60+ Profitable Digital Product Ideas to Sell Online in 2024

Updated for 2024

Imagine earning money while you sleep. Sales come in, products are delivered, and money shows up in your bank account. All without you lifting a finger. Sounds like a dream come true, right?

Well, in the digital age, this dream can become a reality. The digital revolution brought with it new streams of income for entrepreneurs to tap into, one of the most popular being the ability to create and sell digital products. 

So what are digital products?

These are intangible resources that are distributed online. Every ebook, online course, or web template you’ve seen is an example of a digital product. Digital products have become major income earners for a variety of reasons, including low overhead, ease of delivery, and the potential for huge profits.

In this post, we’ll explore the benefits of selling digital products and look at some of the most profitable types you could consider selling.

Why You Should Sell Digital Products

Let’s begin by taking a quick look at some of the main reasons why you might want to sell digital products.

Relatively low overhead costs

Digital products are a great starting point for content creators who want a low investment option. The largest expense with selling digital products would likely be the equipment used to produce them or e-commerce platform fees if that route is chosen. Even so, for every expense you can incur, there is usually an inexpensive or free alternative that is just as good.

For example, if you don’t want to invest in an e-commerce platform such as Etsy, you can create a website of your own or sell through social media. If you can’t yet afford expensive content editing software, there are many free or inexpensive alternatives that are beginner-friendly such as Canva. Maybe you’ll need an investor deck in the future, but not at the beginning with such low starting costs.

No need to store or manage inventory

The great thing about digital products is that they exist online, which means there’s no need for additional storage or inventory space. It also makes it easier to manage your products. There are numerous cloud storage options that can store thousands of digital files such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive. You can also use external storage devices as a secondary storage option. When selecting your storage option, it is important to ensure that the provider uses a sustainable data center to protect your digital products. Data centers are the facilities that protect the servers that store and deliver online goods.

Customers receive the product immediately after purchase

The main benefit of digital products for your customers is instant access. Most digital products are available immediately after purchase, though some sellers offer pre-orders as a benefit. This saves you thousands of dollars on shipping and packaging costs. It also allows you to turn this into a passive income stream since you don’t need to constantly monitor orders, spend time packaging or make deliveries. 

Types of Digital Products to Sell Online

From video courses to checklists and e-books, there are more opportunities now than ever before for sellers to create digital products to grow a successful business. In this article, we’ll divide these product possibilities into six broad categories. As you’ll see, there’s some overlap between categories.

• Educational Products: These are products that are designed to share knowledge and expertise. From short informational checklists and infographics to full-length ebooks and in-depth online study assistance, if you have knowledge to share, there’s likely an audience who would pay you for that information.
• Consulting, Coaching, and Services: When more in-depth and/or face-to-face instruction is needed (whether 1-to-1 or for small to large groups), there are many ways to deliver that instruction. And many of these services command higher fees. Cha-ching!
• Business and Marketing Tools: Businesses often struggle to handle all the various tasks they need to complete regularly. If you can provide tools that are simple to use and help them get the job done more quickly and effectively, you can cash in.
• Interactive and Practical Tools: Outside of everyday business tasks, there are many opportunities to provide tools that help people become more productive and successful in many areas of their lives. If there’s a need and you have a tool that provides a solution, you have a market to sell to.
• Entertainment and Creative Products: If you’re a creative person, you can scratch your creative itch and simultaneously entertain others–for profit!
• Visual Content: The old adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words” is even more true today. While words certainly still carry weight, today’s online marketplace places a premium on visual presentation. This means opportunity for you!

60+ Profitable Digital Product Ideas to Sell Online

Now that we’ve talked about the broad categories in which you can create profitable digital products, let’s turn our attention to some of the more specific products you can sell online in each of these categories. Many of these items have proven to yield high returns and most are growing in demand.

Educational Products

This is the largest category included in our list of digital products, and for good reason. For literally any topic you can think of, there are people who know a lot about it (experts) and people who don’t know much about it, but would like to learn more (novices). And whenever that disparity exists, there’s an opportunity for the expert to create one or more products to teach the novices to become more proficient–for a fee, of course. 

Below, you’ll find a list of some of the most common digital education products.

