As a consumer, you’re likely using a whole host of digital products on a daily basis. The next step is for you to start creating digital products that others can consume. In today’s article, we’re going to dive deep into all of the best ideas for digital products that you can start to build.
Our list of the top ideas for digital products to sell is perfect for anyone, whether you’re just searching for a side hustle or getting ready to launch an eCommerce empire.
The best thing about selling digital products is that you can sell as many as you want without ever having to worry about inventory the way you do with physical goods. Since these products are normally so cheap to produce and sell, they also typically leave a lot of margin for profit.
The hardest part of starting a digital product business is determining what to create. We compiled these top 9 ideas for digital products to help you get started in the world of online business.
What are Digital Products?
As we’ve already alluded to, digital products are any digital goods that can be bought and downloaded over the internet. In the past few years, as technology has improved and more people have access to the internet, these kinds of products have become more and more popular.
Software, e-books, online courses, mobile apps, web-based tools, digital art, and virtual reality experiences are all examples of digital products. One of the best things about digital products is that they can be sent to customers all over the world nearly instantly. The barrier to entry for creating and selling digital products is extremely low, so what are you waiting for?
The Importance of Digital Products in Today’s Environment
Digital products also have the advantage that they are easy to update and get better over time. Software can be updated to fix bugs and add new features. E-books and online courses can also be updated with new information and content. This lets businesses make sure their products are still useful and up-to-date, which can help keep customers happy and loyal.
Bonus: Digital products are also good for the environment because they do not require any materials to make or package them and generate no waste.
The rise of digital products in the past few years has also seen business models shift and change. For example, companies can now use subscription models (SaaS) to sell access to digital products on a recurring basis instead of selling the products outright. This can help businesses make a steady stream of money and can also make customers feel like they are part of a community.
Most ideas for digital products will fall into one of the following categories:
- eBooks & PDF Resources
- Online Courses
- Digital Media – Like Podcasts, Audio Files, Video Files, Stock Photography
- Graphics & Digital Art – Like digital assets and NFTs
- Software – Like Apps, Web Apps, Browser Extensions
But enough about all the hype, let’s dive in and look at our top ideas for digital products.
9 Best Ideas For Digital Products
1. eBooks
eBooks are one of the most common digital products that you’re probably familiar with. Many businesses will use eBooks as lead magnets for capturing your email address and giving you something of value. There are a ton of different eBooks that you can write. Niche-specific eBooks, fiction eBooks, recipe eBooks, or course-specific eBooks There is no end to the possibilities.
When setting out to write your eBook, you should also evaluate if it will be a good fit for Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, or Google Play Books. These will be the primary channels you can use to bring your eBook to market!
You could also sell your eBooks as one-time purchases or as part of a subscription service. To gain initial customers and build momentum, you can give away free eBook samples or versions as a teaser.
2. Plugins and Browser Extensions
This one is a little more technical, but you can create and sell plugins or extensions as a digital product. These little programs augment current software and browser experiences. Web browsers and WordPress use them.
Selling plugins and extensions lets you leverage existing client bases that already have a ton of demand and network effects. Web browsers and CMSs have vast user populations that you can target with your plugin or extension.
You can sell plugins and extensions as one-time purchases or subscriptions. Free trials or trial versions can attract new users initially, and to increase income and client loyalty, you can offer tiered packages, technical help, and additional customization.
3. Online Courses
Have you ever thought about making online courses that you could sell? When it comes to ideas for digital products, they’re a great kind of product that can make a lot of money. Simply put, an online course is a collection of lessons that you can access via the internet. These lessons can be about anything, from cooking to coding to personal growth. Online courses are great because anyone can take them from anywhere at any time. This makes them very accessible.
If you want to make an online course, you should think about what you know and what you can teach others. For example, if you’re a great cook, you could make a course about how to cook healthy meals on a budget. Or, if you know how to code really well, you could make a course on how to build a website. You can make and sell your course on a lot of different platforms, like Udemy, Skillshare, or even your own personal website.
