How to Make Your First Sale Online: A Step-by-Step Guide

You’ve launched your print-on-demand store, the designs are live, and now, you’re ready for business.

Now comes the big question: how do you make your first sale? Before that happens, you need the right strategy to turn interest into action.

In this guide, you’ll discover how to make your first sale. You’ll also learn how to build trust with social proof. 

If you’re ready for a change, keep reading, and let’s show you how to start making sales. 

Why the First Sale Matters

Making your first sale is like a proof of concept. It tells you your product is great and your website is working. It also proves that every effort you’ve put into starting the business isn’t a waste after all. 

Here are three reasons why your first sale is important:

Builds Confidence 

When you make your first sale, it shows the results of your effort. It inspires you to go ahead and try new strategies. 

You’ve discovered easy things to make and sell and have decided to turn them into a business. Now is not the time to give up on your business ideas. Without that first sale, it’s easy to doubt yourself. But if you are confident, success is possible.

Validates Product 

A first sale is a sign that there are people who want your print-on-demand products. In fact, their willingness to pay means your product connects with their need or interest. 

With that, you can start creating similar designs or products instead of guessing what might sell. 

Starts Customer Review Cycle

One sale can lead to a review that will attract the attention of several customers. Reviews show that your product or custom design is exactly what you say it is. The more reviews you collect, the easier it becomes to make more sales.

Now, let’s explain the steps to follow when learning how to make your first sale.

Step 1 – Start with Your Warm Network

The easiest way to make your first sale is by starting close to home. You can ask family and friends to check out your store and buy something. But don’t just stop there. Ask them to leave honest reviews like these:

On forums like Reddit, many sellers claim that early reviews establish instant trust with new visitors. One positive review can make your store look like you’ve been in business for a long time. That trust is the beginning of how to get your first sale quickly.

Also Read:

• How to Use Podbase Like a Pro: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide
• How to Sell on Amazon Without Inventory (Step-by-Step)
• How to Scale Your Small Business: From 1 to 100 Sales

Step 2 – Drive Traffic with Free Channels

Social platforms give you free tools to promote your store and reach new buyers. There are various ways to make money using AI and social platforms, like Instagram reels, Pinterest boards, and TikTok.

Use them to post short videos or images of your digital products or designs. These posts bring attention and can lead directly to your first sale.

Also, join communities on Reddit and Facebook where people discuss specific interests, like pets and tech products. Instead of sharing your store link first, start by providing valuable tips. This puts your store in front of people already interested in what you sell.

Now, before sharing any social media posts, ensure that the images are high-quality and authentic. Let people see what they look like in real life. It might be a custom phone case on an iPhone or a laptop case on a desk.

Many Shopify sellers report that their sales came from personal networks and online communities. This tells us that free channels are a sure way to make your first sale online. 

Step 3 – Optimize Your Store for Conversions

Now, let’s talk about search engine optimization (SEO) and how to use it for your store. First off, you should find relevant keywords and use them in product descriptions and page titles. This way, buyers can find your products on search engines like these:

Next, ensure the product photos show every detail and color. Clear photos answer buyer questions before they even ask, reducing hesitation. 

POD platforms like Podbase can help you generate mockup images and videos. This ensures your store looks professional and ready for that first sale. 

Another place to optimize is your store’s web address. By default, it looks something like: yourname.wordpress.com. That doesn’t feel professional, and it’s hard to remember. 

With a custom domain like yourstorename.com, the business looks trustworthy. It can also help you appear on Google.

Lastly, you must find out how people use your online store. You can use tools like Lucky Orange or Hotjar to get this data. You can see where people click, scroll, or leave before buying anything.

Step 4 – Use Email Marketing from Day One

You can offer a small discount or freebie in exchange for an email signup on your site. This gives you a list of people already interested in your print-on-demand products and store. 

Next, set up automatic flows that send emails when shoppers sign up, order, or abandon carts. A welcome flow introduces your brand, while abandoned cart emails can recover lost sales. Here’s a welcome email example:

There are many email service providers that you can sign up for free and set up ready-made flows. Many have simple tools to help you launch campaigns quickly. 

