Emily Keating Snyder (5:59)

Hello. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited.

Hannah Gardner (6:02)

I am beyond brimming with excitement. Literally couldn't even hit start recording for 30 minutes because you're so enchanting. So we just need to bring all of the friends into the Fireside Chat right now. I'm thinking yeah, yeah, but you are such a unique and beautiful case of original artwork on Etsy. I know it's not original, but you're, you're, you're still, we're going to get into that and I need more stories like that. Like the world is craving more stories like this. So many artists are so talented, they bring so much to the table and they just, it's not working or they, they don't know where to start. And so like it means the world to me that you'd come and share with us.

Emily Keating Snyder (6:37)

Yeah, I'm happy to. I'm an open book. I. All I care about in life is like helping creative people feel empowered to go for it.

Hannah Gardner (6:45)

Like, and, and you know what I feel like right now? So many people who are creative feel really threatened by just the, I mean, the state of the world, you know, AI, like there are so many things that feel really threatening about it.

Lizzie Smiley (7:02)

And I mean, you guys know me and my personality.

Hannah Gardner (7:04)

I am never going to have like a doomsday personality or approach to anything. I am just going to be like, no, we're going to pull out. This is when we pull out all the stories of people who are making it happen and we pour out encouragement. We let them know that their work has so much value and that truly nobody can compete with you. And, and I'm, I am absolutely speaking to you, lady, with your gorgeous work. So original artists, there's so much hope. I hope you'll listen to the conversation and get inspired. But let's start with this, Emily. Let's start with what do you think people misunderstand about selling original artwork on Etsy?

Emily Keating Snyder (7:35)

So I think for me it's, I'm thinking of like myself when, you know, at the beginning of Etsy. I've had an etsy shop since 2011, but it's, it's taken on many forms and it was nowhere near strategic or anyway successful until like starting like a year and a half ago. But I was at the time like, oh, like I'll just throw my art on there and people will find it and they'll buy it. And then I feel like early on in Etsy there were a lot of stories like that where like before it got kind of, you know, there weren't as many sellers on Etsy. There were a couple of people who like, were like, oh yeah, I just put my art on Etsy and people bought it and the rest is history. And so you think like, oh, I should be able to do that. And then when it doesn't happen like that it can be discouraging. Like, because the thing about selling art that's different from selling other products is like everyone takes pride in what they're selling. But for artists it's like it's such a personal kind of self expression that I think it's like if people aren't buying, we take it really personally. So I think the thing that gets misunderstood is kind of like having to wear both hats of like, you have to kind of be like a marketer, strategist SEO person and keep your, like, romantic, creative expression self, too, and kind of like figure out how they work together. So that's kind of maybe more of a hurdle, but also fun.

Hannah Gardner (8:53)

Okay, that couldn't have been a more perfect answer. Like, I think. I think those stories in the beginning, Etsy started as. And I know it's always been a search engine in a way, but it started as like an online art fair or gallery kind of a thing because it was small and it was boutique and it was just. You kind of just went and perused like you would peruse through a gallery and. But it's become much bigger, which in a way is great, because where else are there this many shoppers? Like, what is it, 90 million shoppers? Like, no, 90 million people are never walking through a gallery. So the potential is profound. But over time, it's evolved because of the number of shoppers and the number of sellers, it's had to become more of a search engine. And that feels. So you're probably going to have to help me with my words again, Emily. It feels very like, mathematical or mechanical to an artist who is anything but and not that they can't be, but I'm just saying.

Emily Keating Snyder (9:45)

Yeah, it's a different muscle.

Hannah Gardner (9:48)

Totally. And it can feel, again, I think you, you, you characterize that so well. It can feel kind of painful. It can feel like rejection. And really, like, the thing is, is if you're creating beautiful original artwork, there is a. An audience out there for it. But on Etsy, people are finding things by searching for them. So if you do, if you create art that's like, I don't. I'd have to come up with something super random, like, I don't know, like a mix of, like, monkeys that are watercolor, but that also only wear toupees that are, you know, something like just super original. And, oh, my gosh, there is absolutely some amazing indie group on the Internet that would love that. But people on Etsy are not searching for original toupee monkey. You know, in a barbershop of mind, not putting that in a search doesn't mean they wouldn't buy it if they didn't see it. So that is. That's like that mechanical part of it. So, like, what kind of. What kind of art do you sell and why do you think it works so well?

Emily Keating Snyder (10:44)

What I make now is. Well, for the past few years, I've kind of just to backtrack a little bit. I've always been an artist, and I've kind of been pursuing it as A career for, gosh, like 15 years, probably maybe like 10 years. Have I really been, like, at it with a real kind of business mindset? But so I do kind of colorful abstract painting and then I do embroidery into it. So it's like a kind of three dimensional artwork on canvas. And then what I. What I do is have my pieces is scanned to make prints and so on Etsy right now. I have toyed with selling originals in the past and I'm thinking about doing it again. I actually saw you have an episode with another artist talking about that, so I'm going to listen to that.

Hannah Gardner (11:24)

Oh, my gosh. You haven't heard Melissa's episode.

Emily Keating Snyder (11:26)

No, I'm so. I have it. I have it queued up in my watch list. I'm so excited.

Hannah Gardner (11:29)

Emily, you have such a treat in front of you. We had the craziest conversation. First of all, you would love her. She is incredible. Second of all, I was like, I made some suggestions. She does really, really kind of moody stuff. And I was like, girl, you need to do sardines there. This was like, I don't know, last fall. And she literally ended up getting featured by Etsy. She ended up getting all of this press. Like, it was crazy because she just jumped on the sardine trend. But like, her artwork, you guys are totally different, but you would jive so much with her. Oh, my. I can't. I literally cannot wait. And guys, listen, this is me mentioning this and literally not knowing the episode number. So I'm gonna look it up while you keep talking. But okay.

Emily Keating Snyder (12:04)

Awesome.

Hannah Gardner (12:04)

Do you think that it's like. Yeah. Is it really in demand, abstract art?