4. Paid Newsletters
Are you an avid writer or blogger already? Do you document your thoughts, ideas, and solutions to your problems? Next on our list of ideas for digital products is creating a paid newsletter.
A paid newsletter is an email sent regularly to people who have signed up for it. It has useful information, insights, or news about a certain topic or industry. It’s a great way to build a loyal following and make money on a regular basis.
When making a paid newsletter, you should think about what you know and what your audience would like to read. For example, if you know a lot about investing money, you could make a paid newsletter with news and tips about the stock market. Or, if you are passionate about living in a way that is good for the environment, you could make a paid newsletter with tips and resources for living a more eco-friendly lifestyle.
You can use sites like Substack or Mailchimp to sell your paid newsletter. You can use a subscription model to sell your newsletter, where people pay a monthly or annual fee to get it.
5. Downloadable guides
A downloadable guide is a document or booklet with a lot of information, instructions, or tips about a certain subject or topic. It’s a great way to show off your skills and give your audience useful information. It is a somewhat similar concept to the eBook mentioned above, but downloadable guides take different forms.
Once again, consider the topics and niches that you have some kind of domain of expertise in. For example, if you know a lot about fitness and have a lot of experience in the field, you could write a book with tips and strategies for losing weight and getting fit in general. Also, if you love to travel, you could write a guide that tells people how to plan trips on a budget and gives them useful tips. By matching your expertise to what your audience is interested in, you can create a guide that meets their needs and makes their lives better.
Use platforms like Gumroad, Etsy, or Sellfy to sell your downloadable guide. Depending on what you want, you can sell your guide as a one-time purchase or as a subscription. You can also give away a free sample or version of your guide to get more people to buy it. You can also offer extra services, like personalized coaching or Q&A sessions, to make more money and get to know your customers better.
6. Stock Photography & Stock Video
Our list of ideas for digital products could not be complete without including stock photography and stock video. Stock photos and videos are, at their core, a collection of photos and videos that can be licensed and used by other people for a wide range of purposes, both commercial and personal. It’s a chance to show off your creative skills and get paid for them. With your smartphone or camera, you’re probably already capturing many moments and scenes from around the world.
The great thing about making and selling stock photos and videos is that you can shoot whatever you want and don’t have to worry about what clients want. People, places, and animals are just some of the things that can be captured. Stock videos can be anything from a time-lapse of a city to a tutorial on how to cook.
Many stock photo and video sites also have a large network of customers, like advertising agencies, web designers, and publishers. This makes it much more likely that your work will sell and get exposure.
So, if you like taking pictures or making videos and want to make money from your hobby, stock photos and videos might be a good choice for you. Try it out. You might be surprised at how well it works out. Check out Pexels, Unsplash, iStock, and Adobe Stock for inspiration.
7. Design Templates
Many of you reading this may be graphic designers looking to capitalize on your skillset. Well, fear not, because creating design templates is one of our top ideas for digital products!
A graphic design template is a pre-made design that can be easily customized by the person using it. It could be a template for a website, a business card, or a brochure. The best part is that you only have to design it once, and then you can sell it a thousand times over.
Also, many small businesses and entrepreneurs don’t have the money or time to invest in custom designs, so they use pre-made templates instead.
You can sell your templates on marketplaces like Envato, Creative Market, Etsy, or even on your own website. There are a lot of things you can do, and if you have the right marketing strategy, you can reach a lot of people and make a steady income.
Here are 7 types of design templates you could make to give you some inspiration:
- Website Wireframe Templates
- Brochure Templates
- Business Card Templates
- Social Media Post Templates for the likes of Instagram and Pinterest
- Social Media Content Calendar Templates
- Event Invitation Templates
- Icon Sets
If you have a good eye for design and want to make money with your skills, making and selling graphic design templates is a good idea to think about.
8. Applications (SaaS)
Next on our list of ideas for digital products is once again a little more technical. However, if you’ve ever thought about building your own application, creating a SaaS app (Software as a Service) can be a great option for a digital product.
