Super Cool Gear for Substack Creators
Add a t-shirt gallery to your newsletter

Why Substack Creators Choose Super Cool Gear

Substack has no built-in merchandise features. Most creators use Gumroad + Printful, but that setup offers 5-10 standard colors and requires managing multiple platforms.

Super Cool Gear solves three problems:

  • 69 fabric colors - Cover virtually any audience aesthetic or brand palette
  • Per-fabric color tweaking - Your design looks great on every color, not just white
  • All-in-one platform - Design, gallery, checkout, and fulfillment in one place

How It Works

Your gallery is a standalone page at supercoolgear.com/[your-name] that showcases your designs. When readers click through from Substack:

  1. They see your designs on fabric colors you selected
  2. They pick a design, choose size and fabric color
  3. They checkout and pay (you earn 80% of your markup)
  4. We handle printing and shipping

You never touch inventory or fulfillment.

See an example: View a sample gallery to see what yours could look like.

Set Up Your Account

Create Account and Subscribe

  1. Create your account at supercoolgear.com/register
  2. Verify your email
  3. Subscribe to Basic ($20/year) to publish galleries and earn from sales

For Substack Creators

Contact to request a free subscription or help setting up your first gallery.

Create Your Designs

Recommended: Watch the design video tutorial

Option A: Use Our Image Library

  1. Go to Design Interface
  2. Browse the image library (most images free, some premium $1-6)
  3. Pick an image that matches your brand
  4. Add text if desired
  5. Add a QR code linking to your Substack
  6. Adjust colors for different fabrics using the color picker
  7. Set a design as limited edition with special pricing
  8. Save your design

Option B: Upload Your Own Images

  1. Go to Design Interface
  2. Click "Upload Image"
  3. Upload PNG with transparent background (works best)
  4. Add text, borders, or QR code if desired
  5. Adjust colors for each fabric
  6. Save your design

Design Tips:

  • Keep it simple for your first one
  • Text should be readable at small sizes
  • Use the preview to check how it looks on different fabrics
  • Images with transparent backgrounds let fabric color integrate into the design

Set Up Your Gallery

Recommended: Watch the gallery video tutorial

Add Designs

  1. Go to Publish on the main menu and create a gallery
  2. Complete the sections
  3. Choose which designs to offer
  4. Set your markup (you keep 80% of this amount)

Customize Appearance

  1. Pick a color template that matches your brand
  2. Add gallery name and description
  3. Upload header image if desired
  4. Save and preview

Integrate with Substack

Method 1: Custom Button in Posts

Best for: Announcing your gallery, promoting specific designs

  1. In Substack post editor, click "+" button
  2. Select "Button"
  3. Choose "Custom"
  4. Button text: "Shop My Designs" or "View Gallery"
  5. URL: supercoolgear.com/[your-gallery]
  6. Pick button style and placement

Method 2: Dedicated Shop Page

Best for: Permanent link in your navigation

  1. In Substack, go to Dashboard → Website → Pages
  2. Click "New Page"
  3. Title: "Shop" or "Gallery"
  4. Content: Brief description + link to your gallery
  5. Check "Add to navigation"
  6. Publish

Method 3: Text Links

Best for: Casual mentions in regular content

Just hyperlink text like "check out my gallery" to your gallery URL.

Launch Your Gallery

The Launch Post

Write one dedicated post announcing your gallery. Include:

  • Transparency - "I've created a merch collection..." or "This is my first time..."
  • Show the designs - Images of your best 1-3 designs on different fabric colors
  • Set expectations - Delivery timeline, quality standards, return policy
  • Clear call to action - Use custom button to link to gallery

Promotion Strategy

Based on data from successful Substack creators:

  • Week 1: Reminder post 3-5 days after launch
  • Ongoing: Footer mentions in regular posts, one dedicated post per month maximum

Rule of thumb: Merchandise content should be less than 10% of your newsletter.

Pricing Your Designs

Your Markup

You set the markup amount. You keep 80% of it.

Example:

  • Base price: $18
  • Your markup: $8
  • Customer pays: $26
  • You earn: $6.40 from markup per shirt

Competitive Pricing

  • T-shirts: $26-30 total
  • Higher markups work with the built-in limited edition feature

Best Practices

What Works

  • Start with 1-3 designs, not 20
  • One great design beats ten mediocre ones
  • Curate colors - don't just offer all 69 without thought
  • Promote sparingly - less than 10% of content
  • Frame as community, not commerce

What Doesn't Work

  • Mentioning merch in every post
  • Fake urgency tactics
  • Too many products at launch
  • Generic designs that could be anyone's
  • Offering 69 colors without adjusting design per fabric

Realistic Expectations

Based on data from established Substack creators:

  • Conversion: 1-3% of subscribers will buy
  • Revenue: Merchandise is supplementary income, not primary
  • Time: 5-10 hours initial setup, 1-2 hours/month ongoing

If you have 1,000 subscribers:

  • 10-30 might buy
  • Earning $8-10 per shirt = $80-300 in initial sales

If you have 5,000+ subscribers:

  • Expect $200-1,000+ monthly once established
  • Community building effects become more valuable than direct revenue

Get Started

Ready to set up your gallery?

  • Create your account and start designing
  • Contact to request a free subscription
  • Need help? Email