Do you want to make a living from your creative skills? Successful authors share tips on selling with Envato.
Would you like to make more money doing what you love? Don’t worry; this isn’t a “get rich quick” scheme. If you have creative skills, you could put them to use and make extra income by creating for Envato. Don ’t know where to start? Keep reading to find out how to make money selling design templates, video templates, or music and to get advice from some of Envato’s top creators.
1. Find your niche
Defining your niche is a great place to start if you want to learn how to make money on Envato. You must consider what types of assets you’ll create and who you will create them for.
“If you’re looking to use Envato as a platform to make money, the key is to focus on creating
high-quality, unique, and niche-specific assets that cater to a demand in the marketplace.”Envato author Premiumilk
For example, Premiumilk offers a series of overlays to help people achieve cinematic effects in their videos:
If you want to know more about finding your niche, consider this advice from Yetyyy:
“Focus on your strengths and create within a specific category. Specialization helps you stand out and build a loyal customer base.”
By focusing on your strengths, you’re starting with what you can do well and improving on that. This gives you the confidence to explore new ideas within your niche.
2. Find inspiration
To sell creative assets online, you need to begin with inspiration. Some people can find inspiration anywhere, like Yetyyy, who says:
“I get inspiration from everywhere—current trends, customer feedback, and sometimes even from random moments (like that time I got an idea while waiting for coffee!). I also keep an eye on popular designs and videos in the market to see what’s selling. But the key is finding a balance between what’s trending and adding your unique twist so your work feels fresh and original. And if all else fails—take a walk; ideas have a way of showing up when you least expect them!”
Exploring your environment or putting yourself in new environments can show you what people want and spark your creativity.
Along with taking in the natural environment, you can look at designs in the world around you, as Graphicook does:
“Experiences are the best inspiration. However, our inspiration comes from the environment, exhibition posters, food packaging, album covers, and book covers from all over the world.”
This is an excellent idea if you want to gain inspiration from others without copying them too closely.
Some authors prefer to take a more researched approach, such as Kerismaker on Envato:
“I actively seek opportunities by researching market demands and crafting designs that meet those needs. My process includes conducting in-depth research, collecting data, and gathering references to create a project brief that guides my work. Each design goes through quality control and revisions before it’s finalized and published for the market.”
You can also examine similar items and find ways to improve on them, as PrioritypeCo advises: “Observe existing products and create the best version of your own.”
There are many methods of finding inspiration. Take time to explore which method best works for you. You can also find inspiration by looking at what is popular and staying on top of the latest design trends.
3. Set your own schedule
Most creatives like to set their own schedule, and when you make money selling design templates, you can do that. According to Yetyyy:
“Working with Envato has been a game-changer for me! It’s not just helped me turn my creative passion into a steady income, but it’s also given me the freedom to work on my own terms—goodbye, 9-to-5! Plus, the remote nature of the work means I can travel and explore the world while doing what I love. Overall, it’s a fulfilling blend of creativity and entrepreneurship that keeps life exciting!”
When you have the freedom to work anywhere, you can take opportunities to explore creative ideas. Setting your schedule allows you to accomplish goals such as traveling while also working, or you could just enjoy having the flexibility to work on projects when you want to. According to VersaStock:
“The work with Envato impacted my career in a very positive way. No revisions ever!! For starters, it also gives me peace of mind to switch to personal projects and explore new creative venues. In practical terms, it means I can stop working on templates for some time (1-3 months) without jeopardizing my income stream. It wouldn’t be possible with freelance as you must have overlapping projects; otherwise, you’ll have pay gaps.”
Creating for Envato means that you can work on your own creative schedule without jeopardizing your income flow. When you don’t have to worry about a flow of income, you can be more innovative and create what you want. That freedom allows you to be creative and develop overlays such as these ones by VersaStock:
4. Don’t get discouraged by rejections
When you sell design templates online, you’ll get feedback on the templates. You can use that feedback to improve your work.
“My initial uploads were simple, but I always prioritized making them easy to use and visually striking. Over time, I learned from feedback, continued to refine my style, and built a recognizable “Premiumilk” brand.”
When you are given feedback, don’t give up. Learn from it and continue. As Kerismaker says:
“Don’t get discouraged by rejections—use them as learning opportunities to
fine-tune your work.”
Every piece of feedback you receive or rejection you get is an opportunity to improve your work and become a better creator. When you listen to what the customer wants, you can create what they want, like these illustrations from Kerismaker:
5. Understand the submission process
According to VersaStock, there are ways to save time when selling design templates.
“I templatize everything that can be templatized and save me my time. That includes project structure, SEO part, presets for thumbnails, etc. This is very helpful and streamlines the preparation of items to be uploaded.”
If you are wondering how to make money on Envato, Premiumilk explains it in detail.
“The submission process on Envato is quite structured. It involves:
1. Preparing all required files (main files, previews, documentation, etc.)
2. Writing detailed descriptions and adding accurate tags.
3. Submitting for review by Envato’s quality team. Feedback is part of the process, especially
in the beginning. Don’t get discouraged by rejections—use them as learning opportunities to
fine-tune your work.”
The structured process makes submitting your work to Envato easy, and you know what to expect. Since you know what to expect with the submission process, you have the freedom to create typography like this beautiful example from Premiumilk:
As PrioritypeCo says, the review process can be a benefit because it maintains high standards:
“I chose Envato as one of my income streams because of their rigorous design curation. This ensures that Envato’s customers return, which benefits me and other creatives alike.”
6. Be patient
Most people expect to see money immediately, but that isn’t always true. It can take time for people to find your work and for you to make money from it.
“It can take a while before you discover which type of items will sell for you, so keep uploading content until you have 100 items. Once you’ve got 100 items in your portfolio, analyze the data to see which type of items started making money and then make more of those items.”
When you upload your work and then take a step back, people will have a chance to find your work. It can also give you the opportunity to receive feedback and improve any areas that need improvement. When you’re getting started selling design templates online, patience is essential.
7. Build your career
As you gradually hone your skills and understand customers’ wants, you can improve your portfolio and attract more downloads. As you do so, you should see your income increasing. The significant part is that you can choose whether you focus entirely on Envato or mix it with other sources of revenue.
“At the beginning, it was around 30%, then 50%, and at some point, it became 100% income as I decided to switch completely from freelance to Envato marketplace (which I was very hesitant about, but it worked).”
According to Brandpacks, selling on Envato can significantly impact your career.
“I think it’s fair to say that the opportunity to sell with Envato back in 2009 was the catalyst to my entire online career today. But to give some specific numbers, I’d share that our Envato Elements account earnings have grown about 40% each year since we started selling at the beginning of 2021. And while the marketplace is becoming more competitive, I still believe there’s a lot of room for growth. My current goal is to double current earnings!”
Are you ready to take your creativity to the next level?
Add your skills and creativity to Envato’s broad customer reach and professional platform. Then, use the tips and techniques outlined here, and you’ll be ready to start making money. Check out the Envato Author Hub to learn more about becoming an author, and browse the Envato library to see what you could create.
Read our articles on VersaStock, Premiumilk, Brandpacks, PrioritypeCo, and Graphicook to learn more about some of the creators.
