8 Profitable digital products to sell in 2026 (+ real examples)

The global digital market is projected to reach an estimated $920 billion by 2033.

In simpler terms, people are buying more digital products than ever, and it’s a trend that isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

If you’re an entrepreneur or creator, now is the right time to start selling digital products. But what profitable digital products should you sell? And how much can you make per month?

Keep reading to find out more.

Key takeaways:

• The most profitable digital products to sell are: 1. Online course, 2. E-books, 3. Membership programs, 4. Audio products, 5. Software, 6. Templates, 7. Webinars, and 8. Certificate programs.
• Online courses, ebooks, and templates are the most profitable digital products for beginners.
• You can make $1,000, $10,000, or even $100,000 per month selling digital products. It depends on the products you choose.
• To choose a profitable digital product, match it to your skills, research the market, assess pricing, and use the necessary tools.

8 Profitable digital products to sell

1. Online courses

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At number one on my list of profitable digital products is online courses.

An online course is a video training, teaching, or class that you record and share online. You teach your knowledge or skills, like website creation or Facebook ads.

Now, I said ‘video,’ but your course can also be PDFs, templates, or quizzes.

The best part is you don't need a physical store to sell physical items. I remember, in the early 2000s, course creators had to record the videos and sell them as CDs. They had to package and ship them, which was a pain.

But now, with your phone's camera and a tool like Easytools, you can create and sell a course online.

How long should an online course be?

If it's a video course, I recommend 20 videos max, 5-10 minutes per video. You can decide to split the course into modules to make it easier to follow.

For instance, if you are selling a digital marketing course, your modules could be:

• What to Expect
• Foundations of Digital Marketing
• Digital Marketing Channels
• Execution and Optimization

In the section below, I will talk more about the tools you need to create an online course. But for now, let me answer the main question you have in mind:

How much can you make selling an online course?

You can make $500 to $10,000/month selling an online course. If you have a reputation in your industry and bundle the course with personal coaching or community, you can make more than $100,000.

I'm not making these numbers up. When I interviewed Paulina Kacprzak and Aga Naplocha, co-founders of Design Practice, they said 991 people bought their first ever online course, which made them $240,000.

This is enough proof that courses are super profitable products digital creators can sell.

Now, let me share the tools you need to create and sell this digital product.

[fs-toc-omit]The tools you will need to create and sell online courses

The tools you need to create and sell online courses are:

• Camera: Use your phone or a popular camera like the Canon EOS Rebel T7 or the Sony ZV-E10.
• Microphone: You can use earphones or typical mics like the MiMi Mic Pro, Blue Yeti, or Shure SM7dB.
• Screen recording: I recommend Loom, Tella, or Camtasia for recording your laptop.
• Video editing: The tools above are enough and let you do some editing. But if you want advanced software, try DaVinci Resolve, Filmora, or Adobe.
• Video hosting: You need a platform that hosts your videos, like YouTube and Vimeo.
• Resource creation: If you also want to give templates or checklists, I recommend Canva or Figma.
• Course selling platform: Finally, you will need a platform to sell your course. Use Easytools to create your course website, pricing plans, and checkout page.

With Easyplayer, one of our features, you can set up the course interface the way you want. Add the introduction module, video lessons, PDFs, images, Google Docs, and more.

We made the process so simple that even a grandma can do it.

Check out the video below to learn more.

Connect the platform to Stripe, and you are good to go. And once someone buys your course, you can see their order in Easytools. The customer name, order date, email, total, discount, you name it.

And if it's a course the customer pays monthly, you can revoke their access if they haven't paid.

Again, we made the process so simple to make your life easier.

[fs-toc-omit]How much does it cost to create an online course?

Generally, it costs $50 to $300 to create an online course. This cost is lower if you edit your videos yourself and use many free tools.

However, it costs $500 to $10,000+ to create an online course if you hire a professional video editor and use expensive software or equipment.

That's for the setup. For maintenance, the cost per month really goes down. You'll likely stop using most of the tools after launching your course.

No need to pay for a video editing tool, for example.

So it typically costs $100-200 per month to maintain your online course.

