Front Page Worthy Pictures

So we all want to get on the Etsy Front Page, but it seems like such a long shot, like it would take a hand of luck to get there. I felt this way for the first 6 months of being on Etsy. Finally, one day I just realized that if I wanted to get on front page, (and of course I did) I needed to do something to get there. I had read many posts in the past about having great pictures, but I didn't truly understand the importance, until recently. Statteam Captain, Hippiechicjewelz made a post on our discussion board about taking pics, and it finally soaked in. I got busy, re-working my shop and was determined to make my pictures better. After I started this process, a report was put out for sale by "Handmadeology," titled "The Naked Truth About the Etsy Front Page"- I was so excited to get this report, hoping for some insight into what I was missing about getting to the front page. I was very disappointed when I got it and realized it had nothing new to offer me. I had already learned all this information, thanks to Jewelz. It was reassuring to know that I was on the right track. Shortly after, I re-worked my photos, there it was, the day I dreamed of... Front Page!! 

Now I am thinking, maybe I can share some of these details with you, so you can share in the Front Page glory too!

So basically, in the report, they have taken the photo statistics from 7 Front page treasuries. They broke it down into 11 different questions and took the statistics to answer them. Some of these, I found to be irrelevant. For example, they suggested that if you want to statistically increase your odds of being on the front page, you should list items in the most commonly featured categories, which are Jewelry, Art, and Vintage. The only reason, these items are featured more, is because there are more of them on Etsy than the other categories. Therefore, I think it is ridiculous to say that you should change the items you sell, just to get a front page feature. Instead, let's focus on getting the items you already sell, on the front page. 

Another statistic that I found useless, was that they suggested to not have a human in the photo. Statistically, these photos are not featured in treasuries most of the time. Of course they are not. You don't see front page treasuries full of people. You may see one or two, out of the 16 photos. So of course, there will be more photos on front page without a person in it. I have decided to include a little of both in my shop. Just be sure to follow the other guidelines when taking pictures featuring people and they can turn out pretty and be featured on front page, as mine did. :)

So let's talk about what I did find useful...

What type of background did the product have?

The answer is simple.... about 44% of the photos featured had a solid white background (or close to white) 

White Background:

They broke these photos down into 4 categories...

NO background -13%

White- 44%

Scene - 20%

Texture- 23%

A photo with a textured background, came in 2nd at 23 % of the time.

Example of textured background: (the background was not white, but had some other consistent texture)

Example of a photo with NO Background: (the picture was an art print, the whole product was the background) Remember, there is only going to be around 2 art prints per treasury, and of the 7 FP Treasuries pulled, there were 15 photos featured with NO Background...

and 20% of the photos were featured with a scene in the background... (the background was some environment, nature, a building, etc)example:

So basically, if you want to increase your odds of being selected for front page, take your photos on white backgrounds if at all possible.

Moving on... "Position of the item in the photo". 

3/4 of the photos selected for front page, were photos with the item positioned in the center. That is very easy to understand. You want your items to be centered in your photo. 

So should you take a close up picture of part of the item or a far away photo that shows the entire item? 

The answer... 82% of the pictures featured, were far away shots, showing the entire item, instead of focusing up close, on a portion of the item.

Next, it was discussed as to whether the picture should include props or not. 

The answer was 2/3 of the photos featured stood alone, without additional props. It is best to clearly focus on the product for sale, you don't want your potential customers to have to guess what you are selling with your photos. Show them clearly. If you have to include the words, "props shown are not for sale" you probably have too much in your photo. Show them what is for sale. Don't make them search for the answer. 

Should your picture be busy or simple?

99% of the pictures chosen for front page, were simple shots focusing on the product only.

The shots were not modified (other than cropping and natural color enhancing), such as several put together in a collage or shading the background of the picture gray and emphasizing one color.

It's that simple! Literally... simple, clear photos on a simple white background are most likely to be featured on Etsy's Front page. That does not mean that these are the only photos you will see on the front page, but statistically, these photos have a better chance of being featured. I know you are thinking, that it is a lot of work to change all your pictures... but trust me... it is worth it. I have been featured once, and I want to be featured again. I could not believe the incredible amount of views my shop received. I am not giving up, I am going to keep my photos consistent to meet the guidelines, and I encourage you, to do the same. :)

Thank you to LittleLadyIrish and BlackFridayStudios for the use of their photos. :)



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Little Lady's Big BNR Raffle!

