Gumroad Stories: Kyle Webster
Joel Packer on April 24th, 2013
Today’s seller story comes from Kyle Webster, an artist who has done work for huge publications such as Time, The New Yorker, Wall St. Journal, and ESPN. Kyle is using Gumroad to sell Kyle’s ULTIMATE Photoshop Brush Pack 1, a pack of 26 custom brushes he’s created over the past two years.

What are you selling? What’s the story behind it?
I am selling a set of custom Photoshop brushes. I have been creating brushes for my own illustration work since this feature was first introduced in Photoshop nearly a decade ago. When Photoshop CS5 was released, the power of the brush builder was greatly amplified and I decided to put together a set of ‘Ultimate’ brushes that emulate natural media. Other illustrators and designers consistently asked me about my brushes and the ‘natural’ look of my work. I started to see the real value in my brush set and decided it would be worth selling to the digital art community.
Why is Gumroad a good fit for the brush set?
The brush set is a small download (2.3 MBs) and it can instantly be installed by the user. Gumroad’s streamlined sales pages are perfect for such a product. My customers do not have to cut through any clutter - they immediately see the video that demonstrates the brushes, they see the price, and they click to buy. I can’t imagine a more perfect delivery system.
What were the biggest contributors to your success?
I have a substantial number of followers on Twitter and I am plugged into the illustration and design communities. Before launching the product, I did some pre-release marketing with teaser images, descriptions of some of the brushes, and a sort of countdown, if you will, before the big day. This got the sales engine revved up before the product was even available and it built up some anticipation that really helped things take off from day one. Having a consistent message about the product across Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr helped a lot, and a couple of popular blogs announced the release of the brush set on the first and second day, which led to great sales bumps. Word spreads so quickly over the internet when something of value becomes available - I think the timing was good for this kind of product. There are so many digital artists now and most of them are constantly looking for new and better tools.
What have been your favorite things about using the Gumroad platform?
First of all, the intuitive and easy user experience for the seller AND the buyer is second to none. I created a sales page in a matter of minutes. I was astonished at how easy the process was and when it was over, I had a moment of disbelief when my first sale rolled right in. I thought, ‘How can it be this simple to sell online?’ Second, the ability to update products and stay in touch with customers is amazing. And third, I love the Analytics page - there is just enough information there to help me figure out where to focus my marketing efforts and it’s addictive to watch the sales grow.
What could we do better?
I wish I had something to offer here. I really love Gumroad. The only complaint I have received (and it is a small one) came from customers who wished to pay via PayPal. Mind you, this request came from perhaps only 2% of the total number of customers.
To learn more about how to sell Photoshop Plugins on Gumroad, see our guide.





