Are you wondering about what are some of the best digital products to sell so you can begin your own online business?
Selling digital products is one of the best opportunities to make money online and it has never been as easy as it is today.
If you are a writer, blogger, artist, or simply want to start an online business, you only need your creativity, time, and dedication to create your first digital product and turn into a source of passive income.
Selling digital products also means not dealing with inventory, storage problems, gigh start up cost, and many other benefits I will share in this article.
Plus. there are tons of tools and software to help you create your digital products, market them, sell them and deliver with just a few clicks.
Are you ready to find your find digital product idea? Let’s begin!
Benefits of Selling Digital Products
1. Easier logistics
When you sell a digital product, the ‘delivery’ process is automatic since people will simply download the product they bought from a link or a digital file you send. No need for fulfillment, packaging, labels, etc. Which at the same time means you don’t have to invest any time on shipping since it is all automated so you will have a lot more free time to invest in other areas or your business or simply more free time for yourself.
2. No shipping costs
It might seem obvious but when you are running a business for physical products, shipping costs can cut a big part of your profits. If you are selling low or mid-ticket items, shipping accounts for 20%-30% of your costs. In the case of digital products, you have zero shipping costs so that just means more profits and more money to keep growing your business.
3. No Returns / Refunds
Depending on the policy you choose to have, returns and refunds are other processes you won’t have to deal with. Since digital products are downloadable and technically impossible to return, most sellers have a no refund policy/
Alternatively, if you want to offer refunds, you will still be free of problems like products being returned damaged, and repackaging costs.
4. Cheaper start-up costs
Another advantage of selling digital products is that you don’t need to invest a lot of money upfront in stock. If you create the digital product yourself you only need to invest your time and even if you hire someone to do it, it will still be cheaper than buying 1000 items of any product (which is usually the minimum to get your own branding printed).
5. Never run out of stock
This one is kind of obvious but running out of stock is a real issue when you are selling physical products especially when you are just starting out and your cash flow hasn’t caught up with your production times. But you will never have this issue when selling digital products nor you will have to deal with manufacturers, calculate your expected sales and inventory, etc.
6. Passive Income
Selling digital products is one of the easiest ways to create passive income. Since most of the processes can be automated you can set it up and forget about it. Of course, you will still need to take care of the marketing and traffic but you can create a system that collects leads, follows up with them, and closes sales on autopilot. (I’ll show you how later)
7. Easier to scale
Finally, you can scale a digital product to the moon without worry about inventory issues. Once your product is selling, you can simply increase your ad budget or promotional methods in order to reach a bigger audience and make more sales.
14 Top Digital Products to Sell
Now that you are aware of the many benefits of selling digital products, you must be wondering what are some examples of digital products you can sell, how to choose them and create them.
Let’s take a look at what are some of the best digital products you can sell online so you can start planning your first digital venture!
1. Ebooks
When one thinks about digital products to sell, ebooks are some of the first that comes to mind and it is not in vain. Ebooks have an inherent high perceived value, work for any niche or industry, and are some of the most commonly sold digital goods.
If you are a blogger, entrepreneur, or business owner, you have some valuable knowledge and experience to share that can turn into your first ebook. They are a great choice as your first digital product since they sell really well and are easy to make.
While there is already a lot of information out there, a good ebook will offer something people can find for free or in one single place. The nature of the internet is that information is scattered and disorganized so you can differentiate your ebook by offering some actionable steps and measurable results.
Ebooks usually have a cost between $7-$9 which is what people are used to paying. This might not seem like much but if you have a blog or website with some regular traffic it will add up and turn into a significant source of passive income.
Finally, if you want to sell something of higher value in the future, an ebook is a great way to start building a base of buyers who trust you and can later buy your higher ticket offers.
2. Courses
Online courses are another digital product you can sell to share your knowledge on almost any niche and topic. If you are a bloggers, entrepreneur, or expert in any topic, you have a course waiting to be shared!
Courses tend to include several types of media like videos, written guides, and templates and are organized into modules so people can follow along. They require some more time and effort to create but they also have a higher perceived value and can cost anything between $20 to $2000+.
Nowadays there are many online platforms like Clickfunnels and Kajabi that allow you to host and sell your course all in the same place.