1. PDF Downloads

Yes, you can sell PDFs! In fact, due to how versatile they are and their compatibility with almost all devices, PDFs are a great option for new sellers. You might be thinking only of text documents, but some popular types of PDF downloads include: 

• Home management checklists
• Activity sheets for kids
• Daily planners
• Powerpoint presentations
• Resume templates
• Digital invitations

These items are easy to create and can appeal to a wide audience or be created for a narrow niche. PDFs can also be either bundled based on a theme or sold individually. You can even offer customers the option to create their own bundles at a discounted cost.

2. Ebooks

Nothing beats the smell of a new book–except maybe instant delivery! Ebooks have grown in popularity because of the convenience they offer. Not only do consumers get immediate access after purchase, but they’re also able to store even more reading material without worrying about clutter. Ebook readers are also extremely easy to tote around, which adds to their appeal. 

Most authors are now keen to include an ebook option to their physical books or make their content exclusively available in ebook format. It saves thousands in printing costs, and with self-publishing now being a viable option, ebooks are much easier to produce than their physical counterparts.

3. Tutorials

Sites like YouTube and SkillShare have proven that people are interested in learning just about anything, from how to cook to how to improve their writing to how to keep pesky critters out of their garden. If you have experience in a particular field, you can use that to produce tutorial content to guide others as they learn. 

The great part is, you don’t need a degree or formal credentials. Your years of experience in sewing, or the amazing art you’ve created over the years can be enough to make you a credible source.

4. Downloadable Guides

People want to feel empowered to do things by themselves. This is why they turn to how-to guides. With downloadable guides, you can offer a quick, inexpensive way for them to learn a new skill or improve on one. These guides can focus on personal development like better time management or hobbies like knitting or professional development, such as learning accounting. 

They’re easy to create from scratch and you can create done-for-you guides or templates that users can personalize. 

Now that we’ve introduced you to the broader category of downloadable guides, the following six more specific examples will give you a sense of the possibilities. Let these stimulate your thinking to create a guide in your own area of expertise!

5. Parenting Guides

You can find guides out there for how to grow your relationship with your children, and guides that focus on child safety. You can find guides that offer different philosophical approaches to parenting, from positive psychology to tough love. And you can find guides that show you how to be the best support for your children in their school career. 

So, if you have expertise in some aspect of parenting–especially if you have a unique take on things–there will be an audience out there for your ideas.

6. Travel Guides

Another popular type of guide is the travel guide. Yes, that’s still “a thing,” but they don’t look like the bulky printed guides with glossy photos that you may have used to check out the tourist spots on your vacation 20 years ago. 

Today’s guides–whether in downloadable PDF or ebook form or digital-only as a website or app–tend to be much more informative, as they usually contain links to further resources that allow you to dig deeper into any aspect of your chosen destination that you want.

There are also travel guides that provide a more specific slant on a destination, such as guides created specifically for solo female travelers or that focus primarily on the best dining spots of the location. So, if you know a city or region well, you can share that information as a guide.

7. Mindfulness and Meditation Guides

Mindfulness has become a huge area of interest in recent years and the interest in the practice–as well as the broader area of self-care–really took off during the COVID pandemic. With so much interest, guides on how to practice mindfulness have proliferated–from PDF guide sheets to recorded audio guidance to mindfulness apps. If this is an area of expertise for you, find a specific niche and create your own resource to share.

8. Wedding Planning Guides

Weddings are big business and the modern wedding often includes a lot of (often expensive) moving parts. If you’re a professional wedding planner, or just a knowledgeable amateur, and you can clearly explain to people how to organize all the work that needs to be done to prepare for the blissful day, you will have an eager audience for your work. Your guide can be something as simple as a checklist or timeline or something as elaborate as an app.

9. Investment Strategy Guides

If you have expertise in one or more areas of investing, you can share that knowledge in a variety of ways. For those new to the topic, you could provide a guide that covers the big core principles. Or you could offer guidance in a specific niche, such as investing in socially responsible stocks or investing strategies for millennials. One thing’s for sure: people are always interested in making or saving money, so the market for such information is huge!

10. DIY Gardening Plans

Whether you’re an expert in vegetable gardening or in creating perennial flower gardens, you can turn your green thumb into greenbacks by sharing that expertise. You can create garden design guides, planting guides, gardening calendars or journals, guides about pest control…. The possibilities are endless.

11. Workbooks 

Now that we’ve done a deep dive into various options for creating downloadable guides, let’s broaden our horizons again and look at some more types of information products you could create.

