Ok, before anyone does ANYTHING, let’s talk about how it important it is to choose the right digital product format! I’ve noticed that when people start thinking about creating a digital product, they almost immediately jump to “I’ll create a course!” Then it begins…they picture a course with recorded lessons, slides, maybe a talking-head camera setup. 

And then, for a lot of them, that’s exactly what stops them from moving forward. 

If that sounds familiar, I want to offer you something different today: the idea that choosing the right digital product format starts with knowing what kind of creator you actually are.

There is no single, absolute right digital product format. What works flawlessly for someone else (or a guru) might feel completely wrong for you…and that mismatch between what everyone else is doing and what you are meant to be creating is often why you digital products never get finished. 

So, before you start choosing what you believe to be the right digital product format, let’s figure out who you are as a creator first.

How Do I Choose the Right Digital Product Format?

Choosing the right digital product format means matching the way you present or deliver your content to the way you naturally think, communicate, and work. 

That doesn’t mean picking whatever format is trending or copying what you see other creators doing. The right format is the one that lets you show up as your best self, feel excited about your digital product, deliver real value to your audience.  And it also is the one that gets you to FINISH your product so you can get it up for sale online.

Digital product formats can be things like: 

• video courses
• audio programs
• PDF guides
• workbooks (with or without a course)
• templates
• checklists
• curated resource libraries
• and much, much more

Each one requires something different from you as the creator. And each one serves your audience in different ways. If you make the right decision early on, you’ll save yourself a lot of time second-guessing, becoming frustrated and you’ll avoid half-finished projects that just don’t feel like you.

Which Creator Type Are You? 

I find the easiest way to start the process is to identify which type of creator you are. Read through the four types below and notice which one makes you think, “yes, that’s me!” There is no wrong answer here. Each creator type maps naturally to a set of product formats that will feel like a good fit or feel like the right digital product formats you want to design for your customers.

The Teacher

You love breaking things down. 

You light up when someone finally understands something you have been trying to explain. 

You naturally organize information into steps, stages, or lessons. 

Teaching is not just something you do, it is how you think. When you talk about something you know well, you instinctively slow down and build up the explanation from the ground (sometimes in too much detail, because you just love explaining how things work!).

If this sounds like you, formats that put you in teaching mode are going to feel most natural. Mini-courses and online courses are the obvious fit, but recorded workshops, audio lessons, and structured video series can work beautifully too. The key is that this digital product format guides your student through a transformation. 

You do not have to be on camera if that does not appeal to you. Screen recordings, slide-based videos, or even audio-only lessons can work well for the Teacher type, as long as you are in the driver’s seat of the learning experience.

Yes or no? Does this feel like the right digital product format for you? What makes it feel right?

The Curator

You read everything. 

You have strong opinions about what tools, resources, and strategies bring results, and you have been quietly cataloguing that knowledge for years. 

When someone in your world has a problem, you are the person they call because you already know where to point them. 

You might not think of yourself as an expert in the traditional sense (no PhD, not TED Talk), but you have an extraordinary ability to find exactly what someone needs to solve their problem.

I think this type is of digital product is very underrated. Curated resource guides, toolkits, swipe files, vetted reading lists, and template libraries are all products that are built entirely on your ability to gather, organize, and contextualize a variety of sources and tools. 

As a Curator, you are not teaching someone from scratch. You are handing them a shortcut, and that shortcut has enormous value. The right digital product format for a Curator is probably not a video course. It would be more like a well-organized PDF, a digital resource library, or a done-for-you toolkit that people can open and use immediately.

So what do you think? Is the Curator type feeling like the right digital product format for you? 

The Guide

You have been through some things, and you want to walk others through the same journey. 

Your value is not just your knowledge, it is the lived experience behind it. 

You know what it actually feels like to be at the beginning of this process, what the hard parts are, and what you wish someone had handed you along the way.

The Guide creates products that feel more like a companion than a textbook. Workbooks, journals, roadmaps, and step-by-step frameworks feel natural for the Guide to design. These formats invite the reader into a process rather than lecturing them or showering them with a bunch of PowerPoint slides. They work beautifully as standalone products or as companions to a course. And you can choose this formate without ever turning on a camera.

Are you a Guide? Does it feel like the right digital product format for what you want to be known for?

The Behind-the-Scenes Expert

You have deep knowledge and serious skills, but you have zero interest in being the face of anything. 

You are not drawn to teaching or guiding people in a visible way. 

What you want is to put your expertise to work for someone else without necessarily being the one on stage. 

The right digital product format for the Behind-the-Scenes Expert is almost always a done-for-you asset: templates, checklists, spreadsheets, Canva graphic packs, prompt libraries, planning frameworks, or any resource that someone can pick up and use directly in their own work. 

You create the assets. Your customers get the benefit. Your name is on the product (so you get recognition), but your face does not have to be. These types of digital products can be some of the fastest to create and some of the easiest to sell, because their value is immediately obvious to your customers.

Is this the right digital product format for you? Would you like to create behind the scenes to solve problems for your customers?

What If You See Yourself in More Than One Creator Type?

That is completely normal, and it is actually a good problem to have. If you feel pulled toward two types, use that as a signal about your first product versus your eventual product line (yes, I guarantee after you create your first digital product, you won’t be able to stop). 

I suggest starting with whichever type feels easiest and most natural to you right now. You are not locking yourself into one format forever. You are choosing the right digital product format for where you are today, not for who you might become in three years, or even just three months from now.

For example, if you feel you are are part Teacher and part Guide, you might start with a workbook (Guide) and later build a mini-course (Teacher) that build from it. That is a much more manageable starting point than trying to build both at once.

The Real Question Is: What Would the Right Digital Product Format Feel Like for You?

I want to encourage you to be a little bit selfish here when trying to figure this out. Not selfish in a way that ignores your customers, but selfish in that you stop defaulting to what you think you are supposed to create (because its trendy or gurus tell you to) and start thinking about what you would actually enjoy building.

