Crickets to Cha-Chings Podcast by Gold City Ventures

Episode 209: Why Your Etsy Listings Aren't Selling (And How to Fix Them)
Host: Cody Berman
Guest: Nancy Badillo (nancybadillo.com)
Release Date: November 12, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the common reasons why Etsy listings fail to make sales and actionable strategies to fix them. Longtime Etsy entrepreneur and coach Nancy Badillo shares her journey, current trends, and hands-on advice for both new and seasoned Etsy sellers—especially those dealing in digital products. The conversation centers on market and keyword research, listing optimization, product variation, and maximizing customer value to transform lackluster sales into consistent income.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nancy’s Journey & Why Her Advice Matters

[00:17 – 02:43]

• Nancy recounts her early struggles during the 2007 recession, leading to bankruptcy, foreclosure, and pivoting to digital marketing.
• Her broad, unfocused approach initially hampered success until she “niched down” as an Etsy coach specializing in digital products.
• Quote:

  "One of the biggest mistakes I made was that I was all over the place ... And then finally I decided, oh, what's Etsy? Let me try Etsy out..." — Nancy [01:22]

• Nancy’s first year selling digital products on Etsy yielded $21,000, tripling the following year.
• Both hosts stress the importance of learning from experienced sellers to avoid common mistakes.

2. Spotting and Leveraging Trends

[03:22 – 06:25]

• Nancy shares her real-time approach to spotting trends, using tools like Erank, Marmalead, Alura, and Insight Factory.
• She advises getting ahead of seasonal trends (two to three months prior) and thoroughly researching what’s selling now.
• Quote:

  "You need to jump on [trends] a little bit sooner than later and at least two to three months prior, start planning..." — Nancy [05:47]

• Example: A Halloween birthday invitation uploaded 30 days prior gained 288+ sales; another shop earned $13,000 in one month with holiday-themed printables.

3. Criteria for Winning Products & Keywords

[06:25 – 09:07]

• Nancy assesses whether to create a product based on search volume and competition:
  • Ideal: 3,000 searches/month, 1,000 competitors.
  • Not all 13 keyword slots must be perfect—focus key ones in titles and top of descriptions.
  • Quote:

    "If you find a product that has ... 13,000 monthly searches, [and] competition is ... 3,000 or 4,000, that is a gap in the market." — Nancy [07:12]

• Emphasizes “product ladders”: creating variations and bundles to maximize value and capitalize on trending keywords across niches.

4. Niching Down Further & Product Variations

[09:07 – 11:24]

• Encourages taking a trending idea (like “Halloween birthday invitation”) and producing multiple versions: by gender, aesthetic (boho, retro, cottagecore), or combining related trending keywords (e.g., “monster” + “Halloween”).
• Quote:

  "You combine that together, you create an invite that has little monster ... so those are like, even better because now you're ... getting so many eyeballs from different keywords..." — Nancy [10:30]

• Trend-based products can yield significant, though sometimes short-lived, profit spikes.

5. Keyword Mistakes to Avoid

[12:12 – 15:53]

• Repeating the same keywords/tags (e.g., “birthday invitation Halloween,” “Halloween birthday invitation”) is a common error.
• Using overly vague or broad keywords like “home decor” instead of precise long-tail keywords means missing buyer intent.
• Avoid wasting space by adding your shop name as a tag before you have brand recognition.
• Quote:

  "If you use that long tail keyword ... the people ... actually find your store now they're buying, they're searching with an intent to buy." — Nancy [13:23]

6. Power of Digital Product “Templatization”

[15:53 – 19:15]

• Digital products allow for quick, easily customizable variations, making it easy to target multiple niche keywords.
• Both hosts love using Canva or Photoshop to create base templates and rapidly iterate variations.
• Quote:

  "I literally could create a wedding invitation and do 10 variations of it and ... have 10 new listings in 20 minutes." — Nancy [16:42]

• Nancy transitioned from Photoshop to Canva, noting Canva’s ease for templates and speed for sellers.

7. Design and User Experience Mistakes

[19:15 – 21:28]

• Common design errors: overcrowded imgs, poor layout, off aesthetics.
• Largest missed opportunity: neglecting user experience—lack of clear instructions, thank you messages, or return-customer incentives.
• Quote:

  "The user experience is really important because if the customer downloads the file and ... they're clueless ... they're going to get frustrated, they're going to leave you a bad review..." — Nancy [20:55]

• Instructions, helpful PDFs, and valuable add-ons are crucial for positive reviews and repeat buyers.

8. Maximizing Average Order Value (AOV) & Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)

[21:28 – 28:31]

• Nancy recommends thinking of every Etsy listing as a sales page/sales funnel:
  • Use all photo slots and video.
  • Product ladders (bundles, upsells, personalization) to nudge buyers from $5.99 to $25+ per order.
  • Leverage personalization options and cross-sell recommendations in descriptions.
  • Exploit pricing tactics: e.g., smallest printable size at lowest price to increase clicks, upsell larger sizes.
• Quote:

  "You want to look at your listing as a sales page. Can I get their email?... Make sure that your freebie is valuable." — Nancy [24:33]

• Lead magnets: Nancy grew 63,000+ email subscribers with a valuable wedding planning checklist freebie.
• Stress on benefit-driven copywriting (not just features), and full keyword optimization in titles/descriptions.

9. Final Words & Resources

[28:31 – End]

• Cody hails Nancy’s “hidden gems” of advice.
• Nancy points listeners to her website (nancybadillo.com), where they can find her social profiles, YouTube, and resources for Etsy shop growth.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you plan ahead of time, you will reap the rewards for it... you need to jump on [trends] a little bit sooner than later.” — Nancy [05:47]
• “If you find a product that has ... 13,000 monthly searches ... that is a gap in the market.” — Nancy [07:12]
• "You combine that together, you create an invite that has little monster ... so those are like, even better..." — Nancy [10:30]
• "Don't assume everyone knows how to use Canva ... focus on return customers. The user experience is everything." — Nancy [20:38]
• "You want to look at your listing as a sales page. Can I get their email?... Make sure that your freebie is valuable.” — Nancy [24:33]
• “63,000 email subscribers ... That’s what I’m saying, the power of if you provide something that people want.” — Nancy [26:34]

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:17: Nancy’s backstory and lessons learned
• 03:22: Trend-spotting and using keyword tools
• 06:25: Using search volume vs. competition to pick niches
• 09:07: Product variations and deeper niching
• 12:12: Common keyword/tag mistakes and what to do instead
• 15:53: Fast variations and "templatization" in digital products
• 19:15: Beginner design/user experience mistakes
• 21:28: Tactics to increase average order value and customer retention
• 28:31: Where to follow Nancy and find more resources

Actionable Takeaways

• Do thorough market and keyword research well in advance of holidays and trends.
• Create multiple product variations—by niche, aesthetic, personalization, and trend stacking.
• Focus on precise, buyer-intent keywords and avoid repetition, broad terms, and unnecessary tags.
• Maximize use of Canva or Photoshop templates for rapid product iteration.
• Prioritize user experience: clear instructions, return-customer incentives, and a streamlined process.
• Treat each listing as a full sales funnel: use all photos, videos, bundles, cross-sells, and lead magnets.
• Communicate benefits and value in your copy, not just features.

Further Learning & Resources

• Nancy Badillo’s Website: nancybadillo.com
• Instagram, YouTube, and social media via her website

Summary provided by an expert podcast summarizer for Crickets to Cha-Chings, Episode 209, November 2025.