The Side Hustle Show: Etsy Printables – $10,000 a Month Selling Digital Products on Etsy (Greatest Hits)

Date: March 23, 2026
Host: Nick Loper
Guest: Rachel Jones (Money Hacking Mama)
Summary prepared by podcast summarizer

Episode Overview

This "Greatest Hits" episode revisits Rachel Jones, creator of a leading Etsy printables shop, who has turned digital downloads into a $10,000/month business while balancing a full-time job and family. Nick Loper explores the tactics and lessons behind Rachel’s success: researching profitable niches, optimizing listings, scaling with minimal overhead, and adapting as the market evolves. A special “time travel” segment at the end checks in on Rachel five years later, exploring how trends, competition, and AI have changed the Etsy printables game.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Finding Profitable Niches

• Success Leaves Clues: Rachel emphasizes exploring Etsy to see what’s working.
  • “My biggest recommendation is to go on Etsy and just explore...look for that bestseller tag...Etsy gives this information away, which I love.” — Rachel Jones [02:37]
• Leverage Trends: Major holidays and events (Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduation, Christmas) drive demand for themed printables.
• Macro Awareness: Stay tuned to world events; COVID-19 forms became a niche opportunity early in the pandemic.

2. Product Research & Tools

• Use Best Seller Tags as indicators of demand.
• Erank:
  • A tool for competitive research, keyword analysis, tracking product performance.
  • “Erank is a tool that I highly recommend...That was a huge turning point for me.” — Rachel Jones [10:43, 11:12]
• Long-Tail Keywords: Target specific needs with low-competition phrases for better visibility.
  • “I try to find those long tail keywords...it’s enough that my products will get seen because there’s some people searching for it and I’m going to easily come to the top.” — Rachel Jones [13:10]

3. Experimentation and Niching Down

• Started with budgeting templates (her natural expertise), but faced high competition and seasonality.
• Pivoted to wall art, then landed on business templates (e.g., COVID forms for therapists/doctors/dentists), which proved more lucrative and less crowded.
• “I started with budgeting products and it did okay...but there was a lot of competition. Eventually I landed on providing things for businesses specifically.” — Rachel Jones [07:15]

4. Product Creation & Tools

• Common file types: PDF, JPEG, PNG. Canva templates are growing in popularity for business customers.
• “If I’m designing something, it’s definitely Canva.” — Rachel Jones [16:05]
• Design skills: Largely self-taught, supported by feedback from design-mentors.

5. Digital vs. Physical Products

• Opts for digital only: minimal overhead, no shipping logistics, near-infinite scale.
• “No, on purpose. Don’t want to touch it.” — Rachel Jones, on physical products [17:58]

6. Standing Out in a Competitive Market

• Avoid price wars: Focus on value-adds, customer service, and bundle extras (e.g., relevant e-books, bonus templates).
• Marketing and Image Optimization: Professional listing images and videos are crucial.
  • “...really invest the time to make really beautiful listing images...listing images look better...Try to create that emotion with your images.” — Rachel Jones [25:40]
• Transparency Pays Off: Show most of your actual product in listing images to boost conversions, rather than holding back out of fear of copying.
  • “I would say give more away. And yes, competitors can come in, but...you’re looking at it from your point of view. Not everybody has your tech abilities.” — Rachel Jones [28:20-29:23]

7. Listing and SEO Optimization

• Title Strategy: Use key descriptors in the first 3–5 words; avoid repeating keywords.
• Tags: Use all 13; don’t waste space with plural/singular repeats.
• Descriptions: Useful for Google search; anticipate buyer questions.
  • “The biggest thing is the keywords and the tags...don’t repeat keywords...be as specific as possible.” — Rachel Jones [33:27]