When you’re genuinely excited about a digital product idea, you will finish it! Any product you create because you thought it was the only option will sit half-done in a folder on your desktop for the next six months (I’m speaking from experience here). 

Choosing the right digital product format requires you to be honest about how you naturally work and what kind of creator you actually are. Once you know that, the format decision gets a whole lot easier.

FAQs: Choosing the Right Digital Product Format

This post How to Choose the Right Digital Product Format first appeared on GWEN TANNER | Course Creation Coach and is written by gwent

“What digital product should I create?”

The longer you sit with that question the more you’ll feel like you need to take another course, read another book, find another guru or do more research before getting started. I get it. But I want to offer you a different way through that stuck place, and it involves using AI to brainstorm digital product ideas in a way that most people haven’t tried.

The method I’m about to walk you through isn’t asking AI what digital product you should create (and taking its word for it). Instead, you’ll be handing AI the ingredients from your own life and background, then letting it help you see what’s already there. 

This will give you a list of 50 digital product ideas you can choose from that are grounded in your knowledge, tailored to real people you know you can help, and designed to be accessible to the customers you want to serve.

Let’s get into it.

How to Use AI to Brainstorm Digital Product Ideas

Using AI to help you brainstorm digital product ideas means giving an AI tool like ChatGPT or Claude specific, personal context about your background, skills, and the people you want to help. And then asking it to generate product categories and digital product concepts based on that input. 

This is very different from asking ChatGPT “what should I sell online?” or “give me digital product ideas.” Those prompts give AI nothing to work with, so you get the same generic output that everyone else gets. Those ideas won’t reflect what you know or who you want to serve.

The brainstorming approach I teach works because you are the source material (not the whole entire internet). AI is working as your brainstorming buddy, reflecting your experience back to you in an organized way, helping you get ideas on paper much faster.

Here’s the three steps to brainstorm digital product ideas with your favorite AI tool…

Step One: Give AI the Ingredients From Your Own Life

The first step is to tell AI who you are and what you do. I call this giving it the ingredients. You’re not asking it to invent something from nothing. You’re saying: 

• here is what I know, 
• here are the people I want to help, and 
• here is the problem I want to address 

Use a prompt like this as a starting place (copy and paste this prompt into your AI chat, edit the part in brackets):

I'm a [Teacher / Gardener / Organizing Expert / insert your background here]. I want to help people solve [specific problem]. Based on my skills and experience, give me 5 broad categories for digital products I could sell.

What you’ll get back is a set of categories that match your background or expertise. So if you’re a retired teacher, you might see categories like classroom management resources, parent communication templates, or literacy guides for early readers. If you’re an organizing expert, you might see home systems, downsizing guides, or move-prep checklists. 

I find this step can yield some surprises! A lot of people discover that their background and knowledge spans more categories than might have thought. Let AI do the grunt work in figuring out those categories and possibly sparking some ideas for you.

Step Two: Turn 5 Categories Into 50 Digital Product Ideas

Once you have your five categories, you ask AI to go deeper. Take those categories and turn each one into 10 specific products. Here’s your prompt:

Take each of those 5 categories and give me 10 specific digital product ideas within each one. Include a mix of formats like checklists, step-by-step guides, audio workshops, video lesson scripts, templates, and workbooks.

Now you have 50 ideas. And these aren’t generic ideas! They’re drawn from the categories that came from your background. AI is helping you brainstorm digital product ideas from your own knowledge. This shows you that even if you happen to be in a crowded market (a lot of people selling products in your field or area of expertise), it’s your unique perspective coupled with the type of product that you make, will be what makes you stand out.

DO NOT STOP HERE!

50 ideas that are just okay isn’t the goal. The next step is what makes this brainstorming process different from anything else I’ve seen people use.

Step Three: Brainstorm Digital Product Ideas Through an Accessibility Lens

Accessible design isn’t a technical hurdle or a box that you check at the end, when your product is done and you’re ready to launch. It’s truly a creative decision that makes your digital product better for everyone, not just for people with disabilities.

And because I work with women who often have customers in midlife (where low vision, reading fatigue, and overwhelm are real factors), accessibility is something I make sure to think about from the very beginning, even while I brainstorm digital product ideas that may or may not see the light of day.

So after you have your 50 ideas, you’ll add one more prompt:

Now I'd like you to look at this list through the lens of accessible design. For each idea, how could I make this easy to read for someone with low vision? How could I make this simple to follow for someone who is overwhelmed or new to the topic? Are there formats or features I should consider to make these products more inclusive?

AI will point you toward things like larger default font sizes, plain language introductions, audio or read-aloud versions of written guides, step-by-step layouts that break complex tasks into smaller pieces, and color contrast considerations for people with low vision. 

These suggestions are design choices that make your digital product cleaner, clearer, and easier to use for a much wider audience.

A digital product that’s easy to use for someone with low vision is also easier to use for someone reading on their phone in bad lighting. 

A digital product designed for someone who feels overwhelmed is also better for someone who is simply busy. 

Accessible design raises the quality of your digital product overall.

Why This Is the Right Way to Brainstorm Digital Product Ideas With AI

The reason this approach works so well is that it keeps you at the center of the process. You’re not outsourcing your creativity to ChatGPT or some algorithm. You’re using a tool to help you see what’s already in front of you, then organizing and refining it in a way that could possibly take you hours (or days) on your own.

When you ask AI something like “what should I create?” without context, it gives you what it knows about the general market. When you give it the ingredients from your life (the problem you solve, and the people you serve) it gives you back something that actually looks like your work. That distinction so valuable, especially if you’ve ever felt like AI makes everything sound the same. And I don’t want you mass-producing ChatGPT content!

