Selling Digital Templates: A Scalable Side Hustle

In the digital age, knowledge is the most valuable currency. For many entrepreneurs, the goal is to package that knowledge into a product that can be sold repeatedly without extra effort. This is the essence of a digital template business.

Whether you are an expert at organizing your life in Notion, a wizard with Excel spreadsheets, or a designer who creates beautiful Canva layouts, there is a market for your systems. People are willing to pay for convenience—they want to skip the setup and get straight to the results.

Why Digital Templates are the Ultimate Side Hustle

The beauty of digital templates lies in their scalability. Unlike a service-based business where you trade time for money, a template business has "infinite leverage."

1. High Profit Margins

Once you create the template, the cost to sell it again is effectively zero. You don't have to worry about inventory, shipping, or manufacturing. Aside from platform fees, every sale is pure profit.

2. Low Barrier to Entry

You don't need a massive budget or a team to start. Most people already have the tools they need (Google Sheets, Notion, or Canva). Your only investment is the time required to build a high-quality product.

3. Passive Revenue Potential

While the initial creation takes work, a well-marketed template can generate sales while you sleep for months or even years.

Popular Types of Templates to Sell

The market for templates is vast, but some categories consistently perform better than others:

• Notion Templates: Life planners, second brain systems, and project management trackers are in high demand.
• Financial Spreadsheets: Budgeting trackers, investment calculators, and tax prep sheets for freelancers.
• Design Layouts: Social media templates for Instagram, pitch decks for startups, or resume templates.
• Legal and Business Docs: Contract templates for photographers, outreach scripts for marketers, or SOPs for small businesses.

How to Price Your Products

Pricing a digital product is a science. If you price it too low, you leave money on the table; if you price it too high, you might kill your conversion rate.

You need to factor in the time it took you to create the product, the value it provides to the customer, and the fees charged by the marketplace. Using a Digital Product Pricing Tool can help you find the sweet spot between profit and market fit. It allows you to model different scenarios and see exactly how many units you need to sell to reach your monthly income goals.

For more inspiration on low-cost ways to earn, you can read our guide on Low-Cost Side Hustles in 2025, which highlights other businesses you can start for under $100.

Choosing Your Marketplace

Where you sell is just as important as what you sell. Different platforms cater to different audiences:

• Etsy: Great for design-focused templates and reaching a broad, existing customer base.
• Gumroad: Excellent for creators who have their own audience on social media and want a simple checkout process.
• Notion Marketplace: The dedicated home for Notion-specific tools.
• Your Own Website: Offers the highest margins but requires you to drive all the traffic yourself.

Marketing Your Templates

Creating the product is only half the battle. To see success, you need a strategy to get eyes on your work:

1. Provide Free Value: Create a "lite" version of your template and give it away for free. This builds trust and positions you as an expert.
2. Use Video Content: For complex templates, a walkthrough video on YouTube or TikTok is the most effective way to show the value.
3. Build an Email List: Your past customers are your most likely future customers. Collect emails to announce new product launches.

For creators looking for a robust platform to sell and manage their digital goods, Gumroad and LemonSqueezy are industry leaders that handle everything from payments to tax compliance across different countries.

Selling templates is a marathon. Start with one high-quality product, listen to customer feedback, and iterate. Over time, your library of templates becomes a powerful engine for financial growth.