How To Create Hype For Your Holiday Drop

You already know this, but branded merch is one of the best ways to connect deeply with your fans. And you don’t need a huge following; the goal is to have a passionate following. How do you accomplish this? Building hype!

You need to build up hype for your next merch drop, which in turn will give you a killer launch that’ll propel your sales into the stratosphere during the biggest buying season of the year. 

So, let’s get going! Here are 6 sure-fire strategies to help you create hype for your upcoming holiday drop!

Plus, use these tips to cross off some of your holiday bingo tasks and be entered to win up to $3000 in our raffle! 

1. Get to know your fans really well

For those of you who have this down, you can skip to the next step, or just stick around if you want a refresher. Growing your fanbase involves researching what your fans are interested in. 

• What is it that drew them to you and your channel(s) in the first place? 
• What do fans respond to? 
• Which posts get engagement and love, and which ones don’t? 

Go through your feed and do your research! Learn your followers’ likes, mehs, and cringes. When you design with their likes in mind, word of mouth will do the rest as far as building excitement over your new products.

2. Choose products that are relevant

Designs are done. Check. But what products do you print the designs on? HINT: Refer to step #1. This is where knowing your fanbase pays dividends. 

Example: If you’re creating holiday-themed products, it might not make sense to put your winter wonderland on a tank top. Why not opt for a hoodie or fleece blanket? And throw in a cozy mug while you’re at it.

Niche is also important. If your fans are techies, skip the beach towels or shower curtains and get right to tech accessories, like phone cases or a desk mat. Hot tip: we now offer jigsaw puzzles! The original gamer’s night in!

Not sure which products fit your niche? Check out our core collections for some great ideas!

3. Capture behind-the-scenes content before you launch!

Your products are ready to go! But wait! Don’t launch yet! It’s time to build excitement. Announce your upcoming merch drop (again, see step #1 for why your social media audience will care). Tease samples in your content, giving fans a sneak peek of what’s to come. Get them guessing what you’re about to launch! 

Then, start dripping some BTS (behind-the-scenes) content. Here are some ideas:

• Get footage of you actually creating your design, whether that’s drawing, choosing fonts and colors, or choosing products on your dashboard.
• Tease the holidays! Why not play some festive music, wear some holiday attire in your content to get fans excited to start shopping the minute you launch?
• Unbox your sample live (these videos are still popular, by the way). Wrap it up like a gift and open it so fans will want to repeat the experience!
• Narrate your videos. Talk directly to your fans about your merch so they can have a window inside your mind into why you created your design and what inspired you. 

Don’t just say, “Check out my new merch.” Hyping up the holidays and hyping up your products in your content NOW will create an emotional connection with your fans, which by default increases sales when it’s time to holiday shop. 

4. Countdown the days

🎵It’s the Final Countdown! 🎶 

Countdowns work because they’re fun. Watching that time ticker gets us excited to pounce, especially if we know we’re going to get a deal (see next point). 

Create a series of countdown posts leading up to your merch drop so fans are reminded of exactly when you launch. For a good rule of thumb, countdown weeks at first and then days when it’s less than a week away. What else can you communicate on your countdown posts? Discounts, of course. That’s next!

5. Discounts! Discounts! Discounts!

Who doesn’t look for great deals during the holidays? There’s a reason why everyone lines up for Black Friday sales and then hits the computer for Cyber Monday. Everyone wants to feel they’re special because they’re saving more than the next guy. So make your fans feel special! Hook them up with discounts before you even launch. Share promo codes over socials in advance; Encourage fans to use the codes the second your merch goes live and keep the promos going up to Black Friday and beyond. 

Three tips: 

1. Don’t forget to set up the promo code before you launch.
2. Offer the best deals in the first 24 hours of your drop to get fans to act quickly.
3. Make it clear when the code ends. No one wants to feel they were deceived, even if by accident. 

You can create codes easily on your dashboard here. Discounts are one of the best ways of creating serious FOMO and getting your fans to scramble for your merch ASAP before the discount ends. After all, nobody wants to miss out on a deal, right?

6. Create a “limited edition”

FOMO is a real thing. So is the trusty “limited time only” sales tool. No one wants to miss out on something special. If your collection is only available for a short period of time, it means not everyone can have it. That’s why offering “limited edition” merch is GOLD! You snooze. You lose! 

A few ideas to capitalize on this tactic during the holidays:

1. Create a unique design exclusive to this time of year using holiday themes and colors or winter-inspired designs.
2. Choose a past best-seller and add a holiday twist to the design, treating it like a special holiday edition.
3. Take one of your past designs and refresh it, mixing in something old with something new. Promote both designs, old and new, for a double feature!
4. Be a rebel. Ignore the holiday themes—create a new design based on something recent from your content and roll it out for the holidays and beyond.

If your launch is hugely successful, you can always bring it back in the future “by popular demand.” This also sets up expectations for your fans to be ready to pounce the next time you have a merch drop. 

7. Build an email list of your customers

Keep track of all those purchasers! Send ‘em emails with a discount for their next buy. Emails are yet another way to achieve step #1. Remember step #1? We’ve only mentioned it 5 times or so. Not all fans are customers, but the ones who need to be kept in the loop about your merch drops. You need to send out regular emails about upcoming drops, special deals, and any other exclusive content that they can hear from you about before it hits your feed.

Don’t have an email list yet? Hit us up at creatorhelp@spri.ng to see if we can help you reach your past buyers with news about your merch.

So there you have it. If you build hype, they will buy. As always, happy selling, and keep playing holiday bingo for your chance to win our $3000 raffle!