Grow Your Income: Create, market and sell
Digital products are your new best friends in the chic world of modern entrepreneurship. These fabulous assets or media can be sold online, offering the dazzling benefit of infinite sales without the hassle of restocking. The cost to sell? Utterly minimal. The profit potential? Absolutely remarkable!
With a plethora of digital delights to create, choosing the perfect product is often the greatest challenge. That’s why we’ve curated a stellar list of digital product ideas—your first step to building a digital empire that radiates success. You’ll also discover stylish strategies to amplify your sales and marketing efforts, ensuring every click turns into a connection.
Why Embrace the Digital Era?
Digital goods are utterly fabulous! They’ve become mainstream, with consumer spending on digital products nearly on par with clothing and electronics. Need more convincing? Here are six glamorous reasons to dive into the digital marketplace:
- Endless Inventory: Say goodbye to those pesky supply-and-demand woes. Your digital treasure trove can sell on repeat.
- Capture Passive Income: Once your digital product funnel is sizzling, it’s time to kick back and relish the rewards. Let those paychecks roll in while you savor the moment.
- Effortless Scalability: Increase your sales without the stress of supply chain logistics. No more worrying about ramping up production.
- Minimal Startup Costs: No need for hefty investments or boardroom negotiations. Create a dazzling product that fits snugly within your budget.
- Freedom and Flexibility: Achieve that coveted passive income, and watch as free time blossoms. Focus on life’s true pleasures, whether it’s cuddling your pup, mastering the art of water skiing, or indulging in the allure of stamp collecting.
- Broaden Your Market Horizons: Even if some clients can’t splash out on your premium services, they’ll embrace the accessibility of your digital offerings. It’s inclusivity, darling, and it’s divine!
If this isn’t love at first sight with digital goods, then what is? They’re your golden ticket to a dynamic income stream, freeing you to explore the next horizon of opportunities for your online business—always with style, grace, and a touch of magic. 💫
Feel the empowerment rushing through your veins? That’s the sound of your future success calling! 🔥✨
Types of digital products to build and sell
There are many types of digital products. When reading our list, you’ll notice that most of them fall into the following categories.
- Ebooks and PDF resources
This can include fiction and practical guides
- Software
Widgets, apps, themes, and plugins make great digital products
- Digital media
Consider selling podcasts, short videos, stock photography or other types of digital media
- Graphics and digital art
Put your design skills to use by creating and selling your art
- Online courses and communities
Creating an online course is easier than ever and a great way to share your expertise. Communities can also help build authority in your field.
- Templates
This could be as complex as a WordPress website template or as simple as a to-do list. If you can create a template that saves people time or fills a gap in technical ability, you can sell it
- Directories
Offering access to resources such as industry experts, tools, and offers can be extremely valuable
Not all of these options will be suitable for you and your business. But we’re confident that the variety of products available means you’ll find something that fits your skills and industry. Now, onto the list!
45 digital product ideas for your industry
Now you are hyped up about how great digital products are, it’s time for us to show you the best digital product ideas!
Our list includes 45 ideas for 16 different industries. If your industry isn’t on the list, we hope you can get inspired and find ways to apply the ideas to your area of expertise.
Bloggers
Digital products are a great way to monetize the audience you have built up through blogging. Remember that the digital product must hold more value than what you’re already sharing for free—so make it good!
Here are some ideas for bloggers:
1. Membership site: Set up a site with exclusive content that customers can access through a monthly or yearly subscription.
2. Podcasts: Interview influential people in your field and share insider tips and ideas. Here are some of our favorite digital marketing podcasts for inspiration and a podcast email marketing guide to help promote your show.
3. Paid newsletters: Set up a paid newsletter that goes deep into the topics your blog discusses. Use your blog to drive signups and traffic. For example, A Media Operator has a free newsletter and blog that it uses to promote a weekly paid newsletter.
Freelancers
Enter the world of gigs, freelancers and digital nomads. Every freelancer picks up plenty of knowledge on their journey that can be packaged up into a digital product to help others. Once the product is ready, freelancers can use email marketing to promote it.
4. Beginner’s guide to freelancing: Write an ebook on how you started freelancing.
5. E-learning course: Create a certified course about your profession.
6. Online community: HerSuiteSpot has created a platform of mentors and resources for female entrepreneurs and freelancers.
Life and wellness coaches
If you’re a counselor, life coach or wellness expert, you can use digital products to help a wider audience.
7. Meditation audio: Sell 10-15 minute audio recordings of meditations and mindfulness exercises.
8. Video courses: Create a video series of coping strategies, grounding techniques and wellness tips.
9. Printable journals and wellness trackers: We love this wellness planner
Designers
Design skills are always in demand. And so are design-related digital products. Here’s are 3 digital product ideas for designers.
