How to sell digital downloads in 2024

TL;DR: Selling digital downloads is a great way for entrepreneurs and creatives to earn a passive income. We’re sharing everything you need to know about how to sell digital downloads, with helpful tools, solutions, tips, and tricks to get you started.

A lot goes into selling digital downloads—creating your product is only the beginning of your journey. Your digital downloads won’t sell themselves. You need to find your ideal customers online, then find a way to market and sell it to them.

We’re here to cut through the noise and help point you in the right direction. With this guide, you can transform your downloadable offer into a steady stream of passive income.

At a high level, here’s a list of the different types of digital downloads you can sell (as a source of inspiration):

This list is just the tip of the iceberg. Check out this guide for more ideas for digital products to sell in every niche and industry.

Creating a stellar downloadable digital product is only half the battle—you still have to market it and sell it. Here’s our best advice to get your digital products the attention they deserve.  

There’s a common reason why many promising products fail to launch—their creators don’t understand who they’re selling to and what matters most to their target buyers. Don’t make the same mistake: get to know your customers and what makes them tick. It’s why the market research industry is a billion-dollar industry.

One way to gain insights is to find out where your target customers spend their time online. Online spaces like blogs, social media posts, and forums can be helpful sources where you get to know your audience better. Make a point of engaging with people in these digital spaces, or spend time observing their interactions.  

As you interact, seek out answers to the questions below, as they relate to your digital download:

Keep notes on anything you discover. This will help you position your download as something people need, not just something they might want. Jules Acree is an awesome example of how understanding your customers can help you tailor your products and language to appeal specifically to them.

Jules has used her knowledge of her customers to present her Simplify and Thrive Course. The messaging on her page leads with the benefits of creating more time, energy, and space for what matters most in life. 

You’ll also notice that Jules has prominently displayed testimonials from customers who personally vouch for the positive experience they’ve had with the course. By tapping into the value people have gotten from the course, Jules demonstrates how she has helped her audience overcome some of their pain points in life.

There are countless ways to market your digital downloads: email marketing, social media, search engine optimization (SEO), paid ads, influencer marketing, affiliate marketing, selling on Pinterest, and even word of mouth.

In an ideal world, you might promote your products on every available channel. But in the real world, this isn’t always possible—especially if you’re a solopreneur wearing all the business hats. Our best advice is to play to your strengths when marketing. 

As you consider your options, remember that successful entrepreneurs know when to hire someone to do what they can’t do themselves. If you’re serious about selling digital downloads, invest in your offer by hiring an expert if you need to. This person can help tackle the marketing channels you’re less comfortable with.

And what else do successful entrepreneurs do? They don’t let opportunities go to waste. A social media link in bio—like Flodesk’s Link in bio—is a fantastic way to start monetizing your existing audience for free and with minimal effort. 

Your Link in bio sits prominently in your social profiles, directing your followers to a landing page that contains all your essential links to the digital downloads, courses, or products you want to promote. It also captures email addresses right from your social profile, making it easy to grow your list and share promotional emails about your downloadables later. 

Different marketing channels give you new opportunities to reach your audience. Here are some tips to leverage them just right, and create awareness for your digital downloads.  

It doesn’t always pay to draw a line in the sand and say, “This is my product, this is my price; take it or leave it,” especially when you’re just starting out. Offering a cut-back version of your product for a cheaper rate can serve as an introduction that helps guide potential buyers to becoming paying customers.

Other ways to be as flexible (and appealing) as possible include offering a freebie of sorts, if it makes sense for what you’re selling.

Sell ebooks? A free chapter can be just the bait someone needs to hit checkout on the full product. Sell design templates? Provide free access to a limited library of templates or an enticing freebie like an icon pack. These tactics allow people to get a taste of how great your products are before committing to a purchase.

See how Birdesign makes this strategy work. By joining their newsletter, their audience can access over 135 free design resources and a monthly freebie. With that many great resources on offer, it’s just a matter of time before an active member levels up to make a purchase. 

Another tactic is to offer guarantees for your downloads. Think about how often you were on the fence about buying something, but then a 14-day money-back guarantee sealed the deal.

This model won’t apply to every business, but if there’s any way you can include a money-back guarantee, it’s a powerful persuasion strategy that goes a long way in convincing people to try your product or service.

Recommended reading: How to price digital downloads

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

Truer words were never spoken. Whether you partner directly with a well-known brand or influencer or host your download on an online marketplace like Amazon, partnerships expose you to a world of new buyers you wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

Even working with friends and family can be a form of partnership. Many professionals offer affiliate rewards to incentivize people—like their friends, colleagues, or customers—to make sales on their behalf. This is the ultimate partnership, where you create an army of sales reps who only receive compensation for what they sell. It’s no surprise the affiliate marketing industry is set to reach $15.7 billion by 2024.

It’s a widely accepted truth that your ideal customer cannot be “everyone.” Get specific and appeal to your niche. Speak to that one person and make your offering so compelling that they have to buy. In other words, cater to a highly specific need rather than a general one and you’ll boost your sales. 

It’s natural for people to gravitate toward products that are specifically designed for them.  For example, an artist looking to get into drawing graphic novels is going to be more receptive to accessing free digital drawing tools than a download aimed at watercolor painters.

