How to create your first digital product

Are you ready to create your first digital product but not sure where to start? In this blog post, I will guide you through the process, from brainstorming ideas to launching your product. Learn how to validate your idea, and the steps to take to bring your product to life. Whether you’re a blogger, coach, or online service provider, this post will help you turn your ideas into a successful digital product.

Brainstorming ideas for your digital product

Identifying your expertise

Start by identifying your areas of expertise, skills, and knowledge that you can share through valuable digital products. Consider your professional background, hobbies, and any specialized knowledge you possess.

You also need to decide on the type of product you want to create. Will it be something small, or an extensive signature course covering many aspects of one topic?

Here’s an example:

• Instagram Reels for Introverts Course – likely a mini-course or ebook as it focuses on Instagram as the broad topic, but reels for people who likely haven’t been using them much as a narrower focus.
• Instagram Academy would likely be a signature course as it would cover many topics under the Instagram umbrella, such as creating content, engagement, reels, stories, live videos, hashtags, etc.

I recommend starting small. Your first digital product does NOT have to be a course or membership, and it should NOT take you months to create it. More on this will be discussed later in this article, in the “Choosing the right format” section.

For now, just having a general idea of what you want to create is enough to start your research.

Research

Before investing time and resources into creating a digital product, conduct thorough market research to validate the demand for your idea. Look for competitors, analyze customer reviews, and gather data to support the viability of your product.

Every new digital product idea should always include both market research and competitor research.

Understanding your audience’s needs

For your digital product topic, you need to think about more than the broad idea of your product. You need to figure out who it’s for, what stage they are at right now, and how they are feeling. 

Research and understand your target audience’s needs, challenges, and pain points. What are they struggling with, and how can you help them with that? Understanding your audience will help you create digital products that resonate with them.

Before you can create a product to sell to people, you have to figure out what your audience needs help with.

Many people guess or assume they know what people in their audience want help with. However, instead of assuming, it’s better to ask them.

I recommend sending a survey to your audience to help you learn what they need help with. There are free survey tools, but they may have a limited number (sometimes only 10!) of responses you can collect without paying for it. I recommend creating a simple form on your site instead.

When you’re writing your survey, make sure you keep it short and sweet. Ask questions specifically around your topic.

For example, if you’re a food blogger, you could ask, “Which meal of the day is the hardest to create a weekly plan for?”

If you’re a decor blogger, you could ask, “What room in your house needs the most help?“

Make your survey questions open-ended rather than give options for each one. This will encourage your audience to share more about the problem they’re having. You can get valuable insights into what they’re struggling with, what would really help them, and the language they use. And that’s the language you should be using to sell your product.

If you’re having trouble getting people to take your survey

First and foremost, it might be worth investing more time connecting with your audience before creating a digital product. No, not everyone who follows you will take your survey, but it’s nice to at least have a small selection of your audience that you can rely on for things like this.

You can also offer a prize for one winner who takes your survey. I’ve done this before, but you want to make it clear that they need to provide answers that will be actually helpful. You need to offer a prize that will attract your target audience and not lots of random people (like Amazon gift cards might). Depending on how large your audience is, you could even offer a free 30-minute session for everyone that takes your survey, or select a couple of people who win a session with you. They get your advice on their most pressing issue, and you get even more insight into their problems and the language they use!

Competitor research

You want to see what similar courses or offers are already out there in the market with competitor research. Competitor research helps you see how you can create something better, more targeted, or with your unique spin on it.

You also want to consider market trends and popular topics within your industry. Look for gaps or opportunities where you can offer unique and valuable digital products that meet the current demands of your target audience.

Doing this can also help you decide on your pricing. 

Pricing your digital product

Pricing is one of the hardest parts of creating digital products. Instead of struggling to figure it out and just guessing, do competitor research to get an idea of what other people are charging for something similar.

Now, it’s important to note here that doing competitor research is not so you can copy their product. Instead, you’re looking at your outline compared to what’s included in their product, how valuable your content would be, and what price point would be ideal and competitive. To do your competitor research, do a quick search on Google or Pinterest to see if there are other similar products and what the creator is charging.

