Every Monday, I take you down my latest video creator entrepreneurial rabbit hole as I continue my independent journalist journey after leaving The Washington Post. We’re on week seven and approaching 150K followers on YouTube, but I’ve barely scratched the surface.
This week’s topic: merch.
I still buy shirts with weird inside jokes on them. If I come across a sticker, I’ll stick it on my laptop. But am I in the minority?
Do you buy merch?
Even if you don’t buy merch, I have good news: ours is free, for now. Today I’m introducing LNI Rewards (patent pending). If you refer five new subscribers, I’ll send you this googly-eyed Dave sticker. At ten referrals you’ll get a Lola sticker.
Dave (left) and Lola
I’m pretty certain this isn’t a Ponzi scheme or one of those emails you’re supposed to forward to ten people. Except in this case it definitely is one of those emails you’re supposed to forward to ten people. Use the unique link below to get credit for your referrals.
🚨 If you become a member today, we’ll send you a Dave Sticker automatically to get you started on your LNI merch journey. Student membership begin at just $5/month. 🚨
Longtime fans may remember Lola’s appearances in early pandemic TikToks. She fears the camera now but still loves the spotlight. You can also follow Lola on LinkedIn.
Egg hunt indoors with your family responsibly.
It’s what the Easter Bunny would want.
— #Dave Jorgenson (#@davejorgenson)
11:57 AM • Apr 12, 2020
Back to the point: do people still want merch? According to a cursory glance on Reddit: “yes absolutely, all the time.” And also, “no never, not once.” So, seriously, please take that poll above.
But here’s the real question for creators: assuming that people do want merch, how do creators sell it? There are a few options in today’s creator economy. I’ve done the first two:
Just give it away. People love free stuff. Maybe it’s good PR later when someone sees your weird sticker on a stranger’s laptop in a Starbucks.
Use a third party service like DFTBA that prints shirts for you, host your store and even ship it themselves. They get a cut, of course. We did this with Washington Post Universe.
Print it yourself and sell it from your own site. This requires the most work. My fellow co-founders, Lauren and Micah, and I would not only have to source the vendors, we would have to mail everything ourself.
Sell it all in-person during live events.
There’s no right or wrong way but you can start to see how even the most seemingly simple decisions as a creator actually require quite a bit of thought and discussion. I haven’t even mentioned the creation of the merch itself!
LNI’s very own Sarah Hashemi designed these stickers. She also is working on revamping our site and logo, not to mention all the graphics I’ll use in future videos. Basically, Sarah is the best.
If you’re getting this Monday but want it earlier, consider becoming a Local or International member.
📌 Quarterly Zoom Q&As
📌 Early access to newsletters
📌 Early access to long form videos
📌 Exclusive access to a new members-only part of the newsletter
📌 More stickers (probably)!
If you’re a student, memberships start at just $5. If you’re a grown-up, please consider paying more.
And if you’re reading this inside, go outside! It’s Labor Day weekend! Soon, Pumpkin Spice will eclipse the sun and we will all succumb to winter. For now, tend to your gardens, or, in my case, poison ivy:
This plant looks healthy! ☺️
— Dave Jorgenson (@davejorgenson.bsky.social) 2025-08-30T12:51:08.235Z
Thank you so much for being an LNI subscriber and helping us grow to more than 7,000 readers. My dog, Lola, wants us to keep growing so she can have extra treats. With your help, she can!
Enjoy those hard-earned stickers.
-Googly-eyed Dave and Lola
Lola (Photo courtesy: Lauren Saks)
