You may be wondering what digital products are. Well, they’re intangible assets or pieces of media that we can sell and distribute repeatedly online. Some call them digital downloads, and because of their nature, we no longer have to replenish inventory as often.
What’s more, digital products can create scalable income because you can sell the same file repeatedly without manufacturing, storing, or shipping each order. Kajabi reports that experts using its platform have earned more than $11 billion through digital products, courses, memberships, coaching, and related offers.
While that total does not represent typical individual earnings, it shows how online delivery can help creators reach customers worldwide without producing a new physical item for every sale. So whether you’re an entrepreneur, artist, educator, or developer, you can monetize your skills and knowledge through a digital product.
There’s never been a better time to tap into the creator economy by selling digital products. The real question is: which ones should you sell? If you’re at that stage, I’ll help you choose. Let’s get started!
1. Online Courses
It’s no surprise that online courses dominate the landscape of digital products. Research suggests that the eLearning market will be worth $325 billion by 2025. What’s more, those who make a living creating digital courses online in the US can typically expect to earn between $5,000 and $25,000 annually. And these creators are just side hustling by creating courses they sell online!
But there’s another reason that online courses are a solid business model. Many successful online course creators evolve their courses into evergreen funnels. That means you’ll always have a chance to bring in new students and make sales over time. You only need to update them if the subject matter changes fundamentally, rendering part of your course outdated.
When creating your first digital course, you should consider learner outcomes to ensure it is profitable as an online service. Consider these questions: What should the learner know how to do when they complete your online course? What knowledge gaps can you help them fill? What level of mastery are you teaching?
2. eBooks
Maybe you’re the kind of person who loves curling up with a good eBook. There’s a high probability that your ideal customer or student feels the same way. You’ll only have to write it once, and, much like with online courses, an eBook is something you can sell for a long time.
This means eBooks have the potential to create a steady passive income stream for years. US eBook revenue is projected to reach $5.41 billion in 2026, making it the world’s largest national market. For creators, that spending shows a sizable audience already pays for digital reading, creating room for useful books aimed at a clear group of readers. Keep in mind, eBooks can sometimes be priced lower than other types of digital downloads because free content exists.
Publishing several eBooks can build a stronger income stream than relying on one title. In 2025, 20% of surveyed indie authors earned $500 to $5,000 monthly from their books, while 13% earned over $5,000. Authors earning at least $1,000 per month often had 10 or more titles, an email list, and regular marketing. This shows that growing a useful eBook catalog can increase long-term sales, though results require consistent promotion.
3. Templates And Tools
Chances are that, at one point or another, you’ve probably purchased a template to simplify something in your personal or professional life. That’s why selling templates or tools can be one of the most lucrative digital product ideas; it makes your ideal customer’s life easier.
When you design templates, you’re bridging knowledge and confidence gaps that your customers or clients experience. You already have the expertise to get that task done well. This time, you’re teaching clients how to replicate the result themselves.
There are templates for just about everything, from social media calendars and marketing strategy plans to Excel spreadsheets and WordPress themes. And I don’t think templates are just useful in strictly corporate settings. Think about things people want to be able to accomplish in their day-to-day lives, like DIY projects or knitting patterns.
4. Memberships
A lot of people associate the word membership with their gym or a country club, but it’s not just for brick-and-mortar businesses anymore. Membership programs are becoming increasingly popular among content creators. And it makes sense why.
Membership programs let creators form direct relationships with customers and foster an exclusive community that isn’t accessible to just anybody. These can exist on separate online platforms, private social media groups, or within online learning environments. And the best about this? You’re making money while building a community.
This helps to make their community stickier and provides an extra source of recurring revenue to supplement the products they create. It also helps digital creators connect with their biggest fans. This direct connection lets them receive invaluable insights and feedback.
5. Stock Content
If you think creating online courses and eBooks requires putting yourself out there too much, then selling stock content might be the perfect solution for you. Just think of the scope of visual and audio mediums that exist in the digital age: podcasts, Instagram Reels, YouTube videos, documentaries, short films, stock photos for websites, and eBooks. The list goes on. They all rely on engaging, high-quality visual and audio assets.
