How to fill Etsy listing images

Having to fill in a total of ten Etsy listing images can feel a little much. But this post will help.

This post covers what else you can use to maximize your Etsy listing.

Opportunities for you to show your beautiful item off and convert those browsers to customers.

Here are several ways and an example of how to maximize those preview images within the listing on Etsy.

How to use all 10 etsy listing photos

Your Etsy listing images are the easiest way to improve your chances of getting found in the search

The first listing I made on Etsy in 2013 had one preview image. The 40th listing I made only had one preview image, and the 100th listing just had one listing preview image.

Adding the correct photos to your Etsy listing is the best way to show your product off quickly and give the buyer the information they need. Pinterest is so popular because, for the most part, we are visual people.

Think of images that maximize the best bits of your item – you want to show it off in the best possible way — converting those buyers who are on the fence to go ahead and add to the cart. Before spending lots of time on getting your Etsy images in order – read the 60 mistakes I made on Etsy

Ideas for your Etsy listing preview images

If you are selling a physical item – pick it up and examine it. Now jot down all the reasons a customer might search for this on Etsy. I have used the word ‘search on Etsy’ so you can get into the head of the buyer.

Start by creating your first listing

Think like a buyer would – what would they be typing into Etsy in order to find your item specifically?

Does it inspire them, or perform something, perhaps it is a self-gift, is it necessary in everyday life?

What problem does it solve for the buyer?

What is unique about your product that the next best product doesn’t have?

Is it handmade at home? What about it is special or done really well?

How does it feel?

Does it have an emotion attached to it?

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Let’s take an example. You are selling pencil cases, but are unsure what to have in your Etsy listing images.

You started selling them because your friend liked the colors and asked for one. But your ideal customer is collecting special edition pencils. (yes, there are those out there)

Looking for a kid’s gifts. Maybe they are targeted towards Grandmas.

Your pencil cases have a handwritten message in the lining, so they are personalized or individual.

Are they made from recycled feed bags? – so your ideal customer is eco planet-friendly. Each one has a good luck coin in the lining – they are for a special celebration.

Well, you get the idea. Just try different things, and make them as appealing as possible.

Now take all of those notes and write down what image would best convey this message to the buyer.

If you want to target those customers who collect special addition pencils – then buy some and use these as props.

What other items would your ideal customer have on their desk or use every day?

Hopefully, you now have some ideas which may be seen as a little different from what’s already on Etsy – and that’s ok. Your task is to carve out your own space.

how to maximise the 10 photos on etsy

Finally – let’s get into the head of a potential customer.

They are browsing for a leather brown bag as a gift for a friend. They begin by typing in Gift for a friend. Now a whole heap of items comes up and they click on and off a few items and then two items in one shop, but it shows nothing of any interest.

They know their friend works at home. So they research Home office gifts. There are lots of plastic things, organizers, paper planners, gold paper clips, etc. But on page two there is this close-up of a beautiful colored pencil case.

They click on the item and view the seller’s complete Etsy store in case there is something different.

The storefront looks like a paradise of colors, with lots of interesting items. The store’s branding is pleasing to the eye and catchy.

How to welcome your buyer with a soft hug with your Etsy listing images.

You know you would be pleased to receive anything from this shop as a gift and not only that, but the photos of the item increase its attractiveness.

They have shown the gift packaging, the item’s unique points, the turnaround times, and the way it was made.

The buyer is already halfway there – let’s continue the journey

Of course, it’s only a slight movement to press – add to basket.

Now the only hurdle the shop has to get through is the cost of delivery. Which people don’t want to pay for or at least they don’t want to see it. Rather like putting income tax for your whole salary until June – when you actually start to make money.

No one wants to see the ‘oh but’ bit of business.

You just made a sale based on your photos alone. Well done. Congratulations.

Try to ensure all of your preview images are:

  • clear
  • bright
  • on a white background
  • taken in daylight conditions
  • or use a lightbox to even lighting
  • at least 1 contains your shop link
  • at least 1 includes your logo
  • use the same branding, and the same font on all pages
  • stick to the same color theme
  • don’t cover with a watermark, they make no difference
  • jpg, png, or gif are allowed, although not moving gifs.
  • RGB is for Etsy photos
  • At the moment Etsy requests the images be 1500px wide.
  • Images crop from the center so ensure this is where your item is placed.

