How to promote your work on Try Handmade
- Submit your best work to the Try Handmade Gallery. I look through the submissions to find new makers to feature on the blog.
- Add your shop to my Best of Handmade search engine.
- Advertise in the sidebar.
And as much as I’d like to think that Try Handmade can do it all, there are additional ways you can promote what you make with your own hands. Below are some resources I’ve collected for you. I’m constantly adding to this list, and if you have any additions you’d like to submit for inclusion, just let me know.
Resources
Learn, network, promote.
- Creative Breakroom :: Founded after the January 2011 switch of the official Etsy forums to a less popular team-based model.
- Craftster :: A social network for sharing your works in progress and getting advice about future projects.
- indiepublic :: A social network for indie designers and artists.
- Handmade Artists’ Forum :: We encourage all creative people that work with their hands to make decorative, functional, and FUN items to join our Forum.
- Cafe Handmade Lounge :: A social network to connect those who love to buy handmade with those that love to create handmade.
… or set up a store on your own web site
First you need to buy a domain (I use and really like Name Cheap for that) then choose what you will use to create your store:
- Amazon
- E-junkie
- PayPal
- Shopify
- BigCartel
- CubeCart
- Ebay
- OSCommerce
- Prostores
- Shopify
- Yahoo
- Zen Cart
- Google Checkout
- eShop WordPress Plugin
- e-Commerce WordPress Plugin
- Quick.Cart
- Virtue Mart
- 1ShoppingCart
- 3DCart
- Agora Cart
- Avactis
- AWD Commerce
- CRE Loaded
- CS Cart
- eCRATER
- FatFreeCart
- FoxyCart
- Interspire
- K eCommerce
- Magento
- Merchandizer
- Miva Merchant
- Network Solutions
- PrestaShop
- ShopSite
- StoreFront
- StoreSprite
- Ubercart
- Volusion
- VP – ASP
- WebmasterCart
- X-Cart
Showcases
Promote your existing store through these gallery-like sites.
- Cool Mom Picks :: A blog which really appreciates the handmade and features the best for kids and parents. Submit your work.
- Cosa Verde
- papernstitch
Now what?
Did I get it or did I miss the mark? Let me know what kind of information you’d like to find here, and I’ll see what I can do.
