What Digital Products Should You Create in 2023?
Admit it, you have taken a few digital courses over the time you have been a blogger. You have probably also bought a few digital products such as eBooks, planners, workbooks, or printable. But have you ever thought about creating your own?
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Lots of people do, so why can’t you?
Of course, that sounds super simple and I’m not a believer in super simple. You don’t just whip up a quick printable and make thousands from it. Well, you might but I’m not going to promise that.
What you can do is assess the different types of digital products that you could create in 2022, plan them and start developing them. And hopefully, make a ton of money! Let’s crawl before we can run through and start with the planning.
What are digital products?
Let’s start with a simple definition – what are digital products? According to the e-commerce site Shopify, a digital product is
“an intangible asset or piece of media that can be sold and distributed repeatedly online without the need to replenish inventory. These products often come in the form of downloadable or streamable files, such as MP3s, PDFs, videos, plug-ins, and templates.”
This means there are loads of different options for the types of digital products that can be used and some solid reasons for considering them. For example:
- They have low overhead costs – you don’t need to have a stock of digital items stored in your home to sell to people because they are digital, not physical
- No recurring cost of goods – likewise you don’t need to keep buying materials to make them because they are digital
- You are getting near to passive income – there’s work to be done but once you get systems in place, these products can often sell largely automatically
- You can use them in different ways – you can sell them, add them into bundles, give them free or discount for promotions, and more
Now that’s not to say it is a magic bullet that will sort all of your business income needs. You face lots of competition both with other paid products and free products which can be especially challenging. There’s a risk someone could steal your product and sell it as their own and will need the right tools to sell and market your products. But the pros outweigh the cons for me.
What kind of digital products could you create?
There’s no way to list ALL of the types of digital products you can sell but to help you plan what to create in 2023 and beyond, here are some of the big categories.
eBooks
My first attempt at a digital product was an eBook on how to grow your Pinterest account. This was great fun to create and has had a lot of positive feedback. The idea was simple – create a book that helps people with their Pinterest account after the beginner’s stage. There’s loads of stuff out there for beginners but what about after this?
For your own eBook, there’s no limit to the different options you can choose. You can create both paid and free eBooks and even go down the route of self-publishing on Amazon. The key is to find something that solves your audience’s problem and that they are willing to pay for, all within an eBook format.
Swipe files
If you have something like an email course or a sales funnel that works well for you, there’s no reason you can’t package it as a swipe file and sell it. This is where you show people how you did something with the exact words so they can adapt this for their own use and audience. Sometimes these can be a plug-and-play style where people can use them exactly as they are.
Online courses
Online courses are huge, and I bet you have taken a few – I know I have! They are a great way to learn something, easy to access, and to market. From general ‘learn how to’ stuff to super specific topics, there are plenty of options.
You can also use all kinds of different formats. From live courses taught each week to video courses with written lessons, worksheets, and a combination of all three, there is no shortage of ideas.
Stock photos
If you love taking photos and are good at it, there’s no reason why you can’t sell some of these as stock photos. There is a lot of demand for high-quality photos that aren’t the same as all the rest and plenty of areas to focus on. You could specialise in flatlays for text to be added, scenery shots for lifestyle bloggers, or even food stock photos.
WordPress themes
Can you code and create a WordPress theme? Then you have an instant digital product. Look at a certain area and create themes for it with themes selling from $50-100 each. You do need to keep up with maintenance and offer some kind of troubleshooting for your theme but if this is your kind of thing, it may be the perfect product.
Patterns
Not all digital products have to stay digital – one example is to create patterns and sell them. People buy them, print them and make whatever the pattern shows. Knitting and sewing patterns are two classic examples. DIY projects and upcycling ideas are also great pattern digital products.
Membership sites
A membership site definitely isn’t something you consider for your first digital product as there’s a lot of work involved but it could be the one to aim for down the line. Offering a membership produces recurring revenue but also a lot of work, creating new content and helping your members. A paid Facebook group is somewhere in the middle of this and is a recent addition.
Paid email course
I’ll admit I haven’t been through a paid email course myself but there’s definitely a niche for it. One example lists a 30-day writing course where you get a prompt each day to write for 30 minutes and even comes with something like a Facebook group to chat with others taking it. Another could be a shorter one to do with a certain eating approach like Keto or Paleo.
These are relatively simple to create and all you need to market them is a way to take payments and an email marketing software company. You can often largely automate these and concentrate on interacting with people taking the course and in Facebook groups or other places you offer it.
Workbooks or printable
Workbooks or printables are ideal if you want to start with a fairly low-cost digital product to test the waters. There are any number of things you can create from simple meal planners to workbooks on how to start using Instagram for business. Think about what you know and if other people could benefit from the knowledge.
These are also great for free products to help build an email list. Then when you create other, paid products, you have a willing audience of people who already love your free stuff, know you through your email marketing, and are ready to buy.
