How to Make and Sell Canva Templates

Creating and selling digital products is a great way to add a passive income stream to your monthly budget. What’s ideal about these types of products as opposed to hand crafted items is that you only need to make them once and you do not have to worry about inventory or mailing cost. There are plenty of digital products you can create as well, and Canva provides an easy to use platform that lets you make stunning designs for nearly any digital file like social media templates and low-content eBooks. But, creating the product is only half the equation. You need an established platform to sell your items if you want to make some serious income. 

Where you sell these products makes all the difference. You can sell them through your own online store, on your blog, or promote through social media. But, if you want to reach an audience that is already looking for what you create then FilterGrade might be the best options for creating items.You can even sell your Canva creations. 

FitlerGrade offers a highly competitive payout with designers keeping 70% of what they earn. Your designs get viewed by thousands of customers already searching products on FilterGrade. Benefit from free promotional opportunities when your products are mentioned in blogs or for special sales events. Selling on FilterGrade is non-exclusive, so you can still set up your own site to sell your products with no penalty or restrictions. Aside from these perks you get support to help set up your products for optimal sales. You can also track how your products are selling through data analytics and reports. So let’s get started!

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Getting Started With Canva

Sign up for a Canva account here it you do not already have one. Creating an account allows you to save your templates and go back to edit whenever you want. You will need to sign up for a Canva Pro account. They offer a 30-day free trial so you can get started without worrying about spending anything upfront. It is, however, highly recommended that you start with their free standard account so you can learn the functions and features. This will allow you to gain a better understanding of how to add elements and make your templates stand out before you start designing templates to sell.  Only with the paid subscription will you be able to get the right link to actually share and sell your templates.

After signing up, you need to create your templates from scratch. Using one of Canvas pre-made templates, even if you change everything about it, But don’t fret. Even if you have no experience with design you can easily create stunning templates to sell. 

Ideas for Templates to sell on FilterGrade:

• Instagram post templates (posts and stories)
• Sticker packs
• Facebook Cover Templates
• Pinterest Templates
• Card templates
• And others.

For this example, we will be creating an Instagram Story Template with editable text and image placeholder. This will give you the best idea of how to make multiple templates at once. You want to have more than one template to sell and creating a bundle with the same theme is easier than you think.

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Steps To Create Canva Templates to Sell

Step 1- Sign into Canva

You will see that Canva already has perfectly sized templates for Instagram stories. As long as it is a blank template, you can use this for the proper dimensions. You can look through some of the available templates to get some inspiration for what to include on your own template. 

Now that you have your blank canvas it is time to start designing. Keep a few things in mind:

• Keep it simple. Don’t over use too many design elements. This will result in a template that is too busy and does not focus on the image or content of the story. In this example, we will introduce many design tips on one template, you do not have to use them all on one.
• Stick to a color palette (3 to 5 colors that you can use across multiple templates to keep your bundle cohesive)You do not have to use each color on all your templates but two of them should be consistent throughout all of them, other colors can be incorporated as pops of colors. 
• Know what types of templates you will create. While we will be walking through designing one template a standard image and text story.  You will want to have at least 4 to create a bundle. Some template ideas you can create include: a standard image and text template, a this/that template, quote template, selfie template, plain text template that can be used for polls, questions, and more. Feel free to create more once you get a handle on the basics.

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Step 2- Choose Your Background

Your background can be a solid color, pattern, or image. To upload your own image to use, click on the upload option on the left side panel. If you have your own textured or pattern design you want to use you can upload that as well. For this example, we will be choosing a solid color then adding shapes elements to make it more unique. 

You can choose a default color or customize the color. The colors you use will display under the document colors in the color panel so you can easily use them for your other templates. 

Once you have chosen your color you can add additional elements by clicking on the elements option on the side panel. Here you will see several categories from lines and shapes to frames and stickers and vector art. For this example, we are going to stick with the shapes. Scroll through to see the various ones they have for free. When you find one to use just click on it.

You will notice each shape also has colors you can customize, you can do this by clicking on the color you want to change from the top of the canvas. 