If it’s appropriate you can purchase mockup images on Etsy or Creative Market.

Let’s take another example :

I’m selling a 2-page digital planner for the Erin Condren range.

My first preview image should be of the planner in situ as it was intended to use.

This will mean purchasing an Erin Condren planner, but hey, this is your product usage, so I think is a must.

Flat lays would work well in this example and with some styled pens to match – use those items you would naturally have around you when working on your own planner.

Please do not make this a dark mess of sticky pens, on a green table, taken at night so you can’t read the text on it.

Other listing images for Etsy previews

A close up of the planner page

Only the header image, or some particular point you would like to highlight. If you have an iPhone, you could use the Portrait option for this.

An image showing what to write in the planner

Only do this if your writing is acceptable, if your writing is, well a bit messy, ask a friend to do it. You could use a fountain pen or markers if appropriate.

A mock-up image of the two pages together with writing to highlight

This is what you get, maybe they receive PDF as well as JPG or even they can print in black and white or save paper. It’s ok for this one to be a digital mock-up.

Promotion coupon

Use Canva to write up a promotional code – for example, you would like to give a 20% discount on the spend 20$ in store. Make this easy to manage and automatic if possible.

Sign up for an email list

Asking someone to sign up for your email list in the photos is not a new thing, it might not convert particularly well unless you are giving away the discount code in exchange. However it does give an overall – I am a serious seller – impression, so why not.
I use Flodesk for my email marketing – they have beautiful templates and excellent customer service. Find out more about Flodesk and how to use it for Etsy

Item in action

As above in the in-use idea, but this time stylize your sheets with writing on a flat lay with plenty of white space to write some information about why your product is better than the neighbor.

A collection from your shop

Do you have other matching items? – this is a great way to showcase your other items.
Bonus points – place a link in the description to all the matching items.

A Pinterest picture

Oh – yeah, you will definitely need one of these. At the moment Pinterest likes 600x900px, but I’ve seen reports of square photos also doing well.
When creating this picture, make it clickable and saveable. Keep the branding to match your shop, so when they do visit it’s what they were expecting.

Why Pinterest is great for Etsy sellers

A photo of your work area

If you work like me at a messy desk facing the wall, which isn’t pretty or beautiful, maybe this isn’t for you. But if you have a lovely warm wooden studio at the bottom of a pretty English garden, filled with light and wildflowers – well, then go for it.

Helpful description showing more information on how it works

A few bullet points on how to print the planner, what format it comes in, or external printers you recommend.

Advertisement for your website

Show your customers how to contact you, and advertise your website or external links on social media.
Please note you may not link or advertise any other selling platform on Etsy. e.g. you can’t show your Shopify link

Your best-seller

Here is an excellent opportunity to show your best side. Get your best seller in the spotlight

A review of the planner

Showcase that fabulous review – buyers love to hear confirmation. Everyone reads the reviews on Amazon – so this is a great way to get yours read

Maximizing your Etsy photos is just one way to keep your SEO moving. If this is a huge task for you – try making only four pictures, to begin with, and use them over and over.

An image to show the size proportionally

You need at least one image which portrays the item’s size in relation to an everyday object. In this example a mug or pen.

Packaging

If you would like to target gift buyers, even self gifts are doing well these days. Create an image showcasing your packaging. Is there something in there you can highlight to show how it will be presented to the recipient?

Questions

Is there something about your item which always comes up in the Etsy conversations? – Perhaps they always want to know how they can print at home.

A few notes on how to ensure you get the most out of your Etsy product photos.

Do you have any alternative uses for your Etsy photos? Let me know in the comments what other ideas have worked for your shop. 

If you enjoyed reading how to use all 10 Etsy listing images in preview. Please pin it to your Etsy board.

How to fill your ETsy listing preview photos.
Etsy list photo ideas

You can also sign up to access the free resource library on Oh She Creates and download lots of free printables and helpful goodies. Just click below.

Thank you for reading

get started guide to selling prints online

Grab the free Ebook today

  • Learn how to get your art online and where to sell it
  • Tools to get started selling digital online prints today
  • Learn how which file sizes to sell so you can go hands-off right away
  • Discovery why I get a 5-star review every time.

Check out these other posts on Etsy marketing.

