Many online resources and videos present digital product ideas that are either easy to create or highly profitable, but rarely ideas that achieve both.
This can be frustrating for new Etsy sellers who are looking to start a side hustle selling digital products.
In this guide, I’ve carefully handpicked 14 digital product ideas on Etsy that have each generated over $10,000 in revenue and continue to remain popular.
Let’s get started.
Doing market research before you start selling is important. It helps you identify what’s popular on Etsy and the level of competition of a particular niche. There’re signals on Etsy that help you find ideas that are high in demand and relatively lower in competition. I’ve written this free guide to help you with the process.
For this guide, I used Alura to help me speed up the process and get revenue estimates of different listings. With functionalities like the “Product Seeker,” you can filter to only show digital products that have generated over $10k in revenue. Also, you can sort the filtered listings by estimated monthly sales of the last 30 days, which lets you identify trending listings that are still selling super well. which is one of my recommended Etsy SEO and market research tools. They have the ability to estimated the number of sales and revenue of Etsy products, which makes spotting winning products on Etsy a lot quicker. Try out the free plan here (and use the coupon code GROWING30 if you find the tool useful).
It's important to remember that the revenue figures in this article are estimates and should be used as a general guide rather than exact numbers. Combining this data with your own skillset and passion will help guide you choose the right digital product to go for.
Crochet patterns are PDF files that guide crafters through step-by-step to create their own crochet project. Crochet patterns of cute animals or unique blankets are highly popular. For example this adorable chicken crochet pattern from oakandmarlow has generated over $168k of revenue:
This is a good niche to enter if you have crocheting skills or passion for the craft. The competition level could be quite high, but if you have ideas of adorable designs, or have the ability to create new designs, there’s a chance for you to find success. I recommend pay attention to social media and see what cute animals are trending so that you can jump on the trend quickly to capture sales.
When creating your PDF crochet instruction file, make sure to crochet a prototype so that you can take process photos to add to the guide. Doing that can help customers finish their crochet project more confidently.
Here are some other crochet pattern Etsy listings that are successful on Etsy:
Let’s face it, getting married is stressful. Engaged couples often look for products that can help their wedding planning easier.
And that’s why these wedding planner printables have been a great product idea for Etsy sellers. Usually they include digital downloads that help brides and grooms manage wedding timeline, seating arrangements, budgeting and more. These designs are often created on tools like Canva where customers can easily edit the details themselves.
Other than the links to the Canva templates, make sure to include instructions for editing and information of how customers can get the designs printed.
As most wedding planner printables are similar in terms of features, look for ways to differentiate in terms of design and target customers. Maybe a wedding that has a dark, goth theme? Or a wedding with two people with different cultures? Here are some examples of successful listings:
This seemingly simple products have been selling pretty well on Etsy. As part of the wedding planning niche, these templates help couples creating visually attractive drink menus quickly. This design from magnoliapapersandco has estimated to have earned almost $14,000:
Consider offering a range of styles - rustic, modern, tropical and more to appear to different target customers. Another aspects to differentiate yourself is to have a library of drink graphics or illustrations that customers can replace quickly to create highly customised bar menu.
If you have a background in graphic design, then creating your own illustrations could be a great way to approach this. If not, you can consider generating graphics with AI tools like Midjourney or Leonardo AI. Here are more product listing inspiration:
They help people who love reading to track their book reading progress, write down their thoughts and link to their books through hyperlinks. These are often created for apps like Goodnotes or Notability.
Having the technical know-how to create templates for Goodnotes will be a plus. If not, there are quite a library of resources available on YouTube to teach you that relatively quickly.
Analyse carefully what the competitors in the niche have in their design in terms of features. For examples, do they have a rating system, space for notes, or goal setting page? Make sure your reading journal is on par with them in terms of feature set, and then add something extra on top to stand out. Here are some other successful listings in this niche:
Baby shower hosts often look for fun, easy-to-print games to entertain guests. Trivia games are a hit because they’re interactive, simple, and memorable. With countless themes and variations, you can add humour, unique topics, or charming illustrations. Sometimes a simple design like this resonate great with many different target customers:
It’s common to bundle a collection of different games together to make the host’s job easier. You can either offer non-editable PDF files for the trivia games, or links to editable files created on Canva. Also, make sure to include answer keys and instructions for the games. Here are some other successful listing examples:
As more and more people run side hustles and small online shops, simple bookkeeping solutions are increasing in demand. They help owners track income, expenses, and profits without having to pay for expensive bookkeeping tools or hire an accountant.
To succeed, focus on clarity and ease of use, as your target customers are likely someone that doesn’t love dealing with numbers. Provide a clear dashboard that gives monthly and yearly overviews to help small business owners. Other helpful features include colour-coding, pre-filled formulas, etc.
Create a short PDF guide or a screen recording video to guide customers through the setup. This can help them feel more confident about using your product, and in turn, having a more positive experience.
Digital stickers are a fun, low-barrier product that’s wildly popular among users of digital planners, digital journals and digital scrapbooking. They love decorating their planner pages with cute icons, themed sets, and motivational quotes.
