Etsy Shop Critiques
I'm really excited about it. For years, I've told people that improving your shop is a two-step process: first, you list stuff. Then, you ask people how you can improve. Then you list more stuff and see if it worked! You go around and around in this circle for about a year, and then you should be a fantastic Etsy seller... don't be distracted by promotion teams, facebook "likes", twitter followers or pinterest boards. Just list, get feedback, list, and improve again!
But there were roadblocks on that "ask people how to improve" step - too many critique teams were just not active enough, and the general Etsy forums keep being reorganized to discourage individual shop critiques... boo. That's what made me dream up a new way to make it work.
In our team, every new member is required to give three shop critiques BEFORE starting their own thread. It means that almost no request goes unanswered, because everyone is out trying to get their magic three. It also gets you started thinking with a critical eye... you can learn a lot from looking at other shops and asking yourself what they're doing right, and not so right!
And trust me, everyone is qualified to give a shop review. If you've ever bought anything in your life, made a single purchasing decision, you can give a customer's perspective. Maybe you're not an expert on tags or titles, maybe you can't even spell SEO, but you can at least tell someone what's keeping you from buying an item... is it weird? Overpriced? Not photographed or described well? What questions pop into your head when you look at what they're selling?
Then when you're done giving your critiques, it's your turn to post a thread and get some of your own.
We've seen lots of great advice since the team started, people are jumping right in and it's been really active every day. I'm optimistic and proud of all the feedback that's been given out, and hope the new members continue to come on in!
