1. It's gotta be a good pattern.
The very first thing is the pattern itself. This is the basis upon which everything else grows. Make sure your pattern is two things:
-Unique
-Well written
Every single time I'm working on the idea for a pattern I try to make sure it "reinvents the wheel" in some way shape or form. Try combining two very different techniques and make something totally new. I've heard this is called the "Hummingbird" technique. You take something from one world and flutter it over into another dimension. This could be, like in my Tulip Bag, taking the knit log cabin and the crochet granny square bag and mushing the two together. Basically, just make sure your pattern is new and fresh and interesting.
Then, you must execute this thing well. Obviously, if your pattern is going to gain long term success, it must be written very, very clearly. People need to understand it! I would highly suggest using The Testing Pool group on Ravelry. I took advantage of this wonderful resource for the first time with my new pattern (details and a coupon code for that below) and it was an awesome experience. Basically, you post a little ditty about your pattern in the group and people will volunteer to test the pattern for you for free. It's fantastic. They offer wonderful advice even right down to bolding certain stitches in places where people could slip up. Little things like that make all the difference, so get your pattern tested!
2. Take nice pictures.
When I say "take nice pictures" I certainly don't mean you must go out and buy the most expensive camera or hire a photographer. Sure, these things are definitely necessary later, but for now, it's perfectly ok to simply use your phone. Here are a couple tips I've discovered on how to take good iPhone pictures:
-Get your piece out in natural light. I'm talking legitimately o u t s i d e. Ultimately, it should be a bit of an overcast day so that the sun isn't too direct. This will provide the ultimate clarity and color correctness.
-Take your picture using Instagram. Call me crazy, but I seriously think pictures look better when taken with the camera within Instagram.
-Upload them to your computer and use a photo editor to help out a bit. Here's an example using my new shawl design, Basketwoven.
This is the original picture taken with my iPhone 5s:
It's nice, but it's kind of dull. It looks like it's had a bit of the life sucked out of it. To remedy this, I popped onto Pic Monkey and did a few things (all of which are found under the "Colors" and "Exposure" tabs). 1) I boosted the saturation 2) I boosted the temperature 3) I boosted the clarity just the tiniest bit. And voila! Take a peek:
3. Type up a nice (but not long-winded) description.
The next thing to focus on is your description. Ravelry will ask for a description of your pattern and it's important you nail this. Include everything people must know about your pattern like yarn, yardage (in meters too), needle size, gauge, if it can be made in different yarn weights, size, time it takes to complete, skill level, all that jazz. You can also add a couple sentences about how the pattern came to be. Keep it brief though, let the pattern info take up the bulk of your description. Basically, after reading your description, people shouldn't have any other remaining questions about your pattern.
4. Post when people are online
If you don't have any sort of existing audience you'll want to post your pattern when a lot of people are online. You only get a limited amount of time on the homepage of the patterns section, when your pattern is in the "Recently Posted" section, so make the most of it! Get as many eyes on your pattern as possible in that short amount of time. You can see how many people are online on Ravelry's homepage in the top right corner. I've found anything over 4,000 is awesome.
Another thing I'll mention is that, unless you have a large audience on your blog or group, DO NOT POST ON MONDAY MORNING. There are always a ton of people online Monday morning, and big publishers know this. They'll post big collections of patterns all at once, and you're unfortunately likely to get lost in the shuffle. But, if you have a large audience that's able to push your pattern up into the popular section, go for it!
5. Self-promote in appropriate threads.
If you look around in the forums section, you'll find a few groups with threads specifically for self-promotion. Take advantage of this! I personally love looking at these threads to find the latest and greatest patterns, and I'm not alone. These threads usually gain large audiences, so post away!
6. Offer an introductory coupon code.
This is a fantastic way to get more people to actually purchase your pattern. Right in the description, offer a coupon code for an introductory discount. People love getting good deals. Also, I would suggest mentioning that there's a deadline to make use of this coupon. This will promote a sense of urgency, and push people over the edge into buying.
7. Throw an extra creative element into your PDF.
Free stuff! It's awesome! Do some brainstorming and come up with something extra you could add to your PDF. Maybe your pattern is for a bag, so you include instructions on how to line it. Little things like that really add value to your purchase price. Also, make sure you make people aware that this extra is in there!
8. Put up a quality blog post a few days later and mention your coupon code expiring.
Remember that coupon deadline I mentioned earlier? When it comes time to take down the coupon, put up a blog post telling people it's about to expire. This will get all those last-minute purchases to actually happen. Also, if you can make this blog post really, really, really good that's even better. Write about something that your audience is really struggling with, and solve their problem well.
9. Price higher.
Sometimes, all you need is a higher price. If you're releasing a pattern for a sweater in 10 different sizes, put up a price that makes sense. Don't lower your price because you think more people will buy it. Raise it so people know it's a quality pattern! Obviously, with this comes the expectation of quality that you must deliver upon. But if you've followed all the previous steps, you'll be good.
10. Send copies of your pattern to podcasters for them give away.
If you're unfamiliar with the world of knitting podcasts, you must familiarize yourself with it. Basically, there are some awesome people who post either video or audio regularly to update their audience on what they're working on, lead knit-alongs or crochet-alongs, and provide giveaways. Often, you can PM these people on Ravelry offering your pattern up as a giveaway prize. It's great for the podcasters, great for their audiences, and great for YOU because you get free promo on their podcast. If you want a few podcasters to check out, I'd recommend A Homespun House with Molly, The Dyer's Notebook with Laura, and The Bakery Bears with Kay and Dan.
All of these tips conclude with one more bonus tip, which is: Don't get discouraged if your pattern doesn't do as well as you imagined. It's ok! That just means you're one pattern closer to releasing your big hit. :)
All right, now onto the details of my new pattern (just released this morning), Basketwoven! I mentioned it earlier, but if you're interested in taking a peek, here are a couple more pics.
I'm offering a special coupon code for my lovely blog readers. Use the code HTWAKB (How to Write a Knitting Book abbreviated) at checkout to get any of my other patterns free when you buy Basketwoven. This code will last through next Tuesday. I hope you guys love it!
Hopefully you found this post helpful! Best of luck in your pattern designing endeavors!
See you next time,
Grace
