I accidentally created a successful digital product

And here’s what it’s teaching me as I build my next business.

As a young entrepreneur, I’ve had the luxury to try (and fail) at a lot of things. I’ve given literal blood, sweat and tears to ideas I really wanted to work, that I thought would 100% work. Spoiler alert: They didn’t. And then there’s some ideas that I’ve done on a whim, with not a lot of thought behind it and they’ve clicked, gotten traction, and made sales.

I thought my experience running a marketing agency made me good at knowing what could help build a successful business. I’ve spent so long looking at so many different businesses and metrics, surely I’d have it down by now. After trying to build my new business, I quickly realised that this wasn’t the case.

It’s easy to look at what didn’t work and ideate ways to pivot, but sometimes you’re so close to your successes that you don’t really see them. And then it’s easy to miss out on the wisdom from your wins that are staring right at your face. This blog post is about one of those wins that I didn’t really care about until recently.

A lot of us on Foundership are digital nomads and know the struggle of moving between airbnbs, having to ask hosts the simplest questions about house rules, directions, appliances, places to visit, etc. Back in April 2022, I was tired of asking these questions and decided to make a quick notion template about everything a guest would need to know about their stay. I quickly put it up on Gumroad, spent 10 minutes on making a reddit post + copying it onto host groups on LinkedIn and Facebook and forgot about it. Since I’ve created the template I’ve gotten sales every day - making passive income, getting all 5 star ratings, and creating a large email list of airbnb hosts from around the world. I didn’t expect this to blow up, nor did I expect it to have the same momentum a year and a half later

Since leaving my old marketing agency, I’ve been trying to build my new business but often feel like I was moving slowly, doing things wrong, or not getting enough traction. I felt like I didn’t have the answers so I listened to podcasts, read books, found coaches/mentors and tried very hard to change these circumstances. A conversation with a friend about building a successful digital product lead me to realise that there was so much I can learn from my own successes of building the notion template. Let’s break it down:

1: Understand the problem well + empathise

In the case of the Airbnb template, I was the problem. I was the annoying guest asking hosts all those questions. And then I was able to put myself in the shoes of the host and understand what they were feeling: annoyed, frustrated, and tired of repeating themselves. They could spend all that time setting up a property, but it isn’t really a passive source of income if they’re so involved during every guest’s stay.

After this, the next step was to address this problem directly. The top of my Gumroad listing says “Answer questions once and then never again.”

This was good because it:

Clearly addressed the problem: By explicitly stating the issue a potential customer faces and that you offer a solution, you’re immediately grabbing the attention of potential customers who can relate to this problem.

Presented a solution: You’re not just identifying the problem, but you’re also offering a clear solution, which is the essence of a successful digital product.

Built trust by showing that I understood them: Demonstrating empathy and understanding the pain points of your audience builds trust and makes them more likely to trust your solution.

2: Make sure the problem is simple and relatable

Guest-host communication issues were relatable and widespread. This universality made the template highly appealing. For other businesses, identifying problems with broad relevance can unlock growth opportunities. Simplifying complex issues into user-friendly solutions enhances engagement. By making a problem both universal and straightforward, businesses can create products or services that resonate widely, driving success and customer satisfaction.

3: Create multiple advantages

The template didn’t just answer questions; it also set their property apart and made the guests feel more welcome. It improved their stay by giving them suggestions and hidden gems.

I realised what made this template a no-brainer was that it was a win-win situation from all sides. The hosts could streamline their guest interactions and provide a better experience, while the guests received a comprehensive guide to their stay.

I’m learning to apply this to my business by leveraging multi-faceted value propositions:

Identify multiple advantages your product or service can provide to customers.

Think beyond the core function: Consider additional benefits that can set your offering apart.

Add value on multiple levels: These advantages should address various pain points or desires of the target audience, making your product or service a comprehensive solution.

4: Handle Objections Upfront

When offering a digital product, it’s essential to anticipate and address potential objections your customers may have.

For instance, some hosts might wonder if the template is too complicated to use or if it will take up too much of their time. By providing clear, concise information about how user-friendly your template is and how it can save them time in the long run, you can preemptively address these concerns.

I did this by having FAQs on the listing and recording a quick loom video of me introducing and using the template.

The takeaways:

Anticipate and address customer concerns proactively

Develop comprehensive FAQs and resources

Leverage social proof and customer testimonials

5: Simple, repeatable, low (no) cost marketing

Successful marketing strategies for digital products often involve a combination of simplicity, repeatability, and minimal cost. All I did was: start conversations in targeted spaces, created empathetic posts, and engaged with my audience to answer ay questions or concerns.

Since then, the posts have been pushed up again by the algorithm and my listing has been promoted due to engagement. I also submitted this to notion’s official template marketplace - helping me get more sales.

6: Upsells

Upselling can significantly increase the revenue generated from your digital product. I offered my customers a “Done For You” upsell after the purchased the product. My customers would fill out a form to send me the information about their listing, pay me for this service, and I would send them the finished version a few days later. Here again, I marketed the upsell by empathising with my customer on possible pain points: english may not be their first language, they don’t have the time or energy to do this, they’re older and aren’t too savvy with notion, they have too many listings to do it all themselves.

This helped me learn that a good upsell is:

Aligned with customer pain points

Convenient and value-driven

Well-marketed and customer-centric

As I write this, I am still figuring out how to apply all of this to my business. I hope this post was valuable and provided enough information for you to take action. These are all things that have worked for me, and I am interested in seeing how applicable they are to different businesses and industries. I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on this, and what you were able to relate to. I am always open to connecting and would appreciate your feedback. Please feel free to reach out at [email protected].