Workbooks are an excellent value-added product to accompany some other information product you’ve created. For example, if you’ve written an ebook on a how-to topic, you can bundle a workbook with it for those who like to hold themselves accountable and keep track of their progress. If you’ve created an online course, you can provide a workbook for attendees to complete as they work through the course modules. 

12. Webinars 

Webinars are very versatile and have become a staple of online businesses in recent years. If you have a product or program you’d like to sell, you can provide some portion of the content for free during the webinar and then pitch the bigger product or program at the end of the webinar. Or you can pack all the content on a particular topic into the webinar itself and sell the webinar as the product.

13. Online Courses

The online learning industry is expected to be worth over $300B by 2025, and for good reason. Online courses have risen in demand in the last few years, especially in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This already growing industry suddenly saw thousands of new users joining online learning platforms and course creators responded in kind. 

This makes online courses one of the most profitable digital products to sell. They can be delivered in text, audio, or video format, or a combination of all three–the choice is yours to make. With numerous free or inexpensive software options available to make course creation easier, it doesn’t require hours of work to get started, and some online courses command fees in the thousands.

14. Transcripts of Expert Interviews

If you aren’t considered a known name in your niche (yet), one of the best ways to grow your authority and credibility is to interview others in your field who already have some measure of status–and then turn those interviews into a product to sell to your own audience (and, if you can get your interviewees to agree, to sell to their audiences, as well). You can package the interview transcripts into a written document, or you can edit the audio or video (if you recorded them) into files for purchase.

15. Virtual Summits

Creating a virtual summit on a topic takes the expert interview approach above and adds a little extra juice. Here’s how you do it: you interview a number of experts on a variety of aspects of a particular topic and record the interviews. You then schedule the interviews to be shown at specific times across (usually) a two- or three-day period. You market the summit and get people to sign up. Most often, attendance is free, but then the host of the summit (you) sells lifetime access to the recordings for a certain fee.

The real genius of running a virtual summit comes from the fact that you can get the interviewees to pitch their appearance on your summit to their emails lists. Anyone who signs up for the summit then is added to your list, so it’s a great way to grow your email list. You then have the ability to market other products and programs to these people post-summit.

16. Case Studies

If you already have customers or clients who are finding success through using your products or services, you have the perfect opportunity to build on that success by telling some of those stories. You simply contact some of your biggest success stories, interview them, and then turn their stories into written case studies. The case studies can be sold or can be provided as proof that your program works–that is, as marketing materials.

17. White Papers

A white paper is a specific type of lead magnet that is most often used in industries that are more technical in nature. By writing a white paper that demonstrates your deep understanding of a problem in your field and the best approach to solving that problem, you set yourself up as an expert. White papers are generally used as free lead magnets and they usually offer a soft pitch about your company at the end, so a company tends to profit from publishing white papers indirectly.

18. Membership Sites

Membership sites are subscription-based platforms that give members access to exclusive content. They are usually educational in nature and there is an expectation that new content will be shared on a regular basis. 

The main benefit to this type of digital product is that you are guaranteed a consistent income. Subscription plans are typically offered on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis, though there are sites that offer lifetime memberships at a higher price point. 

Consulting, Coaching, and Services

While the products described in the previous section tend to be of the type that are done once and can then be sold digitally (or offered for free in the case of lead magnets), meaning that your involvement after the initial creation of the product is minimal, coaching and consulting services involve more frequent and direct contact with your clients. On the plus side, they also can command a significantly higher price.

19. Coaching Packages

While services might not strictly be considered digital products, there are a few exceptions. Coaching and consulting services are a perfect addition to other products you might offer and as such, are actually extensions of those products.

For example, if you offer guides, tutorials, courses, or ebooks on a particular subject, you can also offer one-on-one or group coaching for those who want to delve even deeper into those topics. Thanks to the many communication tools available today, you can establish a connection and sense of intimacy with your coaching clients even from a distance. 

20. Online Coaching Certification Packages

In the previous paragraph, we talked about coaching others in an area of your expertise. Another way to parlay that expertise into a solid income is to create a certification course where you take novices and turn them into professionals in the area. If you have a solid reputation in your field, the fact that you have certified someone through your training will carry weight in the industry–and will thus be something people will pay handsomely for.

21. Online Consulting

There’s a subtle difference between coaching and consulting. Coaching tends to be less directive, relying more on suggestion, guidance, and mentorship. Consulting, on the other hand, tends to be more directive. 

