What Is A Digital Product? (How to Create & Sell in 2025)

Digital merchandise skip the warehouse and delivery complications solely. Create them as soon as, promote eternally, and maintain many of the income as revenue. However what’s a digital product?

A digital product is downloadable or viewable content material that you simply promote to be used on a desktop or handheld gadget, reminiscent of a PDF obtain or a video course locked behind a membership website.

You’ve in all probability downloaded manuals and directions for belongings you’ve constructed earlier than — that’s digital content material. It turns into a product while you create, market, and promote it.

Each one-time downloads and subscriptions generate instant gross sales and recurring income, and your largest funding is digital product creation.

This text gives a whole definition of digital merchandise and descriptions the steps to create, promote, and market them efficiently in 2025.

What’s a digital product?

Digital merchandise are gadgets you promote on-line that prospects obtain or entry by the web. Ebooks, course movies, Lightroom presets, Notion templates, printable planners — something delivered electronically slightly than shipped in a field.

You create it as soon as, promote it eternally. Write an book this month and nonetheless accumulate funds 5 years later. No reordering stock when inventory runs low. No calculating delivery prices to totally different nations. Your product exists as recordsdata on a server, prepared for fast supply.

The revenue margins beat any bodily product enterprise. After overlaying your preliminary time and perhaps some software program subscriptions, practically each sale is pure revenue. Promoting a $30 template prices you an identical whether or not one individual buys it or 1,000.

Your market spans the globe immediately. Somebody in Singapore should buy your design templates at 3 AM their time when you’re asleep in Seattle. Obtain hyperlinks arrive mechanically, and also you get up to gross sales, not a pile of orders to pack and ship.

Demand retains rising as a result of folks need instant options. They’ll pay $97 for an internet course that begins at present slightly than watch for a bodily ebook to reach subsequent week. In different phrases, it pays to discover ways to promote digital merchandise.

Distant work made everybody snug shopping for digital merchandise. Your information, packaged digitally, turns into as helpful as any bodily good.

Prime digital merchandise you possibly can promote on-line in 2025

There are a number of kinds of digital merchandise you possibly can promote on-line. Classes that persistently carry out effectively embrace templates, written guides, movies, and digital memberships. 

Some require minimal growth, reminiscent of ebooks (cowl picture, typography), however others, like printables and apps, take longer to construct and will require skilled companies.

Listed below are the best-selling digital merchandise for 2025:

Printable digital merchandise

These are PDFs that your prospects obtain and print at residence, together with planners, worksheets, wall artwork, celebration invites, charts, and print-on-demand designs. There aren’t any stock prices, delivery delays, or bodily product administration.

Etsy handles most shopper printables, and Teachers Pay Teachers serves the training market. You can too present obtain hyperlinks in an e mail after fee is made.

Right here’s an instance web page from a PDF for sale on Etsy with construct plans for an outside bench — it sells for $5 and has a 4.9/5 star score with 60 evaluations:

Ebooks

Written guides, fiction tales, and recipe collections are among the many best-selling digital merchandise on Amazon. Manufacturing includes writing and formatting with out printing or distribution bills. 

Amazon KDP dominates the third-party publishing market, though Gumroad and direct gross sales (through e mail and your individual web site) provide higher margins.

Creator Hal Elrod publishes on Amazon and sells ebooks as much as $99.97. Right here’s the foreword from his work, The Miracle Morning:

On-line programs

Video classes, worksheets, quizzes, and certificates organized into modules command premium costs. College students worth structured studying and direct entry to experience.

Teachable and comparable platforms deal with internet hosting and pupil administration, letting one course generate earnings for years.

Entrepreneur Jenny Rushmore created a six-figure stitching enterprise along with her ecommerce retailer Cashmerette, which sells PDF and printed stitching patterns, reminiscent of this one:

Enterprise templates and printables

Templates for annual enterprise reviews, letterheads, media kits, and social media layouts save consumers hours of setup time they’re prepared to pay for.

Try Creative Market to draw professionals, and Etsy for DIY entrepreneurs. Think about bundling a number of templates to extend common order values.

GoldenPixelStudio gives probably the greatest examples of digital merchandise with its Business Pitch Deck on the market on Artistic Market:

Software program, apps, and plugins

WordPress plugins, apps, and browser extensions require programming information or developer partnerships, however they command a premium and might generate important income.

Increased technical obstacles create much less competitors and premium pricing alternatives. App shops and CodeCanyon deal with most distribution.

A fast search on CodeCanyon reveals 1000’s of premium plugins. Bookly PRO is a standout, with 53,300+ gross sales and a $199 price ticket:

Digital artwork and illustrations

Inventory pictures, vector graphics, digital work, and patterns meet fixed demand from designers and entrepreneurs. 