[fs-toc-omit]Pros

• You do the heavy work once and keep selling while you sleep
• People can access your online courses anywhere 
• The passive income potential is higher than other digital products
• Having a course makes you look like the go-to expert
• You can start small with a mini-course or go big with a certification
• Creating a course doesn't cost much if you use affordable tools

[fs-toc-omit]Cons

• Steep learning curve when starting out
• High marketing costs if you run ads or paid promotions, but every course you sell brings profit
• Can cost a lot to start if you use expensive equipment
• Some online course platforms charge high subscription or transaction fees

2. E-books

An e-book is a book that you can read electronically or online. It's like the recent hard copy book you read, only that you are reading it from your phone, laptop, or tablet.

You can create an ebook on any topic. For instance, your best recipes, parenting, or making money online.

Just like with online courses, I recommend writing about your knowledge or expertise. People will likely buy your ebook because you know what you are teaching.

Now, I don't mean you need to know your niche 100% or be an expert with awards. But at least publish some content on LinkedIn or create a couple of YouTube videos.

My other advice is to give another ebook for free. Let potential customers download it and get value. They'll want to buy your paid e-books.

How do you find that knowledge, and more importantly, what knowledge should you sell to make money online?

I like this video from Dean Graziosi, a New York Times bestselling author. He shows how to find your knowledge from your career, life experience, and passion.

Now I know that this article is all about profitable digital products. So while you are searching for your skills, here are ten of the most profitable ebook ideas.

How much can you make selling ebooks?

Using a good strategy, you can earn anywhere from $500 to $10,000 per month. Bundle it with other digital products like mini courses, and you earn more.

This reminds me of Kamila Paradowska, who made $13,000 in one day selling her copywriting and UX ebook and course bundles.

Now, let's discuss some tools you may need to create and sell your e-books.

[fs-toc-omit]The tools you will need to create and sell e-books

• Writing tool: You can use Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or Canva.
• Writing Assistant: ChatGPT and Gemini
• Editing software: I recommend Grammarly for corrections. Hemingway Editor is also good for improving readability.
• Graphic design: Use Canva to create great designs. For more advanced tools, try Figma or Adobe Photoshop.
• Publishing and selling platforms: Use Easytools to create the page where you'll sell the ebook. When someone buys it, the tool will also send them a link to download it.

I often write my ebooks in Google Docs. I then transfer it to Canva to beautify it. Finally, I export it as a PDF and sell it on Easytools.

[fs-toc-omit]How much does it cost to create an e-book?

Creating an e-book of your own can cost between $0 and $150. Of course, this is because you don’t need expensive gear and software to make a standard e-book. You just need basic design skills.

On the other hand, if you hire an editor, an illustrator, and a content manager, your one-time cost will be more than $500.

[fs-toc-omit]Pros

• No printing and shipping costs
• Instant potential for global reach 
• Can be an additional income stream
• Can be used as a lead magnet for building an email list

[fs-toc-omit]Cons

• Marketing can be costly if you rely heavily on ads and paid promotions 
• Demands high time investment upfront
• High subscription and transaction fees on some platforms 

3. Memberships and subscriptions

The third profitable digital product on this list is memberships.

A membership program is a setup where people pay (monthly or yearly) to get ongoing access to some benefits, content, or services. People sign up, stay in, and keep getting new value as long as they’re part of it.

The word membership reminds me of my gym membership, and in fact, it’s a perfect example.

With my monthly gym membership, I can walk into the gym and train with any equipment I want to use. But of course, if the membership or subscription expires, they can kick me out at any time.

Selling online memberships is highly profitable. Some research has shown that the average revenue from memberships is $179,880/year. That’s a lot of revenue.

To begin, you just need a good membership platform and a topic.

Your membership program can be

• Fitness coaching,
• Exclusive recipes,
• Career mentoring,
• Templates, tools, or resource libraries for a specific niche (like marketing, event planning, photography),
• Monthly masterclasses or live Q&A calls,
• Forum for networking and collaboration, or
• Behind-the-scenes from your projects or business

Choose a topic where your audience wants regular updates or perks that solve specific problems. Give so much value that they'll want to keep paying each month.

[fs-toc-omit]The tools you will need to create and sell memberships

• Membership Platform: Popular ones are Circle and Discord.  You can manage and message your members.
• Design and Branding: Canva, Figma, Miro, and Picsart are good options and are affordable.
• Meetings and session hosting: Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams are the best.
• Email Marketing: I recommend Kit or Mailerlite.
• Payment/Subscription: Easytools, which integrates with Stripe, is my go-to for subscriptions, renewals, cancellations, upgrades, and downgrades.

[fs-toc-omit]How much does it cost to create a membership program?