If you have a reputation as an expert in an area and the people who come to you for guidance are novices, it’s highly likely that they would rather you simply tell them what they need to do to gain proficiency. Again, this work can be done one-to-one or with small or even large groups via conferencing tools such as Zoom.

22. Affiliate Marketing Guides

Many entrepreneurs who have yet to create their own products are attracted to affiliate marketing as a way to make money by promoting other people’s products–and being paid a cut for each sale. You can provide a beginner’s guide to affiliate marketing, or you could go niche and produce information on “affiliate marketing for fitness professionals” or “affiliate marketing for yoga instructors” or whatever. 

There are people offering affiliate commissions on products in just about any niche you can think of. Show people how to connect with those people and profit from the connection and you’ll find a pool of willing buyers.

23. SEO Guides

Many people who run online businesses are totally clueless about SEO. They may be very savvy about most aspects of running a business. And they undoubtedly know that organic search traffic is important for their business, but SEO seems like some kind of mysterious black box to them. And that’s an opportunity for you–if you’re knowledgeable about the topic yourself. 

You can create a guide that teaches these business owners the basics and walks them step-by-step through auditing their website and content to see how it stacks up for search. And if, after becoming more educated about the topic, they decide that they still need more help, guess what? You can offer to provide the service of doing their SEO work for them. One sale leading to a bigger sale, perhaps even a retainer agreement. You can’t beat that!

24. Resume Review Services

Yes, the resume is “old school,” but as long as there are people looking for jobs and trying to get their name out there to prospective employers, there will be a need for advice on how to make a good impression with a resume. Of course, a resume doesn’t have to be on paper these days. You could offer to review (or create) a one-page website to sell the prospect, or you could review people’s LinkedIn summaries, or any other type of biographical information they’re trying to use to sell themselves.

25. Website Reviews

If you have expertise in how to construct effective websites (the copy, the design, and the technical aspects, such as SEO features), you’ll have a virtually unlimited audience. Today, any business simply must have a website, and the fact is, the majority of them are not good. People will pay you a handsome fee to get their websites ranking ahead of their competitors. Simply take this service and “productize” it as a package and sell it as a product. You’ll have more business than you can possibly handle in no time.

Business and Marketing Tools

Making software from scratch can be expensive and time-consuming, which is why this is a great product category to capitalize on. If you have a background in coding, you can start in no time! You can create software that users can customize based on their specific needs. For you, it’s a one-time investment that you can sell numerous times and they’ll have the benefit of a comparatively less expensive software. 

Some sellers offer the option to own the source code for an additional cost so developers can do more customizations, while others offer more restricted access. The software can consist of website plugins, mobile apps, web apps, or even video games.

26. Email Templates

Digital templates differ from PDF templates/downloads in that they are meant to be used solely in a digital format. The user purchases the templates and then basically “fills in the blanks” to create content they can use. It requires more technical skill to create templates than most forms of digital products, as you need to have an understanding of design concepts and must be able to ensure compatibility with various platforms and editing software.

One category of digital templates is email templates. Email marketing is the lifeblood of many online businesses because email has a huge ROI compared to most other marketing tools. But the truth is (1) most people aren’t very good at writing engaging, effective emails and (2) even if they are, they generally don’t have the time to create new nurture and sales emails from scratch constantly.

Enter email templates. If you can provide a “package” of proven templates for a variety of the most common emails a business needs to send on a daily basis, you’ll have a huge audience banging on your door. Just think of a business category that you’re familiar with and create templates for all the most common emails a business in that category has to send regularly.

27. Email Marketing Automation Tools and Templates

This option takes the previous item and levels it up significantly. If you have the necessary ability and capacity, you can create a business that combines the functionality of an email service provider with templates and automation to provide a service that helps businesses create automated email campaigns (welcome sequences, sales sequences, long-term nurture sequences, retargeting campaigns) by simply filling in their specific business content into templates you provide for them. 

They can edit these templates however they see fit to create their campaigns and schedule the emails to go out when they need them to. Obviously, you could charge a solid recurring fee for this kind of service.

28. Business Plan Templates

While email templates are great for people who are already running a business, there are thousands of people out there who are just trying to get started. This gives you an opportunity to select a niche you know well and create a customized business plan template for people trying to start a business in that niche. They just fill in the necessary information and voila! They have a business plan they can start taking action on.

