Digital products are one of our favorite products to sell to earn passive income online. We began selling digital products back in 2011 and haven’t looked back. Originally we were graphic designers who worked with clients, we began to realize exchanging time for money was holding us back from living the life we wanted where we could earn money while we slept or traveled. So we designed our first digital products to sell on Etsy, we haven’t stopped creating new products to sell on various platforms ever since.
For many people, the idea of making money without doing much ongoing work might seem too good to be true. However, with a little research and some initial hard work you can build your own income streams that produce an ongoing stream of revenue!
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What are digital products?
A digital product is a products such as an eBook, logo template, course, or video, that someone can then purchase and download directly onto their computer, phone, or other device. It’s essentially the same thing as selling your product in person- but with less overhead!
Here are some ideas you can try:
- Ebooks
- Blogging
- Resume Templates
- Website Themes
- Cookbooks
- Crafting Tutorials
- Video Courses
- Logo Templates
- Print on Demand
- Illustrations
- Stock Photographs
- Planners
- Wall Art
- Party Stationery
- Digital Papers
- And More!
Every industry has a way to make an income by selling digital downloads. All you need is the right idea and some hard work, then your passive income can start flowing in no time at all.
How much money can you make selling digital products?
There are no set limits to how much money you can make with digital products. You could create a product that makes $100 one month, or your first time selling something online is also the start of an empire and your company’s worth goes into the millions!
For many people, it might seem like starting their own business would require significant upfront costs, but when you sell digital downloads the main cost is your initial time to create and set up your products.
If you don’t have the time to put into your digital products, then your earnings may not be as good as someone who designs and creates new products daily. If you can’t find time to work on your business, then it might take longer to see the results and make money.
I recommend setting a realistic goal to aim for in your first months as a digital product seller before doing something drastic, like quitting your day job. This could be $500 of sales in your first month or two. Once you reach that goal, you can aim even higher and dedicate even more time to your digital product business.
Ready to get started but need some ideas? Or maybe you’re not sure which digital product you should start with? Below we’ll review some of the top ways to earn money by creating digital products. Choose one that catches your eye and start researching, creating, and selling today!
Writing eBooks
Do you want to be an author but don’t have the time? Or, maybe you do have the time, but just can’t finish your book. Digital downloads are a fast and easy way for someone to sell their books in an eBook format instead of going through all the heavy lifting themselves!
Writing eBooks is one of the most popular ways to make money for passive income. It’s also one of the most popular ways to start as a beginner. The best part about an eBook for beginners is that it can cover any topic!
So how does this work? You write the book, format it, using a program such as Canva, into your desired eBook size and download type (epub or pdf), then upload it to the various selling sites online like Amazon, Gumroad, or on your own website.
When you create an eBook it’s called self-publishing. This means that you take responsibility for everything from writing & formatting to marketing and selling on places like Amazon or Gumroad. But not only does this process feel like less work than traditional publishing, there are many other benefits as well:
- No Publishing Company
- Control over cover design (you could simply design the cover on Canva)
- Independent Distribution -> more control over price point (instead of paying fees)
- Marketing is in your hands -> you can do it all!
- No waiting for editor reviews
- More control over scheduling the release date of a book
Tip: If you have no idea where to start with designing your eBook, just snap up a beautiful eBook template such as this from Creative Market. Then you can focus on writing your eBook rather than spending hours designing each page.
Selling Illustrations
If you have some talent in drawing and illustration this is a great way to make money! Illustrations are often used by designers in branding designs, on websites, print on demand products, and much more.
I recommend selling digital downloads through online marketplaces such as Creative Market, Etsy, or Gumroad where anyone can purchase an illustration that they need in any size format they might require.
If you’re a designer, illustrator, or artist, then this might be the perfect way for you to make some passive income while still doing what you love.
Blogging
Blogging is a simple way to produce passive income streams. Many people start blogs as a hobby which, overtime, can turn into a full-time business venture! All you need are some words and pictures (or photos) that relate to your niche and you’re ready to go.
Blogging is a simple way to produce passive income streams. Many people start blogs as a hobby which, overtime can turn into full-time business venture!
Most bloggers use their blog for marketing purposes and many have turned it in to an amazingly profitable source of revenue that they create by themselves while sitting at home on the couch. Bloggers often write about topics related to their niche (ex: fashion/beauty). By doing so you are able make connections with readers who may be interested in purchasing your products or services one day down the road too!
Tip: Have an instantly professional and beautiful blog by purchasing a premade blog theme from Creative Market. You can simply configure it and start writing your posts right away!
