Digital Product Ideas: How to Create Digital Products Your Audience Wants
In today’s online world, making and selling digital products can be a great way to reach your target audience, share what you know, and make money. But just any digital product isn't going to cut it! Buyers are smart and there are more and more quality choices out there...
So to find a good digital product idea that your audience will love, you need to think carefully and strategically before you create anything. If anything, your planning and research should probably take longer than actually creating your new product. Which is why I'm sharing in this blog, how you can figure out how to create digital products that people want and get you the results you're dreaming of.
How to come up with digital product ideas your audience wants
There are tons of ways to come up with ideas, but sometimes staring at a blank screen can make it really hard to get started, so here are some ideas to get you started:
Braindump all your ideas into a planner as they come up, not once you're in a pinch to create something
Use social media channels and email marketing to learn about what your existing audience is already looking for
Check out competitors' digital products to spot gaps and opportunities
Make a prototype or Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to test ideas without spending too much money.
Talk to your potential customers to find out their pain points and what they want
Brainstorm ideas around your niche
Start by thinking about your specific niche and your current audience. Look at the common problems they have in this area. What questions do they often ask? These issues can give you ideas for digital products that offer useful solutions and helpful information to problems your people are already telling you they have.
For example, if you focus on photography and people love your editing style, think about making Lightroom presets or an editing course. If you’re good at creating strong email pitches, an email template pack or a guide on email marketing for your market could be very popular.
The main point is to use your current business and your existing skills to come up with ideas to meet the specific needs of your audience. By paying attention to their pain points, you have a better chance of making a digital product that truly connects and sells well.
Survey your audience
If you aren't 100% sure what your people need, why not ask them?
Directly asking your audience is a great way to check if your product ideas are right before committing to building anything. If you have an email list, send out surveys to ask about their problems, dreams, and what digital products they would like. Encourage people to give honest feedback. The more you learn, the better you can make a product that meets their needs.
Social media is also an easy tool for getting feedback. You can post polls on your platforms, start discussions on important topics, and talk with your followers to see what they like. You could even host Q&A sessions or share a little about your product ideas to create excitement and gather useful input.
Keep in mind that talking directly with your audience gives you helpful information. This can guide your product development and help you create something they will really like and want to buy.
Check out your competitors
While I'm not telling you to copy, looking at what other people are selling can help spark some ideas for what you could do that's different.
Check what they offer, how they market their products, and what customers say about them. This can help you deliberately fill any gaps you see or position your product as an alternative to the other options out there. It's also helpful to see what works for them and where they could do better, you can sharpen your product ideas to fit your target audience. Watching the competition also helps you take advantage of new trends and find ways to give your digital products a competitive edge.
Types of digital products your audience probably wants
While there are infinite potential products you could create, there are some specific formats for digital products that your audience are probably already looking for and familiar with. Sometimes it can be helpful to start with the format and then figure out how you want to use that to solve the specific problem you're targeting. Let’s look at the wide range of digital products and find what could be the best choice for your audience.
1. Customizable E-books and Guides
E-books and guides are a great way to share your knowledge in an easy-to-read format. Think about writing detailed ebooks on subjects in your field offering practical advice, clear steps, and useful insights. Make sure they are easy to use, good to look at, and valuable for the reader.
Guides can be shorter than ebooks since they focus on a specific skill or task. For instance, a photographer may create a guide on "Posing Techniques for Portraits" or "Mastering Natural Light Photography." Keep your target audience in mind when you pick topics. Your guides should meet their needs, which helps you become a respected voice in your area.
Fun fact, my very first digital product was a guide to help entrepreneurs prepare for their first brand photoshoot!
The great thing about guides and ebooks is that they require minimal effort after you create them, and you can sell them over and over again! However, just like all "passive income" products, it's important to put time and energy into making high-quality and informative products.
2. Interactive Online Courses and Workshops
Online courses offer a clear way to learn a specific topic since they break down tough subjects into easy-to-follow modules and lessons. Courses often feature video lectures, worksheets to download, quizzes, and fun activities which makes them very engaging and a popular digital product format for many business owners.
