters
Maintain a cohesive brand identity across your store, including your profile, banner, and product descriptions.
This means planning out the images you need on Redbubble in your initial store setup stage. Make sure that these images match with the rest of your image branding across your social media profiles, website, logo, newsletter and any other platform that you are on.
The magic powers of doing this mean that your followers always know where they are with you and don’t get confused with a competitor.
11. Customer Interaction on Redbubble is Important
Provide excellent customer service and respond promptly to inquiries or feedback to build trust and loyalty.
While Redbubble do all the customer service with the shipping of the products etc, customers can and will contact you with questions. How you look after these enquiries will be how you build your reputation.
12. Utilise Redbubble Analytics
Use Redbubble’s analytics tools to track performance, identify trends, and adjust your strategies accordingly.
So initially, these analytics tools can take a while to figure out, largely because you won’t have much data to be turning into information.
But give it time, explore what is available and keep tweaking your listings, particularly your keyword tags to see what the reports might tell you.
13. Cross-Promotion on Redbubble
Collaborate with other artists or influencers to cross-promote each other’s work and expand your reach.
This can be a game changing approach on Redbubble. Yes, you will come across some folk who are takers, but, you will also get to work with some really lovely, inspiring, enabling artists who become part of your treasured Redbubble family.
Keep the folk who belong in your tribe, and walk away with good grace from the others.
14. Stay Informed of Redbubble Changes
Keep abreast of Redbubble’s updates, policies, and best practices to adapt your approach accordingly.
OK, so, Redbubble does periodically make changes, some popular, others not so popular and sometimes ones that cause a lot of upset. It is important to stay informed so you can take advantage of the good things and make your own informed decisions about the others.
15. Legal Compliance and Redbubble
Ensure your artwork does not violate copyright or trademark laws to avoid potential legal issues.
While this one is kinda obvious to all, well you’d hope so at least, breaking these rules is a fast way to lose your store and all the time, care and effort you’ve put into it.
A number of sellers were illegally using the May Gibbs artwork that had it’s copyright bequeathed by the beloved artist to two charities.
Redbubble received some messages from the charities and all the illegal products were wiped out, with massive impacts for the artists who were in breach of copyright.
From personal and professional ethics, to reputation, to keeping your Redbubble store open, respecting copyright and trademark laws it crucial.
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Mistakes to Avoid on Redbubble
To avoid setbacks on Redbubble, artists should avoid:
1. Copying or Plagiarising
Don’t go copying other artist’s work, come up with your own ideas. Yes, you can riff off a concept, but you need to make it original.
Copying or plagiarising another’s work is going to end in tears.
2. Overpricing
Avoid setting prices too high, as this may deter potential buyers.
With how similar products are shown together in the Redbubble market place it is really easy for customers to price compare. Don’t put yourself out of the market.
3. Ignoring Customer Feedback
Take customer feedback seriously and use it to improve your designs and customer experience.
If someone is taking the time to give you feedback then listen. You can make your own carefully considered decisions but there is always gold in feedback, even the feedback that is done badly.
4. Inconsistent Quality
Maintain consistent quality across all your designs and products to uphold your reputation as an artist.
This applies to your design just as much as with the quality of the image file you upload.
When your customers come to expect a certain level of artistic merit, and that is part of your reputation, make sure you keep honouring that.
You can always ask your followers in your newsletter or on your socials to vote on which designs should be part of your next Redbubble collection.
This can give you great content, engagement with those who are important to you, save you time and grow your sales as your followers head straight over to your Redbubble store.
5. Neglecting Marketing
Don’t rely solely on Redbubble’s organic traffic; actively promote your work to reach a wider audience.
Redbubble has so many artist stores that they will never promote all of them. They only have the capacity to promote a few and they will give these valuable opportunities to those who are stepping up and bringing in customers.
If you were Redbubble, who would you reward, those who are making it happen and putting the work in, or those who are not engaging?
Final Words
In conclusion, Redbubble offers a unique platform for artists to showcase and monetise their creations without the logistical hassles of inventory and shipping.
This marketplace not only caters to the needs of established and emerging artists but also attracts a diverse and global audience.
However, succeeding on Redbubble requires more than just talent; artists must strategically approach their store management and promotion.
High-quality artwork, a diverse portfolio, effective keyword tagging, and eye-catching thumbnails are essential to stand out in the crowded marketplace.
Additionally, active engagement with the Redbubble community, consistent updates to the store, and external promotion through social media can significantly enhance visibility and sales.
Setting competitive prices, maintaining a cohesive brand identity, and providing excellent customer service are also crucial.
Utilising Redbubble’s analytics, staying informed about platform changes, and ensuring legal compliance can further solidify an artist’s presence on the platform.
By avoiding common pitfalls such as overpricing, ignoring customer feedback, and neglecting marketing, artists can maximise their potential on Redbubble.
How Long to Build a Successful Redbubble Store
Just as with any serious income producing asset for a creative business, such as a newsletter, website, social media profiles, Bluethumb, Patreon, Etsy, Spoonflower etc, with 4-6 hours a week of consistent work, it should take about 2-4 years to build a steady income stream.
Success On Redbubble
Ultimately, success on Redbubble demands a balance of creativity, strategic planning, and continuous engagement, making it a valuable avenue for artists to reach a broader audience and achieve financial success.
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