The Handmade Shop: Etsy Business Strategy for Makers with Physical and Digital Products

Sarah Waggoner
  • 4.9 (27)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

If you want consistent, daily sales on Etsy without relying on social media, you’re in the right place. Hosted by Sarah Waggoner, Etsy sales strategist and owner of a top 0.1% Etsy shop, this podcast teaches you how to grow your Etsy business. This show is for handmade sellers who are ready to build a shop that actually gets found by the right buyers. Inside each episode, you’ll learn how to: - Increase your Etsy sales organically - Build product lines that drive consistent traffic - Understand your Etsy stats - Create listings that convert - Grow your shop without ads, social media, or cha

  1. 2d ago

    246. The Summer Survival Guide for Etsy Sellers

    Summer hit and suddenly your Etsy shop feels like a project you'll "get back to in September."  Sound familiar? This episode is for the seller who hasn't quit, but has quietly started coasting. Life got fuller, energy shifted, and the shop slipped down the priority list. That's normal. What you do about it matters more than the fact that it happened. I'm talking about how to stay connected to your business this summer without white-knuckling it through every week. Not a pep talk. A realistic plan for what "enough" actually looks like when your schedule is unpredictable and your motivation is uneven. I share the one expectation shift that removes most of the guilt, why picking one priority this summer beats having seven, and why forcing yourself to build your business in ways you hate is the thing most likely to make you want to quit. If you've been waiting for permission to slow down without actually stopping, this episode is it. What You'll Learn: Why comparing June you to February you is setting you up to feel like you're failing How to define what "enough" looks like before summer defines it for you (and why that changes everything) The exact questions to ask yourself to identify the one bottleneck worth focusing on right now Why trying to fix everything at once is especially costly during a season when your schedule is already unpredictable What happens when you stop building your business in ways you hate and start focusing on what actually works for you How to stay connected to your shop without forcing consistency that doesn't fit your current season Resources Mentioned: Summer of Search Workshop Series: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/summerofsearch/ Workshop 1: Choosing Your Most Sellable Niche and Product Direction — $47 Workshop 2: Keywords and How Buyers Actually Find Your Products — $47 Workshop 3: Conversions and Turning Favorites and Visits into Sales — $47 Or grab the All Access Pass and get all three for only $97 Your Next Steps: Free Live Masterclass: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/freeclass/ Etsy Visibility Accelerator: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/etsy-visibility-accelerator 1:1 Coaching: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/coaching Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner/ Join the Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theheartlandcreative

    7 min

  2. Jun 16

    245. Why People Are Favoriting Your Listings But Not Buying

    Favorites without sales is one of the most frustrating Etsy problems. Here's why it's harder to fix than it looks and how to actually figure out what's going on. If your favorites keep climbing but your sales aren't following, something is creating friction between a buyer loving your listing and actually purchasing it. In this episode I'm walking through all the variables that affect conversion rate and why guessing which one to fix first is how sellers spend months making changes that don't actually help. What you'll learn in this episode: What a favorite actually tells you about your shop (it's more useful than you think) All the variables that can affect whether a buyer purchases Why conversion problems are so hard to solve without a plan How intentional testing is what separates sellers who figure it out from the ones who stay stuck Resources mentioned: Summer Search Workshop Series: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/summerofsearch Your next steps: Etsy Visibility Accelerator: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/etsy-visibility-accelerator 1:1 Coaching: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/coaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sarahjwaggoner Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theheartlandcreative YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SarahJWaggoner

    11 min

  3. Jun 9

    244. How to Get Your Etsy Listings in Front of the Right Buyers

    Getting your Etsy listings in front of the right buyers isn't just about one well-optimized listing. Here's what it actually takes. Sellers often approach keyword research as a single listing problem. In this episode I'm breaking down why ranking on Etsy is really a shop-wide signal and what that means for how you build your strategy from the ground up. What you'll learn in this episode: Why the words you use to describe your product are often not the words buyers are searching Why one optimized listing often isn't enough to get consistent traffic What "authority" actually means in Etsy search and how your shop builds it over time How to think about keywords that attract buyers who are ready to purchase, not just browsing Why what your shop can realistically rank for matters as much as what buyers are searching for How the compounding effect works and what it looks like when a shop finally breaks through Resources mentioned: Summer Search Workshop Series - https://sarahjwaggoner.com/summerofsearch Your next steps: Join the Summer Search Workshop Series: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/summerofsearch 1:1 Coaching: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/coaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sarahjwaggoner Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theheartlandcreative YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SarahJWaggoner

    10 min

  4. Jun 2

    243. How to Know If What You're Selling Is Actually the Problem

    Is it really your products that are holding back your Etsy sales? Probably not…but here's how to know for sure. Most sellers jump straight to blaming their products when sales slow down. But the majority of the time, the product isn't the problem. In this episode I'm giving you a four-step framework for figuring out whether your product is actually the issue, or whether something else entirely is holding your shop back. What you'll learn in this episode: The four checks that tell you whether your product is actually the problem or not What zero impressions really means (and why it has nothing to do with your product) How to tell if there's real search demand for what you're selling on Etsy Why the timeline matters more than most sellers realize when evaluating a product The three specific scenarios where switching products actually is the right call Why starting over is often the most expensive mistake a seller can make Resources mentioned: Summer Search Workshop Series:  Your next steps: Join the Summer Search Workshop Series: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/summerofsearch/ 1:1 Coaching: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/coaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sarahjwaggoner Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theheartlandcreative YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SarahJWaggoner

