How to Create and Sell a Digital Product in 5 Easy Steps (+ 35 Digital Product Ideas)

Are you looking for a way to work less and earn more money?

Aren’t we all! I’m here to tell you that it’s completely possible and you can do it by creating and selling digital products.

When you create and sell digital product ideas, you are able to earn what is known as a passive income where you make a product once and sell it over and over.

Think of printables, templates, ebooks, courses – these are all popular digital products that are making people money all around the world.

ound too good to be true?

Well, it’s not always the easiest strategy to put into place – especially if your a mommy blogger! – but as long as you can come up with a profitable idea, create it, and market it, you are made in the shade!

And this is exactly what I’m going to show you how to do in this post.

Keep reading to learn more about creating a digital product (as well as some amazing product ideas to get you started).

Grab Your Blog Planner to Help You Create Your Digital Product Idea

Selling Digital Products Versus Physical Goods

There are many benefits to selling digital products online instead of physical goods! One of the major advantages is selling digital products allows you to make passive income.

You make the product once and sell it repeatedly without having to restock an inventory and spend time making more.

That is the beauty of passive income! Selling digital products also involves low startup costs and leaves you with more room for profit.

You can also target a global audience since you don’t have to worry about shipping.

Overall, selling digital products is super flexible and you can make quick changes to your product such as updating your product or fixing errors.

5 Steps to Create a Digital Product

1. Start With An Idea

Before you start selling a product you need to come up with a digital product idea. To do this, first look at what skills you have – both when it comes to solving a problem and creating a product.

For example, if you have a blog and have mastered Canva, why not sell some Pinterest templates? This is something I am doing to help other busy mom bloggers create Pin graphics fast!

Or, if you have a specific educational background, why not write an ebook about what you know? At the end of this article, I’m going to give you some digital product ideas to get you started but make sure you focus your time and energy on creating something you are passionate about.

Look for products that nicely balance your skills and passion. This will help you create a great product that will sell!

Another way to validate your idea is to go to Facebook groups and see what people are talking about. As long as you are in a Facebook group of your target audience, you might find some hidden gem product ideas in a group.

For example, before school starts you might see posts about lunch ideas, but sometimes you might get more information to help you decide if this is a good product idea.

From this Facebook post you might devise a bento box style guide for moms with kids entering kindergarten.

It’s large enough that it includes moms with little ones, but niched enough that it’s just bento-style lunch ideas.

2. Do Some Market Research

Doing market research means looking at similar products you plan on selling and developing a good understanding of who your customers will be and what they are looking for in a digital product.

Start by searching your product idea on Google.

Look at existing products, blog posts, forums, and social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit.

Pay attention to how others are selling their products, how much they are selling it for, and what customer “pain points” they are addressing.

For example, here’s a lunch kit that shares a pain point – food not lasting and getting too hot, which leads to bacteria.

This can help you tackle some pain points with your audience.

Also, look at what customers are saying online about these products – what works for them, what’s missing, etc.

Even though others may be selling a product that you want to sell, this doesn’t mean that you can’t be successful.

Market research is going to help you figure out how you can create and sell your product in a way that is unique!

3. Create Your Digital Product

Once you have established your digital product idea as well as who you are going to sell it to, it’s time to get creating!

The time it takes you to make your product depends entirely on what you are making.

An ebook, for example, can be quick and easy if you are compiling blog posts and using something like SendOwl to distribute your eBook.

However, if you are making products related to things like web development or art, this can take some time.

Try to establish a routine where you can sit down and focus on your product.

Also, look for tools that can help make the process easier and quicker.

For instance, creating Pinterest templates is super easy with a program like Canva or you can use a program like Elementor to quickly create WordPress themes.

Just think about the scale on which you want to create and sell your digital product before you spend money on fancy programs and equipment.

When you’re just starting out, stick to the least amount of tools to build your product – as you get going and start making sales, you can invest in more expensive tools that will help you get the job done more quickly

4. Beta-Test Your Product With Your Audience

A beta test is where you take your digital product and release it to a limited number of potential customers in order to real-world test it.

This way, you can iron out any issues before you start to sell it.

Beta testing also helps you build an engaged and excited audience.

Chesly of Motherhood and Mayhem is currently going through the beta phase of her book but she smartly shares it with her readers on her blog.

Her readers see that she has a book link, clicks on the link and see’s its in the Beta phase and you can sign up to be a reader too! This helps her get her book to market quicker by having many beta readers catch grammar errors and flow issues.

Having a test group of potential customers encourages these individuals to purchase your product when it is 100% complete.

Plus, they are likely to recommend the product to others and increase your sales.

Free publicity!

5. Choose Your Selling Platform

Where you choose to sell your digital product depends entirely on what you are selling.
However, you can always build your own store on a website to sell your goods.
Begin by choosing a domain name that encapsulates what you do and connects with your customers.
Then you can use an e-commerce plugin such as WooCommerce or Shopify to set up your shop.
Otherwise, you can always consider these platforms to sell your digital product:

Amazon: Amazon isn’t just an online store for physical goods – you can sell digital products there too! They offer advertising features to help you attract more customers.
Etsy: Known for selling physical products, you can sell digital ones here too. There are some fees involved with selling your items but this platform allows you to design a unique landing page and provides some useful tools for running a successful shop.
SendOwl: SendOwl is a great platform for selling digital products, especially memberships and subscriptions.
Teachable: If you plan on selling an online course, I suggest you check out Teachable! This is where I sell my courses and the platform is super easy to use.

The best way to determine which selling platform will work best for your digital product is to do some research and see where other creators are selling theirs!

How to Sell Your Digital Product

Once you are all set up and ready to sell your amazing digital product ideas, it’s time to look at how to attract customers and make money!

The best way to do this is to create a lead magnet or freebie you give to your readers.

This marketing tool is used to build an email list from your site by offering people something for free to get them to sign up.

Focus on offering something that is related to your product.

For instance, if you are offering a course on budgeting, offer a free budgeting spreadsheet.

You can also offer discounts on your product which is a great way to ensure that those who sign up for your list are going to buy it!

There’s also something to be said about driving organic traffic to your site through search engines such as Google.

You can do this by using SEO to improve your ranking so your site shows up toward the top of search results.

Plus, here are some other ways you can market your product and drive sales:

Create an affiliate program where you pay other people to promote your product. When a referral signs up and pays, the original customer gets a perk!
Offer discounts and coupons to attract customers to your product. You can offer a coupon for joining your email list or discount your product for a limited timeframe.
Seek out micro influencers to get your product advertised on social media. Look for people who match your target audience that are also popular on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok
It’s all about getting the word out there and connecting with your target audience!