Workshops, however, are usually shorter, and more focused, and may include live community and interaction during your session where participants can learn, ask questions, and connect with the instructor and each other. Workshops are a great way to create a close learning space and give personal help.
Whether you choose an online course or a workshop, it's important to focus on high-quality content. Always aim to provide value and make sure your students have a positive learning experience.
3. Exclusive Membership Sites
Building a membership site is a great way to create a loyal customer base and build recurring revenue into your business. Memberships allow you to provide exclusive content, and helpful resources and typically feature a community element for members to interact with each other. You may also add in group calls or additional support to make your offerings feel more valuable and keep people engaged over time.
You might even decide to have memberships with multiple levels of access. This way, subscribers can pick a plan that fits their budget and needs. For example, a membership site for photographers might offer basic editing tutorials, monthly presets, and a forum for members. The premium plan could include portfolio reviews, special webinars with experts, and early access to new products.
Running a membership site needs regular effort to keep people engaged and provide new content. However, it can also create a steady income and help build a dedicated community around your brand.
4. Downloadable Templates and Tools
Streamlining workflows, improving processes and creating helpful shortcuts can help your audience achieve great results with downloadable templates and tools. There are so many formats your templates can take, like social media calendars, website templates, budget trackers, and recipe planners so you can really let your creativity run free!
To create successful templates and tools, you need to find common problems in your area and offer easy solutions. For instance, a graphic designer could provide Canva templates for social media graphics, presentation slides, or marketing materials. This would help people who want professional designs that are ready to use.
Whether you save time, improve efficiency, or help them get high-quality results, these templates and tools provide great value. They also help you become a trusted resource in your audience’s journey.
5. Personalized Plans & Audits
While not exactly hands-off, these higher-touch products can be very popular with audiences looking form ore personal support.
In the health and wellness area, personalized fitness plans are very popular. More people want plans that fit their needs and help them reach their fitness goals. If you know about fitness and nutrition, you should think about making custom plans. These should focus on what each person needs, what they like, and their health issues.
Or if you work with other business owners, you might offer a personalized audit of their website or tech setup and provide helpful suggestions for them to improve their setup. There's often a direct financial win for businesses with this sort of personalized feedback so these audits work very well as an entry point to book your higher-touch services.
6. Digital Art Collections
For people with a creative side, selling digital art as stock photography, illustrations or printables can be a great income source. Making money from your art talents is now easier than ever with sites like Etsy, Creative Market, and Adobe Stock help you display your work and reach buyers around the world.
Think about offering different formats and sizes to meet various needs. You can include high-resolution images for printing, web-ready graphics, and customizable templates in your digital art collection. It’s important to clearly explain usage rights and licensing terms. This builds trust and helps buyers feel secure and protect your intellectual property.
Also, remember that promoting your digital art well is important. Focus on using the right keywords, post your art on social media, and work with bloggers and businesses in your field. This can really improve your visibility and boost your sales.
7. Royalty-Free Music, Video and Sound Effects
With more videos, podcasts, and games online, there is a big need for high-quality music, sound effects and stock video. Musicians, videographers and sound designers can meet this need by making and selling their audio work online. This helps other creators improve their projects and engage their audiences.
Websites like AudioJungle, Epidemic Sound, and Pond5 help audio creators reach buyers who want special sounds and exciting music. Having a variety of genres, moods, and styles can help you reach more people and grow your customer base.
Make sure your files are mixed and mastered well. Proper tagging is also important for attracting buyers and giving a good user experience. Think about providing different file formats and licensing choices to fit various needs. This will help you become a trusted source for royalty-free audio and video content.
8. Niche Market Software Solutions
If you have coding skills and know a lot about a certain area, making custom software or app can be a great chance to earn money. Focus on the problems your target market faces. Then, create software applications, plugins, or tools that help make their work easier, save time, or offer special features.
For example, a developer who works in e-commerce could build software that connects with well-known platforms like Shopify. This software might make it easier to manage inventory, handle email marketing automatically, and provide clear sales reports. Such custom software can really improve how online businesses operate and make more money.
Do not forget that doing market research is very important. It helps you find unfilled gaps and needs in the market. By focusing on specific industries or job roles, you can make software that tackles particular problems. This could lead to a loyal customer base and allow you to charge more for your skills.
