Are you looking for a way to make some extra money? Have you considered creating digital products to sell? It’s an excellent way to make a passive income. Whether you are tech-savvy or not, you can create digital products and start selling them online with a little bit of know-how. In this article, I will show you how I made my first sale within 24 hours of creating my product.
Are You Thinking About Creating a Digital Product?
Creating and selling digital products is easier than ever before. With the right strategy, knowledge, and tools, you can get started today, if you want.
I created a template that lets people create a Linktree-style links page on a WordPress site using the Elementor page builder — and I only have a basic understanding of Elementor.
I will walk you through the process of creating digital products and setting up a shop online using an ecommerce platform so you can start making money quickly and easily.
What Are Digital Products?
A digital product is any product that can be downloaded, viewed, or used online, on a computer, a laptop, a tablet, or mobile device.
Digital products include ebooks, online courses, website templates and themes, software programs, music recordings, graphics, images and videos.
Creating Your First Digital Product
So, where do digital product ideas come from? The good news is that most digital products are created using existing content or ideas.
When creating a digital product to sell online you need to know what people want or need and how to create it. That’s no big secret.
So, how do you, specifically, find that idea?
Think about what you do every day. What problems do you encounter? Now, think about what problems do not have a great solution or the solution is more than you want to pay for it?
If you face obstacles each day, you are not the only one. So, if you need a solution, others do, too. Perhaps that will lead to a new digital offering.
Let me share how my first digital products came into being.
How My Digital Products Came into Existence
As a writer, I always wanted to write a book. With the ability to create PDFs and Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform, there is nothing stopping me from writing an ebook/Kindle book.
My First Digital Product was a Kindle Book
My first digital product was a short Kindle book. I had purchased an Amazon Fire HD, and I was intrigued about writing a Kindle book. My wife, Wendi, and I were coming home from a trip from Boston late at night, and we had a 45-minute drive home. Around midnight, we were almost home, there was a dog in the middle of the road.
We ended up picking up the dog, keeping it overnight, and then taking it to the humane society the next day. The owners called the humane society and were reunited with their 17-year-old dog. I ended up writing a piece about the encounter for a Christmas party of the adult Sunday school class I taught. I titled it, The Gospel According to Bungy: Or, Seven Things I Learned About God from a Blind, Deaf, 17-Year-Old Long-Haired Daschund on a Cold, Dark, Damp, Winter Night.
I’m not sure how much I made from sales, perhaps around $100. Many say your first dollar earned from a digital product is the hardest. With a Kindle book, you can start earning almost immediately after publishing.
My Second Digital Product Came About After I was a Podcast Guest and Speaker at a Blogging Conference
The Kindle book was published in 2012. When I left the newspaper where I worked in 2018, I needed to find multiple streams of income. I came up with a business model of offering search engine optimization services to businesses and bloggers, along with content creation, and social media management.
My three-prong approach was: Optimize. Publicize. Socialize.
But I had in mind to create an online course to help journalists move from working as employees to becoming their own bosses, either as a business owner, freelancer, or solopreneur. I have an outline for the course, but I have not written it.
However, I was invited to be podcast guest and then later to present at a virtual blogging conference. I created a free ebook for the podcast, and I expanded on the ebook for the blogging conference.
This resulted in the ebook The ABCs of SEO for Beginning Bloggers. I sell it on Gumroad (and you can sell your product there, too).
It was something I already created, so it didn’t take much effort to convert it into a digital product.
While an early version was offered to listeners of the podcast and attendees of the blogging conference, Gumroad allowed me to reach a larger audience and earn extra income.
My Third Digital Product was an Online Course
While I always wanted to create a comprehensive online course to help journalists exit the industry and start their own businesses, that goal still remains in its infant stages. I have an outline, but that is all for now.
But, part of what I do is content optimization. I analyze web pages and make recommendations to improve the content so it ranks higher in Google searches.
If you are a brick-and-mortar business, an online business, a publisher, or blogger, the higher you rank, the more money you will make. It’s that simple.
So, I created Content Optimization Guide to Rank Higher: Strategies I Employed to Reach Position Zero, a mini online course, which I also sell on Gumroad.
My Fourth Digital Product was a Linktree-Style Link Page
For a few years, I owned my name domain, bobbywarren.com. The story about how I came to acquire it was an interesting one. I had the opportunity to purchase it about a decade ago for around $400. I was too cheap to pay for it (this was before I started my business and was living paycheck-to-paycheck). I passed. The next time I saw it up for sale, the cost was around $1,400-$1,800 and at one point was listed for $4,000.
After I started my business, I saw it was on sale for $600. I wanted it, but I really didn’t want to pay $600 for it. So, I contacted Anthony Kirlew, a multi-talented entrepreneur who is a domain name broker. I consulted with him about how to acquire the domain at a price better to me. I followed his recommendations to the letter and purchased the domain for about half price.
OK, so what does my name domain have to do with my fourth digital product? In a word: Everything.
My name domain sat dormant for a few years. I just didn’t want to create a new site and write new content. In an unrelated matter, I purchased a Linktree competitor at a very reasonable price. Linktree is a page that contains a series of links so people can interact with you, your content, your calendar, your books, your podcast, your YouTube channel, and more.
Again, I didn’t want to pay for Linktree, so I purchased a product, SleekBio, that was less expensive. After creating a SleekBio page, I decided: What if I created my own link page and host it on bobbywarren.com?
