To Be Treasuried


This morning I got a convo from FabricatedFamily, an Etsy seller I was unfamiliar with. (PS - her handbound original fiction ROCKS!) She was writing to let me know that my Nikko Ironstone Bowls had been featured in her newest Etsy Treasury. Woo hoo!!


I'm pretty sure that getting into Treasuries is not an exact science...but there might be a formula of sorts that will optimize your chances. I average 2-3
treasury features a week and one has been featur
ed on the Etsy Front Page! There are definitely certain things that I do that contribute to this. So without further ado, here are my Tips-To-Get-A-Treasury:

KARMA

I regularly try to promote others...I re-tweet links from my "tweeps", I "share" posts from my fans on Facebook, I include links to other shops or seller features in my blog and I participate in Etsy forum threads. I don't do this 24-7 (who could?) but I try to do it a couple of minutes each day. A kind word of encouragement, a promotional gesture or the answer to a question all can encourage gratitude and lead to a spot in that person's next treasury.
The added bonus is that promoting forward always puts me in a great
Of course, every time I am in a treasury, I shamelessly promote the beejeezus out of it...and the Etsian that curated it. Here's what I do:
  • I find threads to post treasuries/new items on Etsy and make sure that I spend a few minutes on each of these threads, complimenting links on other posts and leaving the link to the treasury I am in. Dont "spam" or "post and run"!
  • I tweet the link a few times a day and request a RT (ReTweet) from anyone who might care to promote it forward...usually someone I've RT-ed for.
  • I post the treasury link on my fan page and usually ask outright for my fans to "blog it, tweet it, share it..." and I always ask for "comment love". The last treasury I did was a tribute to my Facebook Fans and we reached our comment limit within 24 hours! I try to make that happen for treasuries that feature Comfuzzled!
Important: Promoting won't help you at all if no one knows that you're the little elf that tweeted or shared or blogged. I always make sure that the seller knows I will be promoting their Treasury.

If the curator convos me about the feature, I tell them in my "Thank You!" reply. And I always mention that I will be promoting when I comment on their treasury. Something like, "Thanks for including my Owl Napking Holder in th
is amazing collection...I'm off to go promote the heck out of this treasury!"

Anyone that reads your comment knows you become actively involved in promoting the treasury you're in, they are more likely to include you in their next one.

TAGS

You might be slapping your forhead on this one, but cut yourself some slack. It took me a while to real
ize that tags were a HUGE component in garnering treasury slots...but once I did, the treasuries started becoming more and more frequent. Put yourself in the potential curator's shoes and think about what keywords you might use to find the perfect pieces for a treasury.

Color - Definitely use color tags...and be creative! My Fenton Colonial Green Hobnail Mini Bud Vase was tagged with "olive", "sage", "moss"and "avocado". NOTE: I didn't use "green" because it was already in my title (Colonial Green is the official Fenton name for the color). This vase was featured in a Treasury entitled "Olive Juice" by linkeldesigns...it seems likely she used "olive" in a keyword search when she was compiling her treasury.

The Facts - Who, What When, Where, Why and How.
  1. Who would wear or use your item? Brides? Teachers? Kids?
  2. What is the item? Seems obvious, but if "earrings" is already in your title, try "hoops", "studs" or "posts" in your tags...whichever applies.
  3. When would this item be used? Think seasons, occasions, and celebrations.
  4. Where would you expect to see this item? You can use rooms in the house, locations like "mantle", "oven" or "office"...even places on the body, like "shoulders" for a shawl or "wrist" for a bracelet.
  5. Why would someone want or need to buy your item? Be creative and descriptive...and concise!
  6. How was this made? Was it "hand blown", "knit" or "carved'? If it is vintage, when was it made? Punctuation isn't allowed in tags so use "50s" or "1890s" for dates.
Theme - Often, Treasuries revolve around themes, so it helps to include tags that might come up in a theme search. My elephant figurine has tags like "carnival", "circus" and "zoo". I'm sure I could have gotten even MORE creative if I'd thought about it at the time. Think of the way a piece makes you feel or what kind of memories it evokes. Be imaginative!


PICS

So...a curator-to-be has found your shop via your tags or wants to repay you for selflessly promoting them. Great!! Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that if your pictures are not eye-catching and clear, they most likely won't be used.

When I create a treasury, I am always thinking about the Etsy Front Page. There is nothing worse than really wanting to feature a seller and realizing that the item I want to feature has a below-par main picture...or that the best picture is the third one down. I am a CRAPPY photographer...my pictures are a result of trial by error, hours and hours of practice and tons of editing. and most of them still aren't that great. Look at the pictures featured on the FP. Check out the shops whose pictures intrigue you. Search for threads on taking better pictures in the forum (they are there) and do the research...it definitely pays off.

Whew!! This ran a little longer than I thought it might...I hope it helps! I'm definitely off to go tweak some of my own tags. Writing this shed some light on my less-than-stellar tagging in the past, so I'm off to go fix some old mistakes...thanks for inspiring me!

XOXOXO!

4 comments:

californiablue September 3, 2009 at 5:37 PM  

great tips - thank you so much!

The3Maries September 3, 2009 at 9:38 PM  

Thanks for all the wonderful tips! Great post!

Rolling Hills Vintage September 4, 2009 at 1:04 AM  

Thanks for the tips. I have been routinely featured in treasuries lately (WooHoo) and have been doing just about the same as you have suggested. It does work. I always convo the sellers I feature to let them know I like their item and I have featured them. If a shop is an alternate, I move them around so everyone gets a chance. Sorry, long comment
Rolling Hills Vintage

Tara October 17, 2009 at 2:02 AM  

Finally got around to reading this post - and I am SO glad I did. What a thorough article. Thanks so much for sharing your secrets!

Best,
Tara

About this blog

No one puts bric-a-brac to any very practical purpose. There's some human instinct which makes a man treasure what he is not to make any use of, because everybody does not possess it.
- interview, "Mark Twain in London," London Chronicle, 3 June 1899