Selling Website Themes
If you already have web design skills, selling website themes is another great way to earn money as a beginner. Website design has grown significantly in the last few years with many people trying their hand at it, either for personal use or to turn into an income stream.
When you design and sell a website theme, control over the style is in your hands. You get to decide what colors and icons are best for your audience and individual look while formatting it into HTML or CSS so that it matches your desired download type (ex: PDF). This makes sure the end product is customized to suit specific needs of buyers rather than relying on a one-size-fits all approach.
So if you are interested in learning web design skills, or already have a head start in this area, you could have a profitable way to earn passive income with your own website themes.
Selling Logo Templates
If you know how to use Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, then selling logo templates might be the way for you. Logo design is a popular service that many people outsource because it can take hours of time and expertise just to create one simple logo! You can easily start by creating simple logos or elaborate corporate identities that help startups save time in the process of starting their business.
- Designers usually design logos for big companies or other organizations
- Creating a logo template requires more than just drawing a logo, it also involves formatting the design into an appropriate file type and size
- Selling your logos online can be done through many websites such as Creative Market, Etsy and Fiverr.
Selling Party Stationery
Party stationery is a digital product that’s often overlooked. With the rise of Pinterest, many people are interested in adding personalized party decor to their home for gatherings and celebrations.
One way this can be done as a beginner entrepreneur is by selling customizable birthday invitations with your own designs or graphics online! All you need is some time, creativity, and know-how about what goes into designing party products while paying attention to detail. This will make sure everything looks just right when it is printed out ready for the big day!
This works great if you’re proficient with Canva, Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator and have access to basic design programs like MS Word or Pages.
Want to make your designs customisable by the customer? Use a service such as Canva, Templett or Corjl.
Selling eCourses
Selling eCourses is another way to earn money from digital products. When you create an online course, you can offer a variety of training on any topic. This is an excellent way for beginners who are just starting out or those with experience in the industry, to teach others what they know and make some passive income!
Online courses come in different formats like video tutorials (screencasts) or PowerPoint presentations. When you sell your online course be sure that it includes downloadable files which will help buyers follow along easier without having to type anything into their computer.
All you need is some know how on how to build courses as well as any materials such as templates and content so that buyers of your eCourse will be able do what you teach them right away!
Selling Printable Wall Art
Printable Wall Art is such an amazing digital product for beginners or those with little production experience to make money from. All you need to do is create an original design using Canva, Photoshop, or Illustrator then upload them so that buyers will have access to the downloads immediately.
Selling printable wall art is a great way to earn passive income. It’s actually one of the easiest ways for beginners or those with little production experience, to make money from digital products!
Printable wall art is generally offered in PDF format which means they can be downloaded and printed on your customer’s home printer. All you need to do is create an original design using Photoshop or Illustrator then upload it to your website or online marketplace so that buyers will have access to download them immediately after purchase.
Selling Fonts
A font is a set of one or more computer fonts, which can be used to provide artistic and attractive text on various documents, including webpages, posters and product packaging. Fonts are typically seen as a relatively easy way for a beginner to design their own unique content by people who are not skilled in graphic design.
Fonts come in two different formats: “true type” fonts (TTF) and “open type” fonts (OTF). True type fonts are seen as the most common and useful type of font. In order to use a true-type, you need to have software installed on your computer that will allow it to read them (ex: Adobe Photoshop). Open Type fonts can be accessed by any program or device without installing anything new onto your system however they come in fewer variety than TrueType Fonts do.
Designing fonts can be a fun and creative way for beginners to earn some passive income. All you need is the skills on how to create them or access to any software that lets you do so such as Procreate or Adobe Photoshop.
Print On Demand
Earning from selling on print-on-demand platforms or selling print on demand products on your platform of choice, such as in an Etsy store, is a really effective way to make sales. Print on demand is when you upload a digital file of your artwork or design and then customers will be able to purchase that item, with your design on it, as they would buy anything else from an online store.
The nice thing about selling your designs on print-on-demand products is the fact that you will be getting money for every sale without doing all of the product creation, production, and shipping.
These are just a few examples of profitable digital products, but digital products have proven to be profitable in many other industries as well. From logo templates and craft tutorials to planners & wall art – there are so many creative ways that you could make income online with little effort on your part! All it takes is some creativity and hard work (and maybe a few lucky breaks). The best way to prepare yourself would be research into what’s popular right now: looking at what people already want buys good ideas for where things might go in the future. There are also plenty of platforms out there like Pinterest or Reddit that foster communities around specific interests, which are another great way to get a sense of what might be popular.
So what are you waiting for? Get started making some passive-income streams by selling digital products online! With just a little time, effort, and creativity, anyone can start earning money with passive income.
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