On average, it costs between $100 and $200 to create a simple membership program. Since memberships are ongoing projects, you’ll also need to consider monthly costs.

Your monthly cost will mostly come from software subscriptions. I’ll say it will cost between $50 and $150 per month.

If you plan to scale faster, run LinkedIn ads. But that also means more costs.

At a higher or premium level, the monthly cost for running your membership can range from $500 to $1000.

[fs-toc-omit]Pros

• Predictable recurring passive income 
• Provides a real opportunity to scale
• Allows you to establish your brand and expertise
• You can build a loyal customer base

[fs-toc-omit]Cons

• Demands a lot of time to grow and build trust
• Can be difficult to thrive without big reputation
• Requires a lot of engagement and ideas to maintain interest
• Pricing comparisons on the market can affect member growth

4. Audio products and podcasts

In fourth place on my list of profitable digital products are audio products and podcasts.

They are digital audio recordings where you share knowledge, stories, or entertainment. It can be guided meditations, language lessons, audiobooks, and original music packs.

Ever heard of the Diary of a CEO podcast by Steven Batlett?

Or you may have already listened to an episode of the Mel Robbins podcast.

Oh, and how can I forget the audiobooks from Amazon Audible?

They are all perfect examples of audio files you can create and sell.

WPBeginner reports that 75% of Americans listen to podcasts on their smartphones. This shows a genuine interest in audio products and podcasts.

So it’s no wonder that Business Credit LV reveals top-tier podcasters earn $30,000 to $100,000. They do it through multiple income streams, such as YouTube ads or partnerships. 

There are two other ways to make money selling audio products or hosting a podcast.

The first one is by blocking access and asking people to pay for access. Again, you can do this using Easytools.

The second way is to give access as a lead magnet. You get their email address, send them more emails, and sell access to premium episodes. You can even sell other digital products, like your course or membership.

The possibilities are endless.

How much can you make with audio products and podcasts?

You can earn $500 to $10,000+ per month selling audio products or running a podcast. It depends on your pricing and target audience.

For example, podcasters with 1,000–5,000 dedicated listeners make $500–$2,000 per month through ads or sponsors. Larger podcast shows or premium audio courses can bring in $10,000+ monthly.

The key factors are audience engagement, niche demand, and how you package or monetize your audio content (ads, subscriptions, sponsorships, or direct sales).

[fs-toc-omit]The tools you will need to create and sell audio products

• Recording and Editing Software: Tools like Audacity, GarageBand, Adobe Audition, or Descript let you record and edit your audio.
• Hosting and Distribution: Buzzsprout, Anchor, Podbean, and Transistor help you host your podcast episodes and push them automatically to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other platforms. For video podcasts, you can use YouTube.
• Design and Branding: Canva, Figma, Miro, and Picsart are still great for cover art, social graphics, and episode visuals.
• Remote Interviews and Sessions: Riverside.fm, Zencastr, and SquadCast record high-quality remote interviews.
• Email Marketing: MailerLite or Beehiiv lets you grow an audience and notify subscribers about new episodes or products.
• Payment and Subscriptions: Patreon, Memberful, or Easytools (with Stripe) for monetizing audio content with paid episodes, memberships, or premium content.

[fs-toc-omit]How much does it cost to create a podcast?

Starting a podcast can cost between $200 and $1,000 for a decent starter kit. This will include a good microphone, headphones, and hosting fees.

If you want a more polished production, like professional editing, music licensing, and marketing, your budget can climb to $2,000–$5,000 upfront.

Ongoing costs, like hosting and promotion, are usually $10–$50 a month, unless you hire outside help.

[fs-toc-omit]Pros

• Comparatively easy to start
• Some audio products scale faster
• Potential passive income
• Additional income stream

[fs-toc-omit]Cons

• Audio quality has to be premium
• Audience growth often requires ads, paid promotion, or guest appearances
• Good ROI usually takes longer
• Heavily dependent on audience loyalty and/or sponsors

5. Software and digital tools

My fifth profitable digital product is software and digital tools.

They are products that solve work challenges, automate tasks, and improve workflow. I could mention apps, plugins, browser extensions, and software licenses.

Now, I don't mean you should create a huge app that competes against a giant like Salesforce. If you can't target businesses, sell to everyday users.

For instance, you can create a simple to-do list app like Todoist. Productivity tools are for both businesses and everyday users.

BlackNote Investment says that the software industry's revenue will reach $1.4 trillion by 2033. This shows there’s a growing demand for software and digital tools.  