You can also use marketplaces like Udemy and Coursera but they take a huge part of your profits and force you to sell your course at a very low price due to the high competition.
If you are interested in selling an online course, make sure to check out my article on How To Sell An Online Course On Autopilot
3. Online Workshops
Online workshops are another way to share your knowledge through a digital product. Compared to courses, workshops cover a more specific topic and they are usually live and include the participation of the audience.
You can sell a workshop for mostly any topic and industry but consider that there are lots of free webinars and free videos available so make sure your workshop offers enough value and information that is not easily found so your audience feels compelled to assist.
A great thing about workshops is that they don’t they much time to produce and you can continue to create new ones on similar topics once you know what your audience likes. You can also sell the replays for a cheaper price than the live version and turn it into an evergreen source of income.
You can use a platform like WebinarJam to sell your online workshops, collect payments, send reminders, and host the live event.
4. Memberships
A membership site is an online space where users get access to exclusive content by paying a monthly recurring fee. This is a great way to create a steady recurring income but it also requires more work on your part to keep members engaged and keep adding more content every month.
Membership sites can include a mix of other types of digital products since they usually give members access to courses, workshops, live training, and community among other things.
You can create an online membership in platforms like Kajabi or Clickfunnels where you can upload all your content and restrict access for only paying members. You can also add a private Facebook Groups to your membership to encourage more interaction between members and increase your membership value by creating a community of likeminded people that others want to join.
5. Photography
If you enjoy taking pictures and have some decent editing skills, you could turn this passion into a profitable digital product.
Literally, every industry and company out there needs images for their online and offline materials and they are willing to pay good money for quality pictures.
You can sell your photos in most stock sites like Getty Images, Shutterstock, and iStock where they pay between 25 and 45 cents per image or sell them on Etsy where images are prize $10-$15.
Another way is to create your own site and specialize in a certain niche and type of pictures. Haute Stock and Creative Market, for example, are two sites that focus on feminine pictures and they charge $30/month and $15/picture respectively.
6. Videos
Statistics also say that 87% of marketers use video as part of their promotional strategies and at the same time the consumption of video content online grows every year. On Facebook alone, there are 8 billion video views per day.
In conclusion, video is a great digital product to sell and will continue to be for a long while.
Depending on the type of content you product, you can sell your videos on stock sites like Uscreen and Vimeo.
If your content is less commercial and more artistic you can also promote it yourself through social media and have people support it through platforms like Patreon.
7. Printables
As the name suggests, printables are any type of artwork or graphic design that you can sell online so people can then customize and print.
If you are a graphic designer, printables are some of the easiest and fun digital products to sell.
Some common types of printables are invitation cards, birthday and holiday decorations, calendars, meal planners, worksheets, games, etc.
You can sell your printables on sites like Etsy and Creative Market or if you have your own blog you can use SendOwl to sell and deliver your printables automatically.
A great factor about printables is that they are quick and easy to create so you can produce as many as you want and once they are done you can sell them forever.
8. Swipe Files
Swipe files are basically templates that include a proven and successful formula for a certain task. The purpose is to help buyers save time and avoid them the learning curve by letting them ‘borrow’ your own experience and expertise.
Swipes files are more common in the digital marketing space for things like email templates, and sales letters but you can create them for other niches if you have a proven formula that others can benefit from.
The great thing about putting together a swipe file is it’s so easy that you could probably make it in just a couple of hours.
Some swipe files and templates you could sell are:
- Email sequences
- Sales Letters
- Social Outreach
- Website Pages
- Advertising Blueprints
- Webinar Blueprint
- Speeches
9. Graphic Design Templates
If you are a graphic designer, besides selling printables, you can also create templates for graphic elements to be used digitally such as fonts, textures, illustrations, and more.
Plus, you don’t even need to be a professional designer since nowadays there are tools like Canva and Picmonkey that are very intuitive and easy to use so anyone can create their own design to sell.
Some common graphic templates you can sell are:
- Social Media Graphics (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest)
- Slideshows
- Logo Templates
- Fonts
- Patterns
- Branding Templates
10. Music or art
If you are a musician or artist, it can be hard to find a way to monetize your talent while you work on your career but there are some options you can explore when it comes to digital products.