10. Presentation templates: Give your customers a presentation design that stands out.
11. Icon sets: Give people unique icon sets for their website or landing page.
12. Create a website design checklist: Alberta Designs is website design agency. It offers this checklist to reach an audience beyond its design clients.
Developers
Developers are in high demand! In today’s digital economy, an increasing number of products require software development. Here’s a list of digital product ideas for developers.
13. Apps: Once you’ve designed your mobile app, you can either add a paid plan or in-app purchases.
14. Website themes: Sell premade themes that customers can download and use on their website.
15. Integrations: Build a product that integrates with another. For example, Collect.Chat is a chatbot integration you can easily add to your website.
Businesses and startups
Business owners and entrepreneurs have plenty of useful knowledge and expertise! Share your business hacks and strategies using the digital product ideas below.
16. Resume templates: Sell CV templates to help your customers get hired.
17. Job newsletter: Create a weekly paid newsletter that sends out the best job opportunities in your industry.
18. Online communities and resources: Create a community to help people in your industry connect. For example, Superpath is a community for content marketers.
Writers
Calling all writers! You have two options for digital products: either sell your writing or create digital products for other writers. Here are some of our top ideas.
19. Deleted chapters, spin-offs, short stories and extra scenes: Capitalize on the popularity of a book by publishing extra story snippets for your readers to buy.
20. Self-publishing guides: Many writers are interested in self-publishing, but feel overwhelmed by all the steps needed for a successful launch. If you’ve already been through the process, share what you learned.
21. Private proofreading community: Set up a private community where writers can share their projects and give each other constructive feedback. Critique Circle is a good example with both free and paid membership levels.
Artists
Thanks to the Internet, artists can sell both physical products like prints and canvases, and digital products and downloads. Here are some of our favorite digital ideas.
22. Designs: Make these relevant to your expertise. If you can sew, share the patterns you use. Or, if you’re a sculpting expert, share your designs.
23. 30-day email course: Teach your audience how to tap into their creativity and explore the creative process in a 30-day series of emails.
24. Printable coloring sheets: Turn your artwork into a coloring sheet for customers to download and print. We love this Frida Kahlo coloring sheet, created by Fox + Hazel.
Beauticians
Take your expertise out of the salon and get it online! People love to know about top products, makeup techniques and the latest beauty advice. Here are some ideas:
25. Home recipes for healthy skin: Create a downloadable ebook with home remedies for skincare.
26. Hair and makeup tutorials: Video courses are crazy popular (YouTube registers over 700 million views of beauty-related content per month)! You could set up a subscription series, where customers receive a new tutorial every week.
27. Certified courses: Let your customers become qualified beauty experts! You could run an online course like the Institute of Makeup Artistry.
Childcare
If you’re a parent or work at a school or a kindergarten, you know the value of anything that will keep the (darling) little monsters entertained! Here are some ideas to try.
28. Printable games and riddles: Create games such as crosswords, word searches, or mazes.
29. Kids’ audiobooks: Write a short story and record yourself (or a voiceover artist) reading it, then sell it as an audiobook. Perfect for children to listen to in the car, or before bedtime.
30. Virtual field trips and activities: In the example below, The Thinking Kid organized virtual sessions on Aesop’s fables, circus tricks, and Mars.
Foodies
Calling all chefs, cooks and food lovers! Share your culinary knowledge and experiences with the world using these hot digital product ideas.
31. Nutrition plans: As we grow more health-conscious, everyone is on the lookout for wholesome and nutritious meal plans.
32. Recipe ebooks: Don’t keep your recipes a secret! Create an ebook and share the joy with your customers.
Musicians
Musicians can access a huge market thanks to the Internet. 70% of internet users listen to music streaming services each month, so the demand for music digital products is high!
33. Downloadable songs: Sell your songs online, with different pricing for personal or commercial use.
34. Sound effects: Sell sound effects to video and music creators.
35. Beats: Create beats and sell them online.
Personal trainers
Get your customers’ heart rates pumping with these fun digital product ideas! You could also share teasers of your workout videos and meal plans on your social media account to attract new customers.
36. Weekly workout video subscription: Release a new workout video every week to keep your customers on their toes!
37. Meal-prep plans: Give your clients a little help in the kitchen with some healthy recipes and meal plans. Share them weekly in a PDF, or put everything together into an ebook.
38. Workout plans: Fitness and nutrition coach Dorota Soto created this 8-week program aimed at busy moms who want to live a healthier lifestyle. It comes with a private Facebook group and workout videos.