Also Read:

• Where To Get Print-on-Demand Designs: Buy or Create
• Best Work From Home Ideas You Can Start Today
• How to Increase Sales: Go From 100 to 1,000 Orders Fast

Step 5 – Test Paid Ads on a Small Budget

So far, we’ve talked about free things to do to make your first sale online. Now, let’s discuss how to use paid ads to show your products to the right people. 

You can start with social media ads, such as $5-10 per day. Platforms like Facebook let you target people based on interests, age, or shopping behavior. 

Once people visit your store, use Google remarketing to show ads to those who didn’t buy. This keeps your brand top-of-mind and can encourage them to return and buy from you.

As you start making sales, you can increase your ad budget to about $1K+/mo. Make sure you don’t spend big until you know which ads and designs bring the best results.

Shopify sellers report best results when they create targeted ads to a niche audience. With this precision, you can make your first sale faster.

Step 6 – Build Social Proof with Influencers

People tend to look at what others are doing to make their choice. It’s like seeing a product with many users and assuming it’s good. Now, that’s what we call social proof. 

Shoppers are more likely to trust the opinion of others than a brand’s ad. As such, you can partner with micro influencers to promote your product. They’re cost-effective and can help you reach a large audience.

Also, their followers listen to them and show willingness to buy some of the products they recommend. For instance, each time @foodswithfinn shares posts about foods and places, people are eager to try:

Don’t just stop at the influencer’s post. Ensure you reuse the content on your store, ads, and emails.

Step 7 – Content Marketing for Long-Term Sales

Content marketing involves creating and sharing blog posts, videos, or social media posts to promote your brand. Although it’s time-consuming, it can bring traffic that can help you make your first sale. Here are a few tips to get the best results:

• Write informative blog posts that answer questions your audience searches for online
• Create TikTok or YouTube videos to display your product or share helpful tips
• Run a Q&A session on social media and let your audience ask questions about your niche

Social media platforms reward creativity, and even small accounts can reach thousands of viewers. You just need to post relevant, valuable, and timely content.

Also, Shopify sellers confirm that content and SEO help their stores rank higher in Google. This means free traffic from people already looking for the product you offer.

Step 8 – Learn from Data and Improve

Now, it’s time to analyze your store data to confirm whether your marketing efforts are yielding results. From your store analytics, you’ll see where visitors leave before placing an order. The number of times this happens is referred to as a bounce rate.

If the number is high, it could mean your page is loading too slowly. It might also be that your product description is difficult to read and understand. 

Next, look at the number of times people abandoned items at checkout. It’s possible they didn’t find their preferred payment options or couldn’t get a discount. 

More importantly, keep your eyes on the conversion rate. It shows the percentage of visitors who become paying customers.

You can fix these issues by providing a smooth shopping experience. Here are a few tips:

• Transparent Shopping Experience: No one likes surprises at checkout. So, it’s important to show shipping costs and delivery times up front.
• Multiple Payment Options: Give customers a choice when buying from your store. You can add popular payment solutions like PayPal or Apple Pay.
• Trust Signals: Display trust badges like “Secure Checkout” or display customer reviews on your store. It makes people feel safe buying from you.

Many Reddit sellers warn that running ads without optimizing your store is a waste of money. Instead, rework your product pages, checkout, and customer experience before investing heavily in campaigns.

Also Read:

• How to Start an Ecommerce Business Without Money
• How to Get TikTok Followers: Proven Growth Strategies

Summary

The hardest step when you start a print-on-demand business is knowing how to make your first sale. Once you figure it out, it opens the door to more sales.

We’ve given you detailed information on how to make your first sale, from reaching out to your network to using ads and influencers.

Don’t forget to test the entire process, improve, and learn from your store data. With persistence, you’ll make your first sale and keep growing from there.

Also Read:

• How to Price a Product (Without Losing Profit)
• Best Automated Business Ideas to Start

Don’t guess your way through print-on-demand. Sign up on Podbase to get the tools and insights you need to launch and grow faster.