29. Social Media Post Templates

For many business owners, social media is a major time suck–but something they feel that they need to do, anyway. Some are lucky enough to be able to afford a social media manager who can create content and regularly engage their audience to gain more followers. For those who don’t have the resources to hire a social media manager, though, you can provide a valuable resource by creating templates for the most common types of posts businesses in your niche need to make. These business owners can look at the selection of templates and fill in current content from their blogs and marketing materials to create posts without all the stare-at-a-blank-page downtime.

30. Social Media Content Packages

This service takes the previous listing and takes it to the next level. You can create the templates described above for any niche you’re interested in, then you can work with businesses to take their content and create posts for them. And, of course, since you’re doing the actual post creation, you can charge a much higher–and recurring–fee for doing so.

31. Logo Design Kits

Every business needs a nice, professional logo for their website and for branding all their content and marketing materials. You could create a design kit that DIY business types could use to create their own logos (styles, fonts, colors, etc.) from scratch by simply selecting from available options.

32. Website Themes

While website themes take time to create in the beginning, they can be very profitable  in the long term. These themes can be a one-and-done type of content with occasional minor updates to ensure they’re able to work with any changes in content management systems. You can go even further by offering bundles–themes, images, fonts, and other web elements that, when combined, give a more cohesive look to a site. 

33. Website Plug-ins

In addition to themes, most website builders need to add specific functionality to their sites. Enter plug-ins. Again, if you’re a coder who is also knowledgeable about the kind of functionality business owners in a certain niche need for their sites, you can create plug-ins to provide those solutions. Then, you could target business owners in the niche with your marketing to make them aware of what you have available and what it can do for their businesses.

34. Personal Branding Kits

Businesses that are built around the personality of an individual (think influencers) rather than a company mission need to set themselves apart with their branding. You could create tools that walk would-be “it” girls and boys through the process of establishing their unique style, voice, and presence in order to grow an audience.

Interactive and Practical Tools

In the previous category, we focused specifically on tools you could create to solve some of the biggest challenges businesses face in their day-to-day workflow. In this category, we’ll look at tools you could create for business or personal use. We’ll start with broader categories, then talk about a few more specific types of products.

35. Web-based Applications (SaaS)

Unlike software that is installed on devices, web-based applications run directly in your browser. With these applications, users pay a regular subscription fee to retain access rather than make a one-time purchase. Examples of web-based apps are Google Drive, Spotify, MailChimp, or Asana. You can develop new applications that solve specific problems or create plugins that enhance existing applications. Over time, you can offer additional features to make the subscription even more appealing or offer different tiers with unique features at each price point.

36. Mobile Apps

While these technically fall under the category of software, mobile apps can be a profitable niche all their own. There are numerous types to choose from–from time management to fitness to reminders and games. You can add your personal touch to make your apps stand out or include features that other developers might not have considered. For instance, you might create a time management app specifically for neurodivergent users who tend to require a different approach than neurotypical users. 

37. Productivity Apps

As a specific example of the kind of web-based and/or mobile app that would be popular with business owners and non-business owners alike, think about a productivity app. There are many types of such apps–from calendar apps to note-taking apps, from habit-tracker apps to focus apps, from to-do list apps to AI scheduling apps. To capture a segment of the market, the trick would be to focus on a niche market and the needs of specific people within that market. For example, what kind of productivity tool would be most helpful for adult ADHD sufferers? Perhaps a combination of calendar, to-do list, reminders, and focus functionality? (I’d buy something like that!)

38. Online Services for Remote Workers

Skype, Time Doctor, Grammarly–all are examples of online services that are in high demand. Remote work has increased the need for time management and co-working tools, as well as services like employer of record solutions for international hiring. While it is a competitive market, there is always room for more innovative services that cater to specific niches. There are various categories you might get into–educational, financial, e-commerce, and networking, to name a few. Exploring online business ideas
 in these areas can provide new opportunities.

With an area like this one, the key thing is to lead with research to ensure you understand your market’s needs before creating the service. This will give you an idea of how worthwhile it is, how long it might take to get off the ground, and the ideal pricing structure to use.

39. Online Assessment Tools

Self-assessment tools are used for personal or professional evaluation. These can be questionnaires, multiple choice quizzes, or workbooks with prompts. They’re usually paired with other items or services such as courses or coaching services. They’re the launching pad to help users identify their needs or areas they could improve on. A savvy business owner can use such an assessment to direct people into the proper funnel that matches the assessment-taker’s results with the perfect product or service for their needs.