Essential Steps to Validate Your Digital Product Ideas
While it is super tempting to just dive into creating your digital product, checking if it's something people want is very important for its success. Make sure you confirm there is enough interest in your product before committing too much effort, energy, and money into creating anything. And then please make sure to gather useful feedback as you get your first customers using your product to further improve it over time.
Follow these steps. They will help you reduce risk, keep you focused, and improve your chances of launching a digital product that connects well with your target audience.
Conducting Market Research Effectively
Doing good market research is very important before you spend a lot of time and money on your digital product. You need to understand your target audience's details, what they need, what they like, and what problems they have. Look into online communities, forums, and social media groups where your ideal customers are and take note of what common problems or desires they're talking about. This helps you gather information about their challenges and dreams to confirm if your product is meeting that demand.
Using keyword research tools can show you the popular search terms and give you an idea of how much interest and demand there is for your potential product. Checking out what competitors offer, how they price their products, and how they market gives you good examples. It also shows where you can stand out.
Keep in mind that market research is something you should do all the time, not just once. You need to always watch for industry trends, look at customer feedback, and adjust your plans based on your findings. This way, your product stays relevant and competitive. It will match the changing needs of your target audience.
Identifying Your Target Audience's Needs
Creating detailed buyer personas is a good way to understand what your ideal customers want. These are semi-fake profiles that show their demographics, goals, motivations, and online habits. Don't get too hung up on their favorite color or how many kids they might have, the goal is to help you see things from their point of view and help you gain a better understand their challenges and what they hope to achieve.
It's also really helpful to talk to your audience directly using surveys, polls, and Q&A sessions. Ask them directly about their biggest challenges in your area. Find out what solutions they have tried and what features or benefits they look for in a great product. This information helps you see their unmet needs and can help keep you on track to make sure you're meeting their needs and expectations.
Always keep customer experience at the front of your product development process. Make a user-friendly design, provide great customer support, and keep getting feedback. This approach builds loyalty, boosts satisfaction, and ensures your product meets their needs well, which is always good for your bottom line.
Creating a Prototype or Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Creating a prototype, or Minimum Viable Product (MVP), can be another way to check if your idea will work while using as little time and money as possible.
An MVP version of your product lets you get real feedback from users. This way, you can make improvements before fully building the "final" version of your product. This process helps you improve your digital product based on actual user responses and catch any major problems before you've invested too much in the production process.
Implementing Beta Testing Strategies
Once your MVP or prototype is ready, invite some beta testers to try your product. Beta testing is when you release an early version to a small group so they can use it in real life and give you important feedback. Set clear goals for your tests, ask specific questions, and encourage testers to share their thoughts on how easy it is to use, how well it works, and how satisfied they are.
You can offer beta testers perks like early discounts or special content to motivate them to join and be honest in their reviews. Look closely at the feedback you get, and use it to find areas that need improvement and adjust your product based on what real users say. This feedback helps ensure the final version fits the needs and wants of your target audience.
Keep in mind, beta testing is not just about fixing bugs. It gives you a chance to gather valuable feedback on user experience, refine what makes your product special, and spot potential issues. By valuing this important stage of product testing, you set yourself up for a successful launch and improve your chance of making a product that pleases your customers.
Crafting Your Digital Product Development Plan
Making a clear plan is very important to handle the details of digital product development. This plan is like your map. It helps you through each step, starting with checking your idea and doing market research. Then, it moves on to content creation, marketing, and the launch.
The following sections will show you the key parts of a good digital product plan. This will help you stay organized, focused, and on the right path to reach your goals.
Setting Clear Objectives and a reasonable production plan
Before starting product development, set clear and measurable goals. Think about what you want to achieve for sign-ups before launch, sales on launch, and gaining customers in the long run. This helps you set realistic boundaries around how much time and money to invest in your product upfront.
These goals can also guide you in creating your plan and help you see how you're measuring up to your expectations. Just make sure they also fit with your overall business goals and are realistic based on your resources and time and other life circumstances.