Emily Keating Snyder (12:09)

So, yeah, that's the thing. So my pieces, like I said, are like very minimal. There's not like a. They're not representational at all. Like, there's no, you know, people or items or anything in it. And so I sell the prints of those on Etsy. And so I think abstract art is super in demand, especially, like, outside of Etsy world. I work a lot with interior designers and I sell with galleries. I've had like, hotels buy my art and. And so I think a lot of times if people are kind of looking at it from like interior design mode, it's like they're attracted to colors and textures and shapes because it's like, oh, we have, you know, this couch pattern and this color and we want the art to go and that kind of thing. So I actually feel like there is also a demand for it. But, like, to your point, it's not something it's not as quite as SEO a bull as like someone being like, I want a sardine print in my kitchen. Then it's like, you got it, you're on. You're like a perfect match for that. But this is kind of like, can be so that can be the tricky part. But also it's nice because people on Etsy, as you know, like, they don't always know exactly what they want the second they go on. Like, some of it's just like, I want art for my house. I don't know what I want. I'm just gonna like browse around and then they start seeing like, maybe I want an abstract piece. And then they're like, you know what? I think I want a red abstract painting. And so it's like a little less specific. But you can kind of like drill down your SEO that way where it kind of how you approach it, like.

Hannah Gardner (13:38)

The style you, you approach it more with like by color.

Emily Keating Snyder (13:41)

I've played around with like, you know, when I test out different listings for the same item, I'll play around with like going color heavy in the keywords or then going kind of more style heavy. The other thing that I think works for my kind of art or if your art isn't necessarily, again, like, you know, a painting of a river or something or a picture of a woman, that might be something people are searching. Like, I try to experiment with house style, like kind of grand, millennial coastal is a big style for me, which I love. Yes, I love grandma style. So very like actually like Texas, Georgia, Florida are like big states for me, which is so ironic because I've coming from like New York and la. I'm like always like, oh my gosh, my people are, are in this other state. But I think it's like the bright colors and stuff. We, we vibe.

Hannah Gardner (14:33)

I, I, I mean I'm literally throwing out this question list. I, first of all, okay, I think the embroidery is so brilliant. I just light up every time you, you like, remind me that you embroider on the canvas. So first of all, I don't think that you should sell your originals on Etsy. I think you need to use Etsy as a lead generation tool to your main website. We're going to talk about how you're driving traffic there. But A, you'll make more money off of the original print, B, you'll gain more credibility by only using your website to sell, and C, it'll build your email list.

Emily Keating Snyder (15:07)

Yeah.

Hannah Gardner (15:07)

Oh, good. Well, I'm hoping it'll help you and others listening as well because. And that's so like Melissa. Okay, first of all, totally different use case. She is. Her stuff is very impressionist. And so there are a lot of keywords for the kind of antiquey vintage vibe that she is selling. So she can, she can go really hard on the keywords, even like you were saying with the sardines, whereas you're having to approach it differently. And oh also I want to mention to people listening, I was recently told in my, in my podcast reviews that I need to slow down and I'm not sure that I can because of the adhd. But in this particular moment I'm going to try.

Emily Keating Snyder (15:39)

I talk super fast.

Hannah Gardner (15:41)

And also if you love me, can you please go leave a kind review? Because she pulled down my ratings by saying please slow down. You're hard to listen to. To. I'm like, this is the personality. But there's. Especially if you're not selling an original piece, you're selling a print. There's no reason you can't have more than one listing in your shop for the same piece of art print and test different SEO. So I love what you're doing. Like the same thing if, especially if it sells really well. And let's say you've got it in the colors, like duplicate that listing. I know you're already doing this, Emily. This is for others. And try different SEO. That's like the style, the house style, the design style, the trends that it might fall into.

Emily Keating Snyder (16:18)

Yeah. And one more thing that I tend to like kind of forget about because it's like when you're listing your own thing, it's like so many things are obvious to you, but you're like, I have to put on my what would someone be searching for?

Hannah Gardner (16:30)

Cat.

Emily Keating Snyder (16:31)

And I feel like things like the basic things like framed horizontal or vertical, like more kind of like, like words like that that seem that aren't as like you know, talking about what the art looks like but just kind of like people like it's funny because framed art is, you know, variations of that tend to do well for me, like keyword wise. But a lot of people don't end up buying framed. They buy like the unframed print. But I still feel like having words like that are kind of helpful. I'm trying to think of like other ones but just kind of more like practical like information kind of helps too.

Hannah Gardner (17:06)

This makes a lot of sense because when we were selling signs and then also I interviewed a gentleman who sells, who sells frames, custom made frames and people would search by the dimensions. So I think that those keywords are probably very saturated to use in the tags. However, in the description and in your title having a really long run on sentence, like a. Like a red abstract grand millennial. I don't know, Southern, you know, horizontal framed painting. That would be great in the title. Yeah, so. So you've got those words in there, and it's totally helping you. I think trying to compete in your tags with framed is like, could get trouble. But you're. I completely agree. And I think also it's the customer experience. So when they're going through the feed and they see in that first little snippet of the title, oh, this is a frame, it actually, I feel like that frame thing makes them feel more like, oh, this is an artist as opposed to a digital creator.

Emily Keating Snyder (18:04)

Right? Yeah, totally. And that's a good point about kind of like the. Because, you know, you're only seeing like the first few keywords when you're looking at the page with art. Like, kind of the cool thing is like, a lot of. A lot of the what someone is looking for is like, in the image. It's like, you don't necessarily like saying, like, red abstract painting will help someone find it, but that could, you know, you could play with having that, like, later on in the title because they will see right away that it's a red abstract painting. And then in the actual text, you can have something that, like, they wouldn't be able to see.