Licensing tiers have an effect on pricing, with industrial rights commanding greater than private use. Inventory photograph websites and Artistic Market join artists with consumers globally.

Digital memberships

Exercise packages, dropshipping product success programs, enterprise masterminds, and design asset libraries generate predictable month-to-month income. 

Members pay for steady updates and group entry. Patreon and MemberPress (for WordPress) are in style hosted and self-hosted choices.

Patreon member Draw Brighton sells memberships from $4.50/month with entry to drawing reference units and a picture library:

Music, beats, and audio recordsdata

Content material creators want instrumental tracks, sound results, meditation audio, and podcast intros with out copyright points. 

In case you’re a musician, you possibly can increase your earnings past streaming pennies. BeatStars serves hip-hop producers, and AudioJungle covers broader audio wants.

As an example, a seek for “melodic” on BeatStars returns lots of of outcomes, and buying any observe is as simple as including it to the cart and deciding on a license:

Video content material and workshops

Talent tutorials, health packages, and cooking demonstrations provide centered studying periods that you would be able to promote on a subscription foundation.

Consumers need tangible outcomes with out committing to finish programs. Vimeo and Gumroad simplify video supply and fee processing.

STRONGLAND Publishing sells enterprise guides on Gumroad, with the digital product instance beneath, The Art of X: Build a Business That Makes You $100/Day, priced at $297:

Digital planners and trackers

These PDF recordsdata perform like conventional paper planners however with clickable navigation between sections. Consumers desire a acquainted planner expertise in digital format for managing each day schedules, monitoring habits, and budgeting. 

Designs vary from minimalist layouts to ornamental themes with digital stickers. Etsy dominates this area of interest, the place prospects pay for well-designed organizational instruments they will reuse 12 months after 12 months.

In case you’re questioning tips on how to begin promoting digital merchandise like planners and trackers, take a look at the picture beneath of a digital planner whole shop bundle on Etsy. It prices $49.42 (when not on sale) and has a 4.9/5 score with greater than 5,000 evaluations:

Fonts, icons, and different design property

Web site and model designers repeatedly buy customized typefaces, icon collections, mockup templates, and UI kits to resell of their work.

Business licenses will generate extra income than private use rights. MyFonts is a best choice for typography gross sales, and Artistic Market covers complete design assets.

Try these sans-serif fonts on the market on MyFonts:

Tips on how to create and promote digital merchandise

Comply with these 5 steps to create and promote probably the most worthwhile digital merchandise:

1. Analysis and validate an thought

Your digital product wants an viewers to achieve success. It doesn’t even should be an enormous one. A distinct segment viewers, reminiscent of canal boat house owners, can generate important income in case you have a guide or different file that brings worth to their lives.

Right here’s tips on how to analysis and validate your concepts:

• Plug your thought into Fb and Reddit. See if there are any questions and frustrations associated to your thought.
• Ask trusted fellow professionals. Individuals on LinkedIn and group boards can provide their opinions.
• E-mail a questionnaire to subscribers. In case you don’t have an e mail record, you would construct a primary touchdown web page, share it on social media, and see who indicators up. Providing pre-orders at half value helps to encourage signups.
• It may be overwhelming to determine which product to go together with. Check out Amazon’s bestseller classes, Etsy’s trending searches, and Udemy’s in style programs to see what’s doing effectively.

No curiosity and poor suggestions imply you’ve gotten the mistaken thought or the mistaken viewers. Transfer on to the following one so you possibly can take advantage of your email marketing ROI.

2. Select one of the best format

Your abilities decide your format. Writers create ebooks. Designers make templates. Lecturers construct programs. Choose what you possibly can produce effectively.

Well-liked digital product concepts embrace:

• PDF guides and ebooks
• Video programs or tutorials
• Templates
• Inventory pictures or graphics
• Presets for photograph/video modifying
• Audio recordsdata or music
• Digital planners
• Code snippets or plugins

There’s additionally no hurt in producing distinctive codecs in your prospects. As an example, you would present a video alongside your PDF information.

3. Create the product

Instruments for constructing content material are largely free or reasonably priced. Right here’s tips on how to create digital merchandise:

• PDFs and ebooks: Write in Google Docs or Phrase. Design covers and format pages in Canva or Snappa. Export as PDF.
• Display recordings: Loom provides you 25 free movies (5 minutes every). OBS Studio gives no recording deadlines, nevertheless it takes longer to study.
• Templates: Construct calculators, price range trackers, or planning programs in spreadsheets. Notion workspaces mix undertaking monitoring with calendars and databases.
• Design property: Canva handles Instagram templates and printables on the free plan. For skilled designs, Adobe Creative Cloud Pro ($69.99/month) is worth it.
• Audio recordsdata: Audacity works on any laptop. Mac customers get GarageBand free. Each deal with podcasts, meditations, and music.