Content templates
Content templates are also known as private label rights content or done-for-you content. The idea is that someone creates a blog post and you buy the rights to use it. This isn’t exclusive so other people can have the same post – which means some editing and reworking is a good idea. But this can save a lot of time on content creation and people love them.
You can also use something like a fill-the-blanks template for emails, social media, or other formats. Here people could personalise what they use the content for, but the bulk of the work is already done.
Live paid workshops
I’ve been through plenty of free workshops but there’s no reason why you can’t create a paid one. Similar to an eBook but with a live element, you can teach on a topic you know, and your audience wants to learn. These are usually 2-3 hours in length and come with a workbook or PDF. They are also known as paid live training.
Graphic design templates
I know several of my graphic designer friends create and sell templates, especially things like Pinterest templates and eBook templates. If you have some design skills, this is a great route to consider as there are always plenty of people (like me) who are up for buying them.
Do be careful of things like copyright on images or graphic elements you use and make sure you can sell them in templates. Also, consider the ease of use of the template – producing templates for Canva is very popular at the moment because it is non-designer friendly. Others prefer to stick to things like Photoshop.
Spreadsheets or trackers
Related to printables and workbooks, spreadsheets, and trackers can be great for lots of different audiences from people tracking their water consumption to business owners looking at expenses. You can even create things from what you use yourself (copyright permitting) to show how to use them in addition to offering the product.
Training tutorials
Training tutorials tend to be for tech or systems, and these are very popular – just look at YouTube. From how to set up a WordPress site to how to put together a piece of furniture from a certain brand, there are lots of ideas and ways you can help people and make some money.
How to sell digital products
Once you have an idea of the kind of digital product you want to create, then you next need to think about how to sell it. This usually means a website and some kind of software to help. Here are a few examples and what they do.
- SendOwl – this is a sales platform that hosts digital products and also services and membership sites. With a simple code or URL added to your website, you can instantly process a sale and have the person receive their product. There is a monthly cost and you need a website to link to SendOwl from
- Digital Downloads by Shopify – Shopify offers a free app to sell digital products that let people receive their purchases instantly and sends a link through by email too. Again, you need to have a website to add these links
- WooCommerce on your website – WooCommerce is a full e-commerce solution that is free to install but has some paid upgrades. This lets you sell anything from printables and patterns to physical products like handmade jewelry. It is very customisable but does require some time to set up and personalise
- Course platforms – Teachable or Thinkific are two examples of course platforms to host your digital courses. I’ve been using Podia recently for mine. They are separate from your website although you will still probably want a site for marketing and blogging. They do have a monthly charge depending on the size and number of products you have
- Funnel software – I’ve signed up with FG Funnels as a way to handle the whole thing. From the email opt-in freebie sign-up page to the sales page and beyond, this handles all of the process. It also allows you to create a course or Offer which includes any kind of digital product and grants people access to them as you set it up.
What else you need
Nearly there! You have your product idea and you know how to get it to the people buying it. But what else do you need?
Ways to market your products
As a blogger myself, I’m going to mention blogging and content marketing top of the list as ways to market your product. By offering high-quality, useful free content, you have a better chance of someone being willing to pay for more.
Pinterest is another great way to market your product and also to drive traffic to your content marketing efforts. It is a visual search engine so graphics and images are very important to help people visualise what they are buying – mock-ups can be great for this.
Social media is also another way to market products. Facebook Pages and Groups, Instagram, Twitter, and more can all be ways to reach your potential audience, build a relationship and sell your product.
Email marketing software
You will definitely want email marketing software to help with your sales. Partly to help send out those emails to let people know what you do and also to build relationships with people after they have bought. Then there’s a better chance they buy again in the future or recommend you to a friend.
My favourite for this is ConvertKit which is a powerful email marketing tool. Other options include MailerLite, Active Campaign, and Mailchimp.
Ways to take payments if not already covered
Finally, if you haven’t already got it, you want to have a way to take payment. Many of the software options like SendOwl or Teachable have connections with the likes of PayPal and Stripe to take payments. If you elect not to use these and go for something like WooCommerce, you will need to connect a payment gateway that is secure.
I use Thrivecart for this as it has a range of features that are great to use and connects with both PayPal and Stripe.
Pricing your product
The final question is the trickiest one – what to charge for your product? There’s no right or wrong answer or quick formula to follow. But a few tips that might help you include:
- Price by the value to the customer, don’t try to be the cheapest
- Be confident that your product is worth the money – or change the price
- Go higher and offer discounts, bonuses, or promotions
Packages or bundles can be a good option if you have more than one product. You can increase your profits with add-ons and extras which often take less work to create than the original product and people feel they are getting better value. They often appeal to a different audience than just the product alone too.
Building a digital product business
Whether you want digital products to be your business or a secondary way to make money, they are perfect. There are so many options that let you help your audience while making money, you can always find a solution.
These ideas are just the basics of digital product ideas so don’t be afraid to go for something a bit different! Think about what you love, what you used, and what you paid for – could you make something similar for your audience?
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