Hannah Gardner (18:35)

Okay. Also, so I'm working on this advanced SEO strategy tool. Like, you know, or basically, course, to be able to provide down the road a little bit. It's taking a lot of research because SEO is a beast. Like actual SEO. There's Etsy SEO and there's actual SEO. So this is something that was really interesting. I learned as I've been doing my research for it. The keywords that you put at the very beginning of the title actually carry more weight in terms of Google search. So it doesn't publish anywhere in the Etsy handbook that they prioritize what's at the beginning of the title. But when you're talking Google, which is literally what the gods of SEO, what you put at the beginning. But here's. So we're always weighing the balance because there's that piece of, like, that's the most important spot. But then there's also the piece of Etsy actually says prioritize the customer experience and what they're reading at the beginning. So it's like, whoa. Right? So the really happy Places when they're the same thing.

Emily Keating Snyder (19:27)

Yeah. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Yeah. There's so much, so much to learn.

Hannah Gardner (19:31)

It really, there really, there really is. And that's why I just don't want people to feel discouraged and just understand it's going to, it's going to take some time. And then in some cases, the big question for artists is, are people searching for this, for what you create on Etsy? In the world, someone is. And you can drive your own traffic, but are they? And that's the first thing you need to ask yourself as an artist with a keyword research tool, digging into it even, even if you don't want to pay for a tool, doing a search for, for your style of art and seeing what comes up, are there best sellers that can give you some clues as to whether or not there's a market for it? On Etsy, I just think that can really, like, narrow it down for people. The other thing I wanted to ask you is about your features. Like, how have you, how have you been able to work with interior designers?

Emily Keating Snyder (20:14)

Oh, yeah, that's a good question. So it's something that, like, I've just built relationships over the years where, like, they're, you know, a few different ways that I connect with people. One is I. I do have two brick and mortar and one online gallery that I work with on a regular basis that represent my art. So they, they work a lot with interior designers so they'll kind of like find people that way. But I also now I've kind of like, have enough kind of like feelers out in the world where I have, like my Instagram and I've been like, featured on a couple of blogs. I have Pinterest. So, like, Pinterest is big for sure for interior designers to find me that way. But I also used to, and I do sometimes still, but I haven't been as active recently. I used to just like cold email interior designers, which I really recommend doing. Don't like, definitely do it in a very like, you know, deliberate way where you're not being like, hey, bye, bye, art, you know, but kind of like just not even. I don't even ever say, like, hey, would you like to buy something? It's always like, first of all, really genuine. I am like an interior design fanatic. And I would think most artists, it's like, we're very visual, so it's like not hard to get excited about, you know, an interior designer that you love. But I would just find people like on Instagram or Through, like, design magazines or blogs and things, and email them, like, hey, like, a genuine compliment. Like, I love your work. I love your style. You know, I'm an artist, and I would just, like, love to share my work with you. I do also offer, like, a trade discount to designer. So I usually mention that in the email. And then I just say, like, I attach, like, a few images of my art, and then I just say, like, you know, if you ever have any questions, like, feel free to get in touch. And like, nine times out of 10, like, I don't hear back. But I. It's totally fine. Like, I think it's more of, like, a announcement, like, hey, I'm here in the world. And, like, often those people will come back to purchase or to, like, ask me about my. My trade program. So it's just kind of like, getting on the radar.

Hannah Gardner (22:13)

I feel like, do you email the same designer more than once?

Emily Keating Snyder (22:17)

So I have. If. If it's someone where it's like, either they. They do respond or I see that they follow me on Instagram or something, I might email them once every maybe max, like, two or three times a year, and just say, like, that's only for, like, a smaller pool of people that I'm like, I can tell, like, our audience really aligns. Or again, like, they've given me some kind of, like, feedback of, like, yes, I want to work with you. I'll just kind of, like, keep them in the loop. Like, I have a new PA Painting collection. Here it is. And again, it's not like it's nothing more than that. It's literally just like, hey, I just wanted to let you know I have these new, new pieces. Or I might in, like, an introduction email, kind of say, like, if you want to keep up with new collections, join my email list. And so I do end up having interior designers, like, on my email list, but I feel like that's pretty common in the. In the kind of, like, outside of the Internet art world is just, like, keeping up those relationships, like, secretly. I think that's. There's this, like, mystique about art galleries, but it's really just, like, people emailing each other and, like, keeping up relationships well.

Hannah Gardner (23:21)

And here's the thing. I. Sometimes we, especially creative people, we'll get the ick. Like, oh, I don't want to sell. I don't want to sell myself. Like, if I'm good, I'll get discovered. But we have to remember the world that we live in and the constant distraction. And so we think we're being annoying or obnoxious. But the truth is we're just reminding people that we exist and they want to be reminded that we exist. Like, I think we have to take down the volume a little bit on this is really icky. And be like, no know, like you need to remember. Okay, perfect example. I get pitched constantly for people to be on the podcast. And, and so this is really interesting like from the other side of it, like getting pitched. First of all, if someone is, they always pretend like they know what I do. So they'll be like, I just listened to your episode with Emily about selling your selling original artwork on Etsy and I thought it was so inspiring. And oh, you, I really think you might like this guest who, you know, sells accounting software and has been on. And I'm just like, thank you. I am not even gonna on to you because I don't have enough time in the day to waste my time now on occasion. And it's probably 1 out of 30, 50 maybe emails that I get. Someone will really be like, hey, I know that you talk about Etsy. I saw these episodes and I thought they were really good. This person is specifically like talks to creative entrepreneurs about how they can use storytelling to get their. And I'm not just using that as an example. My point is for you guys who want to attempt PR and I recommend it. And by the way, go back and listen to episode 177 with Gloria who is. She's in New York. Oh my gosh. You guys should meet up. Emily, Gloria, Gloria, she's. She's in New York. She might even be in Brooklyn. 177. She talks about using PR strategically. She does not come from a PR background. She's totally like self taught, which makes her really unique. And she really can help anybody who's listening with strategies to get to get seen. But I would just say as someone who gets pitched a lot, don't pitch me if you're not relevant to the pot. Like actually find out what it. What you know, the designer, for example. And if you do abstract and they do farmhouse, you're probably not going to be a good fit. Do you know what I mean?

