As the saying goes, “All rivers flow to the ocean.” For creators, we can think of rivers as different streams of income and the ocean as your wallet. To help get you flowing with inspiration and on your way toward financial stability and abundance, we’ve rounded up 9 digital products you can create this weekend to diversify your revenue–really!
The importance of diversifying revenue streams
Before you start considering different ideas, you might be wondering why even invest your time in digital product creation. Having multiple revenue streams means not placing all your eggs in one basket. Being flexible with your offerings is ideal for unpredictable markets. Adding a digital product or products into the mix can mitigate risk, while increasing income stability and business scalability.
Why digital products are a great option
Not only does digital product creation provide opportunities to earn more money, it also gives you, the creator, different outlets for creative exploration. Meanwhile, it meets customers, new and existing, where they’re at. Different formats at different price points can appeal to a wider range of audiences, due to preferences, abilities, learning styles, and budgets.
Additionally, digital products offer great potential for a return on your investment (ROI). Something you create once can generate passive income and continue earning your money for years to come.
Can you really create digital products in a weekend?
It really is possible to create at least one digital product on this list in one weekend. Not all listed are going to align with your strengths and skill set. Therefore, notice which one you naturally gravitate toward and feels manageable. Start with one that feels easiest to execute, then come back to this list and work your way up to ones that feel more challenging but that still align with your creator-career goals.
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Digital product ideas
Here are 9 digital product ideas you can create this weekend and start selling online.
1. Ebooks and guides
Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, it’s easier than ever to self-publish ebooks and guides. This can be short and sweet—5,000 words, even—and on a simple PDF, which is ideal for downloading or EPUB, which can easily be transferred to digital readers.
How to choose a topic
It’s always best to write what you know, whether that’s your field of study, career, or a hobby you have much experience with. When it comes to choosing a topic for a book, it can be easy to get carried away and select something that you aspire to write about it. But start with something you have an abundance of information about or that people already come to you for to get a feel for the process—and start earning quicker.
Tips for writing and formatting
If you’re new to writing ebooks, it might be a good idea to outline your book with all the chapters and sections you want to include, not only to organize and map out what to accomplish but also for consistency for your readers. Consider making all sections the same length, give or take, and that headers, fonts, and margins make for easy reading. Visuals, such as diagrams or charts, can also be helpful in breaking up text and holding readers’ attention.
As you write, keep your audience in mind. You might even imagine you are writing to one person in your target audience to keep your content engaging and relevant. When you’re done, be sure to edit thoroughly and even ask some people you trust to proofread and give feedback.
Promoting and selling your ebook
When it comes time to promote your ebook, start marketing early to build anticipation. Make your ebook available on many different platforms, and encourage readers to leave a review, so it gets more traction. You might also consider collaboration with influencers to spread the word and/or offering incentives, such as bonus offerings, to people who preorder the ebook.
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2. Online courses
We don’t believe the old adage, “Those who can’t do, teach.” In fact, it’s best to teach something you know through direct experience, whether it’s a technical skill, artistic skill, or form of fitness. Enter online courses.
Identifying your expertise
You don’t have to limit yourself to your career or academic field. Instead, start with something you have a sincere interest or passion in. From there, weave in your experience, be it work-related, something you’ve studied, or a hobby you have done consistently for a significant period of time. Another formula we’ve offered for course ideation: the intersection of your knowledge, passions, and a profitable niche.
Additionally, you might want to test your ideas by surveying your intended audience and/or offering a pre-sale before moving on to course creation. Creating an online course might already be a growth edge in itself, but as you consider the subject matter, consider the people you population(s) to serve and why the content matters to them—and you.
Creating engaging course content
Once you’ve selected your area of expertise, it’s time to consider how to make your content engaging and rewarding for your students. With them in mind, craft your learning objectives and outline your course.
As you build out your content, back-up your content with relevant sources, research, and real-life examples within each module. Consider providing information from a wide range of perspectives and social locations.
To appeal to a wide range of students, including those with visual, audio, and kinesthetic learning styles, offer content in multiple formats, for instance images, audio files, readings, videos, etc. In addition to different forms of multimedia, engage students with interactive elements, such as polls, quizzes, discussions, surveys, etc. Consider if there are opportunities to offer personalized learning pathways, peer collaboration, and mentorship through feedback and extra support.