8. Marketing Beyond Etsy Organic

• Etsy Ads: Start once your listings are well-optimized; don’t advertise $1 items, $5+ is ideal.
• External Channels: Pinterest, blogs, possibly Facebook or Instagram ads for direct-to-store traffic.
• “I would never advertise a listing that I am only charging a dollar for...$5 or more is that sweet spot.” — Rachel Jones [36:00]
• Target ROAS: 4–5x is industry standard; Rachel is satisfied with 3.3x if net positive.
  • “If I could give somebody a dollar and they’d give me three, I’ll still do that all day long.” — Rachel Jones [37:21]

9. Scaling and Time Management

• Built the business with small pockets of time: “...maybe 15 minutes...waiting in line to pick up the kids...” — Rachel Jones [39:06]
• Portfolio size at time of interview: 114 products, aiming to grow further.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Research:
  "You can spend a bunch of time making a product that never sells, or you can do all the research up front...and I feel like you’re much more likely to be successful." — Rachel Jones [12:02]
• On Passive Income:
  "The payoff is it’s time consuming once and then it pays for itself forever." — Rachel Jones [39:30]
• Top Tip:
  "Go where the demand is. You can try to match it with your passion and your knowledge...but once I finally flipped it...that’s where the magic really started happening." — Rachel Jones [42:46]
• On DIY vs. Buying:
  “You’re looking at it from your point of view…Not everybody has your tech abilities…some people just want the easy button.” — Rachel Jones [29:21]
• On Scaling:
  “My goal, I’ll put it out there: I want to make a thousand dollars a day.” — Rachel Jones [40:15]

Time Travel Segment — Rachel’s 2026 Update (Five Years Later)

Key Takeaways:

• Rachel left her job in 2021, now has 400+ listings (some products retired/off-season).
• Still profitable; the business replaced her full-time income and achieved her "coast FIRE" (financial independence, retire early) number.
• Market Trends:
  • Competition is up, but there are still new trends and plenty of opportunities if you adapt.
  • “People complain Etsy is dead...I do not think that’s the case. I think those people haven’t changed or pivoted.” — Rachel Jones [48:28]
• AI’s Role:
  • AI now helps with product images (mockups), bonus content (e-books/courses), and even product creation.
  • Demand for “easy button” solutions persists; many buyers lack time, skill, or technical comfort to DIY.
  • “AI is still so new...if you can just make it easy for people, and it’s five bucks or $10, time is valuable too.” — Rachel Jones [56:03]
• Favorite Niches:
  • Weddings, entertainment, games, and seasonal products remain strong.
  • Community/connection (e.g., group games, party printables) is a promising growing segment.
• Life Balance:
  • Rachel teaches part-time, maintains the shop, keeps family and self-care & travel as priorities.
  • “Trying to enjoy life while I’m at it and help other people as much as I can.” — Rachel Jones [61:54]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:37] — Rachel’s research process and finding bestseller clues on Etsy
• [07:15] — First niches (budgeting), pivoting to templates for businesses
• [10:43] — Using Erank for product research
• [15:09] — File types and creation tools (Canva, Word)
• [17:58] — Choosing not to sell physical products
• [25:40] — Listing optimization tips: images, videos, honesty
• [33:27] — Titles, tags, descriptions, and Etsy SEO
• [34:08] — Etsy ads (best practices, ROAS, marketing channels)
• [39:05] — Time investment and side hustle management
• [42:46] — Rachel's #1 tip: Go where the demand is
• [47:10] — Rachel’s five-year update (2026): market changes, new strategies, and the enduring appeal of Etsy printables
• [56:03] — Impact of AI on product creation and customer behavior
• [59:57] — New niches, trends, community-focused printables, and future plans

Final Thoughts

Theme:
Rachel’s journey illustrates the power of research, adaptability, and systematization in the Etsy printables space. While competition grows and technology changes, there’s enduring demand for simple, helpful digital products—if you spend the time up front to identify what buyers truly want.

Core Lesson:
Go where the demand is, keep improving, and don’t be afraid to pivot or leverage new tools (like AI) to stay ahead.

Find Rachel:
MoneyHackingMama.com

Resource Links:
All tools, courses, and further reading mentioned are listed in the episode’s show notes at SideHustleNation.com/RachelJ.