The TRUTH About Selling Digital Products
I almost cried the first time I saw the notification.
It was my first sale from a digital product I had created a few days earlier.
I could taste the freedom.
The dream of earning money without trading my time for survival suddenly felt real. Passive income. Making money while I slept. It was everything the internet had promised.
With digital products, you're no longer bound by client deadlines and hourly rates. Your creativity is the only limit.
Every creative should consider selling a digital product.
And I'm not alone in thinking this. Studies show that 60% of creatives would rather sell their work as digital products than continue with client work.
Don't get me wrong—client work isn't bad. A steady job isn't wrong. It's just very limiting.
It takes the same amount of effort to create a website, font, design for a client but the "reward" is a one off payment. Whereas if you create something and turn it into a digital product it can be sold and shared unlimited amount of times. The potential is life-changing.
But, there are many lies floating around on the internet about selling digital products that we need to talk about.
Here's what you're in for:
My personal experience, mistakes, and how much I earned (even without an audience)
Why passive income isn't what you think—and what leveraged income really means
What I'm doing differently now
How you can create a digital product that people actually want
Let's get into it.
My Digital Product Journey
I started out selling fonts on a 3rd party platform called Creative Market.
As a full-time designer, I purchase and download fonts more regularly than the average person. One day I wanted to give it a go myself.
I spent a few hours creating my first font. Loaded it up. And waited…
Boom!
My first sale. Shit this was easy.
What I didn't realize was that the platform pushes new products. Testing them to see if people will buy. They want you to succeed, because they make money when you make sales—they take a percentage of your profit.
Eventually, the sales stopped.
So, I decided to make another and another.
I learned new programs and put more effort into the product and presentation.
Some flopped. Some were a "success".
Even now, I still get occasional sales, and it's always a nice little boost.
In total, I've made:

Not exactly enough to quit my job and travel the world.
But looking back, I can see where I went wrong. I've learned from those mistakes, and now, as I start again, I know what I'll do differently.
Here are the three biggest mistakes that cost me time, money, and momentum.
The 3 Mistakes That Cost Me
Mistake #1: Passive income vs Leveraged income
Let me kill your passive income dreams right now.
Passive income is often described as a way to put in minimal effort and earn for the rest of your life, but the truth is, there aren't many businesses you can start that will allow you to generate a completely passive income. Digital products can generate massive returns, but they still need attention to stay profitable.
Think of it like a muscle—it needs regular use to stay strong. Neglect it for too long, and it begins to weaken. Without consistent care and effort, even the best business will eventually lose its momentum.
What's the difference between passive and leveraged income?
Passive Income (The Fantasy):
- Create once, profit forever
- No ongoing work needed
- Money rolls in automatically
- Set it and forget it
Leveraged Income (The Reality):
- Create once, maintain consistently
- Strategic work required
- Results compound over time
- Build, improve, grow
I learned this the hard way. I was treating it like a "get rich quick" scheme, expecting instant results without committing to the process. And when things didn't take off immediately, I stopped.
Leveraged income is all about playing the long game. It's about building something that compounds overtime, not something quick and easy.
If you don't enjoy the process of creating, experimenting, and iterating, you'll never stick with it long enough to see real results. That's why it's so important to create things you love—products that align with your skills and interests.
When you find joy in the work itself, the rewards become an added bonus.
Take designing a font, for example. Creating a font can take 100 hours of focused effort, and it’s nearly impossible to stick with something that demanding if you don’t genuinely enjoy the process. But once it’s complete, those hours turn into an investment, multiplied by every sale you make. While it requires significant effort upfront, it becomes a lasting foundation for future income.
It's the same with writing a book, crafting an online course, or even creating YouTube videos. A single video might take hours to script, film, and edit, but it has the potential to reach millions—sometimes long after you've moved on to your next project.
Stop thinking of digital products as an easy "set it and forget it" strategy. Start treating them as a way to create a compounding impact over a longer period of time.
That mindset shift changes everything.
Mistake #2: Selling a low-ticket product
When I first started selling digital products, my fonts were priced between $12 and $15 USD. At the time, I thought it was a no-brainer—affordable prices mean more sales, right?
