How to start selling digital products - a detailed guide

Launching a digital product can be an exciting and rewarding experience, and we’re here to help you with where to start. In this article, we will walk through the steps involved in launching a digital product, including identifying your target market, creating and testing your product, and promoting and selling your product. We will also provide some examples and tips to help make your launch a success.

Step 1: Identify your target market

Before you even begin creating your digital product, it's important to have a clear understanding of who your target market is. Who are the people most likely to be interested in your product? What are their needs and pain points? Understanding your target market will help you create a product that addresses their specific needs and is more likely to be successful.

To identify your target market, you can start by doing some research. Look at demographics such as age, gender, income level, and location, as well as interests and behaviors. You can also consider conducting market research through surveys or focus groups to get a better understanding of your target market's needs and preferences.

For example, let's say you are launching a digital course on how to start a successful Tiktok account on baking. Your target market might be individuals who are interested in starting their own baking business and are looking for guidance on how to get started. By understanding your target market, you can create a course that covers all the key topics they need to know and market it directly to them.

Step 2: Create and test your product

Once you have identified your target market, it's time to start creating your digital product. This could be a course, a template, an e-book, or any other type of digital product. Read more here about some digital product ideas. The key is to create a product that delivers value to your target market and meets their needs.

To create your product, you might need to do some research, gather resources, and put together a plan. For example, if you are creating a course, you might need to create a syllabus, outline your lessons, and start writing or recording content. If you are creating an ebook, you might want to start planning the chapters and drafting the content.

Once you have created your product, it's important to test it to make sure it is of high quality and meets the needs of your target market. You might want to gather a group of beta testers to try out your product and give you feedback - this can be your friends or people in your industry that you know well. This will help you identify any problems or areas for improvement before you launch.

Step 3: Set up your digital store

Pick a lightweight platform, like Pensight, that would work well with your socials where you'll be marketing your product. There are important aspects to consider when picking the platform where to sell.

We included a detailed guide on how to set up a digital product in 5 minutes on Pensight at the bottom of this article.

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Step 4: Promote and sell your product

Once your product is complete and has been tested, it's time to start promoting and selling it. There are many different ways you can do this, depending on your target market and the type of product you are launching. Here are a few examples:

• Create a landing page or website to showcase your product and provide information about what it does and how it can help your target market. Make sure to include customer testimonials and reviews to help build credibility and trust.
• Use social media and email marketing to promote your product and reach your target audience. Consider running paid ads on platforms like Facebook or Google to target your ads to specific demographics and interests. If you are looking to grow your audience from scratch organically, read more here.
• Partner with influencers or affiliates who can help promote your product to their followers or readers. Look for influencers or affiliates in your industry who have a large and engaged audience.
• Offer a special launch discount or promotion to help drive initial sales. This can be a great way to encourage people to try out your product and get some initial buzz going
• Use content marketing to drive traffic to your landing page or website. By creating valuable, informative content related to your product, you can attract potential customers and demonstrate your expertise in your field.

It's also important to have a plan in place for how you will handle customer support and updates after the launch. You might want to set up a system for handling customer inquiries and feedback, and have a plan for releasing updates and new features. This will help ensure that your customers are happy and continue to use your product.

Examples

To give you an idea of what the process of launching a digital product might look like in practice, here are a few examples:

• Maria is a graphic designer who creates printable planners and organizers. She has identified a target market of busy professionals who are looking for ways to stay organized and increase productivity. She creates a series of printable planner templates and packages them into a digital course that teaches her target market how to use the templates to create a custom planner that meets their specific needs. She creates a landing page and uses social media and email marketing to promote the course. She also offers a special launch discount to help drive initial sales.
• Thomas is a software developer who has created a productivity app for small business owners. He has identified a target market of entrepreneurs who are looking for ways to streamline their workflow and manage their time more effectively. He creates a website and uses social media to promote the app and reach his target market. He also offers a free trial to allow potential customers to try out the app before committing to a purchase.
• Jane is a fitness coach who has created a series of workout videos and meal plans for people who want to get in shape from home. She has identified a target market of busy professionals who don't have the time to go to the gym but still want to get fit. She creates a landing page and uses social media and email marketing to promote the workout program. She also partners with influencers in the fitness industry to help promote the program to their followers.