    12 min

  5. May 27

    242. Summer is not a slow season if you do this

    Summer is coming, and most Etsy sellers are about to make the same mistake they make every year. They slow down, they pull back, and then they wonder why they're not ready when Q4 hits. This is a short episode with a big announcement. If you've been wanting to understand how Etsy search actually works and stop guessing at what's getting your shop found (or not found), you're going to want to hear what's coming this summer. There's also something new for sellers who are already making consistent sales and are ready to grow. Two things are launching this summer, and my email list hears about both of them first. Resources Mentioned: Get on the email list: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/getmorepodcast Your Next Steps: Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggonerJoin the Free Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theheartlandcreative

    4 min

  6. May 13

    241. The Time Audit Every Etsy Seller Needs to Do Right Now

    Not enough time is the number one reason sellers don't invest in their Etsy strategy. But in my experience, the sellers who say they don't have time are usually spending a significant amount of it on things that aren't working. So let’s fix it. In this episode I'm taking you through a real time audit so you can see exactly where your Etsy hours are going and which ones are actually moving your shop forward. For most sellers, the time is already there. It just needs to be redirected. I'm also walking you through two columns that will change how you think about your Etsy to-do list for good. What You'll Learn: The difference between Etsy tasks that feel productive and ones that actually build momentum A quick audit you can do this week to see exactly where your time is going Why checking your stats multiple times a day might be one of the biggest time drains in your shop How chasing new product ideas is spreading your authority thinner instead of building it faster Why social media time often produces the least results for Etsy sellers specifically Why a clear strategy doesn't add time to your week, it redirects the time you already have What to do next: Enroll in the Etsy Visibility Accelerator before cart closes tomorrow: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/evapodDM me on Instagram before cart closes to talk through whether EVA is right for you: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner/

    5 min

  7. May 13

    240. Why Your Etsy Shop Can Rank Even If You Don't Believe It Yet

    "My shop just can't rank on Etsy."  I hear this constantly. And then comes the reason. My prices are too high. My photos aren't good enough. I'm not selling the right product. My shop is too new. I don't have enough reviews. The big shops have taken over my niche. In this episode I'm going through all six of these beliefs one by one, because most of what sellers think is standing between them and consistent traffic is either misunderstood or completely fixable. None of these are reasons a shop can't rank. They're reasons a shop hasn't ranked yet. But we can fix that. What You'll Learn: Why price is almost never a ranking factor on Etsy and what it actually affects instead The real role photos play in your visibility Why there is a buyer on Etsy for what you make and what's actually standing between you and reaching them What new shops need to understand about how Etsy tests listings from day one Why reviews matter for conversion but not in the way most sellers think they do for ranking How to find room in your niche even when the biggest shops feel like they've taken over The difference between a shop that can't rank and one that just hasn't had the right strategy in place yet What to do next: Enroll in the Etsy Visibility Accelerator before cart closes on Sunday: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/evapod DM me on Instagram to talk through what's been holding your shop back: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner/

    9 min

  8. May 11

    239. Every Etsy Niche Is Saturated. Here's What to Do About It.

    If you've ever talked yourself out of going after a product line because the niche felt too saturated, this episode is going to reframe that completely. Saturation is one of the most common reasons sellers hold back on Etsy, and it's also one of the most misunderstood. Every niche is saturated. The entire internet is saturated. And yet new sellers are breaking through in competitive spaces every single day, because saturation doesn't mean there's no room. It means there's demand. In this episode I'm breaking down why saturation is a strategy problem, not a niche problem, and how to find the pockets of opportunity inside even the most competitive categories on Etsy. What You'll Learn: Why a saturated niche is actually a sign that buyers are there The difference between competing everywhere in a niche and finding where you actually have room to grow Why the biggest shops in your niche can't dominate every buyer search and what that means for you What long-tail keywords have to do with finding your opening in a saturated market What to do next: - Enroll in the Etsy Visibility Accelerator: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/evapod - DM me on Instagram to talk through where your opportunity is: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner/

    4 min
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4.9
out of 5
27 Ratings

About

If you want consistent, daily sales on Etsy without relying on social media, you’re in the right place. Hosted by Sarah Waggoner, Etsy sales strategist and owner of a top 0.1% Etsy shop, this podcast teaches you how to grow your Etsy business. This show is for handmade sellers who are ready to build a shop that actually gets found by the right buyers. Inside each episode, you’ll learn how to: - Increase your Etsy sales organically - Build product lines that drive consistent traffic - Understand your Etsy stats - Create listings that convert - Grow your shop without ads, social media, or cha

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