Low-ticket products require a lot of sales to make a meaningful income. Let's do the math:
To hit $10,000 a month with a $15 product, you'd need 666 sales. Every. Single. Month.
But with a $300 product? You'd only need 33.
It's not that low-ticket products can't work—they absolutely can—but they demand massive traffic and more volume. Unless you have a massive audience or an evergreen traffic source, it's an uphill battle.
That's why I believe there's a better way: focus on creating high-value offers that deserve a higher price. Instead of churning out dozens of products, you can invest your time into crafting something truly valuable.
Let's use me as an example, instead of selling a single $15 product, I could create a "Freelancer bundle" to help other creatives start their own design business with templates and tutorials. Not only does this approach justify the price, but it also attracts fewer, better-paying customers—people who see the value in what you've created.
Remember, the goal isn't just to make more money. It's to build a business that doesn't demand endless traffic or hustle. One that lets you focus on quality over quantity and scale in a way that feels sustainable.
Mistake #3: Not solving a real problem
"The best way to sell something is to stop selling and start helping."
— Zig Ziglar
When I started selling digital products, I completely missed this point. I was making fonts—not bad ones, but definitely not great ones either. They solved a small problem, sure, but not one that most people really cared about.
Here's what I didn't understand back then: the best products solve a real problem for a specific group of people. They make life easier, save time, or help someone get from point A to point B faster.
If your product doesn't do that, it's going to be a hard sell—no matter how good it looks.
I thought, "Hey, people are always buying fonts. Why wouldn't they buy mine?"
But I never asked the real questions:
Who am I actually helping?
What specific problem am I solving?
Why would they choose my solution over others?
The result? My sales were random and inconsistent.
This doesn’t mean you can’t make great money selling fonts or other “non-essential” digital products. I know people who’ve built entire businesses doing exactly that. But they’ve spent years perfecting their craft, building a reputation, and delivering products that stand out in a crowded market.
The tricky part with digital products is that people can’t physically see or touch them before buying. That makes it harder to communicate value. And if your product doesn’t clearly solve a problem, people aren’t going to see it as worth their money.
But here’s the good news: there’s huge demand for digital products that offer real value. Just look at the numbers:
Digital product transactions have seen an increase by almost 70% in the past two years.
Global spending on digital goods was expected to hit $135 billion in 2024.
The e-learning market alone is projected to grow from $210 billion in 2021 to $840 billion by 2030.
The demand is there—it’s just about creating something people actually need.
So, how do you create digital products that feel valuable enough to sell for a premium? It starts with understanding one thing:
Every valuable product solves a problem.
The Valuable Digital Product Roadmap
Most digital product advice is surface level.
"Just create a course!"
"Start with an ebook!"
"Launch on Gumroad!"
But nobody talks about what actually works.
Here's the exact roadmap I would use to start selling digital products again and the one I am currently implementing right now.
Step 1: Identify Your Customer Needs
The first step is figuring out what you're going to sell. This might seem obvious, but the most successful digital products solve a very specific problem. Think about what skills you have or what knowledge you can share. Who would benefit from it? Whether it's design templates, guides, or courses, define your target audience and their pain points.
Two crucial questions to answer:
Who are you serving?
Understand their demographics, goals, and pain points. The more specific you get, the easier it is to create something tailored to them.
Examples:
Not just "designers" but "freelance brand designers who want to scale"
Not just "entrepreneurs" but "first-time founders building tech startups"
Not just "creators" but "YouTubers trying to monetize their audience"
What's their biggest struggle?
Look for challenges they face that you can address.
When you understand who you’re helping and what problem you’re solving, you’re not just selling a product anymore—you’re offering a solution.
The more specific you get, the easier it becomes to create something they actually want.
Step 2: Create Your First Product
People who wait for the "perfect" product end up never launching anything.
Start now, refine later.
It doesn't need to be perfect. Start small. A simple, well-crafted digital product can be a template, ebook, or video series. The key is that it provides real value and solves a problem they face.
