You don’t need a single social media follower or email list subscriber to start selling your first digital product online, and selling your first digital product doesn’t have to be complicated either. By following these seven steps, you’ll identify a product that solves real problems, build a sales page, launch your offering, and refine it by testing.
Remember, the key to success lies in taking action—don’t wait for the perfect moment or product. Start small, test your ideas, and refine your approach based on customer feedback.
Here’s a quick rundown of the 7 steps to get you started.
1. Research Customer Problems
Identify your potential customer’s problems & pain points.
- Research pain points your customers have on Reddit, relevant forums, and books on Amazon.
- Use AI to brainstorm ideas further so you can build the products that solve actual problems your customers have.
- Don’t guess here. Do the research and get creative!
2. Find Solutions to Customer Problems
Once you have your list of potential problems, research how others solve these for their customers.
- Use AI to find websites offering digital products or courses addressing these issues.
- Review these sites, noting their solutions, formats, and popularity on social media and video platforms.
3. Research Competitor’s Products
See if your competitors are running paid ads to their products to help judge profitability and review their landing pages. Keep in mind:
- How are they monetizing their offers?
- Do they sell physical products?
- What about memberships?
4. Overcome Customer Objections
If you see that your product could be profitable, then:
- Identify customer objections.
- How can you overcome their concerns?
- Organize a list of these problems and solutions.
5. Build Your Sales Page
Next, build your sales page, and include the following:
Offer
Your offer is the centerpiece of your sales page. It’s not just the product itself but the value proposition—the unique benefits your audience will gain by purchasing it. A strong offer includes:
- Type of product (eBook, course, etc.)
- How it solves their problem
- Pricing clarity
Bonuses
Bonuses are additional perks that increase perceived value and help entice buyers into purchasing. These can include:
- Checklists, templates, or cheat sheets.
- Bonus lessons, advanced strategies, or early access to future products.
- Limited-time extras
Guarantees
A guarantee reduces buyer’s risk and builds trust. Clearly explain the terms to avoid confusion.
- Money-back guarantee
- Success guarantee (if they don’t see the expected results)
- Risk-Free trials
Social Proof
People trust others’ experiences, so social proof reassures potential buyers that your product delivers on its promises. Be sure that all social proof you display is authentic.
- Testimonials
- Case studies
- Reviews from social media.
- Stats showing the number of buyers, ratings, etc.
Time Scarcity
Scarcity motivates buyers to act quickly by creating urgency and can take several forms.
- Limited-time discounts
- Countdown timers
- Limited availability (“Only 50 copies left” or “Enrollment closes soon”).
6. Test Your Product & Sales Page With Paid Ads
Run traffic to your offers through paid ads. This is not as expensive or difficult as you may think using Facebook Ads.
- Build-out a few ads.
- Set a budget you can afford to lose.
- Let the ad platform automatically do its thing.
- Don’t get discouraged and end the campaign too early.
7. Review Your Results & Adjust
- If ads aren’t getting clicks, create more ad variations.
- No conversions? Check visitor time on page.
- Track how far users scroll and where they hover before leaving with helpful tools like Hotjar.
Be patient with the process and willing to adapt as you learn. Testing and tweaking your ads, optimizing your landing pages, sales pages, and improving your sales funnel are all part of the process. Each step you take will bring you closer to not just making your first sale but also creating a sustainable business.