Choosing a platform to host your course
- Teachable! In case you didn’t know, we offer everything you need to bring your course to life. In addition to supportive tools, we offer a user-friendly interface and marketing features, as well as easy integrations with other platforms.
Some other online course platforms include:
- Udemy - While it doesn’t offer much as much customization, Udemy is a good option if you want a built-in audience and tap into the platform’s extensive reach. We go into detail of the differences between Teachable and Udemy in this article.
- Thinkific - Similar to us, Thinkific offers a platform ideal for customization options for brand consistency and marketing tools.
- LinkedIn Learning - If your course(s) is for professional development or skills, you might consider hosting on LinkedIn Learning. Subscribers get access to the collection of all videos, and you will get paid based on views. There are paid plans for individuals or businesses, and if you’re active on LinkedIn, this could be ideal for branding and staying on one platform.
- Coursera - Similarly, Coursera partners with universities and organizations to provide educational courses and degrees, including certificates of completion. While there isn’t as much creative freedom, this is a great option if your courses are academic or credentialed and students are wanting to receive certificates to enhance their curriculum vitae.
- YouTube - If you’re not ready to commit to a paid plan, you can start uploading your videos to YouTube. To offer online courses on YouTube, you’ll want to create a channel, followed by high-quality videos for each of your outlined modules that you can organize into playlists. Within the video and/or description, you can include supplemental materials, such as links to PDFs or additional resources. While there are many limitations to using YouTube, rather than actual online course platforms, there are ways to monetize (namely through advertising, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing) and it’s a great option for getting started on a budget.
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3. Printables and worksheets
Printables are a fairly simple product to create and a great complement to other digital products, such as ebooks and online courses.
Types of printables and worksheets
The sky's the limit when it comes to what kind of printable or worksheet you can create. Some general categories include checklists, planners, goal-setting, calendars, templates (for instance, budget tracking), coloring sheets, and journaling prompts.
Designing attractive and functional products
When it comes to designing printables that are both functional and attractive, first consider what will truly help your audience. What is the information they need or the pillars that need to be included for your worksheet to bring them value. To determine this, you may need to do some surveying or market research.
Once you have finalized the elements of your print-out, you can start designing something aesthetically pleasing. You might consider something aligned with you or your company’s branding, so that customers that purchase and download will keep you top of mind. On the other hand, you might feel inspired to go in a different direction based on the content or subject matter. Canva, an online graphic design app, is a great creator resource with countless templates and beginner-friendly tools—and is free to use! (Upgraded plans with more advanced features available.)
Marketing and selling your printables
The best place for your printable to live is on your website or course hosting platform. Once you’ve created a landing page for your digital download, you can start promoting it on social media and in newsletters. Add an automated email to your online orders, so you can have the download emailed immediately to anyone who purchases it. Set it, and forget it!
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4. Stock photos and graphics
If photography or graphic design is more your forte, you might consider packaging and selling your art.
Building a cohesive collection
Select a common denominator to create a collection. This might be a specific place, color palette, or subject. When deciding how to group your artwork, it’s a good idea to consider your audience or niche, as well as your brand identity. Once you’ve gathered an overall aesthetic vision, start gathering options and pare down to images that showcase your range while staying consistent and balanced.
Tips for shooting and editing photos
When shooting, there are many different factors to consider, including diversity in models, avoiding unnecessary clutter or anything distracted, carefully-considered props, and leaving space for text overlay. Remember, since you’re selling as stock images, the people buying your photos will often need some space to add text if using for promotional purposes. Another tip is to offer photos in various sizes, layouts, and formats. Since you won’t know the customers’ needs beforehand, give them an abundance of options to work with.
It’s important to understand the basics of photography, including lighting, balance, and white composition. While you generally don’t want photos to be overly doctored, minimal editing can help enhance cohesion in your collections. You might consider filters or presets, or even some basic editing tools to achieve a similar aesthetic. If you’re not familiar or need to brush up on your photography skills, consider investing in a course.
Invest in quality equipment
Photography
The essentials for getting started are a camera (DSLR or mirrorless), lens, and tripod. You can gradually build your tool kit by investing in lighting accessories and backdrops. Read more about our top picks for different budgets in this article.
Graphics
Meanwhile, for graphics, you’ll want a computer with adequate storage and memory, software, such as Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, and possibly a drawing tablet.
With both photography and graphics equipment, it’s always a good idea to invest in quality and quantity. You can always begin with basic equipment and improve as you learn and hone your skills.