The accessibility layer is what makes this approach professional (and it gives you a unique selling position too). You’re not creating a product and hoping it works for your customer. You’re being intentional, thoughtful and creating something designed to work without accidentally excluding some potential costumers. That’s the kind of creator I want to help you be.

How to Choose One Digital Product Idea to Work On First

Now you have 50 ideas (with accessibility built in – yay!), the new problem is choosing one digital product to start with. A few things have helped me a narrow the list down without overthinking it.

First, look for the ideas that feel almost too obvious. The ones where you thought “I could make that in a weekend” are usually worth paying attention to. Those are the ideas that are close enough to what you already do so the gap between idea and finished product is small. Give these guys 3 stars ().

Second, look for the ideas that solve a problem you’ve personally experienced or that you’ve helped someone else solve more than once. Those ideas have built-in credibility. You already know the pain point. You already know what a good answer looks like. Give these guys 2 stars ()

Third, look for the ideas that feels exciting mostly because it’s complicated. Complicated ideas sound impressive when you brainstorm digital product ideas, but they’re also the ones that stall out. Your first product doesn’t need to be your best product. It just needs to be finished and useful. Give these guys 1 star () so you will remember to come back to the some time in the future.

Finally, remove (delete, scratch off) anything that doesn’t make sense, seems silly, seems impossible, or you just have no interest in doing at all.

Once you’ve narrowed down your big list to (hopefully) only a few 2- or 3-starred ideas, pick the one you could explain out loud to a friend without stopping to figure out what to say. That fluency you feel for it usually means it’s the right one to start with. You can always come back to the others later!

FAQs About Using AI to Brainstorm Digital Product Ideas

This post Brainstorm Digital Product Ideas with AI first appeared on GWEN TANNER | Course Creation Coach and is written by gwent

When I first started creating courses and digital products way back in the day, I didn’t think about digital product accessibility. 

I was focused on making things look good, getting the content right, and figuring out the tech. 

But then I started paying attention. 

I noticed that some of my own materials were hard to read on a phone screen (especially as I got older and my eyes were getting bad). I realized that the cute script font I picked for a workbook header was genuinely difficult for some people to read. 

And when I learned about the curb-cut effect, everything shifted. The curb-cut effect is the idea that changes originally designed for people with disabilities end up benefiting everyone. 

Curb cuts were built for wheelchair users, but they also help parents with strollers, delivery drivers with carts, and travelers with rolling luggage. The same thing happens with accessible online courses, accessible ebooks, and inclusive video content. When you make your digital products easier to use for people who need accommodations, you make them better for every single person who buys them.

So if you have been thinking of digital product accessibility as a nice-to-have or something you will get to later, I want to gently challenge that. Inclusive design is not a bonus feature. It is how you build products that more people can use, enjoy, and recommend to others. And it is not nearly as complicated as it sounds.

Let’s talk about it.

What Does Digital Product Accessibility Mean?

Digital product accessibility means designing your courses, ebooks, workbooks, PDFs, and videos so that people with a wide range of abilities and needs can use them comfortably. 

That includes people who use screen readers, people with low vision or color blindness, people with dyslexia, people who are hard of hearing, and even, people who are just tired and reading on their phone at 10 p.m.

There’s plenty of “formal” guidelines for accessibility on these interwebs (e.g. WCAG if you’re curious). But for creators like you and me, digital product accessibility comes down to a handful of practical choices that make our work easier to read, watch, navigate, and understand. And most of those choices take very little extra time once you know what to look for.

How Does Digital Product Accessibility Grow Your Audience?

When your digital products are accessible, more people can use them. It sounds obvious, but I think a lot of us underestimate just how many potential customers we lose when our materials are hard to read, hard to navigate, or missing basic features like captions (not to mention refund requests, even if it IS “user error”).

About one in four adults in the U.S. has some type of disability. That is a significant portion of your potential audience. And beyond disability, think about people over 50 whose eyesight has changed (I am raising my hand here, with my astigmatism and MGD), people learning in a second language, people with situational limitations like watching a video in a noisy room without wearing their headphones, or people who are simply overwhelmed and need clear, concise content to stay engaged.

Digital inclusivity isn’t checking a box on a list of accessibility requirements. It you making a conscious choice not to accidentally shut people out from using your digital products. And the beautiful part is that the changes you make to help your most underserved users will improve the user experience for everyone. 

Here are seven ways you can make your digital product more accessible.

1. Use High-Contrast Colors in Your Digital Products

Color contrast is one of the simplest accessibility improvements you can make, and it has a huge impact on readability. High contrast means there is enough difference between your text color and your background color so that people can read your content without straining to see.

You want to aim for a “contrast ratio” of at least 4.5:1 for normal text. You do not need to calculate this yourself. Free tools like the WebAIM Contrast Checker let you plug in your colors and see whether they pass. I use this anytime I am picking colors for like a workbook page or slide deck, and it takes about 30 seconds.

A few practical tips: 

• Dark text on a light background is almost always easier to read than light text on a dark background. 
• Avoid putting text over busy images or gradients. 
• And if you love pastels, make sure your text color is dark enough to stand out. A pale lavender background with medium-gray text might look lovely on your screen, but it can be unreadable for someone with low vision.

2. Write Descriptive Alt-Text for Images

Alt-text is a brief description added to an image on screen so that people using screen readers can understand what the image shows. If an image does not have alt-text, a screen reader will either skip it entirely or read the file name, which usually sounds something like “IMG underscore 4387 dot jpeg.” Not helpful.

Describe what is in the image and why it matters in context. If you have a screenshot showing where to click in Canva, your alt-text might say “Canva toolbar with the Text button highlighted.” If you have a photo in your course showing a completed spreadsheet page, your alt-text might say “Sample spreadsheet with three completed columns highlighted in red.” Keep it descriptive but concise, usually one to two sentences.