Emily Keating Snyder (25:28)

Yeah, yeah. I think that's like respecting people enough to like really dive in and make sure you're like, you should be doing them a favor. You should be thinking of it that way. Like, I'm doing you a favor and not like, hey, I just want you to do something for me. Like, no, I want to make sure that I'm adding something to your you know, to you or like at least. Yeah, like having that perspective of like I genuinely think this, this could be something.

Lizzie Smiley (25:56)

Are you a print on demand or digital product Etsy seller who's tight on time or something? Still learning all of the Etsy secrets? I totally remember the days of having no idea what product to create next before I learned how to make those informed decisions so I can really identify with where you're at. I know how stressful and frustrating it can be to just create listing after listing and see little to no results. You wonder what you're doing wrong and just you just want someone to tell you what to create that's actually going to sell. Where are those opportunities? So let me give you a leg up with my weekly trends and opportunities review report. You just join my membership and every Monday I'm going to send you an email with a list of exactly what is trending right now with a video tutorial showing you how I found those trends and how to apply them in your shop. We're taking guesswork and time, extensive time off of your table. I'm also going to send you five print on demand and digital product opportunities that are growing in demand right now, helping new shops make sales and still have very low saturation in the market. So your tight schedule, your newbie status doesn't have to hold you back anymore. I'm going to help you earn while you learn. You can grab my free demo to start and see an example of what the weekly trends and opportunities email looks like right from the show notes. See what you're going to get and I will see you on the inside soon.

Hannah Gardner (27:11)

We not only ignore you, but roll our eyes if it's not relevant. Now let's say you have an abstract piece that actually would be a freaking baller in a farmhouse and say I know you usually talk about far you know your your thing is farmhouse and I'm an abstract painter. I have a really unusual set that could really vibe and you just include and the other thing I'll say is keep it short. If I get a really, really long email with all of these reasons and I'm just like no, I'm not even going to read that. I don't have time and this is the same for me for marketing emails sending out to you guys the things that I keep the shortest it's like one or two sentences I get crazy click through. So keep it brief. And then I need, I need to go back and say if you wanted to for anyone listening who wants to hear the other original Art episode. It is episode 169 with Melissa. It's spectacular. She. And I should ask her how she has her art featured in movies and TV all the time. Like. Like she's had people.

Emily Keating Snyder (28:06)

That's amazing.

Hannah Gardner (28:07)

Isn't that so cool? She was watching a show the other day, and she DMed me. She's like, girl, I'm just sitting here watching, I don't know, some really big show, and she's like, that's my art on the wall. And I literally don't know what to do with myself in this particular moment.

Emily Keating Snyder (28:18)

I'm like, girl, I would be freaking out.

Hannah Gardner (28:20)

I did too cool for me.

Emily Keating Snyder (28:23)

Yeah. I don't know if I can. I won't like out the name, although I think I've said this elsewhere. I don't know. Whatever. My. My work didn't end up being in this movie, but it was like, they, you know, they had me, like, sign the release. Like, we might have you in the background of this movie. And I, like, freaked out. It was a Melissa McCarthy movie. It's not in the movie. Don't. Don't get too excited. But. But just. But just to be nominated, I was like, this is insane.

Hannah Gardner (28:46)

Okay, but have you seen Nine Perfect Strangers?

Emily Keating Snyder (28:49)

No. I watched the first season, but I haven't. I haven't.

Hannah Gardner (28:52)

Wasn't she in that one? Wasn't she in the first one?

Emily Keating Snyder (28:54)

Yes. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Hannah Gardner (28:55)

What a cool. It's been a while.

Emily Keating Snyder (28:56)

I'm, like, blanking.

Hannah Gardner (28:57)

This is so rando. But, like, what a cool role. I only just watched Nine Perfect Strangers, and now the second season's rolling out. But if you're interested in therapy meets nature, meets rich, weird people, meet psychedelics, you'll love Nine Perfect Strangers. Yeah. Yeah. If you're into all of those things. But Melissa McCarthy, because of Gilmore Girls, I'm obviously obsessed. I have to follow her. So 169Melissa is another great one. Do you think it's harder to sell prints versus original art? Like, do you think that affects, like, could. Do you think you could do better on Etsy if you sold the originals? I obviously told you what I think, but I'm just curious from a numbers perspective, what you think?

Emily Keating Snyder (29:36)

My answer is? I think selling. For me, selling prints feels easier in. In, like, on my website, in my greater art practice. But I know that there are artists who are like, either don't sell prints or don't put a lot of energy into prints, and originals sell really easily for them. So I think it just kind of depends on, like, how it works out. But for me, I started, I mean I said I do think every artist should sell prints if they feel comfortable because I think there's so many benefits to it. I actually have a quick plug, I have like a mini online course for selling prints because I'm like, every artist needs to do this. And like so many artists are like, I don't know where to start. And I'm like, it's, yeah, like it's very confusing where to start. And you're like, how do I get it scanned? Like what do I do? And I totally get that. So that's why I was like, here's how every artist should do this. But I talk about this a lot that like I, you know, I've been at this a long time and like it took me a while to get into galleries and even getting into galleries doesn't mean like your work, every original you sell at a gallery just sells out right away. Like it can take time. So I think for a long time I was like, I need something like kind of running in the background so that I. It takes less pressure, takes the pressure off of selling originals. So if you have prints, it's like because I do open edition, so I've toyed with limited edition. I didn't really like doing it because it's just, I don't know, just too much to keep track of. But selling prints, like there's first of all so many like platforms you can sell them like Etsy and like, you know, other marketplaces.

Hannah Gardner (31:07)

Which ones people are asking, they're screaming right now. Where else can they sell them?

