Retail > E-commerce
June 24, 2025
TV Advertising for Etsy Sellers: Growing Your Handmade Business
Table of Contents
You've built something real. A product line, a brand, a customer base on Etsy. But you're also stuck in a marketplace where the algorithm decides who sees your listings and competition gets fiercer every month.
What if you could reach customers before they ever opened Etsy? What if they searched for your shop by name instead of browsing categories?
TV advertising for Etsy sellers isn't about replacing your marketplace strategy. It's about building brand recognition that makes everything else work better.
Why Etsy Sellers Are Discovering TV
The Etsy marketplace is crowded. Over 7 million active sellers compete for attention, and the platform's search algorithm determines visibility. Even great products can get buried.
The platform dependency problem:
Etsy controls who sees your listings
Ad costs within Etsy keep rising
Your customers belong to the platform, not you
Algorithm changes can tank your visibility overnight
What TV advertising offers:
Direct access to potential customers outside any marketplace
Brand building that transcends platform algorithms
The credibility of appearing on major streaming networks
A path to becoming a recognized brand, not just another seller
The most successful Etsy sellers are building brands that exist beyond the platform. TV advertising accelerates that transition.
How It Works for E-Commerce Sellers
TV advertising for Etsy sellers works differently than platform ads. You're not paying for clicks or impressions on a product listing. You're building awareness.
The process:
Create a TV commercial showcasing your brand and products
Target potential customers based on interests, demographics, and geography
Run your ad on streaming platforms like Hulu, Peacock, and Roku
Drive searches for your brand name or direct traffic to your shop
What you're buying:
When you run TV ads, you're purchasing impressions on streaming platforms. Your 30-second commercial appears during shows your target customers watch. They see your brand, your products, your story.
The goal isn't immediate clicks (TV ads aren't clickable). The goal is recognition. When someone who saw your ad searches "handmade jewelry" or "custom gifts," they remember your name.
Targeting Options for Handmade Businesses
One of TV advertising's biggest advantages is targeting precision. You're not showing your ad to everyone with a TV.
Interest-based targeting:
Craft and DIY enthusiasts
Home decor shoppers
Gift buyers (especially around holidays)
Sustainable/eco-conscious consumers
Specific hobby communities (knitting, woodworking, etc.)
Demographic targeting:
Age ranges most likely to buy your products
Household income levels
Parental status (great for children's products)
Homeowners vs. renters
Geographic options:
National reach (for shipping-anywhere businesses)
Regional focus (if shipping costs limit your range)
Specific markets (for testing before scaling)
Example targeting strategy for a jewelry seller:
Women ages 25-54
Interested in fashion and accessories
Household income $75K+
Gift buyers (showing ads heavily before holidays)
!Targeting options for Etsy sellers
Budget Considerations
TV advertising is more accessible than most Etsy sellers realize. You don't need a Super Bowl budget.
Starting budgets:
Test campaign: $100-200 to learn what works
Holiday push: $500-1,000 for seasonal campaigns
Ongoing presence: $300-500/month for consistent brand building
What you get for your money:
At an average CPM of $25 (cost per thousand impressions):
$100 delivers ~4,000 ad views
$500 delivers ~20,000 ad views
$1,000 delivers ~40,000 ad views
For context: a $500 campaign could show your brand to 20,000 potential customers during their favorite streaming shows. That's meaningful exposure for a handmade business.
Comparison to Etsy ads:
Many sellers spend $200-500/month on Etsy ads, competing against other sellers for attention on the same platform. The same budget on TV advertising builds brand recognition outside the marketplace entirely.
Creating Ads That Showcase Handmade
Your TV commercial should reflect what makes handmade special: the story, the craft, the person behind the product.
What works for Etsy seller ads:
Show the making: Footage of you creating products resonates
Tell your story: Why you started, what drives you
Highlight uniqueness: What makes your products different from mass-produced alternatives
Feature the products: Beautiful shots of finished items
Include your shop name: Make it easy to find you
What to avoid:
Generic e-commerce messaging
Focusing only on price
Forgetting to mention your brand name
Complicated calls-to-action
Adwave's AI tools can pull images from your Etsy shop and website to create professional commercials quickly. You don't need video production experience.
Timing Your Campaigns
Strategic timing amplifies your results.
Holiday season (October-December):
This is prime time for gift-focused businesses. Holiday shoppers actively seek unique, handmade alternatives to mass-produced gifts. TV advertising during this window:
Reaches gift buyers in discovery mode
Builds recognition before Black Friday
Creates brand presence through the holiday rush
Wedding season (March-June):
For wedding-related products (jewelry, decor, favors), spring advertising reaches engaged couples and their families during peak planning.
Back-to-school (July-August):
If you sell children's products, teacher gifts, or school supplies, this window captures parents in buying mode.
Year-round consistency:
For sellers with year-round demand, consistent monthly advertising builds compounding brand recognition. Each impression reinforces the last.
Measuring Success Beyond Clicks
TV advertising measurement works differently than digital ads. You won't see click-through rates because TV ads aren't clickable.
What to track:
Branded searches: Are more people searching your shop name?
Direct traffic: Website visits from people who typed your URL
Etsy shop visits: Platform analytics showing traffic sources
Sales patterns: Revenue changes during and after campaigns
"How did you find us?": Ask customers directly
Setting expectations:
TV advertising builds awareness over time. The first person who sees your ad probably won't buy immediately. But when they need what you sell (or need a gift for someone who would love it), they'll remember your name.
This is different from Etsy ads, where you're capturing existing demand. TV creates demand by making people aware you exist.
Competing with Big Brands
Here's the surprising truth: on streaming TV, your ad runs alongside major brands. A handmade jewelry seller's commercial appears in the same commercial breaks as Target and Amazon.
Why this matters:
Appearing on the same screen as major brands creates perceived legitimacy
Viewers don't distinguish between "big" and "small" advertisers
Your unique story can actually stand out against generic corporate messaging
The handmade advantage:
Big brands can't tell your story. They don't have a person behind the products, a workshop to show, or a genuine passion to convey. Your authenticity is a competitive advantage in a world of polished corporate advertising.
Getting Started
Ready to take your Etsy business to TV?
Step 1: Gather your assets Collect your best product photos, any video content you have, and think about your brand story.
Step 2: Define your audience Who buys your products? What are they interested in? Where do they live?
Step 3: Set a test budget Start with $100-200 to learn how TV advertising works for your specific business.
Step 4: Create your ad Use Adwave to generate a professional commercial from your existing content. The AI pulls from your shop and website to create TV-ready creative in minutes.
Step 5: Launch and learn Run your campaign, track the metrics that matter, and refine based on results.
Ready to Grow Beyond Etsy?
Your handmade business deserves to be more than an Etsy listing. TV advertising builds the brand recognition that turns occasional buyers into loyal customers and helps potential customers find you directly.
Adwave makes TV advertising accessible for Etsy sellers at any level. Create a professional commercial featuring your products, target the customers most likely to buy, and see your brand on the same screen as major retailers.
Your competitors are fighting for attention within the marketplace. It's time to reach customers before they ever open Etsy.