Since these are usually just PNG files with transparent backgrounds, you can create a ton of variety in terms of design - seasons, holidays, hobbies, or even popular TV show references.
To stand out, design cohesive sets rather than random individual stickers. Offering more different themes can help you target more keywords and reach more customers on Etsy. High-quality artwork is important, and if you’re not naturally artistic, consider using AI tools like Midjourney to generate unique graphics that you refine before selling.
Make sure to include a clear tutorial on how to import and use the stickers in popular note-taking or planning apps, so customers feel supported. Here are some other digital sticker examples on Etsy:
Couples love adding personal, memorable touches to their wedding day, and newspaper-style programs have the perfect nostalgic charm. Instead of the usual elegant wedding program, guests would receive a “front page” newspaper detailing the couple’s story, wedding party bios, and the order of events.
To do well with this product, keep the layout well-structured and easy to edit. Write the placeholder small text to be able to fit in most wedding situation so that even couples who don’t have time to edit all the words wouldn’t find themselves in an embarrassing situation. It’s common to create these designs in Canva and send the ‘template link’ to the customer after purchase as a listing attachment.
Also, provide guidance on how to print and fold the program for a finished newspaper look. Something as simple as adding a space for fun facts about the couple or a crossword puzzle can make your template even more unique.
A photo guestbook station at weddings and parties invites guests to snap a picture and leave a note to create a fun keepsake. A well-designed sign that explains these instructions is essential as it may not be the most common wedding activity.
Providing common size options (like 8”x10” and 11”x14”) helps customers print the perfect fit for their frame. Most customers are just looking for a simple PDF file that they can print out directly. Offer different sign designs with different themes, graphics, colours, etc. to allow more customers to find what they love. Here are more examples:
Students are always looking for ways to stay organised, and a well-structured spreadsheet can help them track assignments, exams, and study sessions. They want something simple, visually appealing, and easy to adapt throughout the semester. This listing is a great example of a successful design in the niche:
The feature set of the spreadsheet should all focus on helping students get organised and achieve their academic goals. For example, features like GPA calculators and assignment due date reminder can be appealing to students. A quick start instruction guide could also improve the conversion rate of your product.
Spreadsheets like this are usually created to be compatible with both Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, though it’s not a must.
Sewing patterns, especially those that cater to unique projects like custom backpacks, tap into a market of dedicated makers eager to try something new. Users love PDF patterns that are well-structured, easy to follow, and come with clear in-progress photos.
To create a product that stands out, focus on a creative design and uncommon projects. Include step-by-step photos to guide less experienced crafters. The more you anticipate common questions (fabric recommendations, difficulty level, tool suggestions), the more confident buyers will feel about tackling your pattern. This helps create a better customer experience and increase the rate of them coming back for future purchases.
Personalised art featuring a person’s birth flower has become a popular gift for birthdays, Mother’s Day, and other special occasions. Customers can have their name, birthdate, or a short message incorporated into a beautiful floral illustration. A custom digital wall art like this from NorandOak has made over $43k:
The key is aesthetically pleasing design. Think different styles like watercolour, line art, retro, etc. and pick the one that fits your skillset and passion the most. Then create a set of graphics of different birth flowers as the main focus of your digital products.
It’s important to make the personalisation process simple and effortless. Let the customer type in the name and date at the customisation box on the listing page, then send them the digital wall art file once it’s finished. Adding information about where they can get the file printed would be very helpful.
With the rise of home education, parents and homeschoolers love having printed visuals for their lessons, whether it’s maths, languages or science. Teachers also love to use them to enhance the learning environment. They usually come in a set with consistent style, and covers a range of common subjects.
To make your digital product shine, use colourful graphics and fun yet easy-to-read fonts. Offering different size options (A4, 8.5x11, or large poster formats) can help your customers adapt the product to the classroom or home.
Real estate agents love ready-to-use PDFs that guide their clients through buying or selling a home. These checklists and guides save the agent time and help them look professional, especially if the files are editable so they can add their own branding.
If you’re making these guides, aim for a professional, polished design. Use clean layouts, simple color schemes, and sections that break down the complicated home buying or selling process into digestible steps. Show where agents can easily insert their name, logo, and contact info.
Adding bonus sections, like a “moving day checklist” or “common real estate terms,” provides extra value and can justify a higher price. Think about what would make an agent’s job easier and their clients happier, and that’s what will make your guide stand out.
When choosing which idea to go for, one of the most important factor is the competition level of the niche. Some niches are more crowded than others, so doing extensive market research or using a tool like Alura to gauge the market is crucial.
Also, think about your interests, skills, and your willingness to learn. For example, if you love crocheting, starting with a crochet pattern might feel natural. If you have experience with Excel, go for bookkeeping templates. Every idea will have a learning curve, so pick something you’re genuinely excited to work on.
And remember that reaching over $10,000 in sales doesn’t happen overnight. The examples and data we discussed show that success is possible, but it often comes down to creating a top-quality product, adding something unique to help it stand out, and then creating a highly optimised Etsy listing. One of the best ways to optimise your listings is by using informational product photos which you can learn how to with this article.