40. Swipe Files

A swipe file is essentially a collection of valuable assets such as copy, icons, or graphic art. People purchase the file bundle to use as models for creating similar materials themselves. Because of this versatility, your only limit is what you can create. 

Consider what your niche needs. If you’re targeting teachers, they might be interested in reproducible worksheets and activities for students. If you’re targeting start-ups, they might be more interested in social media content. The big advantage of swipe files is having a bank of content that has a cohesive look.

41. Financial Calculators

Everyone is interested in how their finances are looking at any point in time. But most people hate actually running the numbers to find out the answer. That’s where your tool comes in. 

For online entrepreneurs, you might create a tool where they enter all the data from a sales campaign–email open rates, clicks, conversion rates, price points, units sold–allowing them to determine which spots in the funnel need improvement for the funnel to become profitable. For individuals, a more basic budgeting tool that keeps track of income and expenses might be valuable. A sales tracker in Google Sheets could be a great and easy option to use.

42. DIY Craft Patterns

There are a lot of crafters out there–some do it for leisure, others for profit. What most crafters don’t always enjoy is creating patterns for their work. It’s tedious… it takes artistic skill… it’s tedious…. Which is why selling craft patterns online has become so profitable. The designs are downloadable, easy to print on transfer paper or fabric, and then crafters can do what they do best (craft) because you just saved them time! Craft patterns are another great bundle product, as you can create combinations based on themes or craft type. 

43. Interior Design Software and Plans

If you’re a regular viewer of those home remodeling shows on TV, you may have seen a remodeler using software to show the home owner what their kitchen would look like if they removed the cabinets, or installed an island, or painted the walls a shocking shade of violet. 

You can create such a tool yourself and sell it to homeowners looking to do their own design ideation before hiring remodelers to do the actual work. There are a lot of such programs out there, though, so the key would be to identify a specific market (younger couples looking to refurbish classic craftsman homes, for example) so you could include the exact features the target market would require.

44. Language Learning Tools and Resources

You’ve seen the commercials for the most popular language learning programs–Babbel, Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone. And if you’ve used several of these programs before, you know that they each have their strengths and weaknesses. 

If you’re an expert in language learning, fluent in more than one language, and handy at software creation, you could design your own language learning product to fit the needs of a specific audience.

Entertainment and Creative Products

More than perhaps anytime in history, people today admire creators–artists, musicians, actors, you name it. And while I’m sure it’s very soul-satisfying to create art simply for the sake of expressing yourself and creating something beautiful, you don’t have to go along with the old “art for art’s sake” credo. That’s because today there are more easy-access platforms than ever for creatives to create their work and get it out to the masses. 

If you style yourself as an artist or performer, here are just a few of the products you could create to sell to your adoring audience.

45. Sound Effects Libraries

If you’re an audiophile, you can create and sell everything from generic sound effects to music tracks that can be added to video content to add an extra bit of pizzazz. There are popular sounds you can focus on capturing, like the sound of a gurgling stream, a rainstorm, a noisy cafe, a doctor’s office–these kinds of sounds are widely used in digital content that content creators might not always be able to easily capture for themselves. Record the sounds and package them into “libraries” and sell the bundles to those who need them to enhance their content.

46. Audiobooks

Your audio content can also be audiobooks. Sure, Audible is the current 1,000-pound gorilla in the market, but even that platform has its limitations. Find your niche, look at what kind of content the big platforms are missing, and find a way to fill that demand. 

47. Video Games

This is another huge market, which you’re certainly aware of if you’re a gamer. With a market as saturated as video games, the key to success is, as we’ve mentioned in so many of the categories in this article, identifying a specific niche where you can use your talents to create something that fills a desire not currently being met.

48. Custom Avatar Creators

In today’s online world, there are many uses for an online avatar–a digital, fictional representation of a real person. Avatars are used in online games, of course, but people also desire to have avatars for other purposes, such as realistic AI avatars to speak on a video, for example, or a social media avatar, or even an avatar to be used in the metaverse. 

You can use existing avatar creation software to create avatars for other people and charge for the service, or if you have the technical chops, you can create your own avatar-creation software and sell licenses or subscriptions to people who wish to create their own avatars.