Decorative images (like abstract borders or design flourishes) do not need alt-text. You can mark them as “decorative” so screen readers skip right over them. The goal of doing this is to give people who might not be able to see the image the same information that sighted users get from looking at it.

You can’t use alt-text in videos. So here’s how you can still help. When you record a video, say out loud what you are showing on screen (add it in as part of your script).

• If you click a button, say “I am clicking the Share button in the top right corner.”
• If you highlight a section of text, say “This is the paragraph where we add the alt-text.”

People who cannot see the screen, or who are listening while doing something else, need your voice to fill in what they can’t see clearly. It also helps learners who process information better by hearing it than by watching it.

3. Structure Digital Products with Proper Headings

When you create a document, a course module, or an ebook, the headings you use are not just visual formatting. They create a navigational structure that screen readers and assistive technology rely on.

Using proper heading structure means applying H1, H2, and H3 tags in order rather than making text bold or bumping up the font size. I know you do this! 

Your H1 is your main title. 

H2s are your major sections. 

H3s are subsections within those. 

Screen reader users navigate documents by jumping between headings, so if your headings are out of order or missing, they lose the ability to skim and orient themselves  on the page or screen the way sighted readers do.

In tools like Google Docs or Word, this usually means selecting the heading level from a dropdown menu instead of manually changing the font. And it gives your product a logical structure that helps everyone follow along, not just screen reader users. And it makes it much easier for you to edit too!

4. Caption Your Videos for Digital Product Accessibility

If you create video content for YouTube, your courses or products, captions are non-negotiable for digital product accessibility. Captions help people who are deaf or hard of hearing, but they also help people watching in a noisy environment, people whose first language is not English, and people who process written information more easily than spoken words.

Auto-generated captions are a good starting point (YouTube and many of the popular video editing sofware can do this for you), but they are not good enough on their own. I have seen auto-captions turn “Canva” into “canvas” and “write” into “right”  and completely mangle technical terms. Always review your captions and correct errors before publishing. 

If you want to go a step further, I highly recommend offering a downloadable transcript of your video content.

A transcript is a text-based version of everything said in the video, and it gives your customers another way to engage with the material. Some people prefer reading to watching, and a transcript makes your content available to them.

5. Choose Accessible Fonts for Your Digital Products

Font choice affects readability. Sans-serif fonts like Arial, Calibri, Verdana, and Open Sans are generally easier to read on screens, especially for people with dyslexia or visual processing differences.

It can be so tempting to use a beautiful handwritten or script font for your headers or workbook titles. But you gotta resist! 

If your font is hard to read at smaller sizes or on mobile devices, it is working against people who are trying to read your ebook or watch your course videos. 

A good rule of thumb: 

• Use a clean, legible sans-serif font for body text and save decorative fonts for very short, large text if you use them at all.

Font size matters too. For digital products, 16px (or 12pt) is a good minimum for body text. Anything smaller and you are asking people to squint, especially your readers over 40 whose eyes do not cooperate the way they used to (speaking from experience, have I mentioned yet I have bad eyes?).

I go into accessible fonts in more detail in my blog post: How to Choose Accessible Fonts

6. Make Links Descriptive in Your Digital Products

This is one of those small changes that takes almost no extra effort but makes a meaningful difference. Instead of writing “click here” or “learn more” as your link text, write something that describes where the link goes. Screen reader users often navigate by tabbing through links on a page. If every link says “click here,” they have no idea where any of them lead.

Instead of “Click here to download the checklist,” try using the link text “Download the Digital Creator’s Accessibility Checklist.” Instead of “Learn more,” try “Read the full guide to accessible font choices.” 

The link text itself should tell the reader what they will get when they click it. And this is good for people in genera, especially in a digital product like a PDF. They should haven’t to click the link to know what the link does.

7. Simplify Your Language for Better Accessibility

Plain language is one of the most powerful accessibility tools you have, and it costs nothing. Writing in simple, clear language means more people can understand your content, including people with cognitive disabilities, people reading in a second language, and people who are distracted, tired, or multitasking (which, let’s be honest, is most of us).

This does not mean dumbing down your content. It means being intentional about word choice and sentence structure. Use short sentences when you can. Break up long paragraphs. Choose common words over jargon. If you need to use a technical term, define it the first time you use it. Throw in a glossary if you have to use jargon or technical terms.

Depending on my audience, I try to write at roughly an eighth-grade reading level. This allows the language to be clear – and clear writing respects their time and energy. I actually prefer clear and concise over academic or “professional” styles. I will tell people all the time to explain it to me like a 3-year-old, please.

The Creator’s Digital Product Accessibility Checklist

Everything I mentioned above can feel like a lot to keep in your head, so here is a simple checklist you can run through before you launch your next digital product out into the world. I have organized it by product type so you can jump to the section that fits what you are creating.

For Ebooks and PDFs

For Online Courses and Slides

For Video Content

Don’t worry. You do not need to do all of this at once. Pick the product type you are working on right now, run through its section, and make improvements as you go. Every change you make opens your work up to more people, and that is the whole point.

FAQs About Digital Product Accessibility

This post 7 Simple Ways to Make Your Digital Products Accessible first appeared on GWEN TANNER | Course Creation Coach and is written by gwent

Hmmm, what digital product to make? I used to jump straight into building. 

I’d get an idea for a digital product, feel that rush of excitement, and immediately start outlining modules or sketching out a workbook. The problem what that I’d get a few hours deep into it and then realize I wasn’t sure who it was for, whether anyone needed it, or if it was even the right format. 

That’s a lot of energy spent going in circles to entertain my shiny object syndrome. 

So I started doing something different. Before I commit to building anything now, I sit down for one focused hour and work through a clarity exercise that helps me decide what digital product to make, and whether this idea deserves my time. It’s not complicated. But it has saved me from building things nobody asked for.

What Is a Product Clarity Exercise and How Does It Help You Decide What Digital Product to Make?