If you make music, you use platforms like Songtradr to sell digital products like ringtones, and music for tv, films, and advertising. You can also use social media to grow a following and use platforms like Patreon to have your fans support you while you create exclusive content for them.
In a similar way, if you are an artist, besides physical merch, you can turn your art into digital downloads for web elements, phone wallpapers, and e-cards.
11. Software
It is no secret that the software industry is booming and shows no signs to stop. With companies around the world expected to spend around $503 billion on enterprise software in 2020, this is one of the most promising digital products you can sell.
Software can be any type of product or service that is powered by code such as web and mobile apps, website themes, games, plug-ins, etc. If you have any coding skills or have an idea for a solution that can help any industry, then definitely consider selling software.
One inspiring example of the value of unique software is entrepreneur Garrett Gee who sold his mobile scanning app Scan to Snapchat for $54 million. Not a bad deal.
If you are interested in selling software but are not a developer yourself, you can check marketplaces like CodeCanon where you can buy ready-made software with private label rights. This way you can take care of the marketing and selling without any of the coding.
12. Products as a Service
The internet has made the line between products and services to get blurrier every day since you can sell for example a logo which before used to be considered a graphic design service but now it is also a digital product. Luckily, consumers don’t care about these technical differences.
Selling a productized service is similar to an hourly agreement where you are selling your time in exchange for a specific outcome or result. The difference is mainly how you sell it since the consumers are buying the end result and the service-in-a-package experience where they don’t have to deal with the process, negotiation, etc.
You can do this by setting a fixed price for your services e.g. $500 for a website, or you can do it on a case-by-case basis where you determined the price based on the specific requirements of each client.
BrandBuilders for example is a productized service that offers Affiliate and Ecommerce Done-for-You sites for a fixed price.
Under this method, you can turn any services or skill into a marketable and scalable product in any niche. Some other examples of products sold as services are:
- Websites and funnels creation
- Audio and Video Editing
- Legal and Financial services
- Graphic Design services
- Lead Generation, etc.
13. Coaching
If you are an expert in your field and are confident you can help someone get the results they want, you can offer online coaching as a digital product (or productized service).
Coaching has a high perceived value since it involves 1-on-1 time and personalized advice which is often missing on courses or workshops.
You can also use coaching as a way to put your method to test, get testimonials, and build your online authority. This way you can create your own course in the future and those have results to back you up.
More importantly, if you are going to offer coaching, make sure you can really deliver on your promises and help your clients achieve their goals. Otherwise, instead of building a good reputation, you can create a negative one.
If you have no online presence as a professional, it is a good idea to create blog or social media page where you start sharing your knowledge and build a following of people you trust you and can potentially hire you as a coach.
14. Affiliate Products
Do you want to sell digital products and make money online but don’t want to create your own product? No problem, you can sell affiliate products and earn a commission for selling other people’s courses, books, etc.
Affiliate Marketing is a model where you can promote digital (and physical) products of any kind and industry and make a commission for every sale you make.
There are lots of affiliate networks you can join such as Clickbank, MaxBounty, and Sharesale where you can choose between their many offers and start promoting digital products.
This can be a very profitable method if you know how to choose the right products and audience. If you want to learn more about it, make sure to check out this video about High-ticket Affiliate Marketing.
How to Sell Digital Products?
Once you have chosen what type of digital product you want to sell, you will reach the question of ‘how to actually sell a digital product’. So, in this section I will tell you about the different methods you can use and which one I consider the best.
1. Sell your digital product on a marketplace
The first option for selling your digital products is to use an already established marketplace. For most types of digital products, you’ll find one or more of them that you can use. E.g. Etsy for printables, Udemy for courses, iStock for photography, etc.
The main benefit of using a marketplace is that there is already a significant audience looking for that type of product so you don’t need to worry about promoting, getting traffic, etc. Once you upload your product, there is not much else you need to do.
However, there are also some drawbacks to using these platforms. In the first place, there is naturally more competition since you will be listed among other vendors and similar products so it will be harder to differentiate yourself.
The competition also affects the price that you can sell your product for. If all other vendors are selling a similar product around $20, it will be almost impossible to sell yours if you want to price it at $100 so you are kind of tied to the price range others are using.
