Digital Products
Digital products include things people can purchase and download online, like Photoshop brushes, product mockups, fonts, printable art, etc….
How It Works
There are lots of different types of digital products that can add a boost of passive income to your art business. Many artists create tools that other artists can use in their work or process (stock photography, software plug-ins or presets, digital brushes, fonts, etc...). Others create digital formats of their art for their customers to buy like phone wallpapers or art prints that patrons can print themselves. Digital products can be sold on sites like Creative Market, Etsy, or Design Cuts, or via the artists’ own website.Helpful Articles
Jen Wagner shares how selling digital products can change your life!
Four tips and truths about generating passive income.
Starting a Creative Market Shop
Learn how to get into Creative Market and start making money from your creativity
Producing Digital Products
Digital products are the ones that can literally make you money while you sleep (or sip a cocktail on the beach), but they require a lot of work up front, and a consistent marketing plan.
The Pros
- Straight-up passive income after you create your product
- If you want to sell to other artists, you probably alread have access to some potential customers
- Digital products are nimble-you don't need to stock inventoryy or ship them
- You can potentiallyy repurpose something you've already created for yourself
The Cons
- There's a lot out there and it can be hard to get noticed
- Digital products are often sold as lower price points
- Selling digital downloads of your art (printables) can potentially "cheapen" your brand and lower the value of your physical products
- Digital products can be shared or used without your permission
Other Stuff to Note
Because it’s so easy to upload stuff to the internet, some people take that as a cue to put just about anything out there and slap a price tag on it. Basically we’re saying—there are a lot of great digital products out there, but there are also a lot of people phoning it in. Just as in any other industry, make sure you’re putting your time into creating quality products that are going to stand out from the noise, and it’ll pay off for everyone involved.
Digital products could be right for you if…
• You don’t want to store physical inventory or deal with shipping
• You’re technologically savvy
• You don’t mind dealing with customer service questions or issues
• You’ve got good marketing a business sense and can pivot and adjust with changing times and technologies
How to Get Started
Before you start your selling digital products, some thing’s you’ll need to consider are:
1. What do I want to make / what does my audience want / where do those things align?
2. Do I have money sitting on my hard drive?! Or will I need to hire someone to help me build these products?
3. Which platform will I sell the products?
4. How will I market the product?
Want to learn more about all things digital products?
Check out our friend Jen Wagner for a comprehensive course, and drool-worth fonts!