Tips

Here are a few more tips to help make your digital product launch a success:

• Be clear about the value your product offers: Make sure you clearly communicate the benefits of your product and how it can help your target market solve their problems or meet their needs. Use customer testimonials and reviews to help build credibility and trust.
• Plan ahead: Don't wait until the last minute to start promoting your product. Start building anticipation and buzz well in advance of your launch date. This can help generate excitement and drive initial sales.
• Be responsive to customer feedback: After you launch, make sure you are actively listening to your customers and responding to their feedback. This will help you improve your product and build a loyal customer base.
• Don't be afraid to pivot: If you find that your product isn't resonating with your target market, don't be afraid to make changes or pivot to a different approach. It's better to pivot early on than to invest time and resources into a product that isn't working.

Create your first digital product using Pensight

1. Create a Pensight account - it will only take a few minutes. Pensight is a service that allows you to set up a digital product store in minutes and for free. The platform manages everything for you, from the storefront as a link-in-bio site or as landing pages, to payments, product delivery, and order management. This makes the process of selling digital products easy and hassle-free.

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2. Once you're in you can finish setting up your account with some extra content:

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3. To start creating your digital product click on "Add products, links or content" just under your profile picture:

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4. Select Digital Product from the product selection pop-up:

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5. When the Digital product page appears start filling in the details, such as name, price (it can be free too!), and product type. We're setting up a paid E-book here and add a cover image that will show up as part of the digital product description:

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6. At the bottom of the page of the first step you can upload one or more product files. You can also leave this blank in case your digital product is hosted elsewhere - you'll be able to add a link to your digital product in the next step.

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7. In this step you can add a post-purchase message. Something as simple as "Thanks for the purchase!" or add a link to your digital product if you host it outside of Pensight:

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8. Publish the product - you can select the product to be published as a public product, which means that it will be shown on your Pensight page, or as a private product, which means it will only be shown via a special link that you can share with your clients, that will open product landing page. You can also save the product as draft here and come back to it later via the My Products page in your Pensight account.

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9. Once you click publish you'll see a success screen like below. You can share the product link directly to your socials or go to see the product on your Pensight Page.

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10. Your product is now on your page and you are ready to start marketing and driving traffic to it!

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By following the steps outlined in this article and being clear about the value your product offers, you can successfully launch a digital product that meets the needs of your target market. And if you do it via Pensight, you can get your digital store-in-bio live very quickly.

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How to sell more digital products - strategies to consider

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It's important to not only have a great product, but also to have strategies in place to maximize profits from digital downloads.

Implement an upselling strategy

An upselling strategy is a great way to maximize profits from digital downloads. By offering customers additional products or services related to their original purchase, you can gradually increase the average transaction value and increase revenue. For example, you can offer a bundle of multiple digital products at a discounted price or offer a consultation service for customers who purchase a digital course. Common sequence we observe is: free ebook, paid ebook, online course, high-ticket coaching program.

Optimize pricing

Optimizing pricing is crucial for maximizing profits from digital downloads. It's important to research your competitors and find the right balance between affordability and profitability. When it comes to setting the prices for your digital downloads, it’s important to price them fairly. This means setting prices that are competitive and in  line with the quality of the product. Additionally, consider offering different pricing options such as a one-time purchase, subscription, or payment plans to increase affordability.

Utilize referrals and partnerships

Utilizing referrals is a great way to maximize profits from digital downloads. By partnering with influencers or other businesses in your niche, you can expand your reach and increase sales. You can ask for  referrals from other businesses, offer affiliate commissions for successful recommendations, or even offer discounts to customers who refer their friends

Improve user experience

Improving the user experience is essential for maximizing profits from digital downloads. It’s essential to make sure the process of purchasing and downloading your digital products is simple and straightforward. This means having an easy to navigate store, an intuitive checkout process, and a secure payment system. Additionally, you should optimize your website for mobile devices, as most people are now using their phones to browse the internet.

Create scarcity and urgency

Creating scarcity and urgency can be a great way to maximize profits from digital downloads. By limiting the availability of your digital product or offering a limited-time discount, you can increase the perceived value of your product and encourage customers to make a purchase. On Pensight you can create limited and unlimited discount codes for any product.

Continuously improve your product

Continuously improving your product is essential for maximizing profits from digital downloads. It's important to update and revise your product as needed to ensure that it stays relevant and provides value to your customers. By continuously improving your product, you can increase customer satisfaction and retain a loyal customer base.

By following these strategies, you can increase revenue and establish yourself as a trusted and successful digital product seller. If you want to learn more about creating and selling digital products, check out our previous articles "The Top Digital Products to Sell: Proven Strategies and Tips" and "Creating Winning Digital Products: Proven Strategies and Tips".

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Good luck and if you want any further assistance book a session with one of our experts via our Pensight page.

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