Merch is an artist's key revenue stream, but in times when concerts are on hold, how can you promote and sell merch while live streaming? Here are a few great tips from Jason Feehan of the Discmakers Blog.

1. Choose the right merch

The main factor to selling more merch is having the right mix of products for sale. And this doesn't change whether you're marketing it from the stage or from a streaming concert. Mainly, you must create a mix of merchandise options to sell — not just one single item. The easiest way to do so is by making merch that will please each of your customer segments (grouped by how much they spend). You should make at least one merch for each price range, so you'll have at least three items available.

As for what type of merch to offer, we recommend a mix of functional items such as t-shirts, apparel, CDs, bottle openers, magnets, etc. and not-so-practical items, such as posters, toys, buttons, amongst other souvenirs. It would help if you also created a mix between mass manufactured and exclusive/limited items (for example, hand-making a few items and charging a higher fee since they're one-of-a-kind). And, you can create multimedia content to sell, such as downloads or USB drives with different content.

2. Make your merch available for online purchase 

It's important that you make sure your fans - who are watching your live streams - can easily buy the merch while on the web. If you already have the existing merch you sell at shows, you might need to control the online order-taking and shipping yourself as well. The quickest way is to simply use Paypal.ME or Venmo and let fans know that, once they've made the payment, they should leave a comment describing which item and what address you should send it to. To step-up your game and have an actual storefront, try using sites like Shopify. Creating a shop page on your Facebook Artist profile is another easy way to go.

3. Promote your merch on your online streams or video channels

There are different ways to promote your merch throughout your live streams:

• Some of the things you should have displayed are signs with link-shortened URLs of where to buy your merch. You can also wear or display the merch, so fans can actually see what they can get. This is especially effective for limited-availability merchandise.

• Mention you have merch for sale and that viewers can purchase online if they'd like. Keep in mind visitors might have just tuned in, so there are always new fans to reach.

• Add merch links to the live stream chat. It's easier if you can get someone to help and have them post multiple times while you're performing.

• By using overlays, you can add links, images, and animations in the corner of your screen or as a scroll. You can also create "commercials" in-between sets or leave on screen an image of an ad for your merch during a break. These video streaming tools create many options for you to create merch promotion, reminders, and ads directly into your live stream.

• QR code makers will allow you to enter a URL and create a unique code that phones can read by pointing their cameras. You can generate a QR code for the online store or merch page that you're highlighting. You can then place the QR code image on screen while live streaming and tell fans to scan the code. 

Keep in mind that much of the above works anytime you sell your merch online, not just live streaming. Including these techniques for your website, video channel, and other social media to make all your online presences help you sell more merch.