When it comes to planning out your digital product build, break down creating your product into smaller tasks. You may want to set deadlines or milestones and decide what resources you need for each task. This plan helps you work smoothly and keeps you from feeling overwhelmed. If you have a team, consider using project management tools like Notion or Asana. These can help organize tasks, track progress, and make teamwork easier.
Regularly check and update your goals and plan as your project moves ahead. Changes in the market, customer feedback, and what you learn internally may need you to adjust things. It's also completely fair and reasonable if your priorities shift while you're working on your digital product, so try to stay flexible when it comes to your planning while keeping your bigger-picture goals in mind.
Choosing the Right Tools
While there are tons of shiny tools out there, it's important to pick the right tool for the job when building out your digital product.
Start by listing out what you are hoping to achieve and then start researching your potential options. It's also a good idea to check that your tools integrate easily with each other and that they fit into your overall business budget and your personal skill set.
For example, the industry standard when it comes to graphic design is Adobe Photoshop but if you aren't already familiar with that advanced software a more user-friendly option like Canva might be a better fit.
When it comes to marketing, you'll again have lots of choices when it comes to things like email marketing platforms, social media schedulers, and analytics software. Do your research carefully before committing to these tools as it's often quite the task to move later on. I suggest looking for the most user-friendly, affordable and robust solution you can find that still allows a little space for you to grow without being way more complex than you need.
Get support
While you may know a lot about your topic and niche, when you're new to creating digital products there is a lot you'll be learning from scratch. From how to properly package your digital product to creating compelling sales pages and launches to longer-term optimization. To shortcut this learning curve and make sure your hard work pays off, it can be wise to work with an experienced digital product creator who can not only show you how to set your product up but also provide invaluable feedback as you go. This is exactly what I'll do for you inside my Digital Product Creator Lab!
Conclusion
In the world of digital products, it's critical to figure out what your audience wants and needs and match it up with your unique skills and expertise. You can come up with great ideas by brainstorming, asking your audience questions, and looking at what your competitors offer. Then you can match up your ideas with formats that your audience will love like customizable e-books, courses or even membership experiences.
To ensure you're on the right track before committing to building your product you'll want to do some market research, gather feedback, and possibly test your products with a small group first. It's also super important to make sure to create a strong development plan with clear goals and use the right tools. Remember, if you create digital products the right way, they can create a long-term passive income source for your business but that doesn't mean they don't take hard work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I price my digital product?
Setting the right price for your digital product is really important. You need to think about the value you provide, how much it costs to make your product, what your competitors charge, and the profit you want to make. Look into how much your target audience is ready to pay. Make sure that your prices match the value your product offers while also being an appealing option for your buyers.
Can digital products become a passive income source?
Yes, digital products can definitely help you make passive income. After you create them, they need minimal effort to maintain. However, to keep them relevant and attract consistent buyers, you might need to keep up with marketing and update the products regularly.
What are the best platforms to sell digital products?
The best platform to sell digital products depends on what you are selling and who you want to reach. Think about setting up an online store on your website for more control. You can also choose popular e-commerce platforms like Etsy, Gumroad, or Shopify. These platforms can help you reach more people easily, though they may have other tradeoffs with considering.
How do I protect my digital product from piracy?
Use digital rights management (DRM) software.
Add watermarks to your products.
Provide personalized licenses.
Clearly state the terms of use.
What are some popular types of digital products that resonate with audiences?
Popular types of digital products are online courses, ebooks, templates, stock photos and videos, software solutions, and membership sites. What people like depends on their interests and the latest trends, so conducting good market research before creating your product will help.
Are there any tools or platforms that can assist in creating digital products?
Many tools and platforms make digital product creation easier. Some examples include Canva for graphic design, Loom for recording videos and even AI software like Marketing Magic to speed up your creation process.
How can market research help in identifying the digital products that my audience wants?
Market research helps us understand customers better. It shows us what needs are not being met and helps us identify any gaps in the market while checking if there is demand for your product idea.
How can I effectively promote and sell my digital products to my target audience?
You can use any or all of the most popular marketing strategies like social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, and paid ads to connect with your ideal customers. You might also consider creating an evergreen sales funnel that leads them from the awareness stage to consideration and then to make a purchase.