Free instruments are incredible for preliminary ideas, nevertheless it’s simple to outgrow them while you’re constructing distinctive digital content material. Join a month-to-month plan first (if potential) to get a really feel for any premium device earlier than committing to an annual plan.

4. Arrange supply

So, the place to promote digital merchandise? You want automated programs to ship recordsdata after fee, and they need to be dependable and environment friendly. Listed below are your choices:

• Marketplaces: Add as soon as, and so they deal with every little thing for you — for instance, Etsy and Gumroad ship safe obtain hyperlinks mechanically after buy
• Ecommerce shops: Set up supply apps like SendOwl ($39/month) for full automation or manually e mail hyperlinks for low-volume gross sales — as you develop, automation turns into important
• Direct gross sales: Add obtain hyperlinks to PayPal receipts, arrange e mail automation with Omnisend, embed Gumroad checkout buttons in your website, or use membership plugins to gate content material

Tip — The subsequent article part elaborates additional on these gross sales channels.

5. Pricing and packaging

Worth determines value, not creation time. A worksheet saving somebody 10 hours of labor would possibly promote for $47. An entire course educating income-generating abilities could possibly be $297.

Test competitor costs for context, then place your self to undercut them, present extra worth, or each, and clearly talk your advantages to prospects.

Think about bundling digital merchandise to extend common order values — promote one template for $19 or three for $47. Begin your costs larger slightly than decrease as a result of it’s simpler to create reductions sooner or later for promotional campaigns.

6. Begin promoting

Create listings that promote with these parts:

• Headlines specializing in outcomes
• Clear record of contents
• Preview photographs exhibiting high quality
• Movies and GIFs
• Social proof, reminiscent of evaluations (after getting it)

Watch early suggestions intently. Replace descriptions based mostly on questions. Enhance the product based mostly on complaints. After establishing gross sales on one platform, add others and maintain the pricing constant to gather dependable gross sales information.

The place to promote digital merchandise on-line

The very best place to promote your digital merchandise is wherever your prospects are. It’s a assure they’ll be on marketplaces like Gumroad or Etsy and the like, however constructing an ecommerce retailer and promoting direct has a lot better revenue potential:

Marketplaces, reminiscent of Etsy, Gumroad, and Artistic Market

Promoting on established marketplaces means prospects are already there. Nonetheless, you’ll pay a premium to entry that pre-established viewers.

Right here’s what you’ll pay on three main platforms:

Etsy

• $0.20 itemizing price (energetic for 4 months)
• 6.5% transaction price
• 3–4% fee processing
• Whole: ~10% of every sale

Gumroad

• 10% + $0.50 per sale (direct hyperlink prospects)
• 30% per sale (market discovery)
• No itemizing or month-to-month charges

Artistic Market

• 50–70% income share
• Depends upon exclusivity agreements
• No signup charges

With every of those, file supply and customer support come inbuilt, so you possibly can add your recordsdata, write descriptions, and begin promoting. 

Choose based mostly on what you’re promoting:

• Etsy works for printables as a result of artful buyers browse there
• Gumroad fits informational merchandise and programs
• Artistic Market attracts designers who purchase fonts and templates

Promote digital merchandise on-line with a number of platforms and see which generates probably the most income.

Through an ecommerce retailer that you simply construct

Proudly owning your buyer expertise is one of the best motive to construct a retailer. Think about with the ability to:

• Set your individual costs
• Create customized bundles
• Run promotions everytime you need

Buyer emails belong to you, too. You may construct segments, ship focused campaigns, and analyze buy patterns with out platform restrictions.

You might have two choices when constructing an ecommerce retailer:

• Use a hosted platform like Shopify that handles technical particulars for you (incredible for inexperienced persons, these with out growth expertise)
• Self-host with WooCommerce on WordPress, the place you handle internet hosting, safety, and updates your self (greatest for having full management)

With a hosted platform, you pay transaction charges plus a month-to-month subscription price to proceed utilizing it, whereas self-hosted ones cost transaction charges solely however have larger growth prices.