Selling on stock photo websites
Canva, which we mentioned above, is a great place to sell stock imagery, as is Adobe Stock and Shutterstock. When promoting on these sites, use SEO keywords in photo titles and descriptions, so that people can easily find them. You might even create a sample mock-up of what your image might look like in a promotional layout, to help potential customers visualize its potential.
5. Templates and themes
Templates and themes give users a starting point for their content. Pre-designed, they offer users a cohesive look and feel, as well as the ability to customize with their own assets and information.
Identifying popular template types
As with worksheets and printables, there are many different templates and themes to consider creating. These include social media templates (for instance, Instagram grid and/or story posts), newsletter templates for email marketing, website templates for various landing pages, and templates for video editing. Theme packs can come in different formats (website, wallpaper, etc.). Similar to stock photo and graphic collections, they usually center around a theme or aesthetic.
Designing user-friendly templates
Templates should be simple and straightforward for your customers. In addition to creating an easy-to-use interface, you might even create instructions for them, walking them through how to use them in an easy-to-understand way or address any questions they might have. It’s also important to consider accessibility and make sure your designs can be accessed by all users (for instance, by choosing large fonts and colors that are easy to read, simple layouts, and alt text that describes the images – learn more about accessibility standards here).
Promoting your templates on marketplaces
- Etsy - While known for artisans to showcase their handmade goods, Etsy is also a great space to sell your digital products, especially templates and themes. Ideal for niche products, Etsy draws many visitors to its marketplace and allows you to make your shop page customizable to align with your brand.
- Creative Market - With its vast community and expansive categories, Creative Market is a popular platform for digital products like templates and themes.
- Envato Market - Envato Market makes up many digital marketplaces that offer website themes, graphic templates, plugins, and more. It is trusted among its many site users, thanks to a review process, and could be a great option for housing your digital templates.
- Adobe Stock - If you’re an Adobe Creative Cloud user, Adobe Stock is convenient, as it’s already integrated, and allows you to license your assets directly.
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6. Digital planners and journals
We touched on planners in the printables section. Rather than a simple PDF of a daily, weekly, or monthly template, you might create an entire planner or journal. Many people need help in the organization and time-management department, and a thoughtfully-created digital planner or intentional journal may be just the ticket.
Creating functional and visually appealing designs
Again, there is a lot of overlap with designing digital planners/journals and printables/worksheets. To create products that are both functional and attractive, consider your audience’s needs and wants. Consider something aligned with you or your company’s branding, so that customers that purchase will keep you top of mind.
Offering customization options
You can create a variety of journals from the same template, switching up the colors, fonts, cover designs, etc., so that your audience can choose one that appeals to them best. Additionally, you can make fields, such as headers, editable, to make them even more tailored to your audience (not to mention great go-to gifts!).
Marketing your digital planners and journals
If you choose to go the customization route, it’s best to sell on websites with ecommerce capabilities or platforms like Etsy, Shopify, and, of course, Teachable.
7. Presets and filters
Presets and filters are settings for photos you can apply to add a unique, usually artistic look. When you play around with editing a photo, adjusting different effects, such as contrast, brightness, and highlights, you can save the settings as a preset. Meanwhile, a filter is a one-time adjustment that applies a different effect to the photo.
Developing unique and versatile presets
When developing your own presets, you will need to use photo editing software, such as Lightroom or Photoshop. Before you start experimenting with different settings, consider the look and feel you’re going for. You might not know until you’re actually playing around with settings, but it can be helpful to consider your aesthetic before you start. After you come up with a good combination, experiment with different photos and adjust certain settings as needed.
Compatibility with popular software
Once you’ve found the combination you like, make sure your download is compatible with most software systems – .xmp files generally work across many platforms and are convenient for customers.
Promoting your presets on social media
Then start sharing! Showcase your work with side-by-side views of images without and with your presets. Consider who your presets and filters are most suited for, and from there you might do targeted ads or collaborations with influencers relevant to your audience. If you’re just starting out, you might consider discounts, promotions, or giveaways to spread the word.
8. Audio and video content
For those of us that like to be seen and heard, here are digital products that get you on air and/or on camera.
