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In today’s market, digital products are outperforming their physical counterparts, and it’s easy to see why. Digital products require little time and money investment. Plus, they can help you earn a passive income - and who doesn’t like to see their bank balance increase even while sleeping?

With a whole range of businesses and individuals going down the digital route, it might just be time to jump on the bandwagon and begin to earn passive income. This will add another revenue stream with minimal effort, and you can use the additional time to have fun, relax, or focus on other projects.

Don’t know where to start or how to sell online? Fear not, as we’ve created this guide just for you!

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn everything there is to know about what digital products are, which are the best ones to create, and how you can start selling them with Whop.

Whop is the leading platform for next-generation entrepreneurs who want a reliable platform to kickstart their digital dreams.

Once you’re ready to launch your digital product, head over to Whop.com and start earning passive income by selling digital products.

Everything you need to know about digital products

Let’s start with a few basics: what exactly is a digital product?

For centuries, the term “product” has been used to describe tangible objects exchanged between people for money or other goods. However, products have lost their tangible prerequisite and are now classified as physical, digital (or virtual), and even services.

So, a more modern definition of a product is something that can be marketed and sold. If it’s also a non-tangible object that’s primarily sold online, it’s called a digital product. 

Digital products are very common nowadays and are even more profitable than physical goods, with much lower logistics costs and lower initial investment. Plus, they're a great way to earn passive income since most come with very low maintenance requirements.

How much can you make selling digital products?

whop sellers

The amount of money you can make with digital products depends on how much effort you put in. For instance, completely passive income digital products need minimal effort but also gather less traffic and income. On the other hand, a more active product (like an online community or consulting service) warrants a higher price tag and more sales.

The average creator on Whop makes over $7000 a month!

Pros of selling digital products

There's a huge number of reasons to sell digital products - here are just a few of them.

Easier to create

One of the best things about digital products is they’re usually very easy to create. Simple products, like Canva templates or small tutorials can literally take just a few hours to complete, and they’ll earn you tons of passive income. Plus, most people create digital products out of skills they already have expertise in, so it can take even less time to make your end product.

What’s more, digital products require very minimal initial investment to produce. For most of them, you won’t need to spend any money whatsoever - all you’ll need to invest is time.

No shipping costs

The virtual nature of digital products gives them a significant edge over physical products - you don’t need to pack and ship them to your customer! Instead, once each customer completes their transaction, they'll immediately receive the digital product.

The lack of shipping costs means there’s an even larger profit margin for digital products, as logistics and shipping are among the biggest expenses for any physical goods business. Plus, you don’t need to spend time processing and shipping orders, making digital goods even more passive.

Read more about the ecommerce fulfillment process for digital products.

No inventory space needed

In the same vein, you don’t really need to worry about purchasing and maintaining an inventory of items like a traditional commerce business would. All your “inventory” is digital and is created instantly when a customer orders your product.

This saves a lot of time, money, and hassle, as there’s no need to finance a warehouse to maintain an inventory, nor do you need to constantly order new stock. Instead, you can just passively earn money by selling your digital products online and let the platform you use handle all of the “logistics”.

Global market

What’s better than having basically no logistics cost? The ability to sell your product worldwide without having to worry about things like customs and duties, shipping restrictions, or limitations in available inventory. 

Digital products allow you to reach an even larger audience, as literally anyone can just purchase them from wherever they are.

Easy to scale

Finally, with digital products, your ability to scale is basically limitless. Compared to traditional stores with physical products, you don’t need to deal with new brick-and-mortar locations for stores or warehouses, differences in shipping and logistics, or hiring more staff to help run the business.

Instead, you can just decide to create additional digital products for different purposes and sell them within the same platform you’re using already. That’s because most of these marketplaces allow you to list multiple products at no additional cost, which makes scaling your business a breeze.

Cons of selling digital products

Even though digital products have lots of strengths that make them great for earning passive income, they also come with a few important downsides you should be aware of.