You can also change the transparency by clicking on the checker design from the top panel. If you want to duplicate your shapes, or any other element click on the icon with the “+” symbol. You can rotate and change the size of the elements by clicking on it and using the icons around the shapes. 

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Step 3- Add a frame.

You can add a frame into your template so that people who buy your template can easily edit and add in their own/ These are located under the elements option on the left panel. Upload a sample image to include in your design. We love using Unsplash for professional, high-quality images. But, you can upload your own image to use. When you set your bundle up for sale you will just need to add a legal notice that the images used are not for resale in any way. 

Step 4- Add Text

Add a sample text by clicking on the text option form the side panel. Click on add heading to add. 

Replace the text by clicking on the text box in the image. Customize the text from the top panel. 

If you want your text to pop a little more add another element behind it. To move elements forward or back on your design click on the position option from the top panel. 

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Step 5- Create Your Next Page

When you are satisfied with your first template move on to the next. Click on the add page option at the bottom of the page. You will see a new page is added using the same background color as your first template. You can also duplicate your page by clicking on the “+” icon above the design, not from the top panel. This will add a new page identical to the one you just created. This can make it easier to edit if you want to keep the background elements on your other template pages. 

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Step 6- Download Files

After you have completed all your templates you can download your files. You will want to have these images to add to your Filtergrade listing. Click on download from the top panel. If you download all pages together they will save as a zip file on your device. 

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Step 7- Get Shareable Link

Select the Share options from the top panel. Click on the “v” next to get a link to edit. Select share as template not share to edit. Share to edit means you are inviting others to make changes on your original template, not on a copy of the template for them to use as they wish. All changes using the share to edit link will be changes made to your template file.

You can now add this link into a PDF file. This PDF file is what customers will receive when they purchase your templates and will grant them access to use and edit the templates. 

After creating everything and making it crisp and perfect, think about how it would look on a wall in your home. Photo and design canvas prints are always great for adding some flare to homes, stores, and more!

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Creating a PDF File

You can use canva to create a PDF file that includes your link for customers to buy. Create a new blank template but use a letter size template. Add you text to include more information about your product such as:

• How customers can use the template. 
• How to edit elements.
• Legal notice or disclaimer. 
• Description that makes your product stand out. 
• A thank you. 
• Your shareable link.

You can add elements to this template just as you would any other template to make it more appealing. When you are down you just want to click download and select the PDF download option.

If you just want to create a plain black and white PDF you can do this if you have a Google Account too. Login to your account and go into My Drive. Create a new Google Doc. Type in all the information you want to include and add your shareable link into the text. When you are satisfied click on File, then Download As, and select PDF document .pdf.

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Selling on FilterGrade Marketplace

A Quick Guide for Selling with FilterGrade

Now that your PDF is complete, you are ready to start selling on Filtergrade Marketplace.You will need to apply and get approved first. Simply fill out an application here. You will need a portfolio or samples of your work for review. This can be from your website, Instagram, YouTube, or another digital product site where your work is on display like Behance. It takes up to 5 days for applications to be reviewed and approved. In the meantime continue to create some more products and get some ideas by browsing similar products already on sale on FilterGrade.com.

Once approved, upload items to sell. To do this log in to your FilterGrade account. Then:

1. Select the Vendor Tab
2. Click on the Products option. 
3. Choose Create Product.
4. Fill in the Product Name, Description, and Price. To learn some helpful tips to complete these sections read A Quick Guide For Selling With FIlterGrade here.
5. Upload your product folder (a .zip including your templates and any help files or PDF tutorials) into the Media Uploader. 
6. Then add your product Images. You will need to create a cover image. 
7. Finally, you will want to add categories and tags to your product. You can choose 1 main category and up to 5 subcategories for your product to be listed under. You can then add up to 15 tags to help viewers easily find your product when they are doing a product search. 

As you can see, there are a lot of reasons why you should be creating your own Canva templates to sell on FilterGrade. All you have to do now is get started on your first design!

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