I did. I built it in Elementor. I decided to create a template and sell it on Gumroad. So, yes, you can purchase my Linktree-alternative on Gumroad.
Will My Next Digital Product be a Mobile App?
I was asked by a pastor of a local church if I could create a mobile app for his church. I sought out some no-code mobile apps solutions and software that would allow me to create a progressive web app (PWA), a website that functions like an app.
The solutions I looked at were (you guessed it) either too expensive or focused on ecommerce functionality, not merely providing informational contact and ways to connect with the church and give online.
I stumbled on a product that focused on creating mobile-first landing pages. So, it was similar in some ways to a progressive mobile app, but at the end of the day it was a website designed for mobile first.
Well, I created a “web app” for the congregation, but the software didn’t allow for customizing its templates. If the template had two buttons but you wanted four, you couldn’t make the changes. You would have to add custom code in a new module.
What did I do? I eventually ditched the commercial software and designed a series of mobile-first web pages based on what I learned building the Linktree-alternative in Elementor.
I created templates for the mobile-ready pages, but I have not decided if I would sell them. If you are interested, let me know.
However, I could offer this alternative to mobile apps for businesses, organizations, and churches looking for a low-cost solution. Some of the benefits of this app alternative are you don’t have to pay any fees to get into the Google Play or Apple Store. You do not have to worry about updating the app if there are issues created by mobile operating system updates. And you can create a website with the .app domain designation. People just need to visit the site and save the link to their mobile devices.
What About You? What Kind of Digital Products Can You Make and Sell?
You can turn a series of blog posts into a Kindle book or ebook. You can create an online course or series of courses.
Do you have graphic design skills? What about creating social media templates or graphic design templates people can use on Canva?
If you have an idea for an online course but do not have the time to do it, then do what I did: Create a single component and offer that. Then, build the entire course as you have time.
There is a huge market for educational content, especially if you can help people improve their lot in life and make more money. I worked with one business owner who created educational products for Sunday school programs.
Many people are earning money with digital content like newsletters. As the newsletter subscription base grows, you collect email addresses. Your subscriber base, aka email list, will become a great place to sell digital items to. If you have a blog, you can offer newsletter subscribers exclusive content. Do not overlook email marketing. This is something I have not paid attention to, but I am started to use it more.
Benefits Of Selling Digital Products
The benefits of selling digital products are numerous. Digital products provide a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to generate passive income, allowing them to work once and get paid multiple times. Not only do digital products create recurring revenue streams, but they also require little effort and maintenance after they are created. (Don’t let anyone fool you and tell you it requires little to no effort to create digital products.)
By creating digital products, you can leverage your knowledge and experience to monetize it and make money from it in the process.
Digital products are a great way to make money online. They come in many forms, from online courses and ebooks to software and digital downloads. Unlike physical products that have to be manufactured, digital products offer entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a passive income stream with minimal effort because you create one time and sell many times.
How Do You Get Started Selling Digital Products
There are a number of platforms that will allow you to sell your digital products and online courses. We already mentioned Gumroad and Kindle. Here are some more online marketplaces:
- Sellfy: Sellfy is an all-in-one e-commerce platform that allows you to sell digital products such as eBooks, courses, music, and software. It offers customizable storefronts, payment processing, and marketing tools.
- SendOwl: SendOwl is a platform that allows you to sell digital products such as eBooks, music, and software. It provides a simple checkout process and integrates with various payment processors.
- Podia: Podia is an all-in-one platform that allows you to sell digital products such as courses, eBooks, and memberships. It offers customizable storefronts, payment processing, and marketing tools.
- E-junkie: E-junkie is a platform that allows you to sell digital products such as eBooks, music, and software. It provides a simple checkout process and integrates with various payment processors.
- Shopify: Shopify is an e-commerce platform that allows you to sell physical and digital products. It offers customizable storefronts, payment processing, and marketing tools.
- WooCommerce: WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that allows you to sell physical and digital products. It integrates with various payment processors and offers customizable storefronts.
I like Gumroad because I can control the price, and I only pay a fee if I sell something. I am not paying a monthly or annual subscription fee to use the platform. It is a great place to sell downloadable products and digital files.
I created my online course in Gumroad, but a lot of people use Teachable. It is a paid platform, so you might start on Gumroad and move it to Teachable once you see it is a viable solution that produces a steady stream of income.
Where Do You Find Potential Customers?
It depends on who your target audience is. You can use the above popular marketplaces, and you will want to try a number of these options:
- Social media: Utilize social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote your digital products. Share engaging content, interact with your followers, and use relevant hashtags to reach a wider audience. Look for Facebook groups that cater to your target market.
- Email marketing: Your email list becomes your customer base, sort of. You can send them regular newsletters, promotions, and updates about your digital products.
- Paid advertising: Use paid advertising channels such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, or Instagram Ads to target potential customers based on their interests, demographics, and behavior.
- Content marketing: Create valuable and informative content related to your digital products and publish it on your website or blog. This can help attract potential customers and establish your brand as an authority in your niche.
Are You Ready to Create Your First Digital Product?
I hope so. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Look for existing content you can easily convert to a digital product, like an ebook, a video, or an online course.
Build an audience for your product. Promote it through social media posts and your website.
Then, watch the money start coming in.
Let me know if you create a digital product.