What’s more, many websites want something they can license without worrying about infringing upon someone’s copyright. This means creators wish to use music that sets the mood but avoids a takedown request for copyright violations. Platforms like Pond5 and Audio Jungle give creators what they need and generate lucrative passive income streams.
6. Coaching And Consultation
Are you more interested in building a one-on-one connection with your audience? You may be surprised to know that coaching services are a form of digital product. Many businesses also rely on expert consultants for niche services and insights.
For instance, those who make it big selling eBooks and online courses can leverage those offerings to provide personalized guidance. Coaching is an excellent, high-ticket digital product to sell, helping you build trust and increase brand loyalty among customers.
On average, consultants in the US make a lot of money, so there’s potential for a considerable financial return for sharing your knowledge. While digital content that appeals to a larger market is great for passive income, personalized consulting services are best used sparingly.
7. Printable Digital Products
Another great way to make money online is by creating printables. As its name sounds, people who purchase these digital products can print them! But what can you actually make? Lots of things! Here are some ideas:
- Workbooks And Planners: Lots of people these days need help with organizing their lives. And you can make a planner to help others organize their schedule or any aspect of their lives. You could make a budget workbook, a meal planner, or even a gratitude journal.
- Checklists And Templates: Some people love crossing out activities or to-dos in their itineraries, making printable checklists popular. Thus, you can make checklists for cleaning a house, packing for a trip, or moving. As for templates, you can create business cards, social media posts, or resumes.
- Wall Art and Prints: Are you artistic? You can design wall art quotes, cool prints, or even coloring pages that people can download.
- Educational Materials: Teachers and parents love these printables. Thus, you can create worksheets, lesson plans, and activity sheets for different age groups and subjects.
- Party Decorations: Why not design printable invitations, banners, and other party decorations? People can customize them for birthdays, weddings, and other events.
- Games And Activities: If you’re into games, create fun printables like crossword puzzles, bingo cards, and board games. Your target market here includes people who are celebrating kids’ parties, family gatherings, and educational purposes.
- Fitness and Health: Your printables can help people in the health and fitness industry reach their goals. These can include fitness trackers, workout plans, and health journals.
Your designs will depend on how fancy you want them to be. A lot of tools these days make graphic design much more manageable. The most important thing is to create something useful that people will want to buy!
And you might also want to dabble in print-on-demand (POD). It’s popular right now, so you may want to look for print-on-demand ideas that you can use to earn more money!
Conclusion
Selling digital products online is a great way to share what you know, build up your influence in your chosen field, and add another income stream. As opposed to more conventional business ventures, selling digital products is inexpensive, fun, scalable, and rewarding.
Plus, you only have to create digital products to sell once. Sure, they might need an update every so often, but compared with a traditional job where you get paid hourly for your work, you could be sleeping or relaxing on a beach while orders pour in.
That sounds pretty great, right? Thus, my advice is to start now and let me know about your journey!
Sources
- Kajabi. (n.d.). Turn what you know into what you’re known for. https://www.kajabi.com/
- Heights Platform. (n.d.). How much money can you make selling online courses? https://www.heightsplatform.com/blog/how-much-money-can-you-make-selling-online-courses
- GlobeNewswire. (2017). Global e-learning market to reach $325 billion by 2025. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2017/02/06/914187/0/en/Global-E-Learning-Market-to-Reach-325-billion-by-2025-Rapid-Growth-in-Online-Content-Digitization-Innovations-in-Wearable-Technologies-are-Flourishing-the-E-learning-Industry.html
- Heights Platform. (n.d.). How much money can you make selling online courses? https://www.heightsplatform.com/blog/how-much-money-can-you-make-selling-online-courses
- Statista. (2026). eBooks: United States. https://www.statista.com/outlook/amo/media/books/ebooks/united-states
- Written Word Media. (2025). 2025 Indie Author Survey Results. https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/2025-indie-author-survey-results-insights-into-self-publishing-for-authors/