But the real question is: how much can you make selling digital SaaS and digital tools?

You can make between $500/month and $100,000+/month selling digital SaaS or tools, depending on your user base and pricing.

For example, 500 users paying $10/month already brings in $5,000 MRR, while a few thousand subscribers can cross $50k–$100k MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue).

Your actual earnings depend on pricing, churn, niche demand, and how you market and support the product.

But where do you find profitable app ideas?

I like this video from Pat at Story Starter Build. He reviews 10 small apps that are making $10,000 per month. Of course, with more research on YouTube and ChatGPT, you can find more ideas.

[fs-toc-omit]The tools you will need to create and sell software & digital tools

• Development Platform: GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket for version control and collaboration; plus Visual Studio Code or JetBrains IDEs for coding.
• No-Code Builders: Instead of the tools above, you could also use these no-code tools: Bubble, Adalo, Glide, Softr, and Webflow.
• Design and Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, and Canva for UI/UX and product visuals.
• Testing and Feedback: Postman (API testing), BrowserStack (cross-browser testing), and UserTesting or Hotjar for user feedback.
• Hosting and Deployment: AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, or Vercel/Netlify for hosting and auto-deploying apps.
• Payment and Licensing: Stripe or Easytools for payments, subscriptions, license keys, and upgrades.
• Marketing and Customer Support: Loops.so or ActiveCampaign for email campaigns, and Intercom or Crisp for in-app chat and support.

Yes, I understand how you feel. Just reading the list of tools alone shows how creating software is one of the most difficult digital products. But the potential for making money is really high.

If you want to build AI tools that help everyday users or businesses, check out this video from Liam Ottley.

[fs-toc-omit]How much does it cost to create a software or digital tool?

Creating a simple MVP or basic tool typically costs between $100 and $30,000. You don’t need a team; you can create the app yourself. For more advanced apps with integrations and polished UI, expect $50,000–$200,000.

For complex enterprise software, you will spend $200,000 to $1,000,000+. You’ll hire developers and pay for hosting, updates, and support.  Then, add ongoing monthly costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

[fs-toc-omit]Pros

• Highly profitable if the SaaS solves a specific pain point
• You can make recurring revenue with subscriptions
• Creating apps is a hot topic online at the moment. So finding tutorials is easy.

[fs-toc-omit]Cons

• It's not easy to start, even if you use vibe coding.
• Can be capital-intensive
• You need a strong infrastructure and regular updates
• ROI often takes longer compared to lighter digital products
• Continuous support and improvements needed

6. Templates, planners, and other editable downloadables

You can also sell easy digital downloads like planners, spreadsheets, digital templates, checklists, or trackers. We call them digital downloads.

Think about selling something like Canva templates for social media ads or marketing materials. I could also mention a Notion weekly planner or habit tracker.

Creators even sell checklists or budget planners in Google Sheets. Some even use new AI tools like Gamma to create and sell meeting presentations. The list goes on.

After a purchase, the customer will get an editable file. You can sell it as a standalone product or combine it with online courses. Of course, you can also use them as lead magnets to build an email list.

[fs-toc-omit]The tools you will need to create and sell templates

• Creation: Canva, Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Google Docs/Sheets, and Notion.
• Packaging and Branding: Smartmockups, Mockuuups Studio, TinyPNG (compress), Coolors (color palettes).
• Selling and Delivery: Easytools.
• Email and Marketing: Kit, MailerLite, Beehiiv, Buffer (social scheduling).

[fs-toc-omit]How much does it cost to create templates?

Creating a simple one-page template usually costs between $0 and $150. I say $0 because you can create templates with a free subscription to Canva or Notion.

Now, if you hire an expert to create a template with interactive parts, expect to spend $200–$800+. High-end or commercial-license templates can cost $1,000 or more, depending on the designer and scope.

‍

[fs-toc-omit]Pros

• Easy to deliver: instant download, no shipping
• Great for building customer trust and loyalty
• Quick time to profit
• Scales fast with the right marketing

[fs-toc-omit]Cons

• Appeal can be limited to a niche market
• Requires consistent creative effort to stand out
• Lower pricing compared to other digital products 

7. Webinars

Let's continue with more profitable digital products.

Webinars are live online events where the host shares their knowledge with an audience. They interact with the audience through Q&A sessions, polls, or live chat.

Now, there are also recorded webinars (replays). The host can't interact with people live. Instead, the person watches it wherever they want, just like watching a YouTube video.

