What is digital product· BestStartBiz.com
What Is a Digital Product? (And How to Start Selling One)
A digital product is any product that exists in digital form — delivered electronically rather than shipped physically. When someone buys a digital product, they receive a file, a link, or access to content rather than something that arrives in a box. The buyer can download it, use it immediately, and the seller never has to restock, repackage, or ship anything.
That last part is what makes digital products so powerful for solopreneurs and first-time online business owners: once created, they cost nothing to reproduce. Selling a tenth copy of a digital product is exactly as profitable as selling the first.
A digital product is anything that can be delivered electronically: a PDF, a spreadsheet, a Canva template, a video course, a piece of software, a music file, or a photograph. You create it once. It sells repeatedly. You earn without doing additional work per sale.
The 6 Main Types of Digital Products
📄 PDF Guides and Ebooks
How-to guides, recipe collections, business frameworks, workbooks, checklists, and reference documents. Downloadable and usable immediately after purchase.
💰 $7–$47 · Created in: Canva or Google Docs (free)🎨 Canva Templates
Editable design files — Instagram posts, Pinterest pins, media kits, pitch decks, planners, resumes — that buyers customise in their own free Canva account.
💰 $5–$45 per pack · Created in: Canva (free)🖨 Printables
Budget trackers, habit trackers, wall art, planners, kids’ activity sheets, and organiser systems that buyers print at home. One of the lowest-effort formats to create.
💰 $3–$25 · Created in: Canva (free)📊 Spreadsheet Templates
Google Sheets or Excel templates for budgeting, project management, content calendars, or business tracking. Strong demand from small business owners.
💰 $9–$40 · Created in: Google Sheets (free)🎓 Online Courses and Video Trainings
Structured video lessons teaching a specific skill. The highest per-unit revenue of any digital product format. Requires the most creation effort.
💰 $27–$297+ · Created with: Loom + Google Slides (free)📸 Stock Assets
Photography, illustration, music loops, Lightroom presets, or typefaces licensed for commercial use. Upload once to stock platforms and earn royalties repeatedly.
💰 $0.25–$10 per download · Platform: Shutterstock, Adobe StockWhy Digital Products Are the Best First Product Business
Physical products require inventory, storage, packaging, and shipping. Service businesses require your ongoing time and presence. Digital products require neither, and that combination is uniquely powerful for anyone starting an online business from scratch.
| Business model | Startup cost | Cost per sale | Scales without you? | Income while you sleep? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital products | $0–$50 | $0 | Yes | Yes |
| Physical products | $500–$5,000+ | Materials + shipping | Only with the staff | Limited |
| Freelance services | $0 | Your time | No | No |
| Dropshipping | $100–$1,000 | Product cost + fees | Partially | Partially |
Zero marginal cost. Zero upfront capital (every tool needed to create a professional digital product is available for free). Automated delivery through platforms like Etsy, Gumroad, or your own website. Income that arrives without any additional work per sale.
Where to Sell Digital Products
You have three main options for where to list and sell your digital products, each with different trade-offs:
Etsy — Best for Templates, Printables, and Creative Products
Etsy has a massive built-in audience of buyers actively searching for digital products. You don’t need your own audience or website traffic — Etsy’s search engine brings buyers to you. Platform fees are 6.5% transaction fee plus a $0.20 listing fee per item. Best for: Canva templates, printable planners, digital wall art, worksheets, and creative tools.
Gumroad — Best for Guides, Courses, and Software
Gumroad is the simplest platform for selling digital products directly. Free to start, handles payment processing and file delivery automatically. Takes 10% on the free plan. Best for: PDF guides, ebooks, mini courses, spreadsheet templates, and anything you want to sell from your own blog or website.
Your Own Website — Best for Full Control and Higher Margins
Selling through your own WordPress website with WooCommerce or a simple checkout plugin gives you the highest profit margin (no platform commission) and the most control over the buyer experience. The trade-off: you need to drive your own traffic. Best for: established bloggers with existing traffic and an email list to promote to.
Start with Etsy or Gumroad while your blog traffic is still building. Both bring buyers to you without requiring an existing audience. Once your blog generates consistent traffic (5,000+ monthly pageviews), add your own checkout for higher-margin direct sales alongside your marketplace presence.
How to Create Your First Digital Product: 5 Steps
- Choose your format based on your existing skills.
- Design skills → Canva templates or printables
- Subject expertise → PDF guide or mini course
- Data/analytical skills → spreadsheet templates
- Photography → stock photos or Lightroom presets
- When in doubt, start with the format that requires the fewest new skills to create.
Validate demand before building.
Search Etsy for your product type and sort by “Bestseller.” If similar products have 200+ reviews, demand is proven. If nothing similar exists, find out why before you invest time building — either the audience doesn’t exist, or nobody has created the right product yet.
Create the product in Canva, Google Docs, or Google Sheets (all free).
Aim for “done and valuable” on your first product — not “perfect and delayed.” Include an instruction document showing buyers how to use it.
Create 8 product listing images.
On Etsy or any marketplace, your images do the selling before a buyer reads a word of your description. Create a clear cover image, 3–4 product screenshots, a lifestyle mockup, and a “what’s included” image. All creatable in Canva using their free mockup templates.
List and price it.
Research what comparable products sell for, then price at or above the midpoint of the range. Price signals quality to buyers who haven’t experienced your work yet. Start at a fair price — don’t undercharge to get sales. Lower prices attract more buyers but require dramatically more sales to hit income goals.
→ Related: How to create a digital product to sell online · How to price your first digital product (without undercharging) · How to sell digital products on Etsy: the complete beginner’s guide · Passive income with digital products: a beginner’s guide
Your First 30 Days: What to Actually Do
- Day 1–3: Choose your product format. Search Etsy to validate demand. Make a list of 5 product ideas in your chosen format.
- Day 4–7: Pick the single best idea from your list. Create your product brief — who it’s for, what problem it solves, what’s included, and what price you’ll charge.
- Day 8–14: Build the product in Canva, Google Docs, or Sheets. Include an instruction PDF. Download and test everything before listing.
- Day 15–21: Create your 8 listing images. Write your listing title and description with keywords in the first five words of the title. Set up your Etsy or Gumroad account if you haven’t already.
- Day 22–30: Publish the listing. Tell 20 people via direct message. Create your first 3 Pinterest pins linking to the listing. Announce it to your email list if you have one.
Spending 3 weeks creating a product and then publishing it with no plan for who will see it. Traffic doesn’t appear automatically — you need at least one channel driving buyers to your listing. Pinterest, your email list, and relevant online communities where your target buyer spends time are your best free options. Choose one and start immediately after publishing.
→ Related: 15 passive income ideas you can start with $0 · How to make money with Canva: 7 ways to earn from your designs · Etsy vs Shopify vs Gumroad: which platform is best for digital products?
🚀 Launch Your First Digital Product in 30 Days
Download the free 30-Day Product Launch Roadmap — a day-by-day action plan covering idea validation, product creation, listing setup, and your first sale. One clear task per day, starting from zero.
Download the Free Roadmap →