If you’ve got thousands or even millions of subscribers or followers, it’s natural to want to use your popularity to boost your income. You want to follow in the footsteps of the best youtuber merch sites for YouTubers and ensure the products you offer connect with your audience on every level.
If you are a newbie, you can learn from high-profile YouTubers and use their stories of success, and also of failure, to shape the way you promote your brand.
Let’s look at the 10 best youtuber merch examples and real-life case studies to see how YouTubers and influencers are capitalizing on their virtual fame to increase their earnings.
Markiplier
Tees, socks, pants, and caps adorned with the iconic moustache logo championed by Markiplier are the perfect gift or novelty item for fans of the popular gamer.
He might have some of the best Youtuber merch on the market right now, but Markiplier didn’t start life as a successful vlogger. Born in Hawaii, Mark Fischbach moved to Cincinnati at a young age and developed a love for gaming. After he discovered he could video himself gaming, Markiplier started his channel, but things didn’t take off until he went to college.
Once he hit 1,000 subscribers, Mark decided to invest in more equipment and put school on hold. And, he branched out to more than video games, offering reactions on everything from waxing to ‘gym fails.’ As his support grew due to his humble and genuine approach, money started flooding in thanks to Google’s AdSense program. Now, he’s a top-ten-rated International Youtuber who isn’t a musician, with over 23 million subscribers. People love his designs because of the style and the fact he’s a philanthropist who gives money to charity.
Grace Helbig
Grace, who is known for her entertaining, witty YouTube clips, is offering her followers the chance to buy hoodies emblazoned with an upside down smiley face and the caption ‘I don’t know.’ Hoodies have universal appeal, and this one is bound to be different to those already in your collection.
“Hi, my name is Grace Helbig, if you did not know, now you know! Your life is different now!” It’s a simple phrase that starts every Grace Helbig video and has propelled her into the limelight as Youtube’s ‘Queen of Comedy.’ Today, she’s fabled as a role model for young girls and women who has over 3 million fans.
How did she get there? It’s her awkward yet somehow confident personality. Fans love her self-deprecating humor, and it’s undoubtedly been a massive contributor to her success. With 3 million people watching her youtube videos weekly, mixing her humor with her best youtuber merch is bound to add to her fan base. Grace’s ‘Stressed to Repress’ sweatshirts and ‘I Don’t Know’ hoodies are for the socially awkward and hot mess expresses, and are available via her social media platforms.
Jacksepticeye
This gamer’s store is a bright, vibrant homage to the instantly recognizable eye logo, which appears on everything from plush toys to hoodies. You can learn more about the making of his logo by following this link.
An Irish Youtuber, Sean McLoughlin’s channel is in 30th place on Youtube’s most-subscribed channels list. With over 15 million subscribers, youtubers merch doesn’t come much more popular than Jacksepticeye even though he only joined the platform in 2007. A degree holder in hotel management, Sean uses his qualifications to brand and promote his content, which ranges from instructional drawings to questions about his personal life.
So, what’s with the name? The artwork for his channel came from an eye infection he had as a child and inspired the idea. Sam, on the other hand, was picked because it is a gender neutral name and can stand for Samuel or Samantha.
Fernanfloo
A gamer from El Salvador with over 19 million subscribers, Fernanfloo offers a range of branded merch, most of which features his signature color, green.
VanossGaming
In a saturated marketplace, you want to stand out, and this is exactly what the gamer behind VanossGaming has done. His merchandise is characterized by an owl, the avatar he created for himself.
Evan Fong started his journey towards good youtuber merch in 2011 as a 19-year-old. By 2013, he had 1 million subscribers, and now he has more than 9 billion views. He ranks as the 26th largest channel on Youtube, but in 2018 he earned the 2nd most money from any youtuber – $15.5mn – behind Dan Middleton.