Like e-books, you can sell webinars as standalone products or bundled into memberships or courses.

An example of someone selling a webinar is Russell Brunson. Well, he normally sells his webinar framework, but you also access webinar replays.

[fs-toc-omit]The tools you will need to create and sell webinars

• Creation and Hosting: Zoom, WebinarJam, Demio, Livestorm, GoToWebinar.
• Presentation Design: Canva, PowerPoint, Google Slides, Figma Slides.
• Landing and Registration Pages: Easytools.
• Email and Reminders: MailChimp, Brevo, Omnisend.
• Payment and Access: Stripe and Easytools for paid webinars or bundles.
• Engagement and Polls: Slido, Mentimeter, Poll Everywhere during sessions.
• Recording and Repurposing: Descript, Riverside.fm, or OBS to record and turn webinars into on-demand content.

[fs-toc-omit]How much does it cost to create and sell webinars?

Creating and selling webinars can cost as little as $0 to $100/month if you’re using free tiers and doing the promotion yourself. If you use paid webinar software, email automation, and better landing pages, you’ll usually spend $100–$500/month.

[fs-toc-omit]Pros

• Quick returns (via ticket sales or offers)
• Builds customer loyalty and trust through real-time interaction
• Flexible direct monetization and upsell
• Creates authority and thought leadership in your niche

[fs-toc-omit]Cons

• Some platforms charge high subscription/hosting fees
• Requires strong video/audio quality to look professional
• Dependent on the existing base and promotion 
• Requires active effort and preparation

8. Certificate programs

The eighth profitable digital product to sell is certificate programs. As the name implies, they are online courses that give students certificates after they complete the course.

When taking the course, students will take assessments such as quizzes, assignments, or projects. Finally, they receive their certificates as PDFs or digital badges.

I like giving the example of Semrush. They have an academy full of SEO and digital marketing courses.

Upon completion, you receive a certificate you can share online.

As an individual, selling a program that gives a certificate is at the same time easy and difficult.

It's easy because I can use different tools to set up a platform and deliver the certificate. Anybody can do it, but without a reputation, you might not sell as much as you want.

It's better to sell a course without certification in this case.

It's difficult because the two most important things you need are credibility and reputation. You need to be an expert in your niche. Other top professionals must endorse you.

You must be a speaker at conferences, be featured on reputable websites in your industry, and have a massive online audience (followers).

At this point, you are saying, “I'm a true expert in my niche. Companies worth billions of dollars hire me to train their teams. If I offer a course with a certificate at $1000, they will buy it.”

And yes, individuals and companies will buy your program if you meet the conditions above. It will take you years to create such a personal brand, but making money will be extremely easy then.

If you already have such a reputation, I recommend reviewing this profitable digital product idea.

[fs-toc-omit]The tools you will need to create and sell certificate programs

• Course Creation and Hosting: Easytools, Teachable, Podia (all let you build courses and issue certificates).
• Certificate Design: Canva, Figma, Visme, Adobe Illustrator for custom certificate templates.
• Automated Certificate Issuing: Easytools, Accredible, Sertifier, Certifier, or built-in certificate features from your course platform.
• Landing and Registration Pages: Easytools, Leadpages.
• Email and Reminders: MailerLite or Beehiiv to send updates, nurture sequences, and completion emails.
• Payments and Access Control: Easytools and Stripe to charge for programs and manage enrollment.
• Analytics and Feedback: Easytools, Google Analytics, Hotjar, Typeform, or Google Forms for surveys and student feedback.

[fs-toc-omit]How much does it cost to create and sell certificate programs?

Creating certificate programs can cost anywhere from $30–$100/month if you use platforms like Easytools.

With branded domains, advanced certificate issuers, and email automation, the cost rises to $200–$1,000/month. Your actual spend depends on how polished and automated you want the experience to be.

[fs-toc-omit]Pros

• Courses look professional with certificates
• Allows you to create a structured learning ecosystem
• Positions you as a knowledgeable authority

[fs-toc-omit]Cons

• Credibility may require formal accreditation
• Certificates might not be recognized outside the platform
• Value of the certificate may vary among learners

What is a digital product?

A digital product is any product that you create, sell, purchase, deliver, and use electronically, usually online. Examples include online courses, e-books, templates, memberships, webinars, video editing presets, stock content, and software.