But remember, the goal is not to charge less than your competitors. Don’t shortchange yourself for the amount of work that you’re putting into your product. A competitive price also depends on the value inside the product.

At the end of the day, remember that you can always change the price.

Your course promise

The next step is to figure out your course promise. Use your market research to help you determine what you are promising someone who takes your course.

For the Instagram Reels for Introverts Course example, the course promise might be:

Instagram Reels for Introverts will give you a step-by-step system to help you become more visible and show up on reels confidently and authentically without dancing or pointing.

Validating your digital product idea

There are several ways to validate your product idea.

You can tell your email list what you are working on and see their response, but even if you get some interest, you don’t know that people are willing to pay for it until they actually do! So you really want to validate that people are willing to pay for it. This means you can start making money even before you create it!

I validated my first digital product by adding affiliate links for Ebook templates to one of my popular blog posts. When I got affiliate sales from that, I started creating my own templates to sell.

Another way to validate before you create is to pre-sell it. This means you have your product or course outlined and the deliverables planned, but you haven’t created anything yet. We don’t want to spend hours and hours creating a course that isn’t going to sell, so pre-selling is one of the best ways to validate that people are willing to pay for your online course. I love this free training (affiliate link) that walks you through pre-selling, creating, and delivering a live (or not-so-live) training in 10 days, that you can then build upon over time.

Planning your digital product

Choosing the right format

After you’ve got an idea of what you can help your audience with, it’s time to start thinking about the format you want to sell it in. I recommend starting small. Your first digital product does not have to be a course or membership!

Depending on the type of product you’re creating, schedule some time in your calendar over the course of a few days or weeks.

Don’t give yourself so long that you won’t ever get to it. It’s so easy to put digital products on the “someday” list, and then you never actually get to them.

It’s also important to think about what your schedule actually looks like. If you only have time to work on it once per week, that’s okay. It will take longer to get your product ready for sale, but don’t try to do more than what’s realistic for you. That only leads to burnout. Just make sure you add that time to your calendar so you don’t end up spending it on something else.

It should NOT take you months to create your first digital product.

Create a minimum viable product (MVP) to test your digital product idea. This allows you to start making money, gather feedback and make improvements over time. 

Here are a few format ideas that might be a good option for you:

Ebook, workbook or planner

An ebook, workbook or planner is super easy for you to create, and quite frankly, it’s the lowest barrier to entry into the digital product world. You can create an ebook or fillable workbook in Canva or hire a designer to help you get it set up. This option works great for a product like a collection of recipes or outfit ideas, where you can include both text and imagery to show off your content.

Don’t want to start from scratch? Use my Ebook & Workbook templates to save hours creating your ebook, workbook or planner!

Live or pre-recorded video workshop

If your topic needs a little more explaining than you may be able to do with text, then another great idea is to create a video workshop. This is a great idea if you’re already comfortable being on camera and know how to edit video. A few examples of this would be if you need to teach your audience how to do something like refinish a piece of furniture or improving knife skills to help with cooking.

Follow this free training (affiliate link) that walks you through pre-selling, creating, and delivering a live (or not-so-live) training in 10 days, that you can then build upon over time.

Don’t want to start from scratch? Use my Slide Deck templates to save hours creating your video workshop!

Outlining your product

After all the research, planning, and brainstorming, it’s time to create your product! 

You now need to figure out what you’re going to say. Obviously you know your content best, but you should consider exactly how much to include to make the product truly valuable.

This is different than just writing a simple blog post. After all, someone is paying you for this information, so you want to go in-depth. 

Being detailed and turning your product into the ultimate guide on your topic shows that you’re an expert in your niche and will make people trust you even more.

At the same time, you don’t want to overwhelm people. They’re paying for the result your product will get them, not for the number of pages or videos. In fact, the quicker you can guide people to the result they want, the better. That way, they’re more likely to actually finish it and get the promised result, and give you great testimonials that you can then use to sell more!

So, how can you give more than just the how but instead also educate your audience on the why? For example, for an ebook with recipes, can you provide a list of the different basics that someone would need to make your recipes and maybe photos of different types of cutting techniques?

Create a detailed outline or plan for your digital product, including the content, structure, and any helpful bonuses. This will help you stay organized and focused during the creation process.

