Why Every Influencer Needs to Create a Digital Product (And How to Start Today)

Feb 12

As influencers, we spend countless hours building our brands, growing our audiences, and connecting with followers who trust us. But here’s the hard truth: relying on brands and affiliate commissions alone is risky. What happens if your follower count stagnates? Or if that big brand deal doesn’t come through? The best way to secure your financial future as an influencer is by creating a digital product—and trust me, it’s simpler than you think.

I remember one day when a follower reached out saying she couldn’t grow her Instagram no matter what she tried. She asked for personal advice, and in that moment, it hit me—why not create something that could help not just her, but others who were struggling too?

That’s how Good Influence(r) was born. It wasn’t just a program—it became a way to truly impact creators while growing my own business. That experience taught me that turning what you know into a digital product is a game-changer, both for your audience and for your income.

In this post, I’ll walk you through why every influencer needs to create a digital product and show you exactly how to get started. Whether you’re considering an online course, an e-book, or a paid community, creating a digital product can unlock new revenue streams, deepen your connection with your audience, and take your brand to the next level. Let's dive in Why Every Influencer Needs a Digital Product:

You Own Your Revenue

As an influencer, your income is often tied to other people’s success. Brand deals, affiliate marketing, and sponsored posts depend on external factors: the company’s marketing budget, how well they like your pitch, or the ever-changing social media algorithms. But when you create your own digital product, you own the entire revenue stream.

Think about it: If your audience loves what you share and trusts your expertise, they’ll pay for more. Whether you’re sharing your business tips, DIY tutorials, or personal development strategies, a digital product allows you to control how much you make and when. And the best part? It doesn’t require you to work with an external brand to get paid.

It’s a Scalable Income Source

Selling a digital product isn’t just about a one-time payment—it’s scalable. Once your digital product is created, it can be sold to thousands of people without you having to put in additional effort each time someone buys it. Think about all the hours you spend creating content for social media. While that’s a necessary part of building your brand, the income tied to those efforts is linear, meaning you can only earn as much as the brand deals or affiliate commissions come in.

But with a digital product, your income becomes passive over time. After the upfront work of creating it, you can continue to sell it while you sleep, build new products, and focus on growing your business. It's the perfect solution for influencers who want to earn more money without working more hours.

You Create More Value for Your Audience

One of the best ways to deepen your relationship with your audience is to offer them something they actually want. While free content is great for building trust and engagement, it’s usually only a teaser. By creating a digital product, you’re able to offer your followers a comprehensive, value-packed solution to their problems. Whether it’s a course teaching them how to grow an Instagram following, a customizable planner to help them organize their life, or a digital guide to building a business, your product is an investment in both them and your brand.

Offering digital products also positions you as an expert in your field, allowing your audience to see you as a resource beyond your social media posts. It gives you credibility and reinforces your authority in your niche, making your audience even more likely to invest in what you have to offer.

It Provides Long-Term Growth

While trends come and go, a digital product can keep generating income for months or even years after it’s created. Unlike sponsored posts that expire as soon as the campaign ends, your digital product is evergreen. It continues to sell long after its launch, and you can always refresh and update it to keep it relevant.

Additionally, having a digital product gives you the opportunity to cross-promote your other offers. Let’s say you’ve created an online course. As you grow your audience, you can use that course as a lead magnet to promote your other products, coaching services, or memberships. You can’t do this with one-off sponsored posts or affiliate links.

It Expands Your Brand

Creating a digital product doesn’t just boost your revenue—it also helps grow your brand. Digital products serve as a powerful marketing tool. They allow you to enter new markets, explore new niches, and tap into different income sources. For example, let’s say your main niche is DIY home improvement. You’ve built a solid audience, but you want to start offering more in-depth tutorials. Creating an online course on “How to Renovate Your First Home” could help you expand your brand into the online education space while also providing another revenue stream.

You could even partner with other influencers or brands to co-create digital products, further amplifying your reach and authority in your industry.

How to Start Creating Your Own Digital Product Today

Step 1: Identify Your Audience’s Needs

Before you start creating your digital product, you need to understand your audience’s pain points, desires, and interests. Ask yourself: What do they struggle with? What questions do they ask often? What content do they engage with the most?

The key here is to create something that your audience actually wants. Not sure where to start? Here's how you can get insight into their needs:

Ask your followers: Use Instagram Stories, polls, and email surveys to get feedback on what your audience would love to learn or have.
Analyze your content: Look at the posts that receive the most engagement. Which topics or questions are generating the most conversation?
Monitor trends: Stay on top of industry trends and see if there’s a gap in the market that you can fill with your product.

Step 2: Decide on Your Digital Product Format

The next step is choosing the right format for your digital product. Some of the most popular digital products for influencers are:

Online Courses: If you’re an expert in a particular area, creating a course is a great option. You can create video content, worksheets, and resources to guide your audience through a particular process.
E-books: If writing is your strength, an e-book can be an excellent option for sharing in-depth knowledge and actionable tips with your audience.
Printables and Templates: These are simple but effective digital products. Think planners, to-do lists, budgeting sheets, or any printable resource your audience can use in their daily life.
Membership Sites: If you want to create ongoing value for your audience, a membership site can be a fantastic way to build a dedicated community that pays for exclusive content, tools, and resources.

Step 3: Choose the Right Platform for Your Digital Product

Once you’ve chosen the format, it’s time to choose the right platform for hosting and selling your product. Here are some of the best options:

Teachable: Ideal for online courses, Teachable allows you to create and sell courses with ease. It’s user-friendly and gives you everything you need to create a polished course experience.
Flodesk: For email marketing, Flodesk is an intuitive platform that lets you create beautiful emails and automated workflows to sell and nurture your digital products.
Etsy: If you’re selling digital downloads like e-books, planners, or printables, Etsy is a great platform to reach a larger audience. It’s user-friendly and has built-in traffic.

Step 4: Create Your Product

Once you’ve settled on the platform, it’s time to create your product. The key is to overdeliver and give your audience more than they expect. Make sure your product is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and packed with value. You don’t have to overcomplicate it. Just focus on solving your audience’s problem in a clear, actionable way.

Step 5: Market Your Product

Now that you have your product, it’s time to market it like a pro. Here are some effective strategies to drive sales:

Social Media Marketing: Promote your product on your social media channels. Use Instagram stories, reels, and posts to showcase your product and its value.
Email Marketing: Send an email sequence to your list that builds anticipation for your launch. Once it’s launched, continue to send sales emails.
Affiliate Marketing: Collaborate with other influencers or creators to promote your product to their audience in exchange for a commission on sales.

Step 6: Analyze and Optimize

Once your product is live, continue tracking its performance. Analyze the metrics to see what’s working and what’s not. This will help you make data-driven decisions and improve your future products and marketing efforts.

Your Next Chapter Awaits

Creating a digital product is one of the best ways to diversify your income and take your influencer business to new heights. By providing real value to your audience, you build trust, increase your authority, and create long-term income potential.

Whether you’re starting with a course, an e-book, or a membership site, there’s no better time to get started than today. Choose a platform, get your product in front of your audience, and begin the journey toward creating financial freedom and sustainable growth.

So, what are you waiting for? Your audience is ready. Let’s make this happen!