You don't need a huge audience, hundreds of products, or a complicated business model to start selling digital products online.
I started selling Notion templates after realizing that the systems I was creating for myself were also useful to other people. Whenever I used one of my Notion templates around friends or other people, they would ask me how I created it or how they could make something similar.
That made me realize there was an opportunity to turn something I was already doing into a digital product.
Today, I sell templates through my online store and use YouTube as one of my main ways of getting them in front of people. Every template has a tutorial that shows people how to build and use it themselves, while also giving them the option to purchase the finished template if they want to get started faster.
If you're interested in creating and selling templates yourself, here's the process I use.
1. Start with a problem you know how to solve
Before creating a template, start with the problem.
Every template I've created started because there was something I wanted to simplify, or keep track of in my own life.
I've created templates for things like:
- Content creation
- Work organization
- Recipes
- Books and reading
- Goals
My Content Planner is currently my best-selling template. It helps creators organize their content ideas, manage their content calendar, and track their content through each stage of the creation process.
The important thing is that the template isn't just a collection of pretty pages. It solves a specific problem.
So before opening Notion and starting to build, ask yourself:
What problem am I solving?
Then ask:
Would this actually make someone's life easier?
Those questions should guide the entire creation process.
2. Create something you would actually use
One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give you is to use your own template before you sell it.
When I create a new template, I use it myself for a period of time.
This allows me to notice things that I wouldn't necessarily catch while building it.
For example:
- Do I actually come back to this?
- Is anything unnecessary?
- Is there information I'm constantly adding or removing?
- Are there steps that could be simplified?
- Are the formulas working properly?
- Is the workflow actually making my life easier?
Sometimes you discover that something you thought was a great idea isn't actually something you would use regularly.
That's valuable information.
If you create a template and realize that you aren't even going back to use it yourself, that's probably a sign that you need to rethink the product before selling it.
Your template doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be functional and useful.
3. Test your template with other people
After I've used a template myself, I'll also share it with a few other people to see how easily they can adopt it.
This is important because you already know how your own system works.
Someone else doesn't.
When another person uses your template, you can see:
- Where they get confused
- What they naturally click first
- Whether your instructions make sense
- Whether the layout is intuitive
- What they think is missing
- What they would customize
This is also a good opportunity to see whether the template can adapt to different workflows.
And that's something I prioritize with my templates.
I don't want someone to feel like they have to completely change the way they work just to use my template. I want the template to be a starting point that they can customize for themselves.
4. Build the template
Once I know the template actually works, I build out the final version.
This is where I add everything the customer will need, including things like:
- Views
- Filters
- Formulas
- Buttons
- Navigation
- Sample content
- Instructions
- Customization options
One thing I try to remember is that more features don't automatically make a better template.
It can be tempting to keep adding things because you want to give customers as much value as possible.
But if those features make the template harder to understand, they may actually make the product worse.
I would rather have a template that is simple, useful, and easy to customize than one that's packed with features that nobody uses.
5. Create instructions for your customers
Once the template is ready, I create the instructions that customers receive after purchasing.
I keep this process as simple as possible because the goal is for someone to be able to purchase the template and start using it without needing to contact me for basic setup instructions.
This is especially important with Notion because, while it's incredibly useful, there can be a learning curve when you're first getting started.
That's actually one of the reasons I include tutorials with my templates.
6. Create a Tutorial for your template
This is one of the most important parts of my process.
Every template gets its own YouTube tutorial.
The tutorial walks through how I created the template and how someone can build it themselves.
This gives people two options.
Option 1: Build it yourself
They can watch my free YouTube tutorial and follow along to create their own version.
Option 2: Buy the finished template
If they don't want to spend the time building it themselves, they can purchase the template from my store and get started much faster.
I like this model because I'm not hiding the information behind a paywall.
I'm genuinely teaching people how to do something.
The template is simply a shortcut for someone who would rather start with a finished system.
7. Use YouTube as your marketing
This is where the content and the product come together.
Instead of simply making videos telling people to buy my templates, I create content around how to solve the problem the template addresses.
For example, if I have a content planning template, I can create a video about how I plan my content in Notion.
The video itself provides value, but someone watching it might realize, I could build this myself, or I could just use the template.
That's the relationship between my YouTube content and my store.
I also mention my templates organically in my short-form content.
If I'm actually using one of my templates in a TikTok or another piece of content, people can see how I use it in real life.
That can be much more useful than simply telling someone that a template exists.
8. Set up your online store
Once your product is ready, you need somewhere to sell it.
I use Shopify for my online store.
My store allows me to create product pages, accept payments, and automate the delivery process.
When someone purchases one of my templates, they automatically receive an email containing the PDF with their template link and instructions.
That means I'm not manually sending the product to every customer.
The basic process is:
Customer purchases → Customer receives the email → Customer accesses the template
9. The tools I use
You don't need an enormous tech stack to sell templates.
These are some of the tools that fit into my process:
Notion
This is where I build my templates and create the systems themselves.
Shopify
This is where I sell my digital products and manage the purchasing process.
YouTube
This is where I create the longer-form tutorials that teach people how to build and use the templates.
Canva
Useful for creating product graphics, covers, thumbnails, PDFs, and other visual assets.
Short-form video platforms
I use short-form content to show how I'm actually using my templates and introduce people to the products organically.
You can also use tools that make the smaller parts of the process faster—things like image tools, screen recording software, video editors, icon libraries, fonts, and AI tools.
But I wouldn't recommend trying to find a tool for every single task before you begin.
Use the tools you need to actually make and sell the product.
10. Don't get stuck perfecting everything
This is probably the biggest lesson I'd want someone to take away from this entire process.
It's very easy to spend weeks thinking about:
- Your logo
- Your website
- Your brand colors
- Your Instagram feed
- Your product photos
- Your packaging
- Your next five products
And never actually launch anything.
You can refine those things later.
What you can't skip is making sure your product works.
I'd much rather have one simple, functional template that's available for people to purchase than five beautifully branded products that I've never properly tested.
11. You can improve the product after you launch
One of the things I like about digital products is that they aren't necessarily finished forever once you publish them.
You can learn from your customers and improve the product over time.
Maybe you realize that:
- A section needs to be simplified.
- A formula needs to be changed.
- You want to add a new feature.
- Your instructions could be clearer.
- The template could be customized in another way.
You can make those changes.
For example, with my Shopify setup, if I update the PDF that customers receive, I can communicate that update to existing customers so they know there's a new version available.
That means you don't have to wait until your product is “perfect” before you put it out into the world.
Start with something that works, then improve it.
You don't need a huge audience to start
One of the biggest misconceptions about selling digital products is that you need thousands of followers before anyone will buy from you.
You don't.
You need to create something that someone finds useful.
For me, YouTube is especially helpful because the content isn't just about promoting the product. I'm creating tutorials that people can find when they're actively looking for information.
Someone can discover a tutorial, learn something from it, and then decide whether they want to build the system themselves or purchase the template I've already created.
That's what makes the model work for me.
Start with what you already know
You don't need to invent something completely new.
Think about the systems you already use.
Maybe you have:
- A budgeting system
- A meal planner
- A workout tracker
- A study system
- A content calendar
- A job application tracker
- A reading tracker
- A project management system
- A planning system
If it solves a real problem for you, there's a possibility that it could solve a similar problem for someone else.
And you don't need to have everything figured out before you begin.
That's the approach I've taken with my templates, and it's what I'd recommend to anyone who wants to start creating and selling digital products online.