Intangible goods

One of the biggest strengths of digital products is also one of their largest weaknesses. Not having a physical product might seem great for you in terms of logistics. But it can be deterring for many customers out there who want to feel like they’re purchasing something tangible. Since you can’t really create tangible digital goods, you have two options to deal with this issue. 

The first is to ignore this part of the market and focus on the customers who don’t care if your product is digital or those specifically looking for digital products. The second is to convince people that your product is what they need, regardless of whether it’s tangible or not, through your marketing and additional services, such as troubleshooting and updates.

Highly competitive market

There’s no beating around the bush: everyone is catching up on the digital product trend and is creating amazing products. This makes for a very competitive market, especially in certain fields. So, what can you do to differentiate your products from everyone else?

Your best bet is to create a very specific product for a very specific problem that’s ideally a hassle to solve. This way, the customers who want a solution to this unusual but cumbersome problem will be willing to pay more for a good product that will help them. Simply put, find your specialty and hone it to perfection.

10 best digital product ideas to earn passive income 💡

If you’re struggling to decide which digital product you want to create or simply want some inspiration, have a look below at some of the most popular digital products right now.

1. Online courses

Online courses are arguably the best and most profitable way to earn passive income by selling digital products. These days, people are constantly looking to learn new skills to help with their jobs, while others are looking to change careers. And, of course, there are those who are just looking to discover new hobbies and activities in their free time.

With easy access to digital courses, as well as the ability for customers to do things at their own pace and not having to deal with other people (for better or worse), online courses are thriving in the current market.

Before you start building your online course, you need to identify a skill you’re good at. This can be anything from cooking or knitting to running a successful business. Find your niche and learn how you can convey your knowledge and expertise to others.

Then, it’s just a matter of researching the market, finding your branding, and creating the course itself. Don’t forget about marketing too, as you’ll need to advertise your course to attract more customers.

2. Ebooks

eBook banner

Ebooks were one of the earliest digital products being sold. Whether it’s fiction novels, gardening books, or just self-improvement books, there are plenty of ebook genres to tackle and find something you enjoy writing about.

Nowadays, ebooks are a way to bundle specific knowledge or skills you have in a neat package and offer it to the world. Compared to online courses, which usually require a lot more time and focus to properly complete, ebooks can be a great companion throughout your daily activities, such as commuting.

Most people avoid creating and selling ebooks because they think they don’t know how to write properly. However, that’s not really the case, nor do you need to be Stephen King to write a simple ebook using the knowledge you already have.

Just make sure to provide valuable information throughout the book and develop a good hook for your readers in the beginning.

3. Digital art

You can eve sell art as digital products. Digital art is highly sought-after by many people and can be very profitable. Plus, you have dozens of options on what kind of art you want to create.

If you’re good at drawing, you can create digital art prints and sell them online to people who like your art style. Once you build a loyal customer base, you can even work on a commission model and basically draw what customers ask for.

Another aspect of digital art is creating logos or graphic designs for businesses. With so many businesses going digital, they need to have engaging and attractive logos and graphics to use for different purposes.

You can also utilize your creative mind to make themes for different purposes. There are several businesses looking for attractive WordPress themes for their website, and you can even create themes for peoples’ computers or mobile devices.

4. Templates & presets

sell templates

Another quick and easy digital product to make and sell is templates. You can use products like Canva to create digital downloads in the form of templates for anything from daily routine planners to editable journals and trackers.

You can also sell presets. If you’re a fan of photography and have plenty of presets already, you can just sell them online to make some extra money.

5. Private community access

If you have something you can share with an online community, then you can monetize it.

Whop is home to thousands of online communities across a whole range of categories. Keen sports bettor? Then sell access to your picks through a sports picks whop. Avid reader? Why not create a digital book club with Whop? Interested in health and fitness? Create a fitness community and share your fitness tips with paying members.

With Whop you create your own whop, which is your online space. You can design your whop in any way you like, using the chat app to add chat channels, the video calls up for livestreams, the courses app for sharing educational content, and much more.

