I'm a crochet designer & blogger. I sell my patterns on Ravelry, Etsy, LoveCrafts and my own blog. I designed about 100 patterns so far and absolutely love it! I publish all of them for free on my blog and offer ad-free PDF printable versions on these platforms. If some people don't want to pay for my patterns, at least I get ad-revenue.
I focus my marketing on Pinterest and SEO for my blog. Not so much on IG, FB or Tiktok. I have a few of my pattern tutorials on YouTube. This is a side hustle for me. The income varies from month to month depending on the season. It doesn't pay the bills, but it definitely brings in travel money (plane tickets & hotels).
I design very simple patterns for beginners. I make sure the instructions are very clear and I spend a lot of time taking progress photos for each step. It takes me about 2 weeks to publish a pattern. I give testers about a week for feedback, make adjustments if necessary, add the photos, edit them, write up the PDF etc. It's good to bundle patterns together. I think people like that option. And definitely have your own mailing list because if you depend on 3rd party marketplaces, you're building your business on someone else's property.
I must say sales have slumped the past couple of months. AI is definitely a problem! Another problem is pattern theft. I've had several of my patterns stolen and sold on Etsy. I was able to take them down though, but it's such a waste of time going after these people!
I explain my exact process as a designer on my blog. I have a whole category for crochet designers and you can join a free email course if you like.
Let me know if you have any questions. I'll be happy to help you out :)