How to make an awesome product video for Etsy

So we know that everything online is going to video right now. Etsy recommends videos, and many of us who have had an Etsy shop may not have videos for our shop listings. However, I am convinced that we need a video for each and every listing. Even for those of us who only sell digital downloads. Even for those one page digital downloads. Besides, videos are more fun to watch then just clicking on a bunch of sales pictures.

Every listing should have a video! The more things someone has to look at in your shop, the more time they spend there. The more time someone spends in your shop, the more likely they are to buy. Videos are also important because it gives the customer another way to see exactly what they are buying. Less customer confusion leads to more customer satisfaction.

Now, Etsy handbook has a guide for how to shoot a product video using your phone.

My non-techie way to making Etsy shop listing videos

However, this doesn’t work for me. First of all, I’m not very “techie”. Second of all, I sell digital downloads and it would be weird to try to make a video listing of my digital downloads this way.

Some digital download sellers make cool videos of their product being used in person, but alas I just don’t have the skills to do that. I also don’t have a lot of patience to learn those skills. I also don’t want to spend the time to make those videos. The whole reason I sell digital downloads is for “passive” income, meaning, trying not to spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to get everything perfecto.

What this looks like: Examples from my shop

So before I go into the steps of how to make a product video for Etsy, let me show you what the end result looks like. Here is an example of a video I made for a one page listing.

Here is an example of another video I made for a multi-page planner.

Gather your supplies:

• Organize your Etsy listing product photos in a file on your device. Or where ever you keep your digital files at, just have them in a place where you can locate them easily. This saves precious time, eye strain and headaches.
• Open your Canva account. If you don’t have a Canva account, feel free to use my affiliate link. There is a free version and a paid version. The paid version is called Canva Pro. I started with the free version but there is just so much on the Pro Version I upgraded rather quickly.

Set up your Canva template

• In the upper right hand corner of the front page, click on the big purple button that says Create a design.
• Type custom in the search bar.
• When you type custom, a window will open up on the bottom.
• Click on the left hand circle that says Custom size.
• Type in 2700 x 2025. 2700 in the first/width box and 2700 in the other/length box. Make sure the third box says px. (this is the measurement box)
• Here is what Etsy says about listing image size.

• Click the purple button that says Create new design.
• Now you have a template with one page.
• Under that page, click the box that says +add page.
• Make ten blank pages.

Getting the photos or images on the template for your Etsy product video

• In the left hand sidebar, or column, click Upload Photos.
• Next to the left column, is the main box. Click the purple button at the top of this main box that says Upload media.
• Now, you can either drag your images into the Images box, or you can upload the images separately. If you drag the images, remember that they will not necessarily upload into the image box in the order you drag them in.
  • If you have more than five images, try uploading them in batches of five. Make your template using those five images, then repeat the process.
  • If you have an amount of images that you can easily keep track of, go ahead and upload them all at once.
• Click the first blank page. Then click the image you want on that page. The image will then go on that page.
• Repeat the process for all five images.

Designing your Etsy product video template

Using my one page as an example:

• To get a colored background: Click on the page. Then click on the weird color box that is located diagonally from the upper left hand corner of the page.
  • The top row of the main box will say Document Colors. Click on the box with a + in the center. Pick the color you want from the box, you can try several colors by clicking in different spots.
• Page variation: A simple page variation that I did was to turn my page diagonal and add some text.
  • To turn the page, click on the white circle with two arrows that is located at the bottom of the page.
  • To reposition the page, click and drag.
  • To add text, click Text in the left hand column. Adding text is a great way to show a variation of the product, even if it is just a one page product. You can add the name of the product, helpful information, how to use the product, and so forth.

Elements for Design

• Add an Element: The clipboard I used is a Canva Pro Element. It should be available to purchase though if you want to use it for the free Canva version.
  • Click Elements on the left hand column. Then type clipboard into the search bar. This will give you all kinds of clipboard choices. Or you can search for other elements you want to add to your template page for your Etsy product video.
  • For my clipboard, I just resized the clipboard. Then I resized my digital page image. Then I put the image on top of the clipboard and positioned it so that paper looked like it was being held by the clipboard.
  • Right clicking while your mouse is on the image will give you a bunch of choices so you can position your image the way you want.

Some extra tips before we do the final step for making our Etsy pictures and Etsy product video

• The fourth image in my example product is a MOCK UP image. That is a book template that I put my images into that makes the pages look like they are in a book. Search Etsy for mockup pages to buy.
• The last page is what every Etsy seller should make that provides important information. I have an updated one here. This example also shows how I made images of the pages, and then uploaded THOSE pages and put them on a new template for a video. I also made a list of all the page, which you can do too.
• Show your entire product in your ten pages for your product video. This leads to less customer confusion and customers know exactly what they are getting. Make sure to put “digital download” if your product is a digital download. It is common for customers to get confused, especially if they are not used to buying things on Etsy a lot.
• If you have a lot of pages, add a list of pages like I did in my last example. It’s also good to put some phrases of text in your template pages. Remember that most buyers are on their phones, and don’t always have time to read an entire listing description.

Make Etsy listing images, then create your video (MP4) content

• First you are going to download your images/photos as PNGs. In the uppermost right hand corner above your template pages is a box with an arrow pointing up. Click that box, then scroll down. Click on Download. Then look in the window for File type. Make sure file type says PNG. If it doesn’t say PNG, click on the left of the file type box and find PNG. THEN click on PNG. After your zipped file has downloaded your are ready to set the pages up for a video/MP4.

• Return to your Canva page template layout. In the upper left above the page area, in the white portion is a button next to the word Animate. Click on that button.
• Scroll over the animation choices that have shown up in the left hand box. As you scroll you can see what each animation movement is.
• Click on the animation you want. A box will show at the bottom of the animation choices section. Click the big purple button that says Apply to all pages.
• Go back to your template sections with the pages. Next to the animation button, is a clock icon with 5.0. That is the time that will be spend on each page. Five (5) seconds for ten pages is 50 seconds. Etsy says that our listing videos can only be 15 seconds maximum.
• Also, keep in mind that we all have very short attention spans. I don’t know about you, but to me, spending five seconds on a page takes FOR-EV-ER. If it’s a really simple layout, I will sometimes knock it down to .5 seconds a page.
• Change the time by clicking on the clock icon. Move the gage back to 1.0 second, and click the box that says Apply to all pages.

Time to test, then download your product video for your Etsy listing video content

• On the very top bar, to the right is a play triangle arrow icon thingy. Click it. Your video will then pop up and play in a new window.
• While it’s playing, double check the time for the total number of seconds. Make sure you like it. If you don’t , just go back to the animation settings and choose a different animation.
• Close the video window. Return to the download button and repeat the process you used to download your PNGs. The MP4 should be automatically set in the File Type. If it’s not, just choose MP4 from the drop-down list. Then click the purple download button.

Yay you did it!! YAY YAY YAY!

• Get your Canva Account HERE.
• Get 40 free listings HERE. (You get 40, I get 40)

Here is my YT Video showing me doing this! It’s not perfectly detailed like this post, but at least it gives you a visual! WISHING YOU MUCH SUCCESS. Also, if you want a tool to help you grow your Etsy shop sales, I’ve tried three. I give the Pro’s and Con’s HERE.

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