Emily Keating Snyder (31:10)

Yes, yes. So I also sell on. I'm trying to think there, there are some that are really great, that kind of low hanging fruit where like you can just, there's not even like, I mean some of them have like a vetting process where you have to like send your stuff and they approve you or not. But like a lot of them, like artfully, walls is a big one that I would start with. It's amazing. Also if you're like shopping for art, poly Walls is amazing. They do have to approve the individual pieces, but anyone, any artist can just go on, upload your print images and what's great about them is like if you're approved and they start selling, they will, they take care of everything. Like they do the printing and the shipping and stuff and then just like kind of send you like licensing royalties. So it's a good way to get started if you're like, I don't know how to figure out the marketing piece, but I just want to start getting it out there. And they also have a collaboration with Anthropologie, which I've been lucky enough. I have a couple of my prints that they also sell on Anthro. So it's like.

Hannah Gardner (32:09)

That's insane. Emily, stop. I feel like a celebrity for a second. What?

Emily Keating Snyder (32:15)

Yes.

Hannah Gardner (32:16)

I'm obsessed with Anthro.

Emily Keating Snyder (32:18)

It was for sure on my Pinterest vision board for many years. And then I was like, this is real. So, yeah, definitely artfully walls. And then I would just, like, Google, like. One of the tips that I give is like, to kind of Google as if you're someone who wants to buy art prints and search, like, what would, like, where to buy art prints online. And that will, like, give you feedback of, like, where to sell them. Oh, Juniper is another good one. To your point. They're a little more like moody farmhouse, so I'm not the right vibe for them. But, like, they sell amazing stuff.

Hannah Gardner (32:47)

Yes.

Emily Keating Snyder (32:48)

Yeah, yeah, you could.

Hannah Gardner (32:49)

That's my ups. I love it, but it can't be, like, chintzy farmhouse. It has to be, like.

Emily Keating Snyder (32:55)

It's very chic.

Hannah Gardner (32:56)

Yeah.

Emily Keating Snyder (32:57)

I actually recommend it to my parents, who aren't farmhousey, but they got like a more like a moody, abstract print there that looks beautiful. You can buy huge ones.

Hannah Gardner (33:06)

I love your stuff too. I need to. I need to get something. Can you see the embroidery on the. On the prints for your stuff? Can you, like, see where it is?

Emily Keating Snyder (33:12)

Oh, yeah. That's a good question. And I. Yeah, the answer is yes. I actually, sometimes when I'm. I'm looking at the prints, I'm, like, astounded at how well you can see the embroidery, because I think what works so well is that even when they're scanned, there's still like, a little bit of a shadow that the embroidery thread creates because it's, like, sticking out just a little bit from the paint. So when you see it in a print, the shadow is still there. So it kind of tricks your eye into being like. Like, I. When I see people look at my prints in real life, they go up to it, like, what's happening here? Which is, like, the best compliment. So, yeah, you definitely can. But that is something that I, in terms of, like, things I want to do, like, better on Etsy and just in general is, like, showing people that. Because it definitely. It's not something you notice right away. It's. It's pretty subtle. So I try to be really good about showing, like, detail shots and, like, spelling out like, well, I also have to like make sure people know like there is no embroidery in the print. So like I don't want you to expect that, you know, so I have to be like very deliberate.

Hannah Gardner (34:13)

Yeah.

Emily Keating Snyder (34:14)

It is just a piece of paper, but it will blow your mind how three dimensional it looks.

Hannah Gardner (34:19)

Oh my gosh. I didn't like when I was looking at the shop on Etsy, I didn't expand the image enough to be able to see that. And you have some really cool settings. Like I noticed you tried some thumbnails that are just the art, you know, kind of more close up. And then you have other listings where the primary image is showing it more in like a lifestyle setting. Which is exactly what I would recommend that you do. It's perfect. But I never like scanned in enough. Hence, hence the shock when you were like, and it's embroidered and I'm like, you are a boss. You are. That is so stinking cool.

Emily Keating Snyder (34:49)

Thank you.

Hannah Gardner (34:50)

Let's pivot and talk about like Etsy versus your own website. So you're, you're doing both. We already talked about, we want to use ultimately and this should be every Etsy seller's goal if you really want to build a business, a legacy, something that is beyond, you know, kind of side hustle. The goal is start with Etsy, figure it out. Get things selling organically, turn on ads to scale or you don't have to, but you could continue adding new listings to feed the algorithm. Start building an email list so that if anything happened to your Etsy shop, you have them. They're your customers, not Etsy's customers. You can start selling to them and then ultimately create your own website so that you can drive traffic there from your email list and then from social media. But you don't want to just come out of the gates and start your own website, guys, because it's going to overwhelm you. You're going to burn out. And that's why I say figure out Etsy first. If it can sell organically, you can drive traffic to it. Okay, so little lesson there, but how? Well, let me start with where's your website hosted is like Shopify or.

Emily Keating Snyder (35:48)

So my website is on Squarespace, but anyone listening, like get on Shopify as soon as you can because Squarespace has been great and it's so user friendly. It's like amazing for designing, but as I've gotten like much more heavy on the E commerce side of like, you know, wanting to, you know, run meta ads or like have all these different features It's Shopify is so much easier to, like, integrate with, like, anytime you see, like, oh, you can use this feature or whatever, it's like, it just integrates, like, so seamlessly with Shopify. Although I should say I've been on Squarespace so long that I have, like, the old version and I think the new version, the 7.1 or whatever is better. It does have more capabilities. But, yeah, I would say if you're for E Comm, like, Shopify, just, like, it's just more effortless. I feel like, more robust. So I'm supposed to be migrating over there, but I'm just, like, procrastinating on it. So anyway. Yes, yes, Squarespace.

Hannah Gardner (36:43)

Okay. And also kind of like, spoiler alert. Not really. This is good to share anyone who's like, newer, where that feels kind of intimidating. If you're an Ever Be user, literally, like Cody McGuffey of Everbee, his big thing is he's creating a competitor to Shopify. And it's called. Is it called Everby Shop, Ever Be Store or something? I think Ever Be Store. And so people who want to start dabbling with their own website, I mean, this is. It's going to be. It's already out. It's going to be an extremely good competitor to Shopify. But you can literally, if you're already using Ever Be, I think they'll just clone your Etsy Shop and make it your website. So you could save a ton of time on, like, having to load everything and have it and just like, start playing with your own website, have all the integrations you want and like, I don't know, it's something that I'm going to be testing because I want to start dabbling with, like, can I sell digital products on my own site? What would it take so I can start sharing with you guys? Because everyone's asking, where else can we sell in addition to Etsy? And I'm obsessed with Etsy. Like, I said start there, but we're all trying to scale, right?

