How to Find Profitable T-Shirt Niches for Print-on-Demand in 2025

Welcome back! In today’s guide, I’ll share my exact process for finding profitable niches to create t-shirts for print-on-demand (POD). Whether you’re a beginner or have been in the game for a while, this strategy will help you stand out in a competitive market.

If there’s one crucial piece of advice I could give to anyone starting in POD, it’s this: You must master the art of finding profitable niches. With the increasing popularity of POD businesses, competition in well-known niches has skyrocketed, making it harder to succeed without a clear, strategic approach.

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll know how to identify untapped niches that are worth your time and effort—giving you the tools to create designs that actually sell. Let’s dive in!

Why Niches Matter in Print-on-Demand

Over the past decade, POD has become one of the most talked-about online business models. As a seasoned seller with nearly 10 years of experience, I’ve witnessed the rise of POD firsthand. It’s a lucrative business, but as more entrepreneurs join the fray, popular niches like fitness, pets, and general humor have become saturated.

This saturation means your designs may get lost among thousands of competitors. That’s why finding specific, sub-niche markets is critical. When you target a unique audience, you reduce competition and increase your chances of success.

Step 1: Start Broad with Top-Performing Categories

From my experience, the two broadest and most profitable categories in POD are:

1. Occupations
2. Hobbies

Here’s why these niches are golden:

• Both categories can be broken down into thousands (or even tens of thousands) of sub-niches.
• People are passionate about their jobs and hobbies, which makes them more likely to buy designs that resonate with their identity or interests.

For example, instead of creating a generic cycling t-shirt, you can drill down into sub-niches like adventure cycling or Bigfoot-themed cycling—which brings us to the tools and strategies needed to refine your search.

Step 2: Use ChatGPT for Idea Generation

The first tool I recommend is ChatGPT, a free artificial intelligence tool that helps you brainstorm niche ideas quickly and effectively.

How to Use ChatGPT:

1. Start Broad:
   • Input a command like “List 50 hobbies.” The tool will generate a clean, detailed list of hobbies for you to explore.
2. Get Creative:
   • Narrow your search by adding adjectives, such as “50 outdoor hobbies” or “50 introverted hobbies.”
   • This approach uncovers unique angles that other sellers may overlook, like “introverted gardening” or “outdoor bird watching.”

With a well-thought-out list of hobbies or occupations, you’ll already be ahead of many sellers who rely on generic Google searches.

Step 3: Drill Down with Sub-Niche Research

The key to success in POD is to find sub-niches within your broader categories. To do this, you need to identify markets with demand but little competition.

Enter Merch Informer

Merch Informer is a paid tool I’ve been using for years. It’s especially helpful for uncovering profitable sub-niches by analyzing Amazon search data. While the tool has a subscription cost, they offer a free trial, and I’ve secured a lifetime 20% discount code for my followers (linked below).

Here’s how to use Merch Informer’s Keyword Finder:

1. Log in and navigate to the Keyword Finder under the Keyword Research tab.
2. Paste your chosen niche (e.g., “cycling”) into the search bar and hit search.
3. Set the results display to 100 per page for better efficiency.
4. Review the sub-niche suggestions and check their competition scores. Merch Informer grades niches from A (high potential, low competition) to F (low potential, high competition).

For example:

• Adventure Cycling: 1,500 searches/month with an A-grade competition score.
• Bigfoot Cycling: 2,000 searches/month, also A-rated.
• Alabama Cycling: Another A-rated sub-niche with about 140 monthly searches.

These sub-niches are not only profitable but often overlooked, giving you a significant edge.

Step 4: Validate Your Niche

To ensure your chosen niche has potential, do a quick validation test:

1. Search for the sub-niche (e.g., “Adventure Cycling t-shirt”) on Amazon.
2. Analyze the results:
   • Are there designs with reviews?
   • Do the designs match the niche specifically, or are they generic?
   • Is there room to create better or more targeted designs?

If you see minimal competition and evidence of demand (like reviews or existing sales), you’ve likely found a winner.

Step 5: Create Winning Designs

Finding a profitable niche is only half the battle. The next step is creating designs that connect with your audience.

Proven Design Strategy: Best-Selling Phrases

One of the best ways to create designs that sell is to use proven, versatile phrases and customize them for your niche. For example:

• Introverted but willing to discuss [Niche]
  • Introverted but willing to discuss Adventure Cycling.
  • Introverted but willing to discuss Bigfoot and cycling.

This simple yet effective strategy taps into emotions, humor, and identity—key factors that drive impulse purchases.

Tips for Text-Based Designs:

• Use bold, legible fonts.
• Incorporate humor or personality to make your design memorable.
• Target specific emotions or experiences related to the niche.

Bonus Resources

To help you get started, I’ve compiled two valuable resources:

1. 100 Proven Best-Selling Phrases: A list of customizable phrases that work across various niches.
2. Merchant Informer Discount Code: Get 20% off lifetime access to this powerful tool (link below).

Conclusion

Breaking into the print-on-demand space can feel daunting, but with the right strategies, tools, and creativity, you can carve out your niche and find success. Remember, the key is to target markets that others haven’t discovered yet—and design products that resonate deeply with your audience.

If you found this guide helpful, please give it a thumbs up and share your thoughts or questions in the comments below.