More importanly, all these platform have their own rules keep the customers emails to themselves and could close your account if they thinki you have broken any policy.
While it could be a good place for a quick start, I do not recommend it if you want to have full control of your income and build an scalable business.
2. Sell your digital product on your own platform
If you are serious about selling your digital product and turn it into a passive income that replaces your current job and more, I recommend using your own platform to do it.
This way you will have full control of the entire process, you can set up your prices freely and can build a long term business since you will be building an email list of your own clients.
This route involves a little more work but nowadays there are many tools and software that you can use to host, sell, and deliver your digital product even if you don’t have any experience.
Here are some key factors you will need to sell your digital product independently:
A blog or landing page
The first thing you’ll need in order to sell your digital product is a ‘place’ where you can tell people about it, explain what it is about, showcase its features, benefits, etc.
If you are a blogger you already have a platform to promote and sell your digital products as well as some hopefully loyal and happy readers.
In this case, you can promote your digital products in your blog posts (where is relevant), as well as your home page, sidebar, and banners, and you can use a tool like SendOwl to receive payments and deliver your digital product.
If you don’t have a blog, there is no problem, you can use a simple landing page to present your digital product and tell people how amazing it is and why they should buy it.
You can use a drag-and-drop page builder like Clickfunnels which is really easy to use, has ready-made templates, and where you can also collect payments and deliver your product.
A freebie or lead magnet
A lead magnet is a free item you offer your potential clients with the goal of capturing their emails and start building your trust and authority.
Lead magnets are often used for mid and high ticket products so depending on what you are selling and its price you can decide if you want to use it or not.
Regardless of that, even if you are selling a $7 ebook, a freebie can help you build your own email list of people that are interested in your niche and whom you can then offer this and other products you create.
Make sure to check out this article later If you want to learn more about how to create a lead magnet to grow your email list of potential buyers.
An email sequence
Creating an email sequence to sell your digital product is the best ways to maximize your sales. Marketing statistic show that most customers need to ‘hear’ from your 7 to 8 times before they are ready to make a purchase so this is a great way to build trust and convert more lead into buyers.
This is why I also recommended offering a lead magnet since is the best way to capture emails of potential buyers.
One method that has proven to converts really well for me is to offer a 5-day training via email as a lead magnet. This way I combine both the freebie and the email sequence.
Over the course of the 5-day training, I make sure to deliver great value to inspire my subscribers’ trust and their curiosity to keep learning from me. Then when I finally present my digital product on the 6th day they are much more likely to buy from me than they were 5 days ago.
A step by step guide
Selling a digital product is one of the most profitable and passive business you can start and while I hope I have given you a clear understanding of what you need to do, it’d be impossible to cover every part of the process in just one article.
Everything I know and that has worked for me to sell $30K in digital products over 6 months, I learned in this 30-day challenge. If you are serious about creating a 6 or 7 figure income with your digital product, I couldn’t recommend it enough.
It is taught by Russell Brunson himself, who has built a $360 million business selling software and ebooks and his team of 7-figure business owners.
Click here to learn more about the challenge
Digital Products to Sell | FAQ
1. What kind of digital products can I sell?
You can sell any of the digital products I have mentioned in this article such as ebooks, courses, workshops, memberships, photography, videos, printables, swipe files, music, art, productized services, coaching, software, and affiliate products.
2. How do I choose a digital product to sell?
Some important factors to consider when choosing a digital product to sell are:
- Consider creating a digital product to sell on a niche that you are familiar with so it is easier to be aware of the audience’s needs and the current offer.
- Consider choosing an evergreen product that can be sold long-term, year-round, and that doesn’t need constant updates.
- Do some research around the product you want to create, is there something similar in the market? Can you make it better?
- If you don’t have any experience selling digital products, consider creating a simple one first such as an ebook, this is a better way to learn about the process without too much risk.
- Talk to people in your niche about your product idea and gather their opinions.
Takeaway
There are many types of digital products you can sell depending on your interests, skills, and expertise.
But regarldless of the digital product you choose to sell, this is one of the easiest and lower-risk business you can start today.
What do you think about these digital products? Which one would you like to sell?
Let me know in the comments I’d be happy to help you get started!