When a customer buys your digital product, the platform you choose sends it to their email address (if it's an ebook, for instance). If it's a product like an online course, the customer will get access to the videos.

You can sell digital products on platforms such as Easytools, Gumroad, Podia, or Teachable.

How to choose a profitable digital product

To choose a profitable digital product, you should:

• Match the digital product to your skills and expertise
• Research the market demand for the product
• Assess its pricing and scalability
• Select the necessary tools

Now, let me walk you through these in detail.

1. Match the digital product to your skills and expertise

I've mentioned it before, but the best digital products to sell come from your knowledge and expertise.

If you know how to create a WordPress website, create courses selling your skills. If you're an SEO expert, consider selling an e-book. If you are an AI workflow expert, create an n8n course.

I could go on with more examples, but I think you get the point.

Now, you don't need to know 100% of your niche. Even 50% experience is enough. You just need to show some credibility.

Before buying your product, people will want to answer these questions:

• Who are you?
• Have you done what you are teaching before? For who?
• What results did you get?
• How can I confirm your expertise?
• Will it work for me?

Take Ali Abdaal, for example. He is a YouTuber with more than 6 million followers. He teaches productivity and entrepreneurship.

He has videos with millions of views.

Do you think he has the right to teach people how to start and grow a YouTube channel?

Of course, and he did it by creating a course teaching how to start a YouTube channel without quitting your day job. He sells it for $995.

He even shared case studies about the results of his students after taking the course.

Now, if we answer the questions above

• Who are you? — Ali Abdaal
• Have you done what you are teaching before? For who? — Yes for me and my students
• What results did you get? — more than 6 million subscribers and millions for my students
• How can I confirm your expertise? — With my YouTube channel and website
• Will it work for me? — I've proved that my method works for people starting from zero. I will show you what to do and you just need to work hard.

Again, you don’t have to be someone who’s achieved impossible feats. Even if you have 100k subscribers, you can teach people how to start a YouTube channel. Your course could be “How to get your first 10k subscribers.”

As this Chinese proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

There is something that I love about creating and selling digital products. You develop so many skills.

→ You start as a blogger [skill: blogger], 

→ Create a YouTube channel to send more traffic to your website [skill: YouTuber],

→ Become financially free [skill: entrepreneurship]

→ Launch a profitable online course teaching what you know [skill: course creator]

→ Build a small membership community [skill: create a membership site]

→ Start speaking at small events or webinars to grow your name [skill: public speaker]

→ Offer coaching or consulting for your audience [skill: coach/consultant]

Do you see where one skill can take you? If you don't have any skills to sell, simply start learning one.

2. Research market demand

You should also research market demand before choosing the right digital product to sell. No matter how good your digital product is, it’ll flop if nobody wants it.

This research will also help you price it realistically. If you price it $100 while people are only willing to pay $10, your business will collapse.

And imagine you price it $100 but reduce it to 10 because people are not buying. They will think that your product was a scam in the first place.

Let me share 3 excellent ways to research market demand.

The first way is to use a keyword research tool. It helps you see how many people are searching for your topic and what phrases they are using.

I will use a free tool called Ahrefs Keyword Generator and choose the USA as my audience location. I'll then enter my topic (niche) with these modifiers:

• Best [Topic]
• Top [Topic]
• Buy [Topic]
• [Topic] template
• [Topic] course
• [Topic] programs
• [Topic] book
• Download [Topic]
• Free [Topic]
• Create a/an [Topic]
• How to create a/an [Topic]
• How to start a/an [Topic]

You cannot use all of them at once. I will choose “[Topic] course” because I want to create a course, but even then, I will still search for all the variations above.

It can show me that people are actually looking for a template, not a course. But I will stick to a course in this example.

> Research: Digital marketing course.

The research shows that over 10,000 searches are done on Google every month. It's not the number of people, it's the number of times people search it. A good number should be 100 or above. 

Again, test another modifier to see other results.

The second way is to check competitors. This is by far the best method because you can see if people are already paying for the products.

If it's a course, check online course platforms like Coursera and Udemy. The image below shows that over 256,000 people bought the digital marketing course.

And the fact that students continue to leave reviews proves that people still buy the course.

It shows that people are not just interested, they are willing to pay for these courses.

My third market research method is using Google Trends. Type your keyword “[Topic] course” and see the trend in your target location. It's a good sign if it's been close to 50 for the past 2-5 years. It means people are still searching for it on Google.