Read next: How to sell Canva templates

Now that you’re ready to sell, the next question becomes, “How and where to sell digital downloads?” The online landscape is stacked with e-commerce solutions fit for the task, and you’ll have to find what works best for you.

The list below aims to cover every angle, from complete online stores to “buy now” buttons, and solutions designed for specific types of digital content.

Sales and checkout platform with integrated email marketing.

Flodesk Checkout is perfect for anyone who wants to sell digital products or services through a fully branded online store. Use it to build a gorgeous sales page to display your digital download, provide a seamless payment gateway for customers to purchase your offer, and design a delivery page where they can instantly access their purchases. 

Case in point: check out the amazing store that Flodesk member Katie Moore put together to sell her new cookbook.

That’s not all. With Flodesk Checkout, you also have access to Flodesk Email—a powerful email marketing platform that makes it easy to design emails people love to get. Get the tools you need to build, engage, and monetize a list of loyal fans ready to buy your downloads.

At a minimum, you can use a Flodesk Link in bio (completely free) to drive your social media followers directly to your sales page, your newsletter signup, and any other page or platform you want to get eyes on.

You can start free with Flodesk for 30 days, no credit card required. This will give you unlimited access to all of the e-commerce functionality. 

When you’re ready to sign up, we offer unlimited everything with straightforward pricing. 

Read next: The ultimate guide to Flodesk Checkout

Easy plugin for WordPress websites.

If you already have a WordPress website and don’t want the hassle of starting your store from scratch, Easy Digital Downloads could be just the plugin for you.

This plugin is designed to work alongside any WordPress theme, giving you the necessary features of an online store for your existing website.

Easy Digital Downloads has four pricing tiers: Personal, Extended, Professional, and All Access Pass. Each tier unlocks additional features, and to create a fully-featured digital store, you’ll likely need one of their higher tiers.

Here’s how the prices pan out:

A low-cost way to create an all-in-one online store.

Sellfy gives you a quick and simple way to set up and launch your online store. They claim it’ll take less than five minutes to have your e-commerce store up and running.

Not only is Sellfy famously simple to use, but it also allows you to expand comfortably into the world of print-on-demand—which is handy if you have your eye on selling physical products one day.

Sellfy has a generous free plan that will cover you for up to 10 physical products (including print-on-demand). But to sell digital downloads, you’ll need their Starter plan (at a minimum). 

Each paid plan gives you unlimited products while unlocking additional features. For e-commerce essentials like removing the Sellfy branding, product upsells, and cart abandonment, your eye should be on their Business or Premium plans.

Here’s a quick overview of each plan’s pricing and limits:

If you make more than $200,000 in annual sales, you’ll need to contact Sellfy for a bespoke quote.

One of the easiest ways to sell downloadable ebooks globally.

If you’re creating ebooks as your digital download of choice, Amazon KDP is as easy as it gets.

You sell directly through the Amazon marketplace, meaning you can tap into Amazon’s billions of global customers. The downside is that this won’t set you up with the infrastructure to sell your download via your website—you’ll have to link to the Amazon page instead.

It costs nothing to list your ebook download through Amazon KDP. Their only fee is a 30% take from each digital download.

A creative marketplace with secure payment processing and an established customer base.

Etsy, originally renowned for selling handmade and vintage goods, is now a popular space for selling digital downloads. Creative entrepreneurs list and sell everything from digital art prints to printable planners and music downloads to a global audience seeking unique creations.

With its user-friendly interface, established customer base, and secure payment processing, Etsy is an attractive platform for individuals looking to transform their creative digital assets into a thriving online business.

Etsy charges to list your downloads. After that, you’ll pay several fees as and when you make a sale. Here’s what to expect:

Any charges for advertising on Etsy are over and above that. Check out Etsy’s pricing page to get more information.

The cheapest option for selling digital downloads.

Digital Product Delivery (DPD) is ideal for creators looking for a cost-effective way to sell digital downloads via a “Buy now” button.

It’s one of the easiest ways to start selling your download. Just upload your product files, copy and paste DPD’s cart button, and you’re done. The only catch is you need somewhere to plant that button—a blog, your website, or even Facebook will do.

DPD offers a 30-day free trial to get you started. After that, they base prices on how many products you’re selling and how much space they take up.

Here’s a quick look at how pricing starts:

Selling digital downloads can be lucrative, but you need an action plan to make a successful venture of it. Having an idea is only step one. 

To succeed, you need to commit considerable effort to understand your target customer and create a solid marketing strategy. From there, choose the best way to sell digital downloads based on your business model and goals.

With Flodesk, you can set up a stunning online store in a matter of minutes, turn social followers into subscribers, and nurture relationships through gorgeous email marketing. It’s as easy as it gets. Start your free trial.

Look to online platforms like Flodesk Checkout, Amazon, or Etsy—each of these allows you to sell digital downloads without a website.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to profitable digital downloads. Still, there are some standout examples with higher success potential. You can’t go wrong selling digital downloads in these markets:

Yes, digital downloads can be incredibly profitable if done right. A tremendous example is Justin Welsh, an online entrepreneur and angel investor, who made $1.3 million in 27 months from selling online courses as a one-man business.

Start your digital download business by following the steps we’ve outlined in this blog. Create your first product and gain experience marketing it. Then keep learning, creating new versions and products, and expanding as you do. Make this your priority, and it can swiftly become a full-time business.