A product clarity exercise is a short, structured thinking session where you “pressure-test” your digital product idea before you start building it. It’s the step between “I have an idea!” and “I’m going into Canva.” The goal is to move from your initial excitement about your idea into being more grounded about the purpose behind it, or to discover that your idea needs a little more shaping before it’s ready.

I think of it as giving yourself permission to slow down. Not forever and not more time for you to overthink. Just long enough to get clear on what digital product you’re making, who it’s for, and what format makes the most sense. 

When you know how to decide what digital product to make with intention instead of relying on impulse, you’ll avoid the frustration of scrapping all of your half-finished projects a few weeks or even days later.

An idea can feel exciting and still be fuzzy. And fuzzy ideas lead to digital products that are confusing, that don’t land with the people you’re trying to help, or that stall out halfway through because you lost the thread of what you were making.

So, just by taking one hour before you start building your digital product wont slow down your momentum. Instead you’ll be pointing your momentum in the right direction. 

You still get to feel excited. 

You still get to move quickly. 

But now you’re moving with a plan, not a wish (and you’ve eliminated that shiny object feeling).

How to Decide What Digital Product to Make

It’s all about the clarity exercise.

Here’s what I do, and I’d encourage you to try it the next time an idea grabs you. Set a timer for 60 minutes. Grab a notebook (my fave) or open a blank document. Make sure you don’t have any distractions, no tabs open, no “let me check Pinterest for inspiration first.” This hour is for thinking, not researching. (I find that researching gets me even more ideas – ugh – and for the clarity session, that’s what we want to avoid)

You’re going to work through four questions in one hour. Each one builds on the one before it, and by the time you’re done, you’ll either feel clear and ready to move forward, or you’ll know what’s still missing. Both of those outcomes are valuable.

Ok, here we go…ask yourself:

1. What Problem Does This Digital Product Solve, and Who Specifically Has That Problem?

This is the question that might trip you up the most, and I get it. I know you want to help “everyone.” But “everyone” is a sign that you haven’t gotten specific enough yet. Spend 15 minutes on this one. Write down the exact problem your digital product addresses. Not a category of problems, not a broad topic. Hone in on the specific frustration or gap that someone is dealing with right now.

Then write down who has that problem. What stage of life or career are they in? What have they already tried? What’s stopping them from solving it on their own? The more specific you get here, the easier every other decision becomes. If you can’t describe the person and the problem in two clear sentences, that’s your signal to keep digging before you jump into Canva or Google Docs.

2. What Do You Know About This Topic That Makes You the Right Person to Create This Digital Product?

Now I’m not talking about credentials or certifications (though those count if you have them). It’s more about your experience. What have you lived through, worked through, or figured out that gives you a perspective worth sharing? 

I spend about 10 minutes here, and honestly, this is the part of the exercise that feels the best. Because when you start writing down what you know, you realize just how much you’ve accumulated over the years.

Your knowledge is what makes this product yours. Someone else might make an ebook or course on the same topic, but they won’t bring your experience, your examples, your way of explaining things. That’s an advantage for you when you’re deciding what digital product to make, because it tells you which of your ideas are grounded in real depth and which ones are high-level interests you might have ().

3. What Digital Product Format Fits This Idea Best?

Not every idea needs to be a course. Not every idea works as a workbook. Try to spend about 15 minutes thinking about what format actually serves the content. 

• If the transformation you’re offering is about mindset or reflection, a guided workbook or journal might be the right fit. 
• If you’re teaching a step-by-step process, a short course with video walkthroughs could work well. 
• If you’re solving a narrow, tactical problem, maybe a template bundle or checklist pack is the answer.

I find this is where people get stuck in loops, wanting to build the “perfect” format before they’ve even confirmed that the idea is valid. It’s OK to pick the simplest format that delivers the result you’re promising. You can always expand later. The first version doesn’t have to be the final version. It needs to be the useful version.

4. Can You Describe the Finished Digital Product in One Sentence?

This is the last question, and it takes about 10 minutes (with the remaining time to review everything you’ve written). Try to write a single sentence that captures what your digital product is, who it’s for, and what result it delivers. Something like: 

“A 5-day email course that helps new retirees figure out what kind of digital product to build based on what they already know.” 

If you can write that sentence clearly, you’re probably ready to start building your digital product.

If you can’t get it into one sentence yet, don’t worry. That’s just information. It means there’s still a piece of the puzzle that needs your attention, maybe the audience, maybe the format, maybe the overall purpose. So just go back to whichever question feels unfinished and spend more time there. 

I’ve gone through this exercise plenty of times and realized an idea I had wasn’t ready yet. Better to know that now than after 20 hours of building! 

Funny story: I had a conversation with a guy in the Skoolers community who said he’s made so many things that NO ONE asked for and I had to say “me too.”  I don’t always follow my own advice, because some things just NEED to be created right? (No, the answer is no.)

After You Decide What Digital Product to Make…

You’ve got clarity, you’ve got direction. And direction is everything when you’re creating something new. Your next step doesn’t have to be dramatic. Outline the product. Sketch the structure. Write down what each section or module would cover. The beautiful thing about doing the thinking first is that the building part moves so much faster when you’re not second-guessing yourself at every turn.

There are so many moving parts when you create a digital product to sell online. I’ve seen people skip this step and then wonder why they feel stuck three weeks into a digital product project. The clarity exercise is what keeps you from spinning. It’s a small investment of time (60 minutes) that protects a much larger investment – your energy.

FAQs: How To Decide What Digital Product To Make

This post How To Decide What Digital Product To Make first appeared on GWEN TANNER | Course Creation Coach and is written by gwent

I talk to people who tell me they want to create a digital product but have no idea what they’d sell. And almost every time, just by listening to them talk, I can hear it. I can hear the digital product. The product is already there. 

It’s in the way they explain how they organize their classroom. 

It’s in the system they built to onboard their new hires. 