Why I moved from Convertkit to Flodesk

Why you need a good Etsy shop name

Selling stuff you make at home

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6 Comments

  1. Hi Trina,

    great article and very useful. I have a question about this. I see many many people creating presets and they use many photos of people, places, food and anything else, as presets preview image ( I mean the collage of photos with filter you see as preview) and also to make before/after demonstations. Is it possible to do that? It doesn’t seem they are covered by copywriting! Or isn’t it necessary in this case cause they are only samples?

    Thanks

    1. Hello Sole
      If you mean the images I use in the Etsy shop to show the preview image – so I use a frame mockup. These mockups are purchased on Etsy usually and I can use them in my listings to show how the print will look when framed. Otherwise, you mention presets – so these are filters you use to make your photos look brighter, for example, you can purchase a set of presets which work in Photoshop, the images they use to show how the photo will be changed are purchased as stock photos which you can buy in bundles or as individual photos. Search stock photos – I wouldn’t advise using free ones, I’d say purchase these. Better still – many of these sellers take their own photos and use these in the mockup presets to show the image will look after their filter is applied. I hope that helps. Trina

  2. “But you can use Canva.com. Simply create a new design at 3000px wide and 2250px tall”-I heard that Etsy’s first image should be a square.
    “To limit the workload – I often upload an image to Etsy which is 1500 along the bottom and 3000 tall. This way I can pin it straight to Etsy from my shop. Don’t use this size for your first Image on Etsy” – Do Pinterest recommend 2:3 ratio? 1500×3000 is 1:2 ratio.
    “I’ve also tricked the system by uploading a tall image for Pinterest as my first image on Etsy, but which crops to show the correct size and image in search. i.e, the picture looks correct in search but can be used to pin on Pinterest as well”.( A tall image = ? size)
    I’ve google searched the image size and have read your blogpost couple times and I’m still confused.
    I’m not sure if my info is outdated .
    To reduce the workload and to optimize both Etsy and Pinterest:
    1)What size should be the Etsy’s first photo and
    2) 2nd-10th images?
    3)Except the first image, is it alright to pin the 2nd -10th image to Pinterest? If yes, what size?

    1. Hello Rachel,
      You can use either square or horizontal image for your first image on Etsy. I prefer to use horizontal as I feel it works better with Google images. But that is my own preference. You can of course use square if you wish. On mobile square looks better as well. I have used a number of sizes in my listings, mainly because I first started many years ago and things have changed since then.

      If I was starting today I would upload the first image as landscape and the next image more pinable size. As you say – 2:3 ratio for Pinterest. Obviously, you must decide if you want your Etsy customers or Pinterest to have the best image – if most of your search comes from Etsy, then follow their best practices by keeping all of your images the same size so the user experience is good.
      There really is no right or wrong here. Many Etsy sellers – stick to their own way of doing things. Some sellers repurpose their images for Instagram, which is square, some Pinterest, which is horizontal – others just go with what looks best on Etsy.
      It is a balance of pleasing both Etsy and Pinterest. Perhaps you could make all of your images landscape except 1 specifically for Pinterest with writing on, as Pinterest can read the letters.
      The most important take away from the article is to ensure you use all of your images to convert browsers to customers. Move them along the sales path with beautiful images.
      I hope that helps
      Trina

  3. Thank you so much for the article. It was very informative. I am completely new to having an Etsy store as well as a business Pinterest page. I do have handmade products I am ready to share with people. So my question is, is it better to create an Etsy page or a Pinterest page first? How many listings is a good number to start with on Etsy? Also, the promo codes on Canva…can you make them automatic from Canva or are you just creating a flyer and you create a promo with Etsy?

    Thank you very much,
    Kim

    1. Hello Kim
      Thank you for reading, so glad you found the article helpful.
      With regards to your testing – I would create my Etsy shop first, since this is where you need to be ‘perfect’ before creating your Pinterest strategy. Pinterest is great when you are first getting started, but it really is more like social media. It’s designed to distract you, keep you, entertain you – so be careful, view it as a vehicle to get you traffic to your store. The promo codes you mentioned, I believe you mean the images you can use instead of pictures in your listings. Yes, just create a square design, go with one of the templates if you like, and adapt it to show your voucher code so the buyer can quickly see what you want them to do. I am just creating a flyer as you say to promote my shop. With Canva.pro you can also change the sizes and use the same flyer across your social media channels too.
      I hope that helps
      Trina

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