The 5 Worst Digital Products to Sell (and What to Offer Instead for Real Value)
The digital product market offers incredible potential for passive income, but it’s also crowded with low-quality, oversaturated offerings that provide little value to buyers. If you’re thinking of selling digital products, it's crucial to avoid items that don’t meet buyers' needs or live up to their promises. Here’s an in-depth look at the five worst types of digital products to sell, along with thoughtful alternatives that are more likely to succeed and benefit your customers.
1. Generic E-books with Recycled Content
Why They’re a Poor Choice
E-books are one of the most popular types of digital products, but they’re also one of the most oversaturated. Many sellers choose generic topics—such as “How to Start a Business” or “Social Media 101”—and often fill these e-books with recycled or surface-level information that can be easily found online for free. These e-books rarely provide fresh insights, actionable advice, or anything unique, resulting in a lackluster product that doesn’t stand out from the crowd.
Why Buyers Avoid Them
Buyers who purchase generic e-books typically expect to learn something new or gain practical tips. When they receive content that feels shallow, outdated, or redundant, it leaves them disappointed and unlikely to recommend or purchase from the same seller again. In a market flooded with e-books, quality and originality are essential to earning trust and building a reputation.
What to Offer Instead
If you’re interested in selling e-books, consider narrowing down to a niche topic where you have unique expertise or insights. For example:
Personal Finance Tips for Freelancers: Rather than covering general finance advice, focus on a specific audience with unique challenges.
Eco-Friendly Interior Design on a Budget: Niche, focused topics allow you to bring fresh insights to an audience that’s underserved in typical e-books.
A Unique Perspective or Framework: Share a personal methodology, proprietary framework, or specialized process. This approach makes your content distinctive and valuable.
2. Low-Quality Online Courses with Basic or Outdated Information
Why They’re a Poor Choice
The demand for online learning has surged, making courses a popular digital product. However, many online courses are created hastily, covering basic concepts without in-depth information or practical value. In some cases, the content is outdated, which can mislead or frustrate students. Low-quality courses don’t deliver on their promises, making them a waste of time for buyers and damaging the seller’s credibility.
Why Buyers Avoid Them
When purchasing an online course, buyers expect a structured, comprehensive learning experience that takes them beyond beginner-level content. If they receive superficial information or feel the course doesn’t provide actionable insights, they’re unlikely to trust the seller again or recommend the course to others.
What to Offer Instead
To create a valuable online course, focus on delivering in-depth, actionable content that truly educates:
Specialized Skills or Niche Knowledge: A course on “Advanced Video Editing Techniques for YouTube” will attract those who already have a basic understanding but want to refine their skills. This approach sets your course apart from general courses on video editing.
Hands-On Guidance and Projects: Incorporate exercises, challenges, or projects to reinforce learning and allow students to apply new skills immediately.
Regular Updates and Support: Courses that include ongoing updates to reflect industry changes and offer access to a community or instructor support will stand out as comprehensive and up-to-date.
3. Poorly Designed Canva or PowerPoint Templates
Why They’re a Poor Choice
Templates are popular for their practicality, but many sellers make the mistake of creating generic, poorly designed templates that offer minimal customization and creativity. These low-quality templates lack original design elements and fail to serve any specific purpose or target audience. Because anyone with access to Canva can design basic templates, this market is highly competitive and easily oversaturated with subpar products.
Why Buyers Avoid Them
Buyers are looking for templates that save time, streamline tasks, and make them look professional. Templates that feel generic, are difficult to customize, or don’t add value to the user’s workflow will be seen as a waste of money.
What to Offer Instead
High-quality templates that cater to specific needs or industries are much more valuable:
Customizable Templates for Specific Professions: For example, resume templates designed for creative fields like graphic design or templates tailored to social media managers’ needs stand out.
Visually Unique, Professionally Designed Templates: Focus on creating templates that are polished and versatile. Unique color schemes, fonts, and layout options make them more attractive to buyers.
Templates with Functional Add-Ons: Consider offering templates with built-in prompts, checklists, or action items. These added features enhance usability and differentiate your templates from others.
4. Low-Value “Motivational” Audio Tracks or Affirmations
Why They’re a Poor Choice
Motivational audio tracks and affirmation recordings are widely available, but they tend to be impersonal and repetitive. They often lack the depth or customization that buyers are looking for in motivational content, making them feel generic and ineffective. Additionally, there is a growing trend toward mindfulness and personalization in wellness products, so standard audio tracks don’t always align with what modern consumers want.
Why Buyers Avoid Them
Generic audio tracks don’t offer a meaningful or transformative experience, and buyers often feel they could have created something similar for themselves. Since these recordings don’t cater to specific needs, they fail to stand out in the wellness market.
What to Offer Instead
Creating personalized or targeted wellness products can lead to better engagement:
Custom Affirmation Tracks Based on Specific Goals: Tracks for specific needs, such as boosting confidence before a presentation or managing stress during work, are more engaging than generic affirmations.
Guided Meditation for Targeted Needs: Offer guided meditations that help listeners achieve particular outcomes, like better focus for students or relaxation for parents.
Bundled Wellness Packages: Combine affirmations with visualizations or breathwork exercises, creating a more complete wellness experience. This added variety improves engagement and offers real value.
5. Outdated Social Media Growth “Hacks”
Why They’re a Poor Choice
Social media changes rapidly, and many digital products promising “quick and easy” growth hacks become outdated within months. Selling guides or tutorials that promise guaranteed results through specific tactics can lead to buyer dissatisfaction when those tactics no longer work or, worse, risk violating platform rules.
Why Buyers Avoid Them
Most buyers are aware that sustainable growth on social media requires effort and consistent strategy. When they purchase a “hack” and find it ineffective or even harmful to their account’s reach, they lose trust in the seller.
What to Offer Instead
To provide value in the social media niche, focus on evergreen strategies and authentic engagement:
Content Creation and Branding Guides: Help users develop a unique brand and create high-quality content that resonates with their audience. This is more sustainable than relying on hacks.
Platform-Specific Best Practices: Create in-depth guides on using each platform’s features effectively, such as Instagram Reels or LinkedIn’s content publishing.
Community Engagement Strategies: Teach methods for building genuine connections with followers and potential collaborators, which offers long-term growth benefits.
Final Thoughts
Digital products have the potential to provide real value to buyers and create passive income for sellers, but success depends on choosing the right type of product. Generic, low-quality, or oversaturated digital products—like generic e-books or poorly designed templates—rarely stand out or provide a satisfactory experience. By focusing on creating specialized, high-quality offerings that address specific needs, you can stand out in the digital product market, earn the trust of your customers, and build a profitable business.