Selling Digital Products: Here’s My Gameplan
****This post was first posted over on Substack. Consider joining me there for marketing, ecommerce & freelancing advice straight to your inbox!****
Have you heard the sirens’ call lately?
You know the one — That oddly alluring invitation to sell a course.
While I haven't heard /that/ call specifically—and have zero interest in creating a course—I heard something pretty similar: “Sell digital products.”
So, why am I selling digital products?
And, with all the hoopla around course work, why haven’t I made one?
💡 I’ll Never Create A Course. Here’s Why.
In all honesty, I’ve never bought a course.
I’ve pursued lifelong learning the budget-friendly way: Free workshops, YouTube webinars, ebooks, workbooks and good ol’fashioned mentorship.
I mentioned “budget-friendly” because, unfortunately, courses usually aren’t. The average course in my niche—the freelancing niche, specifically—are valued anywhere from $500-$5,000.
As someone who has worked jobs that paid me no more than $400/mo, a course isn’t the sort of investment that I can readily pump money into. Nor would I want to (even if I made double or triple that amount).
And, unsurprisingly, I think the average consumer can agree.
I won’t sell a course because I’ve never felt inclined to buy one. Now, what’s my alternative?
📰 Explaining My Digital Product Business
While I’ve never found comfort in courses, templates and trackers are a whole other beast.
I’m a full-time entrepreneur with a freelance writing & ecommerce management business that I absolutely adore. My clients are happy and I’m constantly finding new ways to pour into their websites.
Along with that, being self-employed has given me the creative freedom that I desperately craved while working corporate. I finished my first novel in early 2024 and am knee-deep in two other WIPs—both will be published in late 2025.
I’m living my ideal life. But, it wasn’t always like that.
Time management and procrastination seemed to be the biggest struggle in my life. By the time I’d get home from my corporate job, I’d be too tired to do client work or work on my novel. Not to mention just how chaotic my process looked—barely able to keep track of deadlines, unpaid invoices or the like.
Notion and Trello seem… great—don’t get me wrong—but I couldn’t see beyond the interface and needed something simpler. Enter Google Sheets.
~ My Google Sheets Content Calendar Template ~
Yeah, that Google Sheets. It became my savior — One I continue to swear by 4+ years later.
Once I figured out the aesthetics and formulas behind Google Sheets, I began to automize every facet of my process. I began to treat every task like a project to be managed—with deadlines and consequences and rewards.
Since 2020, I’ve used templates and trackers in my business and hobbies without fail. Exhibit A through Z:
FICTION » I track my daily word count & novel progression for all of my stories, along with publishing deadlines and timeframes.
FREELANCING » I created templates to manage my clients’ ecommerce endeavors, especially their content calendar, sales trackers & marketing emails.
PERSONAL / OTHER » I can’t start my day right without making a trusty to-do list. Seriously. I don’t end my night without tracking my day or thinking about the day ahead.
So on, so forth.
I finally gave in and launched The Creative Ideal on December 27th — nearly a month ago. Here’s how that went.
✨ Inching Closer to Ideal
Before I share my first month stats, I wanted to show how I meet my deadlines.
Holding yourself accountable ain’t easy! From posting on a dozen platforms to creating a mindful morning routine, a solopreneur’s life requires an insane amount of planning for success!
Introducing the Ethereal: 3-in-1 Daily, Weekly & Monthly Planners.
📰 One Month Update - How Did I Do?
I’ll save you a super long read: I made $0.
Much of the December through January period was spent setting up the business. I created all my relevant social media handles, updated & bundled my digital products and launched this newsletter.
What I failed to do, though, was make a sale. Instead, I leaned into finding leads.
So far, I’ve gotten 3 using my freebie — The same to-do list template that I’ve been using for half a decade.
The first two weeks of this month were spent learning the algorithm and potential marketing strategies. Now, nearly a month in, I think I’ve cracked the code.
THREADS » Interact with the community more (I have a hunch that my x3 leads were solely from talking to others in the digital product space).
INSTAGRAM » Post x2 reels and x1 carousel per week and interact with creators that I like.
PINTEREST » Create x2 pins per day and ‘pin’ accordingly. Where possible, upload reels from Instagram.
SUBSTACK » Post x1 newsletter per week — Solely educational or evidence-backed, I promise! I’ll also be re-posting these to my store’s blog page!
STOREFRONT » While this isn’t marketing, I have been inching closer and closer to finishing my next ebook. Would love to publish it by end of February!
If there’s anything I’m missing, feel free to recommend it to me! I’m still learning the ropes, haha.
📖 Mal’s Muse
A quick update on my creative pursuits — ie: writing and publishing two novels by Fall 2025.
ICYMI: I‘ll be debuting two novels in late 2025. I’m currently drafting Book 1 while serializing its prequel: A Choose Your Own Adventure-esque story!
Both drafts are due on March 31st and I’m slowly, but surely, making some progress. PROJECT AVERY is currently 9.5 chapters deep, while Chapter 3 of THE VALDIS RECRUIT went live earlier today!
If you’re feeling nosy, slide over to my most recent author newsletter for more!
✍🏽 In The Pipeline
A sneak peek at what’s coming up next time!
Here’s what’s coming up on The Creative Ideal:
Wanna Be A Full-Time Freelancer In 2025? Here's How — Thurs, Jan 30th.
That Time My Job "Forgot" To Pay Me — Thurs, Feb 6th
Shameless plug, but you might also enjoy following along with my fiction newsletter:
A Recap of My 2024 Writerly Wins — Tues, Jan 28th.
The Valdis Recruit: Chapter Three — Tues, Feb 4th.
Reminder: 2025 is your year to thrive as an entrepreneur. Stay tuned for even more resources and advice on building your ideal business!