 Want to come out and play?? Buy in for your chance to win an awesome prize pack, shown below, as well as many door prizes through out the night! 
Here is the link...
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTA3OTU2NDJ8NjI0Mzc1MTQ5/littles-big-raffle-bnr-preview-for

 

We hope to see you there! :)

•.¸(´*•.¸★¸.•*´)¸.•*´** ☆•.•.¸(´*•.¸★¸.•*´)¸.•*´**

It's Here!!!! The evening we have been waiting for! This Friday at 10 p.m. Etsy time, come join the Statteam and Friends for a BIG BNR RAFFLE Spectacular Event!! We have a great prize pack lined up and tons of Fabulous Door Prizes!!! Just take a look at this awesome prize package put together by some very talented Statteam Members!

(´*•.¸★¸.•*´)¸.•*´** ☆•.•.¸(´*•.¸★¸.•*´)¸.•*´**

Come join us for your chance to win!!!

(´*•.¸★¸.•*´)¸.•*´** ☆•.•.¸(´*•.¸★¸.•*´)¸.•*´** 

Find out more details by visiting LittleLady's Blog post Here 
Check back here on Friday night for a direct link to the BNR!!!!  Pin It

Behind the Making of Great Treasuries

I love to create treasuries. 

I joined the statteam simply because it was a treasury team and at the time I was just discovering my love of creating treasuries. It seemed like a perfect fit and it was. I would love to land one of my treasuries or one of my items on the Etsy front page, it seems to be the goal to accomplish at Etsy.

I have heard many people say, that they don't understand the point of building treasuries, or they are not sure how to get started. I also understand, that at first, you may not be quite clear on what type of items would be good to include in a treasury to make front page. It has taken me a long time to figure these things out, and I have not quite mastered it, but I feel like I have finally gotten some experience and have put together some front page worthy treasuries, I just haven't gotten lucky enough to be picked. It seems like the odds of being chosen for front page are like the odds of winning the lottery big time and that hasn't happened yet either. Only a few times, I have gotten 4 numbers, or won $100 on a scratch off, which is comparable to having my treasury featured on Craft Cult front page or Etsy Treasury Hunter blog, or perhaps winning a Statteam Treasury Challenge. Yet I remain positive and hopeful that someday, I will hit the big one. :) 

So what does it take to put together a good treasury? 

I am going to share my insight into building treasuries. I am going to break down three of my favorite treasuries and explain my process...how I searched for my items, why I picked the one's I did, and where my theme/inspiration came from, which is really the beginning for me.  I always try to start with a theme, whether it comes from a challenge or something that pops in my head, like a song. About 85% of my theme ideas, come from songs, but I love music so that makes sense. Some people find great themes in movies, books, or current events. No matter where you get your inspiration, I think the funnest way to create a treasury, is with a theme in mind.

But, this first treasury was not really created with a theme, I did it kind of in a hurry, so I used color for my theme. It was created for a Statteam Challenge, the challenge word was "breath". Since, I wanted to do a color themed treasury, I decided to try and include all statteam members. The first thing I did, was browse through Into the Light's shop, because she was the winner from the week before, and I needed to include one of her items. Everything is so colorful in her shop and the photos are so beautiful. Since everything was so lovely, I decided any color would work, so I picked blue, that is my favorite color.  I searched for "Statteam blue" and found some lovely items to choose from.
I think each picture pops, most of them are on white backgrounds, and really highlights the blue items. The dragon's eye painting from AndiPace, was the highlight of the treasury, it is a stunning piece. I knew I wanted to include one of her works in my treasury, so I picked that one because it is bold. Then I found other items that match the shades of blues found in this painting. I titled it, "Beautiful and Breathtaking Blues." To my surprise, it was chosen to be featured on Etsy Treasury Hunter blog, just out of the blue they picked me! I had never heard of this site before and as you can imagine, I was so thrilled to have something I curated, featured there. For a newbie like me, this was almost as good as Front page, (sort of like winning that $100 scratch off). 