It’s in the methods they use to help their clients calm down before a big presentation.

If you’ve spent years getting good at something, you can absolutely turn that knowledge into a digital product because what you know is genuinely useful to other people who haven’t figured it out yet.

What does it mean to turn your knowledge into a digital product?

Turning your knowledge into a digital product means taking something you already know how to do well and organizing it into a format that someone else can learn from, use, or follow on their own. That format might be a workbook, a mini-course, a set of templates, a video walkthrough, or a simple PDF guide.

The keyword here is “already.” 

You’re not inventing something new. And you don’t need to go back to school or get any kind of new degrees or certifications. Instead, you’re taking the experience you’ve built up over years of doing your work and putting it into a structure that makes sense for someone who’s a few steps behind you. 

That’s it.

Why do so many people overlook what they already know?

I think this happens because the things we’re good at start to feel invisible to us. When you’ve done something long enough, it stops feeling like “expertise” and starts feeling like common sense. 

You forget that the process you use to plan a quarterly budget, or the way you break down a complicated topic for your students, or the checklist you run through before every client meeting, those things took you years to develop. And it becomes second nature because you’re now an “expert” at doing it.

I catch myself doing this too. I’ll explain something about course design that feels completely obvious to me, and the person I’m talking to will say, “Wait, that’s so helpful. I never would have thought of it that way.” That gap between what feels obvious to you and what feels like a revelation to someone else is exactly where your digital product lives.

So, if you’ve been waiting for some big, original idea to strike before you create your own digital product, you might be looking right past the thing that’s already there.

How Do You Figure Out What Knowledge You Have That’s Worth Turning into a Product?

Start by paying attention to what people ask you about. Not what you think they should ask, but what they do ask, over and over. Those repeated questions are a signal. They’re telling you that you have something figured out that other people are still working through.

Here are a few prompts I find helpful when I’m trying to pull out a product idea: 

• What do coworkers or friends come to you for help with? 
• What’s a process you’ve built for yourself that saves you time or stress? 
• What’s something you explain to new people on your team more than once? 
• If someone sat next to you for a week, what would they want to write down?

Spending just fifteen minutes or so with these questions really gets things bubbling. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it: That workflow you cobbled together, that onboarding checklist, that method for meal planning or budgeting or managing a caseload, it’s all sweet digital product material.

What Format Should Your First Digital Product Take?

Here’s where I see people get stuck, and I get it. There are so many options. But if you’re creating your first digital product, I’d keep it simple. The format should match how your audience would naturally want to consume the information.

• If your knowledge is step-by-step and action-oriented, a workbook or checklist works well. 
• If it’s more visual or demonstration-based, short videos or screen recordings might be a better fit. 
• If it’s reference material people will want to come back to, a guide or template set makes sense.

You don’t need to build a full course right out of the gate. One of the best ways to turn your knowledge into a digital product for the first time is to start with something small. A focused workbook. A single template pack. A quick-start guide. These smaller products let you test your idea, get feedback, and build confidence before you invest months into something bigger.

Do You Need to Be an Expert to Create a Digital Product From What You Know?

Nope. You don’t need to be the world’s top authority on a topic. You only need to be a few steps ahead of the person you’re helping. That’s a lower bar than it sounds like, and it’s an honest one.

Been a nurse for twenty years? Then you know a thing or two about talking to patients that a nursing student would pay to learn. 

Were you a middle school teacher for a decade? I bet you’ve developed classroom management strategies that a first-year teacher would find incredibly useful. 

Even if you’ve done something like managing a team through a difficult transition, that experience has real value to someone facing the same thing for the first time.

I think the “expert” label trips people up because it sounds like you need a credential or a book deal or to answer questions at a TED talk. 

You don’t. 

All you need is experience and the willingness to organize it in a way that helps someone else. That’s enough to turn your knowledge into a digital product that people will genuinely appreciate.

What If You’re Not Sure Anyone Would Pay for What You Know?

This is a fair concern, and I always ask myself this question (imposter syndrome). So, before you spend weeks building something, it’s worth doing a little bit of research (I call it detective work). Search for your topic on Google, Pinterest, or Etsy and see what’s already out there. If people are selling products in your area, that’s a good sign, not a reason to back off. It means there’s demand.

You can also pay attention to online communities, forums, or Facebook groups where your potential audience hangs out. What questions keep coming up? What are people frustrated about? If your knowledge addresses those frustrations, you’ve got something.

The goal isn’t to wait for perfect certainty. It’s getting enough of a signal that you feel comfortable starting small. You can always adjust your digital product after you get it in front of a few people.

Where Do You Start Once You’ve Identified a digital product you want to create?

Once you can name the thing that you know other people need, the next step is simpler than you might expect. Write down the main result or outcome someone will achieve with your digital product. Then list the three to five key steps or concepts they need to get there. That’s your rough outline.

You don’t need fancy software for this part. You can use a notebook, a Google Doc, or even voice memos on your phone will work. I find that talking it out loud is sometimes easier than writing it down, especially when you’re trying to turn all of your vast amount of knowledge into a single digital product for the first time. The blank page feels intimidating.

From there, you choose your format, create the content, and get it into a simple, clean file that someone can download and use. It doesn’t need to be perfect! Focus on making sure it solves the problem and helps people reach the desired result or outcome.

FAQs: Turning Your Knowledge into a Digital Product

This post How to Turn Your Knowledge into a Digital Product first appeared on GWEN TANNER | Course Creation Coach and is written by gwent

You’re ready to create your course content, but then it hits you—the video part. Maybe you’re thinking you’ll need professional equipment, a perfect studio setup, or worse, you’ll have to stare into a camera lens for hours while trying not to look awkward.

As a course creator, this is where I get stuck too. All the brilliant content is mapped out, but the creating the course videos becomes this massive mental block. 

