Is it Profitable to Sell Digital Products? Real Numbers and Proven Strategies

19Apr

People are making real money selling digital products, and it's not just a pipe dream—I've seen folks go from zero to a full-time income with nothing but a laptop and some grit. No shipping, no inventory, and your products can be sold around the globe, 24/7. It's like building something once and getting paid over and over again.

The startup costs are low. Imagine creating an online course, eBook, or set of digital templates—you don’t need a warehouse or a delivery van. Most people start out on a shoestring budget, using tools that are either free or dirt cheap.

If you’re wondering how much people actually make, it depends. Some just earn grocery money, but plenty of digital marketers pocket a few thousand dollars each month. And once you learn where your buyers are hiding and how to reach them, things can scale fast. Don’t assume only influencers with millions of followers can pull this off. Regular folks with the right strategy and a bit of hustle get results too.

If you’re serious about building digital products, you need to know what sells, what flops, and how to avoid rookie mistakes. Stick around—let’s get right into what’s hot and how to make it work for you.

• Why Digital Products Are Trending
• How Much Can You Actually Make?
• Hot Digital Products That Sell
• What Holds People Back (and How to Beat It)
• Steps to Launch Your First Digital Product
• Scaling Up: Turning a Side Hustle Into a Business

Why Digital Products Are Trending

Here’s the bottom line: people love digital stuff because it’s instant, cheap to deliver, and easy to scale. For creators, there’s almost no limit on how many copies you can sell—unlike with physical goods where you run out of stock or need a warehouse.

The market for digital products exploded after 2020 when everyone got used to working, learning, and even shopping online. You no longer need a fancy publisher or a retail store to sell your ideas. Platforms like Gumroad, Udemy, and Etsy make it dead simple to create, list, and get paid for digital files, courses, or templates.

What’s wild is how mainstream digital products have become. According to Statista, the global e-learning market is expected to reach $375 billion by 2026. Online sales aren’t slowing down either—digital downloads and subscriptions are now normal. People want quick fixes, hacks, and learning resources without waiting for shipping.

As more folks look for side hustles, digital marketing tools make it easier to chase your first sale. Anyone with solid know-how—whether it’s graphic design, coding, music, or copywriting—can turn that skill into an asset that sells. This isn’t just the future; it’s happening now.

How Much Can You Actually Make?

This is the part everyone wants to know—just how much money can you pull in selling digital products? The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all, but the numbers might surprise you. Whether you’re hustling on the side or looking to go full-time, your earnings will depend on what you’re selling, your pricing, and how well you can market online.

Take this: a decent online course can sell for $50 to $200 per student. If you get 50 students in a month, that’s $2,500 to $10,000 just from one course. Some creators keep it simple—selling digital templates or ebooks for $10 to $30 each. If you sell 100 of those in a month, you’re looking at an extra $1,000 to $3,000. Writers offering marketing guides or designers selling social media kits are pulling in numbers like these every month.

Want some real figures? Here's a sample snapshot from creators in different spaces:

You don’t need to go viral to get these results either. Some steady creators with small but loyal audiences are making $1,000-$3,000 a month after a few months of effort. When sellers get smart with digital marketing—like building email lists, running ads, and being active in the right online communities—they can even turn that into a full-time gig.

Of course, there’s no guarantee. Some months will be better than others. But with low overhead costs and the potential to sell the same digital product over and over, you’re not limited by hours in the day. The biggest earners? They’re often the ones who treat this like a real business and invest time in learning how to sell smarter, not just harder.

Hot Digital Products That Sell

Let’s get real: not every digital product turns into overnight cash. But certain types just keep making money for creators who know what they’re doing. If you’re building a business or taking a digital marketing course, pay attention to what’s actually working out there.

Online courses are huge. People want quick, practical training on everything from coding to copywriting to baking sourdough. Platforms like Udemy and Teachable show that even niche skills can attract buyers if your course is well-made and solves a real problem.

Next up, there’s a massive market for eBooks and guides. Instead of writing full-length novels, think bite-sized, actionable stuff like "30 Social Media Content Ideas for Small Businesses" or "The Freelancer’s Quick Start Guide to Taxes." These sell because they save buyers time and headaches.

Designers rake in cash with templates. Resume templates, website themes, Canva graphics—people want stuff they can edit fast and put to use right away. Selling on Etsy or Gumroad? Templates are one of the fastest-growing digital product categories.

Here’s some real data so you know this isn’t just hype. According to a 2024 Sellfy report, the top-selling digital product types that year broke down like this:

Even if you don’t know how to code, you can still make money by partnering with software developers or selling no-code tools.

Don’t overlook stock photos, audio files, and small tools. Photographers upload image bundles to sites like Shutterstock, and musicians drop audio packs on marketplaces like AudioJungle.

Here’s a quick checklist of what usually does well:

• Online courses or workshops (skill-based, fast-track learning)
• Editable templates (resumes, websites, social posts, planners)
• eBooks and quick guides (niche, highly practical info)
• Stock creative assets (photos, video, music, sound FX)
• Apps, plug-ins, or digital tools (even simple calculators or trackers)

Want a pro tip? Products that solve boring, everyday problems or save time almost always sell better. People don’t want fluff—they want solutions.

What Holds People Back (and How to Beat It)

Let’s get real—most wannabe digital product sellers never launch. It’s not because their ideas stink, but because a few roadblocks trip them up. The main culprits? Fear of failure, lack of technical know-how, analysis paralysis, time crunch, and not knowing how to reach an audience with digital products.