49. Recipes and Cookbooks

Have a knack for cooking and an eye for design? Creating recipes just might be for you! Cookbooks are one of the top-selling categories of books, and with the convenience of digital files, you can produce themed e-cookbooks or digital recipe cards for significantly less than printed ones. While there may be many free options online, people consider paid cookbooks and recipes to be of a better quality. 

If you’re a professional chef or native of a particular culture, this further adds credibility to your skills and you can include cooking videos to create bundled offers.

50. Online Magazines

Yes, physical magazines still exist, but their numbers continue to dwindle. Online magazines, on the other hand, offer a number of key advantages when compared to their physical counterparts. Most importantly, of course, is that you don’t have to pay to print and distribute a physical copy. In addition, software exists that can create slick looking digital content simply by populating templates. And you can include ads to create a revenue source, sell subscriptions, or include the magazine as part of a membership model in your business.

51. Short Stories and Novels

Yes, there are many sites online that will pay you for your fiction writing. You probably won’t make a lot of money doing this, but if you love to write, this can be an enjoyable side hustle. Do you know? Now there are numerous AI-based story generators available such as AI story generator by summarizer that will allow you to create high-quality stories of any type within seconds. So, more stories = more money. The key here is to find a niche site that publishes the kind of content you like to write, whether it’s science fiction, erotica, historical romance, or whatever. These sites tend to need fresh content regularly, so if you can get hooked in with several sites, you can garner a steady stream of bylines.

52. Virtual Reality Experiences

If you have expertise in computer science, software development, or game development, you can use those skills to create VR experiences. This is a booming industry that will only grow as the technology improves. 

You can work for a company that produces VR experiences for its clients (the average salary for a VR/AR developer in the U.S. is $121,000), you can do this type of work as a freelancer, or you could even start your own VR experience start-up.

53. Coloring Books

Yes, coloring books. But not the kind of coloring books you drew in when you were a kid. The market today is in adult coloring books–most often marketed as a way people can relax and get in touch with their inner Van Gogh (or at least inner child). If you have skills in design, this is an area you can get into fairly easily. There are even classes on how to create and sell coloring books on platforms like Udemy.

54. Illustrated Interactive Storybooks

If you have a talent for writing children’s stories, today’s technological tools can help you create interactive storybooks for kids that capture their imagination, help them become readers, and teach them how to use technology–all at the same time. 

Some of the features you can build into an interactive storybook include videos, sound effects, and design-your-own-adventure choices for the child to make as they go. There are a variety of software choices out there for you to choose from to design the next kids’ best-seller.

55. AI Artwork

If you’re a visual artist and also technologically savvy, generative artificial intelligence (AI) software can open up a whole new world for you to create great digital art. The key is to combine your artist’s eye for design and color with clear, detailed prompts for the AI to execute. You can create images and video that you can then sell or license to sites for their customers to purchase. 

Forget the old “starving artist” stereotype. With today’s AI tools, you can create a huge electronic product catalog of digital artwork that will create a steady income stream for you!

Visual Content

56. Graphics and Digital Art

Graphics and digital art are in high demand because they’re the centerpiece of most content today. Entrepreneurs and business owners who want to establish a brand identity but who might not be able to afford to hire a dedicated graphic designer typically invest in graphic art bundles. Logos, brand kits, fonts, icons–these can all be created in just about any editing software. Whether you provide done-for-you artwork, editable templates, or free tools like a flyer maker or logo maker, this is a lucrative niche.

57. Fonts

Think about Coca-Cola, Tesla, YouTube–can you picture their font? A brand’s font is essential to their brand identity and most go for exclusive fonts to solidify this positioning Creating fonts and typeface brands can have exclusive rights to is another profitable digital product to consider. You can create bundles with complementary fonts or simply sell them individually so business owners can create their own combinations.

58. Stock Photography

If you have a smartphone with a great camera or camera equipment and an eye for photography, you’re well on your way to getting into stock photography. Similar to stock videography, you want to think about the images most frequently used by your target market. Then focus your attention on those that might be hard to capture without planning an expensive shoot. Sunsets, snowy landscapes, gorgeous food shots, popular events like Mardi Gras or caroling services–these are always in high demand, especially by digital marketers. 

59. Video Footage

Content is king, and content is pricey. Sites like Shutterstock and Pexels exist for exactly this reason. They offer content creators an inexpensive way to create personalized and diverse content without spending hours or thousands of bucks on shoots. Turn your videography skills into your passive source of income. Out for a hike? Get a timelapse of the scenery. Watching fireworks? Capture a few minutes of it. Think of the most common moments depicted in digital content and start there. If you want to protect your intellectual property, you can offer restricted usage so users can’t resell your unedited content. 