Then, you set a price for access to your whop. Running an online community is a great way to earn recurring income.

6. Stock photos

pictures

If your hobby is photography, you can use it to create stock photos, which you can then sell online to earn passive income.

Since content creators and businesses can’t just use random photos from the internet for fear of copyright infringements, they usually turn to websites with large stock photo libraries. Here, they buy out stock photos or license their usage for a certain time period.

All you need to do is provide original photos, for which you’re the copyright owner, and you can just earn passive income every time someone purchases your photo. It might not amount to a large amount of money, but it’s one of the most maintenance-free digital products you can sell.

Find out the best way to sell pictures online.

7. Software & plugins

If you’re good with coding, you can create standalone software apps that your customer can download and use on their computer or web browser. 

The possibilities are endless when it comes to software, and you can essentially create anything you want, from project management tools to help with productivity to fully-fledged apps for Windows, MacOS, or Linux, or even mobile apps and games.

Another great option is plugins, such as WordPress plugins or ChatGPT plugins. The latter is particularly popular currently, with many people looking to take full advantage of ChatGPT and AI in general.

8. Website templates

sell a website

Designing websites, especially for people who lack the necessary web development skills, can be quite hard. This is why platforms like WordPress or Wix provide pre-made templates for people to use.

One problem with those templates is, well, they're too saturated. Since those platforms offer these templates, there are tens of thousands of websites that essentially look and act the same. This is why some people tend to hire web developers to create unique designs for their websites.

If you're knowledgeable enough in platforms like WordPress or Wix, or you have the skills to create websites of your own, you can create template designs for people to buy and customize to their own liking.

By using platforms like Whop, ThemeForest, or TemplateMonster, you can monetize the website designs you make and generate a passive income.

9. AI automation services

AI Automation Academy store page on Whop
AI Automation Academy at Whop

AI automation means automating long workflows by adjusting AI processes to do the work for you. For example, if you manage multiple social media accounts and marketing campaigns, you'd have to create each post, post them, and send emails.

Instead, if you automate that process with AI, you can just provide input (or let it generate one itself) and let the AI handle the rest - posting on social media, customizing email campaigns, and actually publishing them. This is why the AI automation topic is getting more and more popular each day.

Of course, AI automation requires knowledge of certain AI services and analytical thinking skills - that's why not everyone uses it. By using platforms like PrompBase or Replit, you can create AI automation templates (or apps) and monetize them using Whop.

10. Spreadsheet templates

Spreadsheets that help you keep track of your budget, habits, projects, etc., are great tools that can make people's lives much easier. The problem is that many people don't know Excel/Google Sheets formulas or don't have time to learn about them.

The solution you can create for this problem is spreadsheet templates. If you have the necessary Excel/Google Sheets skills, you can create spreadsheets not just with formulas but with macros as well - making your templates even more powerful than the ones on the market.

After creating these templates, you can create a whop for yourself, add the Files app to it, and start selling the templates to people.

Next reads:

How to start selling your digital products today

Interested in starting your own digital product business? Here’s what you’ll need to do to get started:

Research the market & find your target audience

The first and arguably most important step you’ll need to do before you start creating anything is to research the market thoroughly. There are tons of great products out there, and you'll need to create something truly exceptional to stand out.

You’ll probably not be able to build something excellent on your first try, though, so your best option is to create something unique. Determine your target audience, which are your main customers for the product, and find an issue not many people have but those dealing with it would gladly pay to solve it. 

Then, create something high quality and market it to them specifically. If you don’t do proper research for a target audience and just build something common and popular, it’ll be very hard to make it stand out in order to sell a high volume.

Establish your brand & start building your digital product

The next step is to find your brand identity and philosophy. Nowadays, people tend to resonate better with brands or individuals that have a passionate story behind them, so use this to your advantage.

By the way, establishing your brand should definitely come before building the actual product itself. Find a catchy brand name and logo that will convey what you’re selling and attract customers.

