Canva templates are such an amazing thing to sell on Etsy because they generate passive income, they are easy to make and they are extremely useful and save people a lot of time, energy and effort. 

I'm going to choose business cards for this example, but these principles can be applied to all sorts of other templates including wedding invites, and printable art etc. 

You will need a Canva Pro account in order to be able to send the Canva template link, and you aren't allowed in Canva's Terms and Conditions, to resell Canva's ready made templates. 

So let's get into it...

Etsy 

I would suggest heading to Etsy before you start doing any template design work. It's a good place to have a look at what is already out there and what is popular right now. You're not looking at pricing at this point as it does really depend if you are a graphic designer or not, and what skills you have. 

Look at the templates that Etsy has to offer and notice what you like about them, what you don't like about them, what design elements they have in common and what elements people want on the templates that they'll buy from you? 

Pinterest

I would then head over to Pinterest and do the exact same thing as you did on Etsy.

You basically want to compile a list of things that you need to include on your template design. 

Canva

The next step is to head to Canva and type in 'business cards' in the search box.

You want to get some ideas for your designs based on the list that you have already compiled from Etsy and Pinterest, and now do the same on Canva.

Also look at the sizes that business cards come in, and see which size you'd like to offer for your designs. 

Start with a blank template

We're going to use the standard size for business cards that Canva suggests which is 3.5 x 2 inches, and begin with a blank template. 

Firstly, I would insert the biggest elements that I need on the design. Don't worry about the details of the design just yet, you just want to make sure that there is enough space to fit everything that you would like to on the template. 

Add text such as the shop name, tagline, social media handles, email and website information. 

Designing the template

When you are thinking about the design details, you can search for images and graphics within Canva to use. 

I wouldn't recommend using any graphics/ images or photos that are on the pro account. This means that people who buy your templates will not be able to use it if they don't have a pro account. 

When searching on Canva for graphics and photos, you can toggle it to only show the free images which is what I would recommend doing so that all of your customers, regardless if they have a pro account or not, can use your templates. 

Have a play around with the designs that you want to create until you have a bank of designs that you are happy with.

Don't make the designs so that you can't read the text because of the dark background. Make sure the design isn't too busy and cluttered, and make sure that the text is legible. 

Fonts

Play around with the different fonts that are available on Canva. 

Again, you don't want to use any fonts that have a crown symbol next to them as this means that they are only available on the Pro version, and those customers without a Pro account won't be able to use them. 

Play around with different fonts until you have a bank of designs that you are happy with. 

BOSS! Do you want to make more sales on Etsy? Then you need to increase your conversion rate! DON'T PANIC! I'm going to explain exactly how to do that in my FREE 90 minute masterclass - The 3 Step System To Skyrocket Your Etsy Conversion Rate 🙌🏻

Click the button below and save your seat!

It's best to add a space for the customer to easily add their logo into the business card. The easiest way to do that is by typing in 'frame' into the search bar at the top. 

This will then give you lots of different size and shaped frames that images can easily be click and dragged into. 

Styles

Have a play around with different styles for your business cards including gothic, girly, niche specific like artists business cards, and any others that you can think of. 

This means that you'll be able to easily find keywords for each style of business card listing. 

Social media logos

If you would prefer to use icons instead of words, you can search Canva for social media logos such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

This is a great option if you don't want to put the full URL website on the business card which will take up more space. 

Share

Once you're happy with the design and you're ready to list the template on Etsy, you'll need to get the link.

To do this, you need to click on the 'Share' button at the top right hand corner of Canva. Then you need to click 'get template link'. Canva will generate a link for you which you need to copy and keep safe as this is what you will be sending to your customers. 

Create a PDF

Something I recommend that you do is to create a PDF where you send your link inside to the customer after purchasing. 

This means that at any point you can go into Canva and change things up really easily, attach multiple links, add more information and add frequently asked questions. This is great for when you are selling packs or bundles of designs as Etsy only allows you to have 4 links within a listing. 

Putting all of the links in one PDF document means that you can add as many links as you like. 

Create a simple PDF design which states the instructions for how to access the link and how to edit the template. 

You can also add the design template of the business card to the PDF document so that the customer can see that they have the right information for the right template that they've purchased. 

Don't forget to add the link to the PDF. You can get the link by going to the design in Canva and selecting 'get template link', or copy and paste it from wherever you have saved it to on your computer earlier. 

Once you have finished your PDF design, download the document as a PDF to your computer.

Test out your link on your PDF to make sure that it works. All you need to do is open your newly downloaded PDF and click the link. The link should take you to Canva where your design template is ready to be edited. 

Upload to Etsy

Now you need to head to your Etsy shop and start to list your template designs. 

Create a new listing and begin to fill out all of the details including title, tags, photos, price and description. 

Where it says 'about this listing' you need to select the year that you made the design. If you choose 'made to order' then you will have to physically send the design to the customer after purchase. We want this process to be automatic so make sure you choose the year you made it, and that it also says 'a finished product'.

Where it says 'type' you need to select 'digital'. This means that the customer will automatically be sent a file to download, and you don't have to physically do or send anything. 

You can now scroll down and upload the PDF file that you created earlier with the link to your design template. When you're ready, you can publish your listing.

I hope that was helpful for you to create your own Canva templates to sell on Etsy.

If you'd prefer to physically watch me teach this, then you can watch my YouTube video HERE.

🥳 Do you want to learn more? 🥳 

We’ve got loads of resources to help you scale your handmade business:

1️⃣ ✨Are you starting a new business? Here's my best resources:👉 Start here  🏃

2️⃣ ✨Want to be visible and get more traffic? Here's my recommendations: 👉Get seen👀

3️⃣ ✨Ready to grow your business? Here's your to-do list: 👉 Grow here 📈

👇🏻👇🏻 Choose your own adventure with these resources 👇🏻👇🏻

✨ My book “how to be a handmade boss” is like a super intensive course on getting your first sales (plus, it’s a book/workbook hybrid!) 👉  Find out more here

✨ The Shop Doctor - Shop not doing so great? Getting views but no sales? No views at all? Overwhelmed with it all? Check out the shop doctor: 👉 Join here

✨ My FREE masterclass on how to increase your Etsy conversion rate. It's the KEY thing most Etsy sellers miss when trying to make more money and get more sales in 7 days. 👉 Join here

✨ Chart-topping podcast it's an unfiltered and honest view about what it takes to grow a handmade business 🎧 Whether you’re a complete beginner on Etsy, or want to scale your handmade business to multi-6 figures, the “How To Be A Handmade Boss” podcast gives you actionable advice and workshop style episodes to grow your handmade business on Etsy, your own website and beyond  👉 Listen here

✨ Our Monday Momentum Lives You'' find me in my Facebook group most Mondays for coffee chats & mini workshops to help you make more money from your handmade business! You can see our upcoming events here: 👉 See future events here

✨Our YouTube channel is full of hundreds of super informative videos, with help and advice you can put into action straight away .📺

✨ More Blog Posts - Don't forget to check out more blog posts from Handmade Bosses 🖥️

✨  Instagram is where you need to be for top tips, and behind the scenes sneak peeks into how I run my 6 figure business 💙 Be sure to follow us for announcements of new videos, workshops, content and more.