SaaS apps work by getting software to customers by hosting it on a remote server and making it available over the internet. It lets the user access the software from anywhere with an internet connection and on any device.
One of the benefits of making a SaaS app is that you can sell it as a subscription service, which means you can make money month after month from your paying subscribers. It can also be used to serve a large number of customers, making it a great way to grow your business and reach people all over the world.
You can make a SaaS app for any industry, from project management to e-commerce to accounting to HR management. The options are endless.
If you know a lot about technology and have an entrepreneurial spirit, building a SaaS application can be a great way to turn your ideas into a business that makes money.
9. Private Membership Communities
You may well be familiar with or part of some private membership communities yourself, but this type of product is next on our list of ideas for digital products.
A private membership community is any group of people who pay a fee to join and get access to special content, tools, and resources. It can be used for many different things, like professional development, personal growth, or topics about a hobby.
If you want to build a private membership community that does well, you need to give your members something of value. You need to make them feel like they belong and that they are part of a special group. This can be done by giving your members useful information, getting them involved in your community group, and getting to know them on a personal level.
Building a private membership community lets you make a steady stream of recurring income since members usually pay a monthly or yearly fee to access the community. It also lets you build a community of loyal customers, which can be a powerful tool for driving growth and building your brand.
More often than not, private membership communities will be paired with online courses and exclusive content. You can check out some platforms to power your private membership community like MemberPress for WordPress, Kajabi, Thinkific, Memberstack, and Teachable.
Future Trends and Ideas for Digital Products
There has been a great deal of progress in the realm of digital products in recent years, and the prospects for businesses and budding entrepreneurs to make and sell digital products are excellent. Due to the exponential rate of technological progress, you can expect to see a lot of new digital products come out as time goes on.
AI and ML are being used more and more in digital products, and you can expect this trend to continue. As AI and ML get better, it’s expected that more and more digital products will be able to meet the unique needs of individual users at the point of sale. This means we’ll see ideas for digital products created more around hyper-personalization across a wide range of services, from custom workout plans to biometric updates.
The incorporation of VR and AR technologies into software and hardware is another rising trend. As virtual and augmented reality technologies improve, more and more digital products will use them to give users environments that feel more real and respond to their actions. This could be done with VR tours of historical sites or other similar experiences that teach.
Using blockchain technology for digital products is another growing trend. Because of its decentralized nature and high-level, trustless governance system, blockchain technology is ideal for creating non-fungible digital goods. In the near future, blockchain technology is likely to be used in more and more digital products to keep users’ personal information safe. We’ve already seen this in recent years with the proliferation of NFTs.
Lastly, we can expect a rise in the number of digital goods with a focus on health and wellness. More and more digital products aimed at improving people’s mental and physical health are likely to enter the market as people become more conscious of their value. Apps to help with meditation and mental health journaling are just two examples.
Key Points: The Best Ideas for Digital Products
- Digital products include everything from software and e-books to online courses and paid newsletters. They can all be sold and given away online.
- Software as a Service (SaaS) is a type of digital product that is becoming more and more popular because customers can subscribe to it and use software over the internet.
- Plugins and extensions can also be successful digital products because they add extra features to programs like web browsers and content management systems.
- eBooks, online courses, and downloadable guides are also popular digital products because they offer useful information and instruction on a wide range of topics.
- Another type of digital product that can be sold is a paid newsletter. Subscribers get access to exclusive content and a look behind the scenes.
- Stock photography and stock video are also popular digital products because people and businesses can use them for many different things, like marketing and advertising.
- Graphic design templates are another type of digital product. They are layouts and templates that have already been made and can be used for things like brochures, flyers, business cards, and more.
- Another type of digital product that can be sold is a private membership community, which lets customers see exclusive content and connect with people who like the same things they do.
- Virtual and augmented reality are becoming more popular, artificial intelligence and machine learning are being used more, and more and more people want personalized and on-demand products and services.