Since the creation of that Treasury, I have learned a lot about building treasuries and using the trending themes set by Etsy's Merchandising desk. Every month, Etsy releases exactly what they want featured on the front page, and it is our jobs to give them what they are looking for! This next treasury was also created for a Statteam Challenge. The theme was "class," so this time, I decided to use the trending Etsy theme, which was back to school, and create something that might have a chance at landing front page! It didn't land front page, but it did win the challenge and it was featured on Etsy Treasury Hunter Blog.


I started my process by browsing through Lilithine's shop, she was the winner of the week before, and she had a lovely orange bag, displayed with some books in it, and I thought that is perfect. So the next thing I did, was build my treasury around that bag. I started searching for items from the statteam first, I searched "statteam orange school"...then I searched "statteam orange clothes"...finally I searched "statteam orange" and just picked the best items I could find that had something to do with going back to school...it is very difficult to find all the statteam members, when their items are not tagged "statteam" this is why tagging is so important. So as I am finding items that I think will work, due to the color and photo quality, I start adding them to my favorites. After I have selected all the statteam members I can find, I move on to shop the rest of Etsy. This time, when I search "school supplies orange"  I get many more results. I also decided to add a clock since my theme was "Time for Class". I really think the clock became the focal point of the treasury...it is important to consider the first 4 items, when creating your treasury, because when you are looking at the treasury pages, all you see is the first 4 items, if they are interesting looking, then many people will click on your treasury and view it. The more views you get, the higher up the page, your treasury will go. Once your treasury is on page 1, many people will be viewing it, including people from Etsy as they are looking for that perfect treasury. It is also important to remember that the only time your treasury has a chance at climbing that ladder to the first page, is during the first few hours of curating it. Really, within the first 8, after that it moves down hill. They say that the first 5 hours, is the crucial point, where all the views, clicks and comments really make an impact, so when you create a treasury, you need to promote it as soon as you are finished, so you can start getting all the views possible. 
Also, make sure, that if you start a treasury and save it for later, that you create a new one, by copying and pasting the  items in a new treasury. You don't want your treasury to say that it was created 10 hours ago, right away when you finish it... This will really hurt your chances of making front page.

So how do you promote? 

There are many ways to promote and get your treasury seen. The first thing I do when I finish up my treasury is convo all the people I have featured in it. People like to know when they are in a treasury, it is, after all great promotion for them. Ask them to come view, comment, click, favorite and share. They will hopefully, post it on their facebook pages and twitter, and add it to their favorites so everyone in their circle can see that they have been featured. When you have been featured in a treasury, you should remember to do those things, because it is a great way to expose your shop and increase your chances of getting your item on front page. The next way to promote, would be of course to add the treasury you created to your facebook page and twitter, add it to your blog if you are a blogger. You can visit Craftcult.com for am awesome tool, that will allow you to make an HTML code to put your treasury on your blog, you can also pick treasuries you have been featured in and add those to your blog too. Also on that site, you can visit the vault to see if you have had a front page treasury or front page feature!:)
The next way to promote, is by  sharing your treasury with your teams. All teams have different rules about posting your treasuries, some require you to comment on a certain number above you when posting your treasury. This is how your treasury gets promoted. If everyone just posted and then left, no one would ever see your treasury and then there really is no point in posting it. So please make sure you do your part and promote the ten (or however many is required by your team) that are above you. Leave them a comment and click on a few of the items, if you like it, add it to your favorites. 


Okay hopefully you are still reading this, because I am going to talk about one more treasury. This treasury was created with a song as the theme. 



 The song is from the Zac Brown Band, and it is called "Knee Deep." I love it and I based my treasury on this, hoping it would be good for the summer trends Etsy was looking for. This one was featured on Craft Cult Front Page. 


 
I started searching for items that had to do with the beach, and of course I picked blue again (it was a main part of the song). I wanted to include some vintage items, and make sure I had items from several categories. I also had in mind, creating a black and white treasury with the blue sort of being highlighted throughout, so I started searching for items like this. Using different keywords from the song to find the perfect item. Like the sail boat, one line in the song says... Wrote a note, said "Be back in a minute" Bought a boat and I sailed off in it, Don't think anybody's gonna miss me anyway."  (it was one of the items that have been removed)
 This is also where the chairs came from, my favorite verse in the song...