Here's how to make something valuable:
Core Elements of Value:
Solves a problem or fulfills a need
Saves time, money, or effort (e.g., tools, templates, automations)
Fulfills emotional or psychological needs like connection, status, or security
Enhances life in some way
Entertains: Movies, games, digital art
Educates: Courses, guides, tutorials
Inspires: Aesthetically beautiful or thought-provoking content
Makes people feel something
Provides joy, nostalgia, connection, or excitement
Boosts confidence, creativity, or productivity
Creates perceived value
Scarcity or Exclusivity: Limited editions or unique offerings
Status: Products that convey social proof or elevate the buyer's perception in a group
The easiest way to get started is to focus on solving a problem through education or a template.
A great digital product provides a clear solution to a problem or a transformation. Ask yourself:
Does this save time?
Does this make them money?
Does this help them improve in some way?
An example: A client proposal template bundle saves freelancers 5-10 hours per week on proposal creation, helps them win more clients with professional presentations, and includes customizable sections that can be reused for every project.
If you don't know what to sell, here's a shortcut: Steal.
Purchase a product you want to buy and study it. What made you want to buy? Reverse engineer. Make it your own, add your own experiences, perspectives, knowledge, creativity, and make it better.
My process:
Buy products in your space
Document what works/doesn't work
List missing features/information
Add your unique experience
Create something 10x better
Step 3: Build Your Audience Before You Launch
Having an audience will make selling 10x easier.
Social media is another form of leverage. It allows you to create a video once and then scale it to anyone with an internet connection for free. You don't need anyone to give you permission to create media. And unlike paid ads, it's free.
Own your distribution.
If you're not building your own brand, you're building someone else's.
The low barrier to entry has led to a crowded marketplace on sites like Etsy, Creative Market etc., making it difficult for people to stand out.
Here's what happens on marketplaces:
High competition drives prices down
Platform owns the customer relationship
You're building their email list, not yours
Algorithm changes can kill your income
Fees eat into your profits
Instead, build your own platform:
If you're going to put the same amount of effort creating traffic to your own products, you may as well send them to your own website, where you can:
Keep all the profit
Collect emails
Contact customers directly
Get feedback
Help your customers again
Build long-term relationships
Having your own digital storefront will remove you from the competition on the 3rd party platforms.
I recommend Shopify, Payhip or LemonSqueezy.
The beauty of digital products is that you can have them on both your own website and upload them to multiple 3rd party websites.
Don't wait until your product is ready to start promoting. Begin building your audience early on by sharing valuable content related to your product.
Post behind-the-scenes updates, helpful tips, and interact with your audience on social media. The more invested your audience is in your process, the more likely they'll be to purchase when the time comes.
Content strategy:
Share your journey
Behind-the-scenes
Work in progress
Lessons learned
Provide value daily
Tips and tricks
Quick wins
Helpful insights
Build relationships
Respond to comments
Ask for feedback
Create conversations
You don't necessarily need to niche down with your content but you will likely need to niche down with the problem your product solves.
Once you've created something, test it with a small group of people to get feedback.
Step 4: Launch, Sell, Repeat and Refine
Don't be afraid to promote. You've spent all this time pouring your heart into something, talk about it.
When you're ready to launch, make sure you have:
A clear call-to-action
A reason to buy now (limited-time discount, early access, or exclusive bonus)
Multiple ways to reach people (email, social media, website)
After your first launch, don't stop. Refine your products based on feedback, create new ones, and keep engaging with your audience. The beauty of digital products is the potential for scalability. Once you've figured out your process, you can double down on what works and grow your business without the limits of client work.
Final thoughts
This will take time.
Selling digital products isn't about avoiding hard work - it's about having your work compound and multiply rather than starting fresh each day.
Focus on high leverage activities, like building long-term trust on social media and create products that you genuinely believe will help people.
The real secret:
Your first product won't be perfect
Your first launch won't be huge
Your first piece of content won't go viral
But each attempt teaches you something. Each sale shows you what works. Each failure points to what needs fixing.
Start small. Learn fast. Keep building.
– Karl