Types of audio and video content
There are many types of audio content, such as podcasts, music, interviews, and audio books, to consider. Many of them can even incorporate video, offering multimedia assets to work with. For instance, many podcasts are offered as audio versions on podcast platforms, such as Spotify and Apple’s Podcasts app, but have video footage to accompany, either on the platform itself, on YouTube, etc. Then, there are other kinds of video-specific content, such as vlogs, TikTok, Reels, tutorials, product reviews, and more. When deciding whether to record audio, video, or both, consider the content and information you’re presenting. Would it be better seen, heard, or both?
Recording and editing tips
Similar to photography, you’ll want to invest in quality equipment (again, we have some of our favorites in this article), considering both lighting and sound. It’s always best to record in a small area using a good microphone. Because attention spans are less and less, you’ll want to edit and trim out any unnecessary footage. As you’re recording, consider ways to keep your audience engaged to hold their attention.
Distributing and selling your content
With most audio and video content, you can distribute among different platforms for different benefits. Consider the platform that feels most aligned as the home of your content (for instance, YouTube for long-form video content), then what other channels can support getting your audience there. Offering sound bites and snippets of your video is a great way to promote on social media and in newsletters. If your videos are really compelling interviews or narratives, consider if it makes sense to make just the audio available on podcast platforms to attract different audiences. Or vice versa - if you’ve created compelling audio content, consider if there is any bonus video content you can offer listeners.
To monetize, you might consider advertising, such as YouTube ads. You could also offer the content as a paid download or subscription (see below).
9. Membership sites and subscription services
Any time you can get your audience to subscribe or commit to an auto-renewing payment, it saves you the trouble of having to continue marketing your digital products. With a membership site or subscription service, customers get access to a library of your content, ideal if you’re already creating regular content.
Choosing a niche and target audience
As with other digital products we’ve covered, it’s best to choose a niche you have some familiarity with, as well as an audience you can truly serve (or have served). While this doesn’t have to be your career or area of study, it should be something you have a lot of knowledge of and direct experience with.
Creating valuable and exclusive content
Membership adds an exclusivity element that can be tempting for your target audience, especially if you’re already delivering them free quality content. The best way to offer valuable content is to dive deep into your topic area for your audience–really over-deliver. You might do some market research ahead of time or ask for feedback to see what they’re really wanting and needing. Once you’re up and running, be sure to deliver content consistently, and keep engaging with your community to make the subscription feel worth their while.
Setting up and managing your membership site
There are many outlets to host your membership site, including all-in-one platforms such as Teachable (yours truly), Kajabi, Thinkific, as well as website platforms, like SquareSpace and plugins for Wordpress. Consider your specific needs and what functionality will best serve you. Is there one that aligns with your other offerings or what you hope to offer in the future?
When it comes to managing, keep your subscribers in mind every step of the way, from a clear onboarding process, regular communication, consistent content release schedule, community building and facilitation, etc. Be available and open for feedback to keep your community happy and committed.
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Wrap up
We hope this guide has offered you some ideas and inspiration to start creating your digital product this weekend. We’ve touched on products that involve teaching, writing, photography, editing, creating art, and more. If you’re still not sure about where to start, consider who you are as a content creator, teacher, and even learner – do you gravitate more toward audio or visual content? Are you a writer or an artist? What skills come easily to you? Questions like these can help guide you to the digital product(s) that will be easiest–and most enjoyable–for you to create. Again, not all products on this list are going to align with your business, skill set, or even desires. But adding one to your offerings to diversify your revenue can positively impact your income.
FAQs
What are the best digital products to create and sell?
It varies by creator. The best digital product for you to create and sell will be different from any other creator, not only due to your skill set but also your worldview and lived experience.
What skills do I need to create digital products?
Skills vary by digital product but generally include writing (eBooks), graphic design (worksheets), editing (all products listed), on-air recording (audio and video content; online courses), and photography.
How can I create a digital product quickly?
It depends on where your strengths already lie, what you already have experience with, what comes most natural to you. If you’re not sure what that is, read through the below list. Take note of which ones seem manageable and which you don’t feel prepared to take on—at least not in a weekend.
How do I price my digital products?
Find a sweet spot based on the time and energy it took to create the product, production costs, etc., that honors your creativity and ingenuity, while being competitive with similar products on the market. Pricing too low may cause customers to undervalue your product, while pricing too high can lose your audience that feels it’s not within their budget. You can always lower prices through seasonal promotions, but it can be harder to raise your prices once they’ve been set.
Where can I sell my digital products online?
We touch on many resources in this article! Check the online courses, templates, and membership sites sections.
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