When you’re figuring out how to create course videos (especially for your first course), you have way more options than just the traditional “talking head” style. There are plenty of effective course videos that barely show the teacher or creator at all.

The thing is your students don’t care about production value nearly as much as you think they do. They care about whether they can understand what you’re teaching. A simple screen recording that clearly demonstrates a technique is infinitely more valuable than a beautifully lit video that leaves them confused.

So, how to create course videos you ask? Or rather, how to choose the right course video (creating them is the easy part). The secret is matching the right video format to what you’re teaching and your comfort level with being on camera. 

In this post, I’m going to walk you through seven different video formats you can use in your course. Each one works differently, uses different tools, and serves a different purpose. By the end of this, you’ll have a clearer picture of which formats make sense for your content and your workflow.

How to Create Course Videos That Work

Before we dive into specific course video formats, and how to create course videos that work let me just say this: the best video format is the one that helps your students learn the material.

That’s it. Everything else is just noise (and procrastination).

The video format you choose for your course affects everything from the equipment you’ll need to how long it takes to produce each lesson. A screencast tutorial requires completely different tools than an interview-style video. A demonstration video needs different lighting than an animated explainer (obviously).

You shouldn’t be worried about making your videos look like a Hollywood production. Instead focus on choosing formats that let you teach effectively without spending weeks learning video editing software or investing in equipment you’ll only use once. Many courses use two or three different video formats depending on what’s being taught in each lesson.

Let’s look at the seven main formats course creators use, along with the practical considerations for each one.

1. Screen Recording: The Secret Weapon for Camera-Shy Creators

If you’re teaching anything that happens on a computer (like software tutorials, website building, spreadsheet work, design programs, etc.) screen recording should probably be your default format. You record everything happening on your screen while you narrate what you’re doing. Your students see exactly what you’re demonstrating, they hear your voice explaining it, and you never have to appear on camera.

Tools like Loom, Camtasia, or even the built-in screen recording on Mac and PC make this incredibly simple. You click record, do whatever you’re teaching, and click stop. Your video is ready.

Here’s what makes screen recording one of the easiest ways to create course videos: 

• Your students can follow along step-by-step
• They’re seeing your cursor move on the screen
• They’re watching you click through menus
• They’re observing your workflow in real-time

This is exactly how technical skills get transferred.

For screen recordings, you need your computer and a decent microphone. That’s it. No lighting, no camera angles, no worrying about what’s in the background of your shot. A basic USB microphone for $50-75 will give you clear audio quality.

The main technical consideration with screencasts is resolution. Make sure you’re recording at a resolution that’s clear when played back on different devices. 

TIP: Be mindful of what’s visible on your screen! Close extra browser tabs, hide desktop icons with personal information, and clear notifications so they don’t pop up mid-recording.

For camera-shy course creators, screencasts are a game changer. This format also tends to be faster to produce than other video types because there’s less setup involved. The mistake people make with screen recordings is trying to be too perfect. They restart every time they click the wrong thing or stumble over a word. Don’t do this. Your students actually benefit from seeing you make small mistakes and correct them, it helps their learning process!

2. The Classic Talking Head Video

This is probably what comes to mind when you think about course videos. You’re on camera from the shoulders up, looking directly at your audience while you explain concepts, share stories, or walk through ideas.

When you’re learning how to create course videos, talking head format is usually the easiest type of video to create. And they work well for certain types of content like:

• Personal stories, 
• Mindset work, 
• Explaining abstract concepts
• Building connections with your students

This format  benefits  your students because they can see your face and read your expressions. But if you’re teaching someone how to use Excel, they don’t need to see your face. They need to see the spreadsheet.

The technical setup for talking head videos is surprisingly straightforward, even though it might feel a little intimidating. You’ll need:

• A camera (your smartphone works perfectly fine)
• Decent lighting so your face isn’t in shadow 
• A microphone that picks up clear audio

TIP: Position yourself facing a window for natural light. That’s often all you need. If you’re recording in the evening or don’t have good window light, a simple ring light or LED panel makes a huge difference. You don’t need a complex three-point lighting setup.

You can even use your laptop’s built-in camera when you’re starting out because you’re already sitting at your desk (in front of a monitor that is giving off light). If you want to upgrade, your smartphone camera is likely better than most webcams anyway these days.

You’re the sole focus of the video, which means you need to feel comfortable speaking to a camera. Some people find this energizing. Others find it exhausting. Neither reaction is wrong.

If you hate being on camera but want to include some personal connection, here’s a good compromise: record just the intro and outro of each module on camera, then use screen recordings or other formats for the teaching portions. Your students get to see you and hear your personality, but you’re not on camera for hours of content. (This is my fave way of doing it!)

TIP: If you’re recording talking head videos, batch them. Set up your equipment once and record multiple lessons in one session. The setup and teardown time is often longer than the actual recording.

3. Demonstration Videos for Hands-On Skills

Demonstration videos show you performing the skill you’re teaching. If you’re teaching any kind of hands-on work like…

• Cooking
• Sewing
• Painting
• Crafting
• Fitness
• Music

…demonstration videos become essential. Your students need to see the physical execution of what you’re describing.

The camera setup depends entirely on what you’re demonstrating. 

• Close-up hand work like calligraphy or jewelry making needs an overhead camera angle so students can see exactly what your hands are doing. 
• Full-body movement like dance or yoga needs the camera positioned further away to capture your entire range of motion.

You can use tablet stands or phone mounts to position your camera at the right angle. The key is stability, the camera needs to stay in one position throughout the recording. Shaky footage makes your content hard to follow (and can make your students feel seasick).

You don’t need a multi-camera setup or professional equipment. A smartphone on a stable mount positioned at the right angle works perfectly. Many affordable phone tripods come with flexible arms that let you position your camera overhead, at an angle, or wherever you need it.

Audio gets trickier in demonstration videos because you’re moving around. 

