When it comes to graphic design, perhaps few platforms are as simple and user-friendly as Canva. Although not as advanced as more robust software such as Photoshop or Illustrator, Canva offers several options for creating templates and other digital pieces.
Canva is not only a cheaper and simpler alternative to other designer software but also a marketplace where you can earn extra income by selling your work, especially if you’re a web or graphic designer or have a business focused on selling templates and digital media.
In this article, we’ll explore Canva, its features, and benefits, and explain how you can earn an income on the platform by selling templates and other creations. Ready to learn how to sell digital templates on Canva? Keep reading to find out.
What is Canva?
Canva is a web-based design platform focused on simplicity and intuitiveness. The program allows you to create and edit a wide variety of visual content, from social media graphics and presentations to posters, invitations, and marketing materials using photos, stickers, graphics, and even videos.
In addition to its simplicity, another great attraction of Canva is that it’s a tool that can be used for free. Although there’s a paid plan—with more features as you would expect—the free version is complete enough to be the most popular among the over 135 million Canva users worldwide.
Some of the key features of Canva include:
- Drag-and-drop design: Canva was created to work almost entirely through drag-and-drop functionality, making it an incredibly intuitive platform that doesn't require a lot of technical knowledge to use.
- Extensive library of templates, photos, and designs: The platform offers thousands of pre-made templates for various purposes, such as social media posts, flyers, resumes, and more. There are free and paid options that earn their respective creators a commission per use.
- Collaborative tool: Being more of a "website" than a program itself, Canva allows its users to edit templates and other types of artwork in real time, sharing changes and new projects with whoever has access to them completely online.
- Free and Premium Plans: The free version includes basic features, while Canva Pro unlocks advanced tools like brand kits, premium templates, and cloud storage.
What can I sell on Canva?
In addition to being a design platform, Canva is also known for its selection of pre-made designs that users can use in their own creations. We’ve already mentioned that there are free designs as well as paid ones.
Let’s take a closer look at what you can sell on Canva:
Templates
Selling templates on Canva is actually a new feature that the platform only recently introduced. The aim was to provide graphic designers, web designers, web publishers, art directors, and layout artists with a promising new platform where they can post and earn commissions for their pieces.
Photos
Canva has millions of stock photos in its library. Photographers and creators can upload their photos to the platform and they will be marked as “Pro,” meaning that their use will earn the creator a commission.
Canva only accepts high-quality images, so photos—and any other creations, for that matter—will go through a rigorous acceptance process before they become available in Canva’s collection.
Graphics
Whether for presentations, marketing campaigns, or editing the visual identity of an event, various graphics can be sold on Canva.
Stickers
These small stylized images can even be animated gifs, normally used in advertising pieces, email marketing, and even creating landing pages.
Videos
The platform also offers a large collection of videos. These are typically short productions for general use in marketing and advertising campaigns, usually with messages.
Whop allows you to easily sell any digital product, from Canva templates to online courses to software and apps.
Why should I sell on Canva?
As a design tool used by over 65 million users in 179 countries around the world, the Canva marketplace provides an opportunity for designers, photographers, illustrators, artists, and subject matter experts to share their work with hundreds of thousands of Canva users, earning a passive income in the process.
Here are a few reasons why you should consider selling templates (and digital artwork in general) in Canva:
No listing fees
Canva doesn’t charge any fees for publishing your templates, or any other digital work, on the platform. Creators earn royalties based on their content's performance. The size of the royalty pools grows with Canva's subscription revenues and is calculated every month.
Fast and simple platform
Canva’s uploader makes it incredibly easy to submit your content. Simple-to-follow guidelines help you every step of the way to ensure your work has the best chance of reaching a large audience and succeeding.
You can earn passive income for your work
On Canva, your work is just a quick search away from being found. Every time a designer uses your template, you earn a commission for their use. So all you need to do is create a quality template, upload it, and earn passive revenue without any management on your part. Canva takes care of everything.
Large reach
With millions of users, your product will reach a global audience. This means that with Canva, you can build a strong portfolio of products that are recognized internationally.
You can sell your Canva templates with Whop too, with no upfront fees to list your creations. By creating your own whop, you can build a community around your brand, establishing yourself in the design world.
How to sell templates on Canva
We mentioned earlier the variety of digital content you can create to make money on Canva, but the truth is that to sell templates you have to go through a slightly different process.
Here's what you need to know to sell templates on Canva:
Go to the Canva Creator program
Canva's Creator program is a feature specifically created so that designers, photographers, illustrators, and artists can earn money within the platform with more complex pieces. The Canva Creator program is for the following types of creators:
- Template Creators: Primarily graphic and web designers.