Emily Keating Snyder (37:42)

Yeah.

Hannah Gardner (37:43)

You have to drive your own traffic starting out. Yeah.

Emily Keating Snyder (37:46)

Yes. So it's so funny, whenever I think about, like, you know, actually getting people to, like, find me, I remember, like, so long, I don't know, probably like eight years ago, maybe longer. I was at like a. I don't know, like a meetup group for women or something, and I was like, I'm an artist. I have a website. And this woman was like, okay, so like, how do you. How do people find you? Do you just SEO your website? And I Was like, I. Yeah, I was like, first of all, that's a funny sentence because it's like, that's not a verb. But I kind of knew what she meant. And I was like, I was so early that I was like, I actually have no idea. Like, I just have a website. But the answer is like, no. Just. Just making your website SEO friendly is not gonna. Because I kind of had the same thought. Like, oh, just put up a website. Make sure I have, like. Like, my SEO set up for Google. But it's like, people are. Google's a massive place. Like, they're not just gonna find you there. So I think it's like, definitely. Like, over the years, what I've come to notice is, like, it's just a matter of having multiple kind of. Like, I think of it as like, pieces of the pie or. I heard a great analogy the other day. I was watching a YouTube video, and someone was like, you have to spider yourself. Where, like, instead of going out and hunting and trying to find people and get them to you, you kind of, like, set up this spider web where, like, people will come in and, you know, they'll come to you. Like, spiders just, like, you know, let things come to them. So it's kind of like I'm building out, and it doesn't have to be everything overwhelming. Like, I'm. I'm a minimalist at heart in, like, you know, in my home, whatever. Like, I don't like clutter, so I'm like, I just do, like, Instagram, Pinterest, maybe, like, a couple other things, but I'm not, like, on TikTok and Facebook and everything. I try to kind of, like, you know, streamline because it just gets so overwhelming. But I think in terms of driving traffic, it is a matter. It is keeping a balance of, like, having different arms out where, like, people can find you from different places, but not so many that you're just, like, you know, spinning your wheels and getting overwhelmed. The other thing I think, in answer to your question about, like, selling prints versus selling originals, the other thing that I think makes print. Selling. Selling prints easier is that I always talk about how it kind of helps you build an audience. Because the thing is, you know, original art is not. Not everyone is in, like, the budget range to be, like, buying, like, a $5,000 painting. But they might be, like, prints are, like, a more, you know, attainable thing for people to buy. So, like, there's kind of like a larger pool of people who could buy them. And then, like I said, like, if you Start selling on artfully walls or, you know, other websites or you have like an online gallery selling your prints. Prints can. Are kind of something that you can like, kind of put out as a way for people to find you as well, which is like something you can't do as easily with originals. The other thing is I don't do it as much anymore, but selling wholesale, like prints you can sell in stores, you know, and that like, builds your audience. So yeah, that was, that was kind of a long answer, but I think it's kind of about like casting a net of like different places you're sharing yourself and then like having kind of like multiple tops of your funnel.

Hannah Gardner (40:56)

I think that was the juiciest, most wonderful answer ever. Oh, good.

Emily Keating Snyder (41:00)

Oh, I also run ads. Yeah, not. You do.

Hannah Gardner (41:03)

Like on meta.

Emily Keating Snyder (41:04)

Yeah, on meta. Yeah. And that was. It's. I do not recommend going to ads blind. Like, definitely.

Hannah Gardner (41:10)

Like, no, teach me your way.

Emily Keating Snyder (41:11)

Take a course. Yeah, like, it's, it's a lot to learn. It's a lot of trial and error. And the thing about it, like, so many things are trial and error with this, but it's like all you're wasting is your time and energy. And when you're running ads, it's like you're every, you know, every test you run costs you like actual dollars. So I wouldn't just jump into it, but I just, I do like to say that, like, that is running ads periodically. I don't run them all the time. Like, that is a huge traffic driver. So I just like to be like, upfront about that. Like, yeah, I am paying for traffic also. And I, I think more people should like, embrace doing that if you can. It's not like I start out of the gate doing it.

Hannah Gardner (41:51)

Honestly, it's been such a learning curve. And I used to run ads when I was a. When I was a social media manager back in like 2012, it was so much easier to run ads. I could make them profitable. So much easier than it is now. Now I feel like I'm back in kindergarten. But have you tried putting ad spend behind a reel? That's doing really well. Because I'd almost. For people listening, that would be an easier way to kind of test ads.

Emily Keating Snyder (42:13)

Yeah, I think so too. I. That is sort of how I dabbled. And a lot of like pro ads managers will be like, don't just like boost a post because it's not as targeted as doing ads manager. But I think Instagram and Facebook, like, meta has gotten, you know, their, their algorithm grows and Gets better, like, exponentially. So. So that actually does work, I think, a little bit better than it has historically. I'm not an expert, so maybe that's not true. But I do think, like, if you're like, you just want to try it out and you definitely make sure that it's, like, something that's already doing well, don't be like, oh, this really got 10 views. Maybe if I put some money on it, like, make sure it's something that you can tell, like, organically has already done well. But yeah, if you boost a post, it won't necessarily lead to sales, like, as directly, but, like, if you're like, it will, you know, grow your Instagram, which grows your email list and your sales eventually. But yeah, you can put like, even like 50 or $100 behind a boosted post for like, a few days. Like, it definitely does something.

Hannah Gardner (43:14)

Do you find. If you do a static image, like, will it drive sales for you if you just do a meta ad on Facebook to your targeted audience? Static image, I think, I assume you're doing. Are you doing video?