Wishin' I was
Knee deep in the water somewhere
got the blue sky, breeze and it don't seem fair
the only worry in the world
is the tide gonna reach my chair

It took a while and lots of searching different key words, but I finally found the perfect items. 

I wish I could show you the entire treasury, I always fill all 16 spots as recommended by Etsy, but it has been a while so some of the listings have disappeared, that is what happens when someone deletes their listing or makes it inactive. 

I hope all my ramblings have given you some inspirations, ideas or thoughts about creating your own front page treasury! Remember to search for items on white backgrounds, and include pictures that really pop and focus on the item being displayed. Also, remember to keep the Merchandising desk information in mind when creating and try to include the themes and items that they are looking for. Be diverse when selecting your items, make sure to include different categories (including vintage) and different shops,  * Never feature your own shop and ONLY include ONE item from each shop in your treasury!! ** That is so important, they won't feature you if you show favoritism to one particular shop! 
Also, I didn't mention tagging, but use all the tags to your advantage, I see so many treasuries with tags to spare...always tag with the themes Etsy is looking for, and remember to include your team tags. Don't forget the color tags, and items like home decor, back to school, fall fashion, summer trends, unisex, vintage...and things like that.
Remember to promote within the first few hours of creating it, check the treasury list to see where your treasury stands...if you see it on page 4, keep promoting, come back and check to see if it has moved up to page 3 and so on...
Remember to have fun and be creative! If you have a song stuck in your head, turn it into a treasury! Practice searching for those perfect items, and hopefully one day, Statteam will be featured on Etsy's Front Page Everyday!   Pin It

In the Spotlight: Statteam Shop of the Day

The Statteam Shop of the Day is QuiltedHugsBibs. Barbara has made quilts for many years, and in 2009 she started making quilted bibs for her granddaughter. Now she is sharing her fabulous creations with everyone. Here are a few of my favorite picks. 

And my treasury dedicated to QuiltedHugsBibs

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Behind the Making of Great Treasuries

As you all know, creating treasuries is a big part of Statteam. I find it to be a fun, creative outlet and enjoy doing it. But as I create, I am always feeling that itch of creating something amazing that will make it to the front page of Etsy. So, I have been thinking about exploring what it takes to get there. I thought the first thing I should do, is learn about the creative process of someone who has been there. Of course, I want to share her story with you.  Sit back and enjoy learning about the amazing talent of one of my dearest friends and member of our Statteam, Sanja from Craftunikat. She has had 2 front page treasuries and many treasuries posted everywhere else including CraftCult and Etsy Treasury Hunter. I think she knows what she is doing. :) I love her and I feel like I am in the presence of a celebrity.

Here is her story.

Chapter I: The Process

Treasuries are the great way to enhance your creativity. When I start to make treasury I have to be in the "special " creative mood. Well it is a creative process, and when inspiration comes I'll just feed it with a new treasury or I'll paint something for my shop. Painting takes a lot of time, and making treasuries are just fun and enjoyable exercise for your creativity. Lot of time happened to me that I discovered new inspiration and new emotion wich I later incorporated in my work. So treasuries are just so good for you :))

I love to browse other shops and when some item caught my eye, I just put it in a treasury and then work with it. One item tells you great stories, it's got colors, emotion, message - and you just find your way with that pointers. Also to direct treasury in direction of Etsy hotness be sure to read monthly Etsy merchandise desk: www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/from-etsys-merchandising-desk-july/ .
It is important to TAG treasury with etsy hot words - you can find it in merchandise desk post, colors and etc..."etsy team" tag is important if you make treasury for the team.

Then with item directions, Etsy merchandise desk and your inspiration - you are on the way to create amazing treasury.

Chapter 2:

Treasury 1: Victorian 

This treasury made it to Etsy Front page.

www.etsy.com/treasury/MTIxNjgxNDl8MzA2MjIzMjc0/victorian?index=30

My inspiration item was photo of Victorian house: www.etsy.com/listing/60305979/rustic-scene-of-victorian-house?ref=tre-30...

Feelings I get watching this photo is vintage, old, legend, mysteriously, victorian women, victorian life style, secret, nostalgic This treasury was done for Europeanstreetteam so I had to include 8 members from that team. In search I entered Europeanstreetteam grey green, and got some amazing items.

