I used to think I was late to digital products. The market felt crowded. The courses felt templated. And everywhere I looked, people were already 5 steps ahead.
But I was wrong.
Monetizing with digital products isn’t about being first, not at all! It’s more about being clear, specific, and useful and giving people an actual path to follow.
Make it Tangible
The problem most creators face isn't "not enough content."
It’s too much.
• Templates everywhere.
• Free PDFs that gather digital dust.
• Courses that promise everything but deliver overwhelm.
Derek and I learned this in very different ways.
Derek’s path:
He started by building a highly specific course business. But he noticed most people don’t finish courses. Completion rates are so low. And so were his paid subscribers.
So he shifted his focus to transformation, not information. Smaller, faster wins. Shorter modules. Clear promises. He pumped his paid subscribers’ growth just by turning what he already had into tangible digital products. Every week.
My path:
I leaned heavily into subscriptions and memberships. My sales and product marketing background taught me: people don’t always want a giant vault of lessons. They want a simple fix. And sometimes: someone to hold the flashlight while they walk through it.
That’s why my offers always focus on:
Specific outcomes
Clear timeframes
Digestible formats
I approached this the other way around: I used the paid subscriptions as a vehicle to identify winning products. That’s how the Viral Notes Writer System, and the Substack QUEST were born.
The Biggest Myth: “I Need a Big Audience First”
No, you don’t.
Both Derek and I started without big audiences.
He used funnels to acquire buyers.
I used my email list to nurture and convert.
You don’t need 10,000 emails on your list.
You need:
A clear offer
A problem worth solving
A system to deliver it to your clients
When I launched my first program, my list was tiny. But because my offer was clear, my conversion rate was high (currently above 6%).
Offer clarity beats audience size. Every time.
That’s how I reached the $6/month mark with less than 5k subscribers.
My #1 Advice After 14+ Years in Building & Selling Products
Don’t build digital products in isolation.
Build them with your audience. In real-time.
Inside my email list, I constantly talk to my readers. I use polls. I ask questions. I pay attention to what questions come up to me.
That’s how my programs practically build themselves.
A Simple Hack for High Conversion
My Gumroad store has a 15% conversion rate. I plan to write about how I get to that mark, but for now here’s what works in a nutshell:
Use a freebie to drive more downloads
Have an upsell for that freebie during checkout to make $$$
That’s it! Simple and powerful.
You Can Do This.
You don’t need to copy Derek’s model. You don’t need to copy my model. You need to pick one and launch.
Do it for free. That’s how you gain experience. And experience is the best teacher.
And if you feel stuck, pick Derek’s brains, he is doing a FREE workshop in July revealing his top 3 secrets to launching a successful digital product. Join here:
I’ll be there. See you inside!
Yana
👉 Start a discussion in the Unplugged community! Get help or simply introduce yourself and connect with like-minded members, and create meaningful connections.
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