11 Fast & Easy Steps to Upload Digital Files to Etsy

Learn how to upload digital files to Etsy using this step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Add an Etsy listing

Assuming you have already set up your Etsy shop, go to the listing section in your shop manager.

Then, find the “+ Add a listing” button and click it. It should be at the top right-hand corner of the page on the web view.

Step 2: Fill up the basic info about the Etsy listing

Once you click the button, there will be a pop-up where you will need to fill up the basic information about your listing.

Here’s what you need to select for each section:

1. What type of item is it? – ‘Digital Files’
2. Who made it? – Depending on who created this listing, select the one that makes the most sense. For my Etsy shop, I go with ‘I did’ since I am the creator of all my products.
3. What is it? – ‘A finished product’
4. When was it made? – Depending on the nature of your digital download, two common options are ‘2020 – 2024’ and ‘Made to Order’. We usually go with the first option when we have a digital file ready and go with the second option when we offer customizable products.

Once done, click ‘Continue’.

Step 3: Write the Etsy Listing Title

Next, write your Etsy listing title. 

Here, you have a limit of 140 characters, so make full use of it. I like to include both long-tail and short-tail keywords to make my SEO for the listing strong. Get my entire SEO strategy here.

Step 4: Upload Etsy Listing Photos and Videos

Step 4 is uploading your Etsy listing photos and videos.

There are a few things to take note of when uploading:

1. Thumbnail photo – The thumbnail photo is always the first photo. Once uploaded, you can easily drag your desired thumbnail photo to the first position.
2. Photo size – You have to make sure that all essential information is visible even when Etsy experiments with different shapes and sizes. 
3. Limit of Photos – You can only upload up to 10 photos so make it count. Plan out what information you want your customers to see (eg sizing, variations, etc).
4. Video Duration – You will only be able to upload 1 video, and it must be between 5 to 15 seconds. This is where you can showcase unique product features like drag and drop.

Related post: How to optimise your Etsy Listing for Digital Products?

Step 5: Write the Etsy Listing Description

This section is where you introduce your product to your customers. What is important is to include your keywords in the first 2 lines of the description so that your SEO will be strong.

What I like to include in the description are:

1. Description of the product – What it does, Who is it for, Benefits of the product
2. What will be provided – For digital downloads, I find it important to be transparent about the file type so I will include the file type here and how many they will be receiving. If it is a PDF file with all the product links, I will state it clearly here too.
3. Other product links – A Cross-sell and up-sell technique. Usually, those who click on the description are people who are interested in the product. Including other relevant products will add value to our shopping experience, prompting them to shop more and leading to higher conversions.
4. Social media links – Allows you to connect with your customers in the long run
5. Shop Url – Quick link back to the main shop so customers can continue shopping in your shop
6. Copyright Statement – Due to the nature of digital downloads, make sure to include a copyright statement to reinforce the terms of use.

Get my full description template here. All you have to do is copy and paste.

Step 6: Upload your Digital Files

This section is where you upload your digital files. You can only upload up to 5 files, with each file having a maximum upload limit of 20MB.

If you can adhere to the file limit, take note of Etsy’s supported file types, which is a pretty big variety.

If the file type is not available, you have more than 5 files to upload, or you have large digital files, this is what you can do.

1. Upload your digital files in Google Drive/ Dropbox
2. Create a PDF where you hyperlinked all digital files + clear instructions on how to download the digital files
3. Upload this PDF that you created on Etsy

Step 7: Fill in the Price and Quantity

Next, fill in your desired price and quantity for the listing.

1. Price – Make sure to do your market research for your product and industry before indicating your price.
2. Quantity – For this, we always write the maximum quantity ‘999’ so we won’t have to keep logging in to the platform to update the number. Note that every time you change the quantity, it will incur a listing fee of USD 0.20.

Step 8: Label a Category for your Etsy Listing

Then, indicate the category for your Etsy listing.

Think of this as an alternative for customers to discover your products. In Etsy, when shoppers shop, there is an option for them to shop by category. 

Indicating this clearly for your product will provide another alternative for shoppers to discover your shop.

Step 9: Add Relevant Tags

Now, let’s add the tags for your products. 

A tip to add more relevant tags for your product is to do keyword research in both Etsy and Google search engines to ensure that the keywords are commonly searched.

Doing this well will boost reach.

Step 10: Group the Etsy Listing under a Shop Section

The second last step is to indicate your shop section.

This step is relatively simple. Depending on what you planned for categorising all your products, using the dropdown, click on the section you have set up.

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Optional Steps

Here are some optional steps that you want to consider taking.

Personalisation 

Personalisation is only relevant if you have indicated the listing as ‘Made To Order’.

Here, you will have to give detailed instructions to customers when they make an order with you. Think about the information you need to deliver the product (eg name, colour, etc)

Feature this listing

One shop can have multiple products. This feature allows us to highlight up to 4 products that we want to highlight at the top of our shop front.

Indicating this will showcase the particular product on your homepage. 

Usually, when you want to promote a new product or push a specific listing, you will utilise this feature.

Renewal Options

This feature allows you to control whether you want to automate your renewal settings. What this means is whether you prefer to relist a specific listing or would rather Etsy do it for you. If you prefer to do it yourself, select ‘Manual. ’ And if you want Etsy to do it for you, select ‘Automatic. ‘

Take note that every time you list or relist a listing, it costs USD 0.20, and every new listing will last for 4 months.

Step 11: PUBLISH

The LAST step – click ‘PUBLISH’

Congratulations, you have successfully listed your digital downloads on Etsy!

This post highlights the 11 simple steps on how to upload digital files to Etsy.

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Other posts you may like:

• 10 Simple Strategies to Break Through 8K+ Pinterest Monthly Views
• 6 Clever Hacks to Use AI for Etsy Shop
• One of the Best Etsy Alternatives for Digital Downloads

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