Then, it’s time to actually start building your product. This process will differ from person to person, but you’ll generally want to create an initial draft of it first and refine it later. Don’t get too fixated on perfection from the beginning, as you’ll waste a lot of time and effort. Also, remember to frequently maintain and update your digital product to add more value to it.

Choose the best platform for selling digital products

Once your product is ready to launch, you’ll need to decide where you’ll sell it. Whop is the perfect place to sell all kinds of digital products, including eBooks, online courses, templates, coaching services, and online community access.

How to sell digital products on Whop

Here are the steps you need to follow if you want to earn passive income by selling digital products on Whop:

  1. Visit Whop.com and click “Sign up”.
  2. You’ll first need to create an account on the platform using your email address.
  3. Then, click the blue Create button (plus icon) at the top left of your screen.
  4. Choose a name for your whop and click Continue - you just created a whop.
  5. Now, it’s time to complete your onboarding by following the onboarding tracker at the bottom of your screen.
  6. Once you complete the launch checklist and feel comfortable, it’s time to launch your digital product for the world to purchase!

If you want a more detailed guide, check out our How to create a whop guide, which will give you step-by-step instructions on creating a whop in under 5 minutes.

Launch a marketing campaign

With digital products, marketing is key. Decent or even below-average products can sometimes outsell excellent products simply by using clever marketing. That’s why you need to have a solid marketing campaign for your digital product to amass a following and develop a customer base.

You can use several methods, but by far, the best one is social media. If you already have an account with a large following, use it to promote your new product and draw your followers in. Or, if you’re just starting out, choose one social media platform and create content about your product there.

Another option, if you know any influencers or content creators, is to pay them to promote your product. Just make sure you approach people who create similar content to what you’re offering to maintain your target audience.

Keep your customers updated

Once you grow your following, you’ll also need to maintain it. Continuous engagement with your customer base is essential in maintaining their interest both in your products and your brand. But, your communication and engagement need to also provide them with some value so they pay attention to it instead of just ignoring it.

So, use the Forums app as an 'announcement' channel in your whop to keep your customers updated.

Tips & tricks for selling digital products

Just like any business starting out, selling digital products can be stressful until you see the first few sales come in.

Here are some tips and tricks that will help you get better at selling digital products to earn passive income:

  • Make something unique
    With the digital product market being so competitive, you can’t expect to just build something common to what everyone else does and be successful. No matter how good it is, your ordinary product will be lost in the sea of other good ordinary products. So, look to create a unique product that provides value to a certain group of people and market it to them specifically.
  • Try out different things
    It’s okay if your first digital product doesn’t do so well; just try building something else until you find what sells well. Then, all you need to do is focus on that product to perfect it and release other similar products for that target audience.
  • Don’t skimp on marketing
    If you want people to find out about your brand-new digital product, you need to get it out there by using different marketing methods. If you don’t have a lot of money to spend on proper advertising, use your time and effort to market your product on social media and build a loyal customer base.
  • Don’t expect overnight success
    Don’t think that just because you released an excellent digital product, it’ll be an overnight success. Even if you have amassed a large following, it takes time for each product to settle in the market and start selling.

    Don’t be discouraged if your sales aren’t going well either; just promote it patiently until it kicks off, or just work on something else that may be more profitable.
  • Keep your product updated
    No matter how successful your digital product is, you should always look to update it with additional content and new features. If you leave it without any updates or maintenance, you’ll get way less sales, as people may lose interest. Also, putting time and effort into maintaining your product can justify a potentially high price tag.
  • Secure your intellectual property
    Always ensure your intellectual property is safe, as some digital products are very easy to leak. Make sure to properly watermark your art pieces and secure any necessary copyrights or trademarks that will protect your goods from being stolen.

Ready to sell your first digital product?

Ready to start your own digital product business? You're in the right place!

With Whop you can sell almost any kind of digital product. From consulting services, to meal plans, to sports picks, you can sell it all with Whop. It takes less than 5 minutes to sign up and create your own whop. What are you waiting for?

Start selling with Whop