Fear of failure is a big one. Plenty of people worry nobody will buy what they create, so they never hit publish. But honestly, almost every successful digital marketer has flopped at something before finally breaking through. The trick is to test small, see what people want, tweak your offer, and try again. No one’s first attempt is perfect.

Tech overwhelm can tank momentum. These days, you don’t need to code. Platforms like Gumroad, Teachable, and Shopify make it easy to upload and sell digital products. Setting up email marketing or payment processing? There are drag-and-drop tools for that. If you can use a spreadsheet and send an email, you’re more than halfway there.

Analysis paralysis kills more dreams than failure does. Too many choices—what to sell, which platform, what price, how to promote—so people freeze. Best fix here? Pick a product idea you know well, and just launch something simple. You can always improve it later.

Time is tight for most people. But here’s the thing: creating a basic digital product can take as little as a weekend. Set a timer for an hour each day, and you’ll be surprised how fast things move.

Finally, there’s the classic “if you build it, they will come” myth. Most products don’t sell themselves. You’ve got to figure out where your crowd hangs out—maybe email lists, social media, or online communities. Then you talk to them, ask questions, and offer real solutions in your digital marketing.

• Start small: Launch a mini product instead of a huge course.
• Use what you know: Build on your strengths and real-life experience.
• Learn by doing: Each launch, whether it’s a win or a flop, is worth its weight in gold for next time.
• Find your buyers: Engage in Facebook groups, LinkedIn, Discord, or any place your audience talks shop.

Here's a look at the three top fears and how often people report them blocking the launch of digital products:

If one of these rings true for you, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to stay stuck there. The best digital marketers just start, mess up a few times, and course-correct as they go.

Steps to Launch Your First Digital Product

Ready to actually put your digital products out there? Let’s be real: the biggest mistake is overthinking things and never actually launching. Here’s a straightforward way to go from idea to sales, even if you’ve never done this before.

1. Validate Your Idea: Before you pour hours into making anything, check if people actually want it. Ask in niche Facebook groups, run a quick poll on Instagram, or even toss up a Google Form. If nobody cares, tweak your concept and try again.
2. Create Your Product: Keep it simple. For an eBook, use Google Docs or Canva. For an online course, shoot lessons with your webcam and free editing tools. Templates? You can whip them up in PowerPoint or Excel. Quality matters, but don’t waste months aiming for perfect. You can always improve later.
3. Pick a Platform: There are solid options for every type of digital product. Gumroad and Payhip work for eBooks, guides, templates, and more. Teachable or Thinkific are go-tos for online courses. Want fast exposure? Etsy’s digital section is way bigger than people think. Most platforms take care of payment and delivery, so you focus on marketing.
4. Create a Simple Sales Page: You don’t need fancy web design skills. Use your platform’s built-in pages or a free tool like Carrd or Notion. Show what your product solves, drop a few testimonials if you have them, and make it super obvious how to buy.
5. Test Your Checkout: Save yourself headaches—buy your own product using a test account or ask a friend to try. Make sure payment works, the file can be downloaded, and any automation (like emails) actually sends.
6. Promote Your Product: This is where most people chicken out. Send the link to your email list (even if it’s tiny), share in relevant Facebook groups (but don’t spam), drop value on Reddit with a link to your product at the end. Don’t be shy—talk about your digital marketing journey, and people will care more than you think.

If you want numbers, here’s something interesting. According to Podia (a big course platform), creators who email their lists saw two times more sales than those who only posted on social media. The point: even a small email list is gold.

Here’s a quick comparison of popular digital product platforms, so you don’t get stuck choosing:

Following these steps, you’re not just guessing—you’re actually building something you know people want, without getting stuck in analysis paralysis. This is how regular folks break into online sales and start making steady income from home.

Scaling Up: Turning a Side Hustle Into a Business

Once you’ve got a few sales, scaling up your digital products gig isn’t about luck—it’s about smart systems and making moves that save you time and drive in more cash. The goal? Turn a trickle of income into a steady stream.

Start by doubling down on what already works. If one course or eBook sells the best, make updates, add new bonuses, or bundle it with related products. Existing customers are way more likely to buy from you again, so take care of them. A good follow-up email sequence can boost repeat purchases big time.

If you’re not collecting emails, you’re missing out. Building an email list lets you launch new digital products directly to an audience that already trusts you. Use freebies (like checklists, templates, or mini-courses) to get folks to sign up. When you have 1,000 engaged subscribers, even a modest $30 launch can bring in real money.

Don’t try to do everything yourself forever. Time quickly becomes your main bottleneck. Automation tools like Zapier, ConvertKit, and Shopify can handle things like delivering downloads, managing orders, and keeping in touch with your customers. Outsource tedious design or editing work if it eats up your day—sites like Upwork and Fiverr have freelancers for just about any digital task.

If you want to see what happens when things go right, check out this snapshot from a 2024 online creator survey:

This isn’t overnight success. Most of that top 12% have a focused niche, streamlined systems, and consistent marketing. You don’t have to be a marketing genius, but good habits matter. Make it routine to check your sales numbers, test promo strategies, and tweak your offers.

• Keep refining your product based on customer feedback
• Use analytics tools to spot what brings in the most money
• Partner with others (affiliates or other creators) to expand your reach fast
• Schedule time for content creation and marketing each week, like actual work hours

The cool part? Your digital business doesn’t have to cap out. The demand for new digital products keeps growing, especially as more people try to learn new skills online. Put in the effort, use the right tech, and keep testing what works—and you’ll be surprised how far a side hustle can go.