It can feel a little scary to market your crochet business when hardly anyone is following along yet. You want to get your work in front of people… but what if there aren’t many people to get it in front of?
If that’s you, you’re in good company. Mary from Kickin’ Crochet, a pattern designer who sells on Etsy, Ravelry, and her own website, asked me this on the podcast:
“What’s the best way to grow an online following? Or, conversely, what’s the best way to promote a pattern without a large following? (I’m a pattern designer and sell on Etsy, ravelry, and my own website)“
Mary, Kickin’ Crochet
Here’s the short answer I gave Mary, and the one I’d give you: focus on your marketing habits, not the size of your audience. A small group of the right people will buy from you. When you show up for them consistently, your following grows on its own over time.
Below, you’ll find the full podcast episode plus my favorite crochet marketing ideas for when you’re starting small. I’ll start with ideas that work for everyone, then share a few just for pattern designers and a few just for finished-item sellers.
Why a Small Following Isn’t the Problem You Think It Is
Let’s clear something up first: you don’t need thousands of followers to make sales.
- The right 50 beat the wrong 5,000. Fifty email subscribers who signed up because they love your work are far more likely to buy than thousands of followers who found you through one viral post.
- Social media shows your posts to non-followers, too. Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook increasingly recommend posts to people based on their interests, not just who they follow. A great post can reach well beyond your follower count.
- Waiting to be “big enough” keeps you small. Marketing is how the following grows. It isn’t something you earn the right to do afterward.
Start Here: Know Exactly Who You’re Marketing To
Before you pick a single platform, get clear on who you’re trying to reach. What does she love? What is she shopping for? Where does she spend her time online, and what words does she use?
That answer shapes everything else: where you post, what you say, and even which hashtags you pick. If you’re not sure yet, start with How to Identify the Target Market of Your Crochet Business. And if you sell finished pieces, read Why You Need to Stop Selling Crochet, because your buyer is probably searching for something other than “crochet.”
Crochet Marketing Ideas That Work for Everyone
1. Treat Pinterest like the search engine it is
Pinterest is one of the best places for a small crochet business, because it works more like a visual search engine than a social feed. People go there looking for ideas, and a single pin can keep sending visitors your way for months or even years.
- Create several pins for each pattern or product, with different photos and different titles.
- Write pin titles and descriptions using the words people actually search, like “easy crochet cardigan pattern” or “handmade baby shower gift.”
- Link each pin to your blog, Etsy listing, Ravelry page, or website.
- Keep pinning your older designs on a rotating basis, not just the new ones.
2. Start your email list now, even if it’s tiny
Your email list is the one marketing channel you truly own. No algorithm decides who sees it, and no platform can change the rules on you overnight. Even a list of 20 people is 20 people who raised their hand and said, “Yes, tell me more.”
Offer something simple in exchange for signing up, such as a free mini pattern, a care guide, or early access to new releases. Then send something useful regularly, even if that’s just once a month. For easy ways to get started, see 10 Free and Easy Ways for Makers to Build a Targeted Email List.
3. Post to connect, not just to sell
If every post says “buy this,” people stop paying attention. Mix in behind-the-scenes moments, works in progress, the story behind a design, a customer’s photo, or a quick tip. That way, when you do share something for sale, people already feel connected to you.
Consistency matters more than volume. Two posts a week you can actually keep up with beat seven posts a week that burn you out by February. Need ideas? Try Engaging Crochet Business Content Ideas to Win Sales Without Being Pushy, or grab my free Social Media Content Calendar template.
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4. Write an Instagram bio and captions that work for you
Your bio is often the first and only thing someone reads before deciding whether to follow. Make it tell a stranger, in one glance, what you make and who it’s for.
Crochet Instagram bio formula: What you make + who it’s for + one personal touch + where to shop
Example: Cozy handmade hats & scarves for women who love texture 🧶 Colorado farm life · Shop new drops below ⬇️
For captions, describe what’s in the photo in plain, searchable words, the way your buyer would say it. Instagram now limits posts to five hashtags and says hashtags matter much less for discovery than they used to, so a clear caption does a lot of the heavy lifting. Pick a few specific hashtags your buyer would follow, rather than a long list of generic ones. More on getting started here: Instagram for Makers.
5. Show up in Facebook groups (and put links in the comments)
Facebook groups are still a great place to meet people who already love what you make, whether that’s crocheters for pattern designers or buyers for product sellers. Read each group’s rules, contribute more than you promote, and share your work only where it’s welcome.
One update worth knowing: Facebook has started limiting how many link posts some business Pages and professional profiles can share each month unless they pay for a subscription. Links in the comments aren’t affected, so a photo post with “link in the comments” is a simple workaround.
6. Tag the brands behind your work
When you share a finished piece or a new pattern, tag the yarn company, the hook maker, or the local yarn shop you bought from. Brands often reshare makers’ work, which puts you in front of an audience that’s already interested in yarn. Some of those connections turn into collaborations down the road.