Emily Keating Snyder (43:23)

Yeah, I do a mix. So when I'm doing, like, ads manager, like, not just boosting, but actually going in and setting up ads, I'll do, like, a mix of, like, videos with just music videos with no music videos with voiceover. It's like testing a lot of things. But I will do static images also. And I think the thing is for art, you know, if you're selling, like, face moisturizer or something, like, an image is not going to be that appealing to people. But an image of, you know, art is visual, which is kind of like we sort of have a leg up where, like, just seeing a picture of, like, an art piece in a beautiful room can, like, spark something more so than, you know, just seeing, like, a picture of, I don't know, like a mug or something. It's not. Not as, like, engaging visually.

Lizzie Smiley (44:10)

Are you brand new to Etsy, about.

Hannah Gardner (44:12)

To get started, or struggling a bit.

Lizzie Smiley (44:13)

To find your groove? What I'm about to say is just for you, okay? I can completely relate to where you're at because I think I can help you achieve success faster. When I first started my Etsy shop, it was not one of those success stories that we hear, you know, on the big YouTube channels, even on this podcast where I just had crazy success and it took off right away.

Hannah Gardner (44:30)

All right.

Lizzie Smiley (44:31)

I all but failed for my first six months, just like a lot of new sellers. And so it's very relatable. And the issue for me was I didn't understand demand for one, I didn't understand SEO. I was way too broad in my search terms and I didn't know how to position my product so that customers just couldn't help but click add to cart. And so once I learned those things, I went from making about $25 a month in sales to $6,000 a month and up. And in the holidays, I would even have $13,000 months like at my shop's peak. And the thing about me, if you've been here for a minute, you already know this. I'm a terrible gatekeeper, okay? When I figure something out, when I crack a code, when I get excited, I cannot help but tell everybody who wants to listen. It's like either my, my best asset or my toxic trait. I can't decide. But I put everything that you need to know to fill that beginner knowledge gap into a low ticket, just under three hours beginner course that I have called Six Figure Secrets to getting started on Etsy. In it, I'm teaching you how to find what's in demand for your niche, how to find and use trends, how to start your shop if you're worried about that part. SEO strategy to find the micro niches where the opportunity is, how to understand the Etsy algorithm and a ton more. The whole thing is built bite sized videos, not long form, just small bite sized videos, zero fluff and to the point. You could get the course today, go through the less than three hours over the next couple days, launch your shop this weekend and have sales coming in as soon as Sunday. So let's get you the few missing pieces of the Etsy success puzzle. Those little tweaks you need to make so you can start making the sales that you deserve. Because I have never been more convinced that there is room at this table on Etsy for everyone. And the opportunity is so, so ripe right now. I am in the numbers in the data every day and my mind just keeps expanding on the possibilities. Okay, so as a special treat, use the code save50 to save $50 on the Six Figure Secrets course today. That's $50 off with a coupon. Save 50 and by all means DM me or shoot me an email when those sales start popping because I want to celebrate with you.

Hannah Gardner (46:34)

So see all of these pieces guys is why I say like figure Etsy out first. Make sure you've got a product that will sell organically because otherwise you could really and you could have stuff that could make you millions or six figures or whatever. I don't want to overinflate or whatever, but I'm just saying you could have really profitable work and feel like it's not going to work and give up on it because you just tried too many things. And the other thing I want to say is, you know, you talk about like building an email list or building an Instagram following or building a Pinterest following ads would be a little different. But again, we want to have organic figured out first. But think of it like a new physician building a practice. They open their doors and they literally expect a loss for like the first three to five years because they have to build their patient base. It's not you open the doors. If you build it, they will come. A few will trickle in, but they have to do marketing efforts. They're doing flyers, they're looking for media spots. They're counting on word of mouth more than anything. And it's going to take years for word of mouth to spread. Those first few people who come in for whatever reason, marketing effort, you did like, they like, I'm talking about the doctor's office. So think about yourself. Like Instagram. It's not, it's not that the algorithm stinks. It's not that all of your content is terrible, although you probably most of us need to improve our content, but it just takes time for us to get good enough and for the word to get wide enough that using your language to have a big enough net out there, that makes it profitable. And it's just people just give up too soon. I know I probably sound like a broken record, but I'm trying to give you a visual concept in your head of like, really, it would be like a doctor being open for a month and not having enough clients to make them a full time income or patients and so they give up. No, it's going to take years. Like, yeah, could you hit it lucky? You could, you could get lucky. But that's like saying, oh, I could win the lottery. I could, but I'm more likely to get struck by lightning. So instead I'm going to bet on myself. I think, I just think like the practical can be really, really helpful because we get discouraged easily.

Emily Keating Snyder (48:45)

Yeah, I agree. And also like the other cool thing about starting on Etsy, which I didn't like, I kind of like added Etsy on to my wow. Overall our ecosystem like later. But the cool thing about like if I, you know, if I could go back in time, like the cool thing about starting with Etsy is like, yes, you're getting that like feedback of like what you know, do I have a viable thing that will actually sell? And the cool thing about Etsy ads as opposed to like meta or any other place you can run ads, like you can start running ads for like very little money on Etsy and get some feedback right away. So it's like a amazing way to kind of like learn as you go with. Because it's not exactly like running meta ads but like if you start kind of learning like conversion rate and click through rate and stuff like that, it will give you like a little bit of like a practice ground.

Hannah Gardner (49:32)

You have added so much value to people in this conversation. Holy moly.

Emily Keating Snyder (49:38)

It's hard earned. The whole time I've been developing my art career I was like, I'm not gatekeeping anything. When I, when I figure it out, which I still have not figured, you know, all of it out at all. But I was just like, I don't want anyone to have to like wonder what the heck to do. Like, I want everyone to like have.

Hannah Gardner (49:56)

The information and actually, can we talk more about your course? Do you want to tell us a little bit about what you cover? Like, you know, what kinds of things people would learn if they go through it? Because I'm, I am sure there are people who want to cut. Like there's two kinds of people, right? There's the kind of person who has tons of time and they can just spend years trying to figure it out and that's fine. I celebrate that. That's actually a great way to do it. There's people who don't have the time, but they've got some extra money they can invest in learning through someone who can teach them, like you. So what are they going to learn if they go through your course?