• If you’re teaching something quiet like watercolor painting, you can narrate afterward and add the voiceover during editing
• If you’re teaching something loud or you’re moving a lot, consider using a wireless lavalier mic that clips to your shirt (a simple wireless lavalier mic works fine for this)

The technical piece that matters most in demonstration videos is actually lighting. Your students need to see the details of what you’re doing. Natural light from a window works, but it’s inconsistent throughout the day. A couple of affordable LED panels can give you control over your lighting and make details much clearer.

4. Interview Format Videos

Interview videos split the attention between you and a guest expert (Yay! The camera isn’t always on you). You ask questions, your guest responds, and the conversation unfolds naturally on camera. This format works well when you want to bring in different perspectives or expertise that complements what it is you’re teaching.

From a technical standpoint, interview videos need a bit more planning than solo videos. You’re managing two video feeds (yours and your guest’s), two audio sources, and potentially recording across different time zones if you’re doing remote interviews.

Tools like Zoom, StreamYard, or Riverside.fm make remote interviews manageable. They record both video feeds separately, which gives you flexibility in editing. You can show both people side-by-side, switch between speakers, or focus on whoever’s talking at any given moment.

The setup is straightforward. Both you and your guest need decent internet, a microphone, and a camera. The recording platform handles everything else. You can record the conversation, download the files, and edit them into your course.

The benefit of interview format is that while your guest is speaking, you can relax a bit. The camera isn’t solely on you. Plus, bringing in guest experts adds credibility and variety to your course content.

The main consideration with interview videos is editing time. You’ll want to cut out the rambling parts, the technical difficulties at the beginning, and any tangents that don’t serve your students. This takes longer than editing solo videos, but the variety in voices and perspectives can make it worthwhile.

5. Recorded Webinar or Event Footage

If you’ve already delivered your content as a webinar or live presentation, you can repurpose that recording for your course. Tada!  This is one of the smartest ways to create course videos because you’re not starting from scratch.

Most webinar platforms automatically record your sessions. Zoom, Demio, WebinarJam, they all have recording features built in. If you presented at an in-person event, check with the organizers to see if they captured video footage you could use.

The technical consideration here is file quality. Webinar recordings sometimes compress the video to reduce file size, which can make the playback quality lower than you’d like. Check your platform’s recording settings before you go live. Many platforms let you choose between standard and high-definition recording. Always choose high-definition if it’s available.

You’ll also want to edit out any awkward pauses, technical glitches, or the inevitable “can everyone hear me?” moments at the beginning. Basic editing software like iMovie, Descript or Camtasia can handle this easily.

The benefit of using recorded webinars is that the content is already fully developed. You’re not starting from scratch. You’re editing existing footage into lessons. Sometimes “good enough” video of great content is better than perfect video of mediocre content.

6. Tour or Location-Based Videos

Tour videos show a physical space that’s relevant to what you’re teaching.

• An interior designer might walk through a newly decorated room 
• A yoga instructor might film a peaceful outdoor setting for meditation instruction 
• A mechanic might give a tour of their shop to show students where they’ll eventually work

These videos work best when you’re showing something that photos can’t quite capture. The  flow of a room, the ambient sounds of a location, or the way something moves. These are all things that video communicates better than still images. 

To create course videos in this format, you will rely heavily on your smartphone or camera’s video capabilities and decent stabilization. Shaky footage makes people dizzy, so consider using your phone’s built-in stabilization features or investing in a small gimbal. Many newer phones have excellent stabilization built right in so you should be OK without having to buy extra equipment.

Audio is trickier in tour-style videos because you’re often in spaces with echo or background noise. A small lavalier microphone that clips to your shirt can make a huge difference in audio quality. You don’t need anything expensive, a simple wired lavalier mic works fine for this purpose.

7. Animation and Explainer Videos

Animated videos use graphics, illustrations, or animated characters to explain concepts. You can create these without ever appearing on camera yourself, though you’ll typically record a voiceover to accompany the visuals.

The technical side of animation can range from simple to complex depending on the tools you use. Platforms like Vyond, Animaker, or even Canva’s animation features let you create basic animated videos without animation experience. You choose characters or graphics, add text, set timing, and export your video.

For more sophisticated animations, you might use tools like After Effects or hire an animator. This gets expensive quickly, so most course creators stick with simpler animation tools or use animated elements sparingly alongside other video formats.

WARNING: DO NOT HIRE AN ANIMATOR just because someone else say they hired one. Don’t go on Fiverr looking for an animator unless you really have a need to have that done by a professional (e.g. you’re trying to learn how to create course videos for your job, and you have a big budget).

The main advantage of animated videos is that they can make abstract concepts visual. If you’re teaching something conceptual or theoretical, animation can help your students see what you’re describing. They work especially well for explaining frameworks, processes, or systems.

For course creators, animation typically works best as a supplement to other formats rather than your main teaching method. You might use a short animated video to explain a complex framework at the beginning of a module, then switch to screen recordings or demonstrations for the practical application.

The time investment for animation is usually higher than for other formats, especially if you’re creating custom animations rather than using templates. Consider whether the animated format actually serves your students better than a simpler option before you invest the time (and possibly money).

How to Create Course Videos Without Overthinking It

You don’t need to use all seven formats in your course. Most courses use two or three different video formats depending on what’s being taught in each lesson.

Here’s how to create course videos that are perfect for each lesson: simply ask yourself what your students need to see to understand this material:

• If they need to see software or a website, use screen recording. 
• If they need to see a physical technique, use demonstration video. 
• If they need to understand your perspective or connect with you personally, use talking head. 
• If they need to see an abstract concept visualized, consider animation. If they’d benefit from hearing different perspectives, use interview format.

The format should serve the learning outcome, not your comfort level or what you think a “professional” course should look like. 

That said, if you absolutely hate being on camera and it’s making you delay launching your course, choose formats that don’t require it. A finished course using screen recordings is infinitