Why Every Substacker Needs to Create a Digital Product (& How to Start)

The Simple Digital Product That's Making More Than Paid Subscriptions (How I Made $1,591 in a Weekend)

Dec 28, 2024

Earlier this year, I hit a breaking point.

I was sitting at my desk at 9 PM, staring at my coaching calendar for the next day. Every hour was blocked. Every minute accounted for. My revenue looked impressive on paper – the highest it had ever been – but I felt trapped.

"This isn't what freedom was supposed to look like," I thought to myself.

The Breaking Point

Maybe you can relate? Trading time for money seemed like the obvious path. Coaching calls, freelance work, consulting... it's what everyone does when they want to monetize their expertise, right?

After all, I can’t complain. Growing on LinkedIn allowed me to leave my retail manager job and work for myself.

But here's what nobody tells you about the time-for-money trap: The more successful you become, the less freedom you have. Your calendar becomes your prison, and you're serving a life sentence of back-to-back calls.

The Counterintuitive Discovery

That night, something interesting happened. As I scrolled through my LinkedIn messages and email threads from coaching clients, I noticed a pattern. I was solving the same problems over and over. Different people, same solutions.

Then it hit me: Why am I doing this one-to-one when I could do it one-to-many?

Let me share a story that changed everything.

After I was hitting the burnout wall hard, I decided to take the system I gave my coaching clients and turn it into a one-hour recorded masterclass. It also came with some templates and a planner. The title: Remote Dream Job Masterclass

I took about 5 five days and started posting about my upcoming masterclass on LinkedIn. I dropped hints here and there. Then, I officially opened doors to the class.

I would have been happy if maybe 5 or 6 people joined. The results? I sold over 50+ spots to that first masterclass at $50 a piece. I knew I was onto something…

Why Most People Never Create Digital Products

"But I'm not enough of an expert..."

"It will take too much time..."

"The tech stuff seems complicated..."

"What if no one buys it?"

Trust me, I’ve had all of these thoughts at one time or another.

Here's the truth most people won't tell you: You don't need to be the world's leading expert. You just need to solve ONE specific problem for ONE specific group of people.

Think about it – when you're struggling with something, do you need help from the world's foremost expert? Or do you just need someone who's figured out that specific challenge and can show you the way?

As long as you know a little bit more than someone else, you can help them with a digital product. You create it once; sell it over and over again.

The Hidden Cost of NOT Creating Products

By not creating digital products, you're actually doing your audience a disservice. Here's why:

Some people want more help than free content provides
Some can't afford your 1:1 services
Some need your solution NOW (not when your calendar opens up)
Some want to implement at their own pace

That recorded class I mentioned? It wasn't fancy. It wasn't perfect. It was just a simple solution to a specific problem that people were happy to pay for.

The Simple Framework Anyone Can Use

Here's what I've discovered after helping dozens of creators build their first digital products:

1. Find ONE problem your audience has

2. Create ONE simple solution

3. Package it in an accessible way (template, guide, video)

4. Price it affordably

5. Let it sell while you sleep

I’ll help you with the backend tech stuff over the next week, but it’s not as complicated as you think to set up & sell.

Quick Win You Can Use Today

Open your messages (DMs, emails, comments). What question do you keep answering over and over? That's not just a repetitive task – it's a product opportunity waiting to happen.

Write down the last five questions you've been asked. Each one represents a problem someone is actively trying to solve. Each one could be a template, guide, or mini-course.

I want you to take just ONE of these problems and write it down. Over the next week, we’re going to think about how we can take the one audience problem and turn it into a profitable, passive income digital product. You in?

What's Next? Digital Product Masterclass

Tomorrow, I'll show you how one of my students made her first $1,000 from a PDF she created in two hours (and I'll share the exact template she used).

Want to fast-track this journey? I'm opening up a new training in a little over a week called Six-Figure Digital Product Masterclass. It's the complete system I use to validate, create, and sell digital products that solve real problems.

Need Help NOW? Join the Substack Growth Masterclass

If you need help today with growing your Substack, I’ve reopened doors to my Six-Figure Substack Growth Masterclass (& Playbook) only for the next few days. Taking this class will help ensure you’re growing on Substack, so you have an audience to sell your digital product to.

This is the masterclass where I share the exact strategy I’ve used to grow from Zero to 3,500+ subscribers in less than 6 months this year. I’ve also turned Substack into a $3K to $5K+ per month operation with a repeatable system (hint: through digital products) and share this strategy as well.

I’ll be closing doors to this class for new members first of the year, so if you’d like to join, click the button below and I’ll see you on the other side 👇

Six-Figure Substack Growth Masterclass

Remember: Your expertise is valuable. Someone out there needs your solution right now. Don't make them wait.