60. Printables

For those with a knack for graphic design, creating and selling printables may be just the way to go. In today’s market, print on demand (POD) services are a lucrative resource for creative entrepreneurs looking to offer products across various sales channels cost-effectively (and profitably).

Of course, like any labor of love, selling printables is generally not an overnight success. Even with natural talent, it will require work to convert a passion for design into a stable stream of passive income. From determining the optimal product niche and POD service provider to launching an online storefront, there are a number of steps you must complete to establish yourself in a niche.

61. Infographics

Infographics straddle the line between educational products and visual products. If someone wants to convey key information in a visual format that allows viewers to get the gist of the information quickly, an infographic is the perfect medium. But not all information is a good fit for an infographic. The best content for an infographic is usually  fact- or statistic-heavy and information that can be relayed visually. 

Infographics can be used in a variety of ways–embedded in a blog post or elsewhere on a website or in a social media post on a visual-heavy platform like Pinterest, for example. If you have a knack for taking informational content and creating infographics from it, you’ll find a huge market ready to pay you for your work.

Digital Product FAQs

How do I price my digital products?

Pricing digital products requires careful consideration. The best way to start is to research similar products in your niche to understand the market. Factors to consider include:

• Production Costs: Calculate any expenses involved in creating or maintaining the product.
• Market Demand: Gauge how much your target audience is willing to pay for your product.
• Perceived Value: Highlight the unique benefits and value your product offers.
• Competitive Pricing: Ensure your pricing is competitive within your niche.
• Tiered Pricing: Consider offering different pricing tiers for added features or bonuses.

How do I market my digital products effectively?

You can’t just create your products and then sit around waiting for people to find you and offer to buy. Marketing your digital products effectively is crucial for success. Here are some strategies to consider:

• Social Media: Utilize platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to engage with your audience and make them aware of your offerings.
• Email Marketing: Build an email list and send out regular newsletters and promotions.
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Optimize your product listings and website for search engines.
• Content Marketing: Create blog posts, videos, or podcasts related to your niche to attract organic traffic.
• Affiliate Marketing: Partner with affiliates to promote your products in exchange for a commission.
• Paid Advertising: Use platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads to reach a broader audience.

Which platforms are best for selling digital products?

The choice of platform you use to sell your products depends on your specific needs and preferences. Here are some popular options to consider:

• Shopify: Known for its versatility, Shopify offers a range of features for selling digital products.
• WooCommerce: A WordPress plugin that turns your website into an e-commerce store, ideal for WordPress users.
• Gumroad: A user-friendly platform designed for selling digital products directly to your audience.
• Teachable: Great for selling online courses, with built-in tools for course creation and management.
• Etsy: Ideal for artists and crafters, Etsy provides a marketplace for digital art and printables.
• Whop: Perfect for individuals, creators and influencers who want to sell access to anything from communities to online courses.

Do I need a website to sell digital products?

While having a website can enhance your online presence, it’s not always mandatory. Many digital product creators start by selling through third-party platforms like Etsy, Gumroad, or Teachable. These platforms handle payment processing and product delivery, making it possible to start selling without a dedicated website. However, having your website can provide more control over branding and customer experience, making it a valuable long-term investment.

Remember that the choice of pricing, marketing strategy, and platform should align with your business goals, the type of products you create, and the needs of your target audience.

Ready to Design Your Own Digital Products?

In this post, we’ve shared over 60 digital product ideas you can consider if you intend to make this a source of income, but the truth is, the options are virtually endless! For many of the types of products discussed in this post, the tools you can use to develop your products keep getting better and better–which means you can create better products faster and cheaper than ever before.

One of the main advantages of selling digital products is that it is one of the easiest forms of passive income to set up and maintain. With systems that allow customers to access your goods at will, your online store practically runs itself! The low overhead, ease of storage, and numerous product options make this a viable option for new entrepreneurs to get up and running and a great option for established businesses to expand their product lines. 

So, whether you’re new to the game or an experienced pro, digital products are a virtual goldmine. Good luck!

Online courses are one of most profitable types of digital products, but creating a successful online course is easier said than done. To learn more about how to create a profitable online course, we invite you to join our FREE Hybrid Courses Bootcamp.