Emily Keating Snyder (50:23)

Yeah, so I actually, I've started coaching and mentoring other artists about a year or two ago and so I do one on one and I also have a membership about you know, kind of like everything art related. But I have this one course, it's called Art Print Empire and I do think of it that way because it's like I don't just have a print shop on my website and like pray that people will come. It's like I have all these feelers out there in the world. So it kind of, it talks you through like the whole process of like how to get great images of your art, which I think is like a big stumbling block. It definitely was for me. It kept me procrastinating. Like I know I need perfect images but how do I get them And Then also how to kind of get great product shots of like, you know, lifestyle images of your prints, things like that. So kind of like the setting up of the image files and the listings and then also marketing how to set up your own shop and then, you know, like on your website. And then I go into more detail about like selling on other platforms, you know, working with our consultants or interior designers and then touch on ads a little bit. So it's not, it's comprehensive in the sense that it will touch on like everything you need to know to get started. And then it kind of gives you an overview of like the different channels where you could sell your prints. So yeah, it's a. And it's, it's all text based at this time. Like I'm eventually going to go in and add videos, but it's. I made it that way so that it's like a PDF document where you can go back and refer. Like I have like tutorials on like how to use mockups and stuff like that. So it's like not something where you're like, oh, I know she said that in video two, but I don't remember. It's like you can go in and like it's searchable. It's almost like a textbook for like how to start conference.

Hannah Gardner (52:07)

Thank you for creating.

Emily Keating Snyder (52:07)

Really excited about it.

Hannah Gardner (52:08)

That's awesome.

Emily Keating Snyder (52:09)

Yeah, I, I just, I thought like, what, what did me like seven or eight years ago have all these questions about? And I just like answered those questions.

Hannah Gardner (52:18)

Oh my gosh. That's the point.

Emily Keating Snyder (52:20)

Like exists. It is possible to figure this out. But like it took me years and it's trial and error and it's like, you know, yeah, this is like the shortcut.

Hannah Gardner (52:31)

That's incredible. And a lot of people listening need to grab that. Where, where can people find you and connect?

Emily Keating Snyder (52:36)

So my website is emily keating snyder.com and then my Instagram is @emksnider. Those are.

Hannah Gardner (52:45)

Do you have more than one Instagram?

Emily Keating Snyder (52:47)

I don't.

Hannah Gardner (52:49)

I just have that one emk. Oh, it's because you have Emily Keating Snyder as your name there. Got it. Okay. Also, your Instagram is so stinking cute. I love how just like bright and happy your pieces are.

Emily Keating Snyder (53:02)

It's. Yeah, bright and happy is. Is my happy place. Every time I'm like, oh, maybe I should make something neutral. Some of my stuff ends up being neutral, but then it's like the neon green just like comes out.

Hannah Gardner (53:13)

Oh, neon. I'm so glad it's back right now.

Emily Keating Snyder (53:17)

It's so good.

Hannah Gardner (53:18)

I Just from the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything that you've shared and for being so willing to just pull back the curtain for people and hopefully cut the time down, you know, that. That, like, artists need to get. I always say, like, I want to help people crack the code of, like, the marketing so they can just get back to creating. Like, we need artists arting, not marketing. So thank you so much for everything.

Emily Keating Snyder (53:42)

Yeah, thank you for having me. This is, like, such a treat. I feel like. I feel like we're buddies. We could be talking for hours.

Hannah Gardner (53:49)

A million percent. Also, how serendipitous. Like, it wasn't even, like, you applied to be on the podcast or. I, like, it's so random how this happened.

Emily Keating Snyder (53:56)

I was just like, I want to talk to an Etsy person. And then, you know, low and beyond. I. I like, screenshot. The email you sent me back, you were like, you're doing really well on Etsy. And I was like, oh, you know, it's like, sometimes we just don't take the time to, like, you know, give ourselves, like, full credit for what we've already done.

Hannah Gardner (54:12)

Well, no, we need to look up, like, you're definitely. You've got to be in the top, like, 0.1%. You're. I know. I know that we all. We all hear these, like, crazy stories. Probably not all of them are true, but anyone who is making thousands a month on Etsy is doing exceptionally well. And can it grow a million percent? I wouldn't be sitting here spending my time if we can't. But you're. You're killing it. And the fact that you've already got all these other things, like, honestly, you're. You're freaking amazing.

Emily Keating Snyder (54:41)

Well, thank you very much. Yeah. And I. I am an open book. I'm like, you know, I'm here for other artists for sure. I know it can be tough out there.

Hannah Gardner (54:50)

We need you desperately. Well, we'll have to see if we can have another conversation down the road then.

Emily Keating Snyder (54:55)

Absolutely. Yeah, anytime.

Hannah Gardner (54:56)

Already got her in. Okay, guys, thank you so much for hanging out with us. I hope you are filled with hope, but also so much practical, like, just knowledge and marching orders. Go look up Emily, Shoot her a message, snag her. Course, if you want to cut the time in half of selling your prints from your original artwork, because she's going to just be able to sort of like when Carrie came on and talk about stickers, and she just told us, here's what you do. Da, da, da, da, da. And it makes it so much easier. So just listen to her, listen to someone who's figured it out and we'll see you next week for another amazing Etsy conversation. I don't even know what that's going to be yet, but it's going to be amazing. Until next week, Go make something awesome. Bye guys.

Lizzie Smiley (55:36)

And that's a wrap on this episode of how to sell your stuff on Etsy. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today. Today. If you're looking for more resources, head on over to howtosellyourstuff.com where you'll find podcast show notes, all the links from today's episode, the blog, courses, coaching, and more. If this episode was helpful to you, awesome. The greatest compliment I can receive from you is a rate, review and subscribe on this podcast. Not only will it allow us to connect again on a future episode, it lets me know I'm providing providing you with value and helps other people find this content more easily. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support. Have a great day and see you next time.