How to sell more on social (and seamlessly ship) this holiday season with Hot Girl Quilting

The holidays are right around the corner, and with tariffs, rising costs, and shoppers watching their wallets, this season isn’t going to be easy. That means small businesses need to make every sale count.

One way? Social platforms. That’s where customers are spending their time and money, and it’s where Josey, founder of Hot Girl Quilting, has built a thriving business.

Josey didn’t set out to become a business owner. She bought a $100 sewing machine with a Christmas gift card to make bandanas for her dogs. Then came a quilted coat, a flood of Instagram requests, and soon: Hot Girl Quilting was born.

Today, Josey has more than 65K Instagram followers and reels that have hit 1 million views. She sells exclusively through her website, linked in her Instagram bio. Her pieces are one-of-a-kind, made from 90% upcycled materials, and her insights on social selling and shipping are gold for any SMB.

Here are her 5 steps to selling more on social, driving sales with content, and getting set up for shipping success.

1. Show up on social—consistently and authentically

Josey doesn’t over-engineer her content.

“I try to be as organic as possible. I don’t plan any of my content, it all gets posted as it gets completed… and I don’t force myself to make content if I don’t feel like doing it that day.”

Her biggest wins have come from:

• Satire: reels that poke fun at herself or the process.
  
  
• Money talk: transparent posts about the financial side of running a biz.
  
  
• Tutorials: thrift hacks and patterns that show what’s possible.
  
  

“The reels in satire or talking about money have done the best. People are always very interested in the money aspect.”

💡 Tip: Build excitement around product drop dates so your launches feel like an event. Go live, tease progress shots, and let your audience feel like they’re part of the process. Check out how Josey does it with her Reel below and the caption “Getting closer to reopening orders for these  😇.”

2. Point people to your website to buy

Creating content is one thing—but where do customers actually complete a purchase? Josey sells exclusively online through her site, hotgirlquilting.com, linked in her Instagram bio.

Sometimes her captions are as simple as:

“Avail men’s XL 🤙🏼”

And that’s enough—because her followers already know where to click.

💡 Tip: Make sure your website is in all the obvious places customers expect it—your bio link, reel captions, comments, and DMs. Write in your own authentic voice; you don’t always need to say “shop now” for people to get it.

👉 And if you’re already experimenting with TikTok Shop? Shippo’s TikTok Shop integration is coming soon. You’ll be able to sync orders straight into Shippo, fulfill, and ship seamlessly—all in one place. Follow along to see when we launch our own TikTok Shop and show you how to sell on the scroll and ship with ease.

3. Make it easy for customers to buy and ship

Before Shippo, Josey was literally driving hours across rural Maine to drop off orders.

“I was hand delivering each package. I wish I was making that up… I would plan my thrifting trips around delivering orders.”

Now, she seamlessly ships everything through Shippo:

• Website orders sync automatically into her dashboard.
  
  
• Package templates make shipping both bulky coats and flat paper patterns simple.
  
  
• Discounted rates let her run an upcycling service:

“People send me items from their closet to be repaired or turned into something different. I first send them a kit with a polymailer, return label, and instructions. They then pack and mail everything to me—there’s no stress for them, the kit has everything they need. Once received, I do my thing and mail it back.”

And yes, she weighs everything on a $12 kitchen scale with a plastic dish. It doesn’t need to be fancy.

4. Delight with the unboxing

Josey keeps packaging simple but thoughtful.

“I try to let the pieces speak for themselves! I use simple black polymailers for everything.”

But she always adds touches that make customers feel special:

• A QR code linking to care instructions.
  
  
• A sticker and a 10% discount code for the next order.
  
  
• Handwritten notes and surprise gifts for repeat buyers.
  
  

“Once, I noticed someone had ordered from me 7 times and I printed off photos of all of the pieces she had purchased and turned them into magnets for her.”

5. Protect your balance (and your joy)

Peak season is demanding, but Josey makes space to recharge so she can keep creating. She usually takes orders until Halloween, then limits work to protect family time.

“Make sure you’re giving yourself enough time to enjoy the holidays 🙂”

And remember why it matters.

“The way I teared up when I saw [a customer] post a photo of herself on the beach this summer in her custom bikini and talk about how comfortable she felt! I was so happy that… in the smallest way I was able to help support her in reaching her goal.”

💡 Think of it as a flywheel: create content → point people to your site → ship seamlessly → delight customers → protect your balance. Then start again. That’s how you keep generating energy, sales, and joy.

Turn these steps into sales

Josey’s story shows how powerful the combo of authentic content + seamless shipping can be. Follow her steps this holiday season, and you’ll not only drive sales, you’ll set your business up for long-term success.

• Shop Josey’s work: hotgirlquilting.com
  
  
• Follow her on Instagram: @hotgirlquilting

‍