Welcome to the wild world of digital products. If you’re here, we probably don’t have to convince you that digital products are one of the best ways to boost your business, but now you may have reached the hardest part: actually choosing what digital product to make.

So… what digital products are #SoHotRightNow?

There are a lot of things to consider here: which digital product can you make with the tools you have right now? Which digital products will your audience like? And, perhaps most crucial of all, what digital products will actually pay off in the long run? 

Digital products are great, but they do take time and energy. Let’s take out three birds with one stone here, and explore what digital products will ACTUALLY sell before you start creating them. That means less wasted time, happier clients, and as a bonus, more money for you.  

What should your product do? 

Instead of just giving a bulleted list of possible digital product ideas (which might make this simple, but also quite the boring read), I’m going to take this one step further. 

Let’s think of this through two different lenses: what your digital product should do for you, and what it should do for your client. What a concept, right? Remember, you’re not just trying to make your customers’ lives easier; your product will also reflect on you as a business owner and the value you bring to the table later. 

Whether you want industry cred or to break out into a new niche, your digital product has some special power here. Let’s go through some of the major benefits, and see what particular products will get you — and your clients — to those goals. 

If you want to: establish yourself as a leader in the industry

Roadmaps

Ever heard of Impostor Syndrome? Logically, you know you have the skills it takes to be in this business. Yet emotionally, you feel totally unqualified to be where you are right now. It’s time to flaunt yourself a little. Show off that hard-earned knowledge and also share the path to where you are now.

Your digital product should show newcomers how you’ve gotten to where you are, and how they can achieve similar results — and maybe avoid a few of the pitfalls you encountered along the way. These “roadmap” digital products are always popular choices among customers, and they have the added benefit of positioning you as a voice of authority in your field. You know the way, and you’re sharing it with others.

Branding kits and templates

Fresh-faced entrepreneurs can quickly find themselves falling down the marketing rabbit hole. Because of this, branding kits are in especially high demand, and it only takes a few examples to see why.

Branding kits and templates take a brand’s ideals and translate those into aesthetics, such as personalized color palettes, fonts, logos, and graphics, etc. Then, they can use those kits across their online platforms. Instead of trying to create these themselves, brands often choose branding kits to keep their visuals consistent, compelling, and true to their values.

These don’t just offer quick and easy graphic design; they help a brand establish its entire identity. Your customers will love having a pro at the helm and you get to see your value pay off right before the clients’ eyes. 

Courses, course templates, and e-books

How do you convince someone that you know something? Well, one way is to teach the subject yourself. And if you really want to show off, teach someone how to teach what you know. (Teach-ception!)

When in doubt, offering your own e-course on your expertise can give clients an easily digestible chunk of knowledge that really lets you flaunt your experience. In a similar vein, e-books let readers learn more about their industry on the go and, if you’re not a half-bad writer, it can be a great way to connect with them. 

Sometimes, your clients may want to share knowledge of their own. That’s where your handy (future) templates come in. You know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to the visual format, so encourage your clients to start with your tried-and-true course structures to have them producing polished, engaging content in no time. 

Resume and cover letter templates

Have you ever had to create your resume from scratch? If not, let us tell you: it SUCKS. No amount of graphic design experience will ever make that process a fun one. Now, have you ever read a poorly designed resume? That also sucks. Your clients want to make a great impression, but they do not know how to create a resume or cover letter that is visually pleasing and impactful in its content. 

Even the pros use resume and cover letter templates. There’s a reason: they help you think through your work history with a fresh perspective and sometimes even give you new design ideas that stand out in a pile of paper.

The need for resume and cover letter templates is here to stay. Offer your own special twist for your industry and watch the downloads spike. 

If you want to: build lasting, intimate connections with your clients

Long-term transformations

Sometimes the “one-and-done” digital products won’t appeal to your audience as much, especially if you are looking to help them reinvent themselves in some way. If you want to show yourself more as a supporting figure, help your customers build lasting habits behind the scenes with your digital products. 

Long-term planners

Everyone loves (or at least, loves the idea of) a good planner. The very act of using one gives us a little dopamine boost. However, the best planners are ones that engage the user, either by attracting them with gorgeous aesthetics or offering pertinent services. 

Some examples of planners in the digital product realm include:

• Productivity planners
• To-do lists
• Meal-prep templates

These help your customers build consistent habits for the long term. The more you can tailor it to a specific pain point — the desire to get fit, wanting to eat healthier, stop missing appointments — the more your users will see immediate benefits from it. 

Event-specific task lists

Sometimes, your average planner can’t keep up with big life events. Weddings, birthdays, retirement parties: whenever a major get-together is involved, the to-do list gets bigger. 

Some events (cough weddings cough) are particularly stressful. Alleviate some of this tension with a digital product that already accounts for everything they need to do, and helps them track whenever a task is done. 

Good examples include:

• Wedding planning templates/bundle 
• Party invitations and seating charts 
• Thank you card templates and address lists

(OK maybe I just want these for myself.)

Journals

Let’s get introspective. It’s one thing to plan out activities during a self-care journey: it’s another to really reflect on your thoughts and feelings during the process. And yet, this self-reflection is crucial to keep up the momentum and appreciate all of your hard-earned progress.

Give your customers a specially designated place to get their thoughts out with speed and style. Examples of this category of digital products include:

• Selfcare planners
• Daily gratitude journals
• Fitness journals

Ready to create your first download? 

How’d those ideas get your wheels spinning? I hope it gave you a launching-off point to really find your ideal digital product idea. I also know that, with a little prep work, your digital product will not only look spectacular, but it will pay off unseen dividends far after you hit “publish.”

Now that you have a deeper look into some of the best-selling digital products I’ve seen, let’s hear if you already sell one of these products, or if you plan to sell one of these products in the future. Any that we missed? 

Also, be sure to catch our video on how to promote your digital product to get MORE Traffic and INCREASE your sales. It’s a must-see for anyone looking to make their digital product go the distance!