The fourth method is using YouTube. Search for your keyword “[Topic] course” and filter the videos by “This year.”

YouTube will show videos published this year. Check the number of views each video got. High numbers show that people are searching for and watching the videos on your topic.

Read comments to see what people say. Check if they are asking for more questions or recommending other videos or courses.

If you can, combine this YouTube method with VidIQ, a free keyword research tool for YouTube. It will show the number of times people search for the keyword on YouTube.

And finally, my fifth market research method is to start with a smaller offer. For instance, if your digital product normally sells for $100, create a $27 version where you teach one or two core concepts in-depth.

See how many people react. Read their comments and reviews. 

Without doing market research, you will create a digital product nobody needs. You may also create something that people are not willing to buy; they only want it for free.

3. Assess pricing and scalability

Assess pricing and scalability to choose the right digital product to sell.

General pricing models for digital products are 1-time purchase, subscriptions, freemium, tiered pricing, value-based pricing, and pay-per-use.

They all work differently and have their pros and cons. They also don't work for all digital products.

Take the subscription model, for example. It can work for a membership program, but not for a course or ebook.

Freemium is great for templates, planners, and other downloadable products. They are good lead magnets when you bundle them with a paid digital product.

After choosing the right pricing model, check your competitors to see how much they are charging.

For a course, try a platform like Udemy.

Creative Market is a great platform if you are selling fonts, graphics, templates, or design assets.

If you are selling ebooks (or a course), search for “[topic] ebooks” on Google and visit every website. See how much the creators are charging.

And now, you can even use AI to do your research. With a simple prompt, ask ChatGPT and Gemini to give you a list of courses in your niche. Here is the prompt I used:

“Give me a list of 20 digital marketing courses created by individual entrepreneurs (solo creators). Do not include courses hosted on third-party platforms like Udemy or other online marketplaces. I only want courses launched and sold directly on the creator’s own website. For each course, include the link to the course page so I can access it.”

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Here is a template you can use with your own topic or niche:

“Give me a list of 20 [TOPIC/NICHE] courses created by individual entrepreneurs (solo creators). Do not include courses hosted on third-party platforms like [EXCLUDED PLATFORMS/EXAMPLES, e.g., Udemy or marketplaces]. I only want courses launched and sold directly on the creator’s own website. For each course, include the link to the course page so I can access it.”

Don't undervalue your product. You shouldn't sell it at $20 because your competitors also do.

Determine your price based on the value you provided in your digital product. If it has research, real case studies, tips most people don't know about, techniques, or unique frameworks that made you money, people will be ready to pay a lot for it.

The most important thing is to provide so much value that people think they are making a good deal. They feel like your price is low and you should charge more.

But since people haven't watched the course or read the ebook yet, they can't gauge your product value. In this case, create a stack offer where you give many things for free. The price will then look reasonable.

Finally, think about scalability. You want to create a product in a niche that has many options. You start with an ebook, create a course later, and then sell templates.

A profitable niche lets you repackage your product in other formats: text, video, audio, templates, service, membership, and more.

If you only have two or three options, your niche is likely not profitable.

4. Select the necessary tools

Let me share one more tip to consider when choosing a profitable digital product to sell.

The tools you choose will either make life easy or difficult for you. You need tools to create, host, and market your product.

I already recommended a list of tools under each product idea in this article. Notice that I didn't share only one for every category. I shared many options, from beginner to expert.

If you have just begun creating online and choose Adobe Illustrator, you'll launch your product in twelve months. I'm not exaggerating because you'll spend a lot of time learning the tool.

You're not here to learn a tool; you're creating a digital product. So choose tools you can learn with one or two tutorials.

People who search for profitable digital products often launch courses, ebooks, templates, planners, or programs. Here are the beginner-friendly tools they use:

• Google Docs: For writing content
• Canva: for creating templates, ebooks, planners, etc.
• Loom: For recording their screen
• Filmora or Canva: For editing their videos
• MailerLite: For sending emails
• Easytool: For selling their digital product

You often don't need more tools than these.

Choose profitable digital products to sell 

In this guide, I shared eight profitable digital products. I talked about online courses, e-books, memberships, podcasts, software, templates, webinars, and certificate programs.

Of course, these are some ideas. I could also mention digital arts, printable digital products, website templates, and sales pages.

You also saw what digital products are and how to choose the ones that will generate passive income. You research market demand, check pricing, and choose the right tools.

Now is your turn to choose and research a product idea. Again, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

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