7 Tiny Digital Product Ideas That Can Easily Boost Your Passive Income
Nowadays creating passive income streams has become more accessible than ever.
One powerful way to achieve this is through tiny digital products.
These small, easy-to-create items can be sold online repeatedly, providing a steady flow of income with minimal ongoing effort.
Let’s explore seven types of digital product ideas that can significantly impact your business and financial growth.
What Are Tiny Digital Products?
Before diving into the specific types, let’s define what we mean by tiny digital products:
- Small and easy to create
- Sold online
- Helps buyers accomplish a specific task
- Leverages your existing knowledge or resources
- Typically priced under $100
- Can be sold repeatedly with little to no additional effort
The beauty of tiny digital products lies in their ability to create passive income. You create the product once, and it continues to earn money for you over time.
This not only adds a new revenue stream to your business but also helps attract potential clients who may later be interested in your higher-priced services.
7 Types of Digital Product Ideas
1. Light Membership
A light membership is an excellent way to build a community around your expertise while generating recurring revenue.
Example: Wedding planner Jamie Wolfer created a $29 per month membership that replaced her entire wedding planning income.
“We Forex when we went subscription actually did well enough to get us a down payment for our first house.”
Key Features:
- Provides ongoing value to members
- Requires minimal interaction from you
- Can include pre-made videos, resources, and support
- Builds a loyal community
Passive Scale: 6/10 Income Potential: 8/10
2. 90-Minute Workshop
A 90-minute workshop allows you to showcase your expertise, get feedback from your audience, and build relationships with potential clients.
How it works:
- Create a live workshop focused on helping a small group achieve a specific result
- Host the workshop on a platform like Zoom
- Teach your topic, usually with the help of a slide deck
- Answer questions and provide personalized feedback
- Record the live session
- Turn the recording into an evergreen digital product
Example Topic: “How to create a month’s worth of Instagram content in one day” for social media experts
Passive Scale: 6/10 Income Potential: 7/10
3. eBook or Audiobook
eBooks and audiobooks are powerful ways to package your knowledge and reach a wider audience.
They can serve as both a source of passive income and a client-generating machine.
Success Story: Business consultant Michael Port transformed his business by publishing “Book Yourself Solid.”
Benefits:
- Can be sold on your website and platforms like Amazon
- Serves as a marketing funnel for your other services
- Works as a 24/7 salesperson for your business
Passive Scale: 6/10 Income Potential: 8/10
4. Paid Email Newsletter
A paid email newsletter offers a premium product delivered directly to your clients’ inboxes. It’s more than just a typical newsletter; it’s a VIP pass to your best ideas and insights.
Example: Nicholas Cole’s “Daily Writing Habits” newsletter, priced at $50 per year
Key Features:
- Delivers consistent, high-quality content
- Creates a unique bond with subscribers
- Keeps you sharp in your field
- Provides real-time feedback from your audience
Passive Scale: 5/10 Income Potential: 6/10
5. Email Course
An email course is like having a personal coach in your subscribers’ inboxes.
It breaks down your expertise into daily or weekly lessons delivered via email.
Example: Gina Horkey’s “30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success” program
Benefits:
- Creates regular touch points with your audience
- Builds a routine for your students
- Highly flexible and easy to update
- Can lead to sales of higher-ticket services
Passive Scale: 8/10 Income Potential: 7/10
6. Mini Course
Mini courses offer fast, easy solutions for people who want to solve specific problems or learn particular skills quickly.
Example: Brennan Dunn’s “Charge What You’re Worth” course for freelancers
Key Features:
- Focuses on one specific problem or skill
- Typically consists of 1-5 short video lessons
- Provides clear, actionable steps
- Can be consumed quickly by students
Passive Scale: 7/10 Income Potential: 8/10
7. Templates
Templates provide a starting point for various tasks, from design to organization.
They offer immense value by giving users a head start on their projects.
Success Story: Thomas Frank made over $2.5 million selling templates for the free online productivity tool Notion.
Popular Templates:
- Creators Companion (for managing social media and content creation)
- Ultimate Brain (for personal productivity)
Passive Scale: 9/10 Income Potential: 8/10
The Secret to Selling Your Digital Products
Now that we’ve explored these seven types of tiny digital products, let’s discuss a powerful strategy to boost your sales. Thomas Frank’s success with templates reveals a crucial insight: leveraging YouTube to promote your products.
Key Steps:
- Create a niche YouTube channel focused on your area of expertise
- Produce helpful, educational content related to your product
- Build trust with your audience by solving their problems
- Naturally introduce your digital products as solutions to viewers’ challenges
“Thomas’s niche Notion channel, despite being a lot smaller than his main channel, ended up making a lot more money.”
This approach demonstrates the power of targeting a specific audience with a product they need.
By creating valuable content and positioning your digital product as a solution, you can significantly increase your sales and passive income.
Final Thoughts
Tiny digital products offer an excellent opportunity to diversify your income streams and reach a broader audience.
Whether you choose to create a light membership, host workshops, write an eBook, or develop templates, there’s a tiny digital product that can fit your expertise and business model.
The key to success lies not just in creating the product but also in how you market it. By leveraging platforms like YouTube and focusing on providing value to your audience, you can turn your knowledge and skills into a sustainable source of passive income.
(Source: Wes Mcdowell’s Youtube Channel, Video on digital product ideas)
