The business of selling journals is currently quite a lucrative one! And you can do it all online from the comfort of your own home. Sounds good, right?
Journaling has become incredibly popular – and it’s not hard to see why.
If you want to keep track of work, plan your day-to-day life, write creatively, or reflect on your mental health, then journaling is an excellent activity.
See our in-depth guide below to learn how to make money selling journals (see also ‘How To Make Digital Planners To Sell‘).
What Is A Journal?
A journal is also known as a low-content book. Generally speaking, that means journals contain very little text on the inside.
Usually, journals have unique design elements that make them look appealing and provide ample opportunity for the user to be creative as they write.
Journaling has become very popular in recent years. It is a varied activity that people use for various reasons.
For instance, someone may journal to keep track of meetings and schooling, or they may use their journal to track how they are feeling.
Some people journal with their artistic creations, while others write poetry or their recollection of recent dreams.
So there is money to be made in the journal-making business. It’s simply creating and selling your journal designs, and it can be done with a computer and good software!
Selling your journal designs is a great way to bring in some extra money each month. And, it’s quite simple to do! Check out our guide to selling your journals below.
How To Make A Popular Journal?
To make sure your journal sells, it’s important to design it to stand out from the rest.
Take a look at these tips and tricks to ensure your journal design becomes popular among journalers.
For Selling Journals, Pick The Right Niche
As previously mentioned, people use journals for a huge number of reasons. They also enjoy journals with a range of different designs.
As such, it’s important to pick a niche design that is popular but not over-saturated.
Pick a narrow niche to target your journal to a specific group of journalers.
If you don’t have a niche already in mind, you can do a bit of easy research to figure out what is currently popular.
For example, by typing ‘journal’ into the Amazon search bar, a list of popular suggestions will automatically be shown below the search bar.
Some search suggestions might include “journal for women,” “journal for men,” “journals for writing,” etc.
A few specific niche suggestions could be: “new age journals,” “sports journals,” or even “fairy journals.”
So if any of these suggestions lights you up, then start designing so you can create journals that are a bit more specific.
For instance, if you want to create journals tailored to writing, you can give them a particular theme.
If you like creating floral designs, you could make floral journals for writing (see also ‘How To Earn Money By Writing? [A Guide]‘). Whatever you do, it is important that your theme is consistent and looks pleasing.
Additionally, if you are printing the journals, ensure the paper is of good quality. This will encourage customers to give your journal good reviews online. If you are doing direct publishing like KDP books (Kindle Direct Publishing), order a sample book so you can inspect it for quality.
Selling Journals Online
There are several different places where you can sell your journals online. Below, we’ve listed some of the most common and profitable places to sell journals.
We’ve also included some information on how to get the best out of these sites. Take a look!
Selling Journals on Etsy
Etsy is a very popular and versatile platform tailored toward allowing small businesses to reach a large audience.
On Etsy, you can sell digital, printable, and physical journals. This variety means that you can tailor your business to be the most convenient for you.
Take a look at these tips for selling your journal on Etsy.
Learn Etsy SEO
To reach the largest number of people possible, it is important to be mindful of the descriptions, names, and tags of your products.
Do some research to find the best category and key words for your product so they show up when people are searching for them.
Make sure that the keywords are detailed but specific. This will ensure shoppers see your journals if they search for the type of journal you sell.
Use Pinterest
Pinterest and Etsy go hand in hand. If you want to sell on Etsy, we highly recommend advertising on Pinterest.
This will help you reach far more customers! You can also create mood boards that target certain customers.
More Is More
Having an empty shop on Etsy doesn’t look good.
For your shoppers to gain confidence in your shop and your products, it looks great to have a range of products ready to sell. If possible, encourage buyers to leave good reviews by following up with them and even sending discount coupons for future purchases.
If you are selling printed journals, then packaging is king! Give your customers the ultimate buying experience by beautifully wrapping the journals and adding a personalized note letting them know how much you appreciate their business.
Selling Journals on Amazon
Amazon is another hugely popular site for selling journals. You can create the design and have Amazon publish it directly through Kindle Direct Publishing, aka KDP.
There are many benefits associated with selling on Amazon, including high-profit margins and low starting costs.
And once you’ve uploaded your designs, KDP does the rest! This is a great way to sell journals and make passive income online.
Take a look at our tips for selling your journals on Amazon.
Get Good Reviews
This may seem obvious, but reviews are incredibly important on Amazon – not only for customers but so that Amazon recommends your product above others.
After selling your first few journals on Amazon, encourage buyers to leave honest reviews.
Write A Good Description
On Amazon, photos are important, but the description is incredibly important. The description should be very detailed but easy to read.
Make sure you bullet point the main attractions of the journal, including any design features and quality aspects.
Advertise Your Journals
Advertising your journal is very important, and fortunately, in the age of social media, it is easier than ever to get your product out there.
We highly recommend sharing your products on Facebook, Instagram, and any other social media platform that you have access to.
Additionally, word-of-mouth is very important. Tell your friends and colleagues about your products and let them talk them up with their friends and colleagues. Don’t underestimate the strength of in-person referrals!!
If you have local chamber groups or business networking sources, consider joining them so you can mingle with other small business owners in your local area. These groups are generally very supportive of each other’s businesses and products, and they know how to get the word out to others.
And consider selling your printed journals at local markets, galleries, and small retail shops. You may have to do a consignment arrangement in the last two options, but they are great outlets for selling your wares so you don’t have to!
Conclusion For Selling Journals
With the huge rise in the popularity of journaling, there has never been a better time to sell journals.
Hopefully, this article is giving you some great ideas to get your small journal business off the ground.
This video is from 2019, but it shares many excellent ideas for your new journal business, so please watch it to learn even more!
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