Map out your modules, lessons, and any bonuses. Remember, each lesson should have a purpose. The number one reason people don’t finish a course is that there is too much content, and it becomes overwhelming.

Start small and strategically with your course content. You can always add new lessons and content later.

Create your product

After creating your outline, it’s time to flesh it out!

Remember that the first draft doesn’t have to be perfect.

Look, you’re likely reading this post because you’ve never created a digital product before. I don’t want you to stress about making it absolutely perfect. Almost every product I’ve ever purchased has been improved upon over time by the creator, even when the creator is an established expert when they made the original version. If you’re concerned about the quality or helpfulness of your product, shoot it over to a friend to ask for feedback.

Designing a visually appealing digital product

Pretty things will always perform better. Generally speaking, when something looks beautiful, professional, and attractive, people are more likely to click on it, buy it, share it, etc. So invest in creating a pretty design for your digital product. This includes graphics, layout, and overall aesthetics that enhance the user experience and reflect your brand’s identity.

Don’t want to start from scratch? Use my Ebook & Workbook templates or Slide Deck templates to save hours creating your digital product!

Make sure that your digital product aligns with your overall brand identity, including your logo, color scheme, and messaging. Consistency in branding will help build trust and recognition with your audience. Using Canva templates? Here’s how to easily customize them to your brand.

Setting up your sales funnel

Choosing the right platform for selling your digital product

When you want to start selling digital products online for the first time, you want a payment gateway that’s easy to set up so you can move on to promoting your digital product launch ASAP!

Check out my post on the best payment processors for digital products.

Creating a sales page that converts

Build a sales page that effectively communicates the value of your digital product. Use persuasive copy, visuals, and customer testimonials to encourage conversions.

Get my free Sales Page Blueprint to learn what to include on your sales page.

Launching Your Digital Product

Setting a launch date and creating a launch plan

Choose a specific launch date for your digital product and create a comprehensive launch plan outlining promotional activities, communication strategies, and sales goals.

Get my free Course Launch Planner & Checklist to help you plan your launch for any digital product (not just courses!)

Use social media and email marketing for promotion

Use social media platforms and email marketing to promote your digital product to your audience. Engage with your followers, share valuable content, and communicate the benefits of your product to drive interest and sales.

Use these launch post ideas to build excitement and anticipation for your digital product by teasing its features, sharing behind-the-scenes content, and offering exclusive sneak peeks to your audience.

Implementing evergreen marketing strategies

If you want to sell digital products on evergreen, you’ll need to develop a marketing plan to keep driving traffic and sales. This is why I don’t agree with the view that digital products = passive income. Selling digital products is infinitely scaleable, but it does require a lot of marketing.

You may want to include content marketing, email marketing, social media promotion, and advertising to reach your target audience. You can also explore collaboration opportunities such as bundles and summits, or add an affiliate program to expand your reach.

Next Steps

Celebrating your first digital product launch

Celebrate the launch of your first digital product – you did it! Recognize the hard work and dedication that went into creating and bringing your product to life.

Whether you’re treating yourself to a cupcake or a spa day or throwing a big party, find a way to celebrate!

Offering customer support

Now that your product is live, you will need to provide customer support. Don’t let this idea hold you back from creating a product – most customers won’t have any issues, and for any issues that do come up, you can use your response to add to your delivery email or course platform.

For example, when I noticed I was getting the same questions several times over a couple of months, I recorded a video to answer it and linked to that video in the delivery email of my templates. My customers are happy that they have all the information they need immediately, and I don’t get those questions anymore, so it’s more passive for me.

Updating and expanding your digital product over time

Ask for feedback from customers and use it to improve your digital product. Pay attention to their suggestions and pain points to refine your product and make sure it meets their needs.

Regularly update and expand your digital product to keep it relevant and valuable to your audience. Consider creating new versions, adding bonus content, or offering complementary products to encourage repeat purchases.

Continuing to grow your digital product business

Create complementary products or explore new niches within your industry. Keep an eye on market trends, listen to your audience, and remain open to new opportunities for creating and selling digital products. Creating different products can help you reach a broader audience and make more money.