Right here’s a rundown of the charges for 3 platforms:

Shopify

• Month-to-month price: $39
• Transaction price: 2.9% + 30¢
• Digital supply apps are $5–20/month further

BigCommerce

• Month-to-month price: $39
• No platform transaction charges, solely fee processor charges (count on 1.5% to three.5% plus a set quantity per transaction)

WooCommerce

• Month-to-month price: Free
• Internet hosting: $10–30/month
• Growth prices and premium plugins might price you $1,000 to $5,000

Immediately by social media, e mail, and blogs

Granted, it solely works in case you have an viewers, however when you do, you possibly can add PayPal or Stripe checkout buttons to your Instagram bio, weblog sidebar, or e mail newsletters. 

You pocket 97% after processing charges as a result of no market cuts or month-to-month platform fees are consuming into your margins.

Think about these direct promoting strategies:

• Hyperlink-in-bio instruments (Linktree, Beacons) with product listings
• E-mail newsletters with PayPal/Stripe checkout buttons
• Weblog posts with obtain hyperlinks
• Touchdown pages constructed with Equipment
• Fb/Discord group unique gives
• YouTube video descriptions with direct buy hyperlinks

Direct promoting works with an present viewers, and constructing that viewers might take months of promotional exercise earlier than any paid gives succeed. 

With out followers who already worth your work, your direct gross sales will likely be gradual, however as soon as established, this method retains probably the most revenue in your pocket.

Tips on how to market digital merchandise

Constructing an viewers earlier than launching prevents zero gross sales on launch day. Begin selling when you create, not after, with these marketing channels:

E-mail advertising and marketing

An e mail advertising and marketing app and get in touch with record allow you to attain folks straight with out algorithm interference. You may create campaigns and automations that cowl your buyer journey, and group subscribers for acceptable concentrating on.

Omnisend automates your e mail and SMS advertising and marketing with these capabilities:

• Record-building popups and types
• Welcome collection for brand new subscribers
• Publish-purchase follow-ups
• Cart abandonment restoration
• Section consumers from browsers
• Mix e mail + SMS in a single workflow
• Visible drag-and-drop marketing campaign builder
• Schedule campaigns prematurely

Ecommerce email marketing alternatives embrace newsletters, cross-sells, questionnaires, suggestions requests, and post-purchase reductions.

Content material advertising and marketing and search engine marketing

Weblog posts entice consumers trying to find options. Key phrase analysis instruments reveal phrases like “meal planning template for busy mothers” or “Instagram content material calendar for coaches.”

Instruments price your time embrace:

Write articles fixing these issues, then point out your product because the done-for-you possibility. High quality content material can rank for years, bringing visitors lengthy after publication.

Social media

Just a few content material concepts embrace behind-the-scenes manufacturing movies, buyer wins, and product tutorials. Add hyperlinks to your submit and bio when acceptable.

Posting frequency will depend on your platform:

• TikTok rewards each day uploads
• Instagram Tales want common updates
• YouTube channels succeed with weekly and even month-to-month movies if high quality stays excessive
• LinkedIn posts ought to observe trending matters, discussions, and canopy what digital merchandise are in demand

Influencer partnerships

Creators who already interact along with your goal market can increase your attain with minimal effort, though the fee constructions differ from flat charges per submit to fee on gross sales (and typically each).

Free merchandise for evaluation usually begin relationships. Clear communication about expectations prevents disappointment. Give attention to companions who generate gross sales, not simply engagement metrics.

Online marketing

You’ll pay associates 20–50% of gross sales, and the upper the speed, the extra outstanding your hyperlinks will likely be on their web sites.

In contrast to influencers, you don’t pay associates a price to advertise you. As a substitute, you pay a fee on gross sales. Moreover, you don’t promote them in your advertising and marketing. It’s worthwhile making a promotional equipment with digital product photographs and profit lists to take care of branding.

What number of associates must you work with? It’s low-risk since you aren’t paying up entrance, so any quantity is okay. 5 energetic associates might outperform fifty inactive ones. Monitor gross sales with UTM hyperlinks and work with people who herald constant income.

Last ideas: Can you actually become profitable from promoting digital merchandise?

Sure. The very best earners create merchandise for area of interest audiences — Notion templates for freelance therapists, price range spreadsheets for van life vacationers. These smaller markets have consumers able to pay however fewer creators competing for consideration.

Your time funding stays mounted whether or not you promote 5 copies or 500. Every sale past breakeven is sort of pure revenue, making digital merchandise one of many few companies the place effort doesn’t scale with income.

Begin with one product and one platform. Excellent your itemizing, collect evaluations, then increase slightly than spreading your self skinny throughout a number of mediocre merchandise. 

Construct your viewers as you create, not after — a superb course no one is aware of about earns nothing, however an honest template with e mail advertising and marketing can earn 1000’s.

Choose one thing from this record that matches your abilities, create your first model, and get it in entrance of shoppers on the channels the place they spend time.