- Element Creators: Photographers, illustrators, typographers, videographers, and audio producers. Elements can be videos, photos, or graphic pieces for campaigns, for example.
- Specialty Creators: People who know a particular niche area, e.g. history, travel, or an educational theme, and create graphic pieces focused on the specific theme.
The application process for creators is slightly different for template, element, and specialty creators.
Apply to be a template creator
When you click "apply" you’ll be directed to the application form. You’ll answer a series of questions such as what you prefer to create (social media, prints, or graphics, for example); your level of template design expertise (between entry-level, mid-level, senior, or expert), and your areas of interest (whether it is design trends, digital illustration, among others).
After that, Canva asks you to share your portfolio with work relevant to the template creation area. Make sure that its current work and that it meets the quality standards Canva expects. Any specifications are outlined in the submission guidelines.
The Template Creator program is currently in beta (at least at the time of writing this article), so the platform states that it may take some time until you receive a response to your application.
Upload your templates
Once accepted into the program, you can now upload your templates to Canva. One thing to keep in mind is that Canva reviews each published item to ensure that the platform's design requirements are met.
Get paid
Canva is a design platform, meaning users pay for the right to use your template designs in their own projects. So, as a Canva Creator, you receive royalties based on the performance of your published content.
How much you’ll receive from the royalty pool will depend on how often your templates are used (i.e. each time your designs are downloaded, printed, or presented). The best part about this is that you’ll get paid for both Free and Pro template usage.
The size of the Royalty Pool grows with Canva’s subscription revenues and is calculated every month. For payment methods, Canva currently works with Paypal, Skrill, and Payoneer.
Market your templates
Canva strongly encourages its creators to promote templates and other materials they’ve produced and even offers specific resources for this, such as the Canva Affiliate Program.
Some of the ways you can promote your templates on Canva include:
Share your content on social media
Platforms like Whop, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are perfect communication channels to promote templates and other artworks that you have.
Depending on the style of your templates, LinkedIn is another good social media platform. Many companies are looking for professional templates to add visual elements to their operations.
Leverage content marketing
A common practice among graphic designers and web designers is creating relevant educational content around their own skills, whether it’s guides and tutorials on YouTube teaching graphic design techniques or blogs with quick tips.
People are always looking for tutorials, and interesting educational content is a great gateway to your own services. Be sure to include the link to your Canva profile in every piece of content you create, so that users have access to your template library.
Use the Canva affiliate program
Canva’s affiliate program allows you to promote your templates by sharing affiliate links with your customer base. By clicking on these links, your customers can earn a free Canva Pro trial (with all the benefits), and you’ll earn royalties on your templates and get paid for referring new potential Canva Pro users.
Tips for selling templates on Canva
Here are some useful tips to help you stand out when selling templates on Canva:
Offer templates bundles
Bundles are very common to see on Canva and any other similar platform. Offering template bundles with similar designs appeals to clients who want a strong visual language and the convenience of having a complete set of templates for their campaigns or projects.
Create seasonal designs
In ecommerce, targeting seasonal demands is always a beneficial marketing strategy because it takes advantage of sales booms on specific dates. You can create specific templates for holidays or commercial events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Incorporate trends
Stay ahead of the curve by updating your designs to fit the latest trends in terms of aesthetics. A good example of this is the fact that most large companies these days are adopting more minimalist versions of their logos. Staying on top of what’s trending is important in all areas of ecommerce, after all.
Why Whop is the best place for digital products
As a digital product creator, you're in the right place. Whop is home to thousands of entrepreneurs and ecommerce experts in one place, selling digital products like templates, online courses, ebooks and guides online.
If you're looking for business guidance in the form of courses, guides, and communities, you can find mentoring for creating and selling digital products, but you can also learn how to build a brand around your offerings.
Check out Whop's business communities and find the right group for you.
Looking for a place to sell your digital products? Whop has you covered there too. Whop is the perfect space for you to sell your digital products, including Canva templates.
To really capitalize on your knowledge, you could even convert your skills into educational resources or an ebook. Why not create an online community that teaches others how to make money with Canva? We give you 24/7 support, so you can create your own online business and share your knowledge with others who, like you, want to succeed in ecommerce. All for as little as a 3% fee per sale.
Build your own business with Whop.
How to sell templates on Canva FAQs
The frequently asked questions about how to sell templates on Canva:
How do I earn money from Canva?
Canva stores templates and other designs in its library—users then use them to create and edit their own designs in Canva’s editor. This earns royalties for the respective creators of the original designs, templates, photos, and so on.
How do I get paid for my templates?
Creators earn royalties based on their content's performance. There’s a separate royalty pool for elements and templates. The size of the royalty pools grows with Canva's subscription revenues and is calculated every month.