Photographers
A photographer’s skillset is highly sought after in pretty much every field! Whether you specialize in weddings, business events or cat food advertisements, you can create some awesome digital products.
39. Photoshop presets and filters: Help your customers find the perfect look for their social media page or website, with premade presets and filters.
40. Stock photos: Michelle Buchanan delivers stock images into her clients’ inboxes every month. This free digital product can result in sales of her paid services.
Videographers
Video content is one of the most popular digital products. If you’re a videographer, think about selling some of these digital goods.
41. Video animation intros: YouTubers will go crazy for premade introduction templates that they can add to their videos.
42. Stock video: Maybe you filmed a battle reenactment or footage of a rare animal. Other videographers will be keen to get their mitts on them, so why not sell them as stock footage?
43. LUTs and presets: Check out the example below from Jeven Dovey, who sells preset video colors that other videographers can use.
Travel and tourism
Travel and tourism is a huge industry—worth approximately 7.7 trillion USD in 2022! If you’re a seasoned traveler, work in the industry, or have expert knowledge on a specific country or region, you can put that expertise to good use and make some extra cash with a digital product.
44. Trip plans and itineraries: Planning a trip can be stressful, so much so that some travelers would love a ready-to-go itinerary that saves them the hassle.
45. Travel budget templates: Create a spreadsheet that travelers can customize and plan their trip budgets with.
46. Travel guides and e-books: Share your insider knowledge, tips, experiences, and recommendations so that other travelers can make the most of their trips. Here’s an example from Hey Nadine, who sells a step-by-step guide on how to travel.
How to start selling digital products
Before you can start creating digital products to sell online, you need to decide which products best fit your industry, expertise, and audience.
You’ll also need to consider what your budget, resources and time will allow. Creating a single digital resource like a template won’t necessarily require ongoing work. But something like a podcast, which involves regularly creating new episodes, will require a significant amount of time to create.
All of this is to say that as much as you might like the idea of a certain digital product, there are lots of factors to consider when it comes to whether it’s right for you and your audience. Here are some tips for deciding which product you should start selling.
1. Brainstorm digital products that fit your industry
You probably already have a few ideas for potential products—jot them down and think of as many as you can. To help you get started, think about:
- What gaps are there in the market that you could fill with a digital product?
- What pain points have you resolved with your own solutions that could be useful to someone else?
- What pain points does your target audience regularly face?
- What are you passionate about that you could channel into a highly valuable digital product that people want to buy?
- Which digital products could complement your brand, existing content, or other products?
Research your target audience
To support and develop your ideas, look to your followers, subscribers, existing customers and target audience for insights.
This could involve reading or taking part in discussions on platforms such as Reddit or in other online communities, sending a survey to your newsletter subscribers, or engaging with your audience on social media.
You can also use tools like Google Trends and Keyword Planner to check the search volume for terms related to your ideas to see how popular they are.
Analyze your competitors
Your target audience is similar to, if not the same as, your competitors’ target audiences. A good way to understand what types of digital products they are consuming and are interested in is by checking what your competitors are offering.
This will also allow you to look for gaps in the market or find opportunities to create digital products that are more valuable. What’s more, it will help you to decide on how to price your products.
2. Develop your pricing strategy
There is a lot to consider when defining the pricing of your digital products. Different types of products will require different payment models—some options to think about include:
- Straight sales of single products with one-off payments. For example, for an e-book or template
- Package or bundle options with multiple products for a one-off payment. For example, icon packages or a collection of courses or guides
- Monthly or yearly subscriptions. For example, for paid newsletters, podcasts or communities
- Membership fees for access to a library of resources. For example, graphics or stock images.
It should be fairly clear whether or not your product should be sold as a subscription or a one-off sale, but you might want to play around with various subscription tiers and packages to discover one that works.
Competitor research
Researching competitor pricing can give you a good starting point for your own pricing. You might think that you should go straight ahead and undercut them to attract more customers, but that’s not necessarily the best idea.
Pricing your product higher can make customers perceive your products to be of higher quality or provide more value. Think about whether your digital products include anything that your competitors don’t. If you offer more value, you might be able to justify a higher cost. Find the right balance between value, customer satisfaction, competition, and profit margin.
Remember, don’t be afraid to price your products higher if that’s what you think they deserve.
Consider your running costs
It’s easy to get carried away while imagining all the money you’re going to make with your digital product! After all, there’s no inventory to purchase or investments to make, meaning profits can be sky-high.
While that may be true, and digital products are a great way to earn extra, passive income, there are still additional costs to consider before settling on your pricing. These include:
- Payment fees
- Marketing costs including software and tools
- Advertising
- Hosting
- Marketplace fees (If selling through a marketplace)
Check out this article for more on how to sell digital products online.