How? VanossGaming increased his popularity, and his earnings, by capitalizing on merchandise. Considered some of the best among youtubers merch, he used his ‘Night Owl’ model and social media channels to sell (successfully) a range of apparel.
H3H3
Popular YouTuber Jake Paul is known for creating cool clothing, but he also pops up with the odd mask, which are particularly popular in the run-up to holidays like Halloween.
Unlike most youtubers merch, Paul promotes and interacts with his fans primarily on Reddit.
Rhett and Link
This store is designed to compliment and embody the sense of humor of the duo behind Good Mythical Morning. Think quirky printed t-shirts and grooming products that will stand out on any shelf.
All of it is operated via their company, Mythical Entertainment, which is owned and run by the two best friends. And, they’ve been doing it for over 15 years as they joined Youtube in 2006 at the beginning. This makes them veterans, and even though they wouldn’t admit, they seem to understand what works. Mainly, it’s their use of design elements such as color, shape, and form and texture. The way they use lines is a prime example, adding to the mythical aspect of their channel.
Rhett & Link also use line and balance techniques, as well as color, for their merch, adding a fun vibe to their clothing. Textures are used to grab people’s attention and make their merchandise more fun and engaging, too.
Dude Perfect
This merch site has the feel of a retail store, which is guaranteed to appeal to sports fans and those who normally buy tees for the gym, as well as the urban catwalk.
Dude Perfect also relies on a mixture of personality and graphic design to encourage people to buy their good youtuber merch. The five friends keep the channel basic and uncomplicated with a simple logo design and quality images without many graphic elements.
Dan & Phil
Dan and Phil have established a reputation based on having fun and larking around, and their merch store is considered to be one of the best youtuber merch sites for a reason – it encapsulates everything that is good about them with a wide range of novelty items and gifts on offer.
Dan and Phil are now very much a partnership, but Phil didn’t start vlogging until 2009, three years later than Dan. Weeks after and sporting cat whiskers, they collaborated for the first time, leading to the formation of Dan and Phil Games in 2014. In 2016, their popularity led to a North American tour that made 40 stops in 37 American cities.
Smosh
Once one of the biggest channels on YouTube, Smosh has a vast range of merch on offer. From calendars to track pants, every fan will find something they want.
Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla began uploading videos to youtube in 2005 and soon doubled down on their popularity by selling what has transformed into the high-quality youtuber merch today. Twenty-four million subscribers mean their youtubers merch empire is valued at $12.5mn.
Merch Design Trends To Watch Out For
For every new year, there are new trends. Below are the main ones for 2019.
Abstract drawings: Quirky is in thanks to the likes of Grace Helbig and her unconventional sense of humor. Use abstract drawings with primary colors for the best-looking merchandise.
Pocket prints: Replace pockets on Ts with prints instead. The location of the print is ideal for a subtle advertising messages, such as your logo or copyrighted catchphrase. When you have your design, shrink it down to around 4 inches for the ultimate impact.
Personal designs: Merch needs character, which is where personal or sketchbook drawings come into play. Take a large design and incorporate it with mark-makings to retain an artistic element.
Side-aligned typography: This technique is perfect for merch that want to use minimal designs. Not only does it separate your stuff from other merchandise, but the sequencing of the text makes people read it, which drills home your message. Retro typography is another excellent method, as is repeating text.
There are plenty of success stories out there when it comes to plugging merch and promoting social media profiles and channels. If you’re hoping to see people wandering the streets in your branded tees, it’s wise to learn from the best. To do this, you need to use effective, tried and tested methods to create a solid merchandising strategy.
Although there are pitfalls, and success is never guaranteed, there are incredible opportunities for budding YouTubers and influencers. Are you looking to increase your income by selling branded merchandise? You should focus on creating the best youtuber merch in the industry!
You don’t have the wrong merch site for Jacksepticeye. He doesn’t really use that site anymore. You can still buy stuff from it, but he has a different website where his current merch is being sold. It’s jacksepticeye.com