7. Team up with someone a little further along
Collaboration is one of the fastest ways to reach new people without a big following of your own. Look for a maker, designer, or small creator whose audience overlaps with yours, ideally someone just a step or two ahead of you rather than someone huge. A few ideas:
- Gift a product to a small creator your customer already follows, and invite them to share it if they love it.
- Swap features in each other’s newsletters or stories.
- Join a pattern bundle, a blog hop, or a group giveaway.
8. Host a giveaway
A simple giveaway can bring in new followers and email subscribers quickly. It doesn’t have to be big; a single PDF pattern or one small finished piece is plenty. Ask people to do something that helps you, like joining your email list. Check each platform’s giveaway rules before you start.
9. Test paid ads, with a small budget and a stopping point
Paid ads on Etsy, Ravelry, Pinterest, or Facebook and Instagram can work, but they’re optional, especially when you’re just starting. If you try them, set a small budget, decide ahead of time how long you’ll test, and watch your numbers. If the sales don’t cover the cost, you can always stop. No guilt.
Extra Marketing Ideas for Crochet Pattern Designers
10. Turn your pattern testers into your first fans
Your testers are often your best early marketers. Ask permission to use their project photos in your listings and posts, which shows buyers the pattern works in real hands, in real colors. Encourage testers to share their progress, tag you, and link their finished projects to your pattern on Ravelry. All that activity builds excitement before launch day.
11. Use a free pattern as a doorway
If you offer a free pattern, make it work for you. Share it in groups and on sites that feature free patterns (here’s a list of places to submit them), and use it to invite people onto your email list or toward your paid patterns. The goal is a doorway into your shop, not a stream of freebies that never leads anywhere.
Extra Marketing Ideas for Finished-Item Sellers
12. Let your customers do the talking
Reviews and customer photos build trust faster than anything you can say about yourself. Ask happy customers if you can share their photos in your listings and on social media, and turn their kind words into testimonials. A photo of your baby blanket in a real nursery sells better than the most perfect flat-lay.
13. Make every in-person event a following-builder
Craft fairs and markets aren’t just sales days; they’re one of the easiest places to grow your audience. Put a QR code on your table sign that leads to your email signup or Instagram, keep a simple sign-up sheet with a small incentive, and tuck a card with your shop link into every bag. For more in-person ideas, read Best Places to Sell Crochet Items Offline and In-Person.
Please Don’t Try to Do All of This at Once
Here’s the most important tip on this page: pick one or two of these ideas, not all thirteen.
Choose the one that fits where your customer already spends time and feels the least exhausting to you. Give it a real try, about three months of showing up consistently, before you decide whether it’s working. Then add another.
A business that runs on burnout won’t last long enough to grow. A business that runs on a few simple habits you can actually keep up with will.
Frequently Asked Questions about Marketing Crochet
Start with channels that don’t depend on followers. Pinterest and search engines show your work to people based on what they’re looking for, not who they follow. Then build an email list from day one, show up in groups where your customers already gather, and team up with other makers. Your following grows as a result of marketing, not before it.
Start free. Use clear, searchable listing titles and descriptions, post regularly where your buyer spends time, pin your products on Pinterest, and talk to people at craft fairs. If you want to try paid ads, test Etsy Ads or Pinterest ads with a small budget and a set end date, and track whether they pay for themselves.
The one your customer uses most. For many crochet businesses, Pinterest is the strongest starting point because it works like a search engine. Instagram is great for visual storytelling and community, and Facebook groups are strong for connecting with crocheters and local buyers. Pick one or two to start, not all of them.
Say what you make, who it’s for, and how to shop, plus one personal touch so you feel like a real person. For example: “Cozy handmade baby blankets & nursery toys 🧶 Made by a grandma in Colorado · Shop below.”
Describe the piece in your buyer’s words, share a little story or detail about it, and end with one clear next step, like “tap the link in my bio” or “comment ‘link’ and I’ll send it to you.” Keep hashtags to a few specific ones that your buyer would actually follow.
Wrapping Up
Growing your crochet business online is a journey, and it takes steady, consistent effort, not a huge audience. No matter how many followers you have today, these ideas can help you reach the right people, make more sales, and build a brand that lasts.
Remember, it’s not about the numbers. It’s about real connections with the people who love what you make.
Cheering you on, Pam
Want to work through this with other makers? Inside the Crochetpreneur Business Academy, we dig into marketing, pricing, and planning together, with real support when you get stuck. Learn more about CBA →
Free resources: Social Media Content Calendar template · The whole Crochetpreneur Freebie Vault
Connect with Mary
Be sure to check out Mary’s website, where she shares her lovely designs, crochet tips, and tutorials.
“How to market your crochet business when you have little to no following” was super helpful! So much valuable information in such a short time. Thanks Pam!
Thank you, Jackie! I’m so glad you found it helpful.