Figuring out what digital products to sell is probably one of the most common questions I get asked on Instagram. Scrolling through Etsy to get inspiration is a great place to start but it’s only part of the equation.
What I like to teach my students inside my course is to figure out their business or side hustle “sweet spot” before they do anything else. This is a mixture between the skills you currently have, your passions and what people are searching to buy. If you can have a mixture of all three, you have come up with a perfect business idea that you will not only love, but also make money at.
Step 1: Brainstorm
If you’re reading this post then it’s safe to assume that you have no idea where to start when it comes to figuring out what digital products you should sell. The first place I would start would be to take out a notepad or open a google doc, draw 2 columns. Label one ” my skills” and the other “my passions”. Write down some things you are good at followed by some things you are passionate about.
Maybe you’re good at graphic design, photography or spreadsheets. And maybe some of your passions include helping others, solving math problems or working with dogs. These ideas don’t have to make sense with each other, just brain dump in this step.
Here are some questions to ask to ask yourself when filling out your sheet:
- What do you love to do?
- What are you good at?
- What comes easy to you?
- What do people say you are good at?
- What have you helped people do in the past?
- What are people coming to you for help on?
- If you had a lazy Saturday afternoon what would you read about or be listening to?
Step 2: Find the Intersection of Passion, Skills and Value
Passion alone doesn’t pay the bills so to do great work and not get burnt out, you have to enjoy what you do. A lot of people think that just because they are passionate about something that it will automatically translate into sales but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The most successful businesses marry their passions, skills and what customers are searching for based on the value you provide. You can have all the passion in the world but if no-one wants to buy your item then you, my friend, have just wasted tons of time (and money) creating a product that won’t ever sell.
Step 3: Do Market Research
Not doing research is one of the biggest mistakes I see many Etsy shops making. After you’ve figured out your skills and passions, take some time to do some research. Are people even interested in what you are thinking about creating? Head over to Etsy and find out. Research the website and see what other shops have for sale in their stores and use a tool like Alura to analyze their products to see how much they have made from them. Check out this reel I made that explains how to do this in more detail. If you need some ideas on check out my free guide that gives you 65 digital products ideas here!
I hope this gave you some clarification on how to figure out what digital products you should sell that match your skills and passions.
Nice post!