Top 10 Platforms for digital products – Easy tutorial for beginners

Platforms Digital Products
Platforms Digital Products

A quick guide to learning how to sell your digital products using a sales page

Anyone with an internet connection can make money selling digital products! This is great business for many and a source of income that didn’t even exist a few years ago. Due to popularity and ease of distribution, many entrepreneurs establish whole businesses around these intangible products. Various businesses also launch digital product lines to supplement the actual objects or services they provide. It has never been simpler to set up a business from home. If you sell digital products online, you may be running a successful, lucrative business in a short time. Here, we will introduce not only some digital products that you can sell, but we will also tell you how to sell and market the products you have created.

Many platforms like Udemy, Amazon and Spotify provide access to digital products (whether it may be a video or music…) only through their platforms. Hence users will not be able to download the product and don’t have full control over the product.

However there is also the possibility of selling your digital products like ebook, digital art, video, music to others by enabling them to download it and have full access to their product (or transfer it to their cloud). This method has its own benefits like buyers are not restricted to a specific platform and can download the digital products on their device after purchase and use it even without access to the internet. You can also sell any digital products you like depending on the type of business that you do. These platforms also charge a much lower fee than platform dependant digital products .

The direct sale of digital products also makes it more friendly and suitable for bloggers, youtubers, small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Digital Products Direct SaleDigital Products Platform Dependent
Gumroad (Any digital product)
Sellfy (Any digital product + Prints)
Podia (Any digital product)
Digithru (Any digital product)
Envato (Creative assets mainly)
Shopify (Physical & Digital products)
Bigcommerce (Physical & Digital products)
Amazon kindle publishing (eBook)
Udemy (Courses)
Spotify (Music)
YouTube (Videos)
iTunes (Apps)
Google play (Apps)
Steam (Games)

Platforms for selling digital products directly

The following platforms enable selling digital products directly so the buyer is able to download the product onto their computer and use it freely. Many of these platforms provide means to protect your work. In addition the seller and buyer pay a very small fee on these platforms in compared to platform-restricted services like Amazon, Spotify or Udemy.

Gumroad

Gumroad is more targeted at online creators. If you create tutorials, animation, music, stories, comics or similar products then Gumroad is the place. Basically Gumroad provides you the tools to build a salespage for your digital product with payment options.

Podia

Podia enables you to build a whole ecommerce website where you can sell digital goods. In addition you can add live chat to engage with customers.

Payhip

Payhip allows selling all sorts of digital products as well as subscriptions. It provides secure transaction and it can be integrated into your own website or blog.

Sellfy

Sellfy is really easy to setup platform. Unlike others it also provides a print-on-demand feature that lets you offer shirts, hoodies, hats, and mugs. Once you sell a product Sellfy will print it out for you and send it to your customers without you having to lift a finger.

Envato

Envato is mainly focused on creative design assets. It is one of the biggest stores for selling creative design elements. What makes Envato different is that they only allow products that are reviewed and approved by them. So your products have to reach a quality threshold before being allowed on Envato.

Digithru

Digithru enables you to build a quick and easy one sales page to sell your digital products. Digithru is simple to use and is the lowest cost option for beginners.

Shopify

Shopify is probably the biggest E-commerce enablers out there. It provides you the tools to build a full e-commerce store with various payment options for physical or digital products. You can use various plugins available to nearly achieve any type of store you like. Although Shopify is a powerful option it is not focused on digital products and may be a bit complex for beginners.

Bigcommerce

Bigcommerce is a huge E-commerce platform with various tools to sell any kind of product whether digital or physical. You have the option to design a complete website with full set of features with the ability to connect it to third party apps. Similar to Shopify this platform is for people selling different type of products and may not be the best option for people who want to sell only digital products.

Types Of Digital Products

We are all everyday consumers of digital products, either as products or as potential sources of revenue. When you think about digital products things like online courses, manuals, tests, video tutorials, and other learning tools may pass through your mind. However software, website plugins, stock photos, typefaces, movies, and music are all examples of popular digital products. Let’s cast a quick look at some of the best-seller digital products on the online market.

All the following digital products can be sold directly like mentioned before or sold on platforms like Amazon, Spotify or Udemay which makes your products platform dependant.

E-Books

The popularity of Amazon’s Kindle, as well as the simplicity with which self-published authors may publish to Amazon, has created a vast and profitable market for self-published authors where the most popular genres are romance and nonfiction.

Although Amazon kindle direct publishing is a great option, a relatively high percentage of sale share goes to Amazon.

Amazon Kindle publishing is one of the major ebook publishing platforms online.

If you don’t want to use Amazon you can sell your ebook using various platforms dedicated to digital products. The benefits of these platforms is that they provide much more flexibility and higher royalties for the seller.

If you are into creating comic books Gumroad is the place for you. Digithru also enables you to sell your ebooks easily with low fees.

Gumroad provides you various tools to sell your digital product online. You can integrate products uploaded into Gumroad with your own website.

Online Courses

Teaching an online course might be an excellent method to make money using your abilities. Online courses, similar to e-books, appeal to a wide spectrum of individuals who want to learn what you have to teach them and are ready to pay you for the privilege. The epidemic of Covid-19 has raised awareness of online courses, and no matter what your area of expertise is, there will always be individuals who need your help.

Podia is great place for online courses since it allows unlimited file uploads. It has features like drip courses, presell courses, upsells and an included video hosting.