Treasury 2: Desert Rose  

This treasury also made it to Etsy Front Page.

 www.etsy.com/treasury/MTIxNjgxNDl8NDA5NDMwNjY2/desert-rose?index=10

It was done for STAT team. My inspiration item was: www.etsy.com/listing/67216141/30-off-sale-desert-rose-8x10-giclee?ref=tr 

... Also I borrowed the title. Everything came from this picture, tenderness, warm wind, sand, lavander, rebel, being one of a kind . Searching for this in STAT team gave me amazing final treasury.

Treasury 3: Julia, she was Tango
www.etsy.com/treasury/MTIxNjgxNDl8NDM1MTgwODA2/julia-she-was-tango?index=5,

This one is different, harder to make and not really Etsy standards, but I just had to make it. Of course inspiration item is Julia. www.etsy.com/listing/15433796/julia-she-was-tango?ref=tre-435180806-1

This painting is amazing. I got so many feelings watching it. In this treasury I worked primary with feelings and than used color as second tool. She is sexy, passionate, mysterious, in her eyes you see strong character women who knows what she wants. I imagined that she had done amazing stuff in her life, she live life completely and don't obey to any rules. Everything she do is dedicated to her personal freedom. Jewelry in treasury is definitely jewelry she would wear. And perfume must be one of Kuhl extraordinary perfumes ( www.etsy.com/shop/kuhlwhip). I see her soul is like this painting, aromatic, fresh, colorful, old : www.etsy.com/listing/67993793/stuffed-stuff-watercolor-print?ref=tre-435 

... travelled ... she loved ... broke hearts...and stayed a mystery.

Treasury 4: Be free  

www.etsy.com/treasury/MTIxNjgxNDl8NDQ3OTIwNzM3/be-free?index=1

This treasury is inspired by my dear friend :) owner of this blog and her amazing work. This is how I imagine her free spirit, her hippy nature. Item I started with are her amazing barefoot sandals: www.etsy.com/listing/76922492/colorful-and-glowing-hemp-barefoot?ref=tre...

 Colorful, hippie, flower, 1960, beach, sea, crystals, meditation, enjoying life, love and freedom I love hippie philosophy, that U turn to ourselfs in history. Searcheing for items that celebrate life gave birth to this treasury.

I'm so honored to have Moriah as a friend. Although she is so far from me and we never met in person, I feel so close to her and I find never ending inspiration in you :)) Thank you :))

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How to Install a Feather Hair Extension

Statteam BSP is almost here! As you may have noticed I am offering a Feather Hair Extension Kit for barter in my shop. If you are not bartering in the Statteam BSP, you may purchase this kit for only $5. 

To sell it at this price, I am not including the tool used to pull the hair through the crimp bead. I do however, have an alternative! In this video, you will learn how to easily install your feather hair extension using a simple piece of beading wire or fishing line. Thanks for viewing and happy bartering!!! :)

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BNR Raffle NOW OPEN!

 Come join in on the fun, you can find some great items and buy your shop a spot in the BNR! As an added bonus you will get a raffle ticket with your purchase, the more $ you spend the more tickets you get! You will have a chance to win an awesome prize pack put together by the statteam!! So come check us out!

 Follow this link for the BNR:
Round 3 BNR Raffle Now OPEN

Follow this link to check out the prizes Pin It

Statteam BNR Raffle

The statteam is hosting it's first BNR Raffle today at Noon. You will have a chance to obtain raffle tickets through your purchase at the BNR, the amount of money you spend will determine the amount of tickets you receive. You will also then have your item featured in the BNR Treasury. You don't want to miss out on your chance to win this Awesome Prize Pack put together by some very talented Statteam members! For all the details, please visit the Statteam Blog.





You could win these fabulous Hemp Barefoot Sandals from me!!

USE COUPON CODE ROCK20 TO SAVE 20% IN MY SHOP!

Here's the link to the BNR Raffle Treasury! Pin It

Statteam BSP

Looks like Christmas for someone! LOL My kids always pick up the mail when they get off the bus, today they walked in with their arms full of wonderful items from my statteam. Here is what I am mailing...

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