Selling your courses on platform dependent websites like Coursera, Udemy and Thinkific is also a great option where you can access a huge number of users.

Design Templates

Many businesses require design templates for advertisement, presentation or even as an integral part of their business. For example businesses which require a website need to purchase website templates. Furthermore many designers and graphic artists require templates to accomplish their projects. Individuals may also use design templates (for example a powerpoint templates) to present their business. If you are good at working with a design software like Photoshop or Illustrator you can start building design templates and start selling them online.

Envato is the best platform to sell your creative design assets.

Envato is the main platform for online creators. It is the biggest reservoir of high quality design assets.

Audio & Music

Audio (and music) is another digital product produced by various creators. Creators require to license their audio files and have a platform in order to sell their audio files. Audio files and music are an important requirement for various businesses for example for advertisement or even for producing specific products for their businesses. Although famous artists use record companies to get their musics sold, current advances allow smaller artists to sell their musics or songs online without the need to go through music publishing companies. Platforms like Soundcloud enable you to sell your music easily. You can also submit your music to music download sites like iTunes, Google Play, Amazon or streaming platforms like Spotify. Audiojungle (part of Envato) is also a huge marketplace for direct selling of audio and music files.

Software

It’s fantastic to make desktop software that solves a widespread problem, but most of us aren’t professional software developers. But that doesn’t rule out the possibility of selling software. Plugins and themes also have a sizeable market, and if you know how to make one, there’s a high chance you’ll be able to sell it. Small plugins are a need for various platforms like WordPress. Many small businesses also require plugins to perform distinct tasks. This provides a really good opportunity for individual developers to sell their softwares online.

Services

Don’t forget about selling your services online while we’re talking about how to sell digital files online. Although services are not digital products, they can be easily traded online. Numerous abilities lend themselves to being offered as professional services, including graphic and web design, translating, copywriting, and consulting. Most platforms that allow selling digital products also enable selling services. However if you want to sell a specific service your own website may be the best option. You website enables you to build a community around your expertise and provide services through phone or online.

Why Sell Digital Products

Digital products have several benefits that make them particularly appealing to sell:

  • No shipping and inventory cost
  • Higher profit margin compared to physical products
  • Potential to have the selling process automated
  • Easier to scale business
  • More customers than physical products

How to Sell Digital Products

Although we will not go deeply into the process of selling of digital products in this article, let’s look at some methods that you may use for any digital product. You may also use these techniques to sell actual items online, perhaps not coincidentally.

The first stage is to ensure that your product is market-ready. You may author a book or create a tutorial video, but are they ready to be sold on the Internet?

Books must be prepared with proper cover and page formatting, films must have introductions, and music files must have consistent and useful metadata. Everything requires some polishing.

You’re almost ready to sell if you already have the raw stuff, but before you can sell anything, you need to package it appropriately, in a way that appeals to the consumer who sees it as one option among many.

Decide on a price range next. This is a crucial yet tough step. Most digital products will require extensive study to determine the sweet spot price where you aren’t giving your product away but also aren’t selling your items for an illogical price.

Marketing Your Digital Products

Finally, you must generate sales for your goods, where promotion and marketing come into play. Here are several methods you can use to market your products:

  • Email marketing: Do not overlook email marketing. It’s easy to miss because it’s been around for a long time. But there’s a reason it’s been around for so long: it works.
  • Blog: Make the most of your readership and turn them into buyers. They are the most straightforward potential consumers to convert into real customers since they already know you.
  • Social media: It’s low-cost advertising for which you pay with your time. One of your most powerful selling tools is social media, but you will only benefit from these platforms once you dedicate your time and effort.
  • Affiliate marketing: Some digital items may be offered through affiliates, which significantly expands your reach, but at the penalty of having to split the revenue with your affiliates.
  • Reviews: You should ask customers (as well as friends and family) for feedback whenever and wherever possible. Online reviews are the most important deciding element for many transactions, so gather as many reviews as you can on the right platforms. If you don’t have a review platform for your product, you may encourage customers to provide feedback on a third-party review site like TrustPilot or Shopper Approved.

Recommended Book On The Topic

If you are looking for books to read deeper into the topic, the following book is a best seller books on Amazon about how to sell digital products online.

Final Words

Consider what you have to give the world, and take decisive actions to get it out there right now. Every great product began as an idea or a solution to a problem floating about in someone’s mind. There’s no reason why your concepts and solutions can’t become the next big thing.

Digithru

Digithru is a marketplace that allows you to easily sell digital products. You can sell ebooks, design templates or any other digital products that you may have. Just upload your product to Digithru and start selling.

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This Post Has 10 Comments

  1. aliryan

    I’ve used Gumroad and it’s pretty easy to use. It is still missing some features that I would love it had like upsells or bump offers. If you are selling too many products with gumroad things may get a bit complicated as well. However its is still one of the best!

    1. Digithru

      Thanks for sharing your experience. Podia is a great way to go for the features you mentioned.

  2. Michalr

    Very informative. Its helps a lot for the new-comers like me!

    1. Digithru

      Etsy is a great option for selling som categories of digital products usually printable digital products like journals, planners…

    1. Digithru

      Selling on your own website is great choice, however remember that you would need to bring traffic. This is where most people face problems.

  3. sigmasource

    I sell on sellfy and it’s pretty cheap!

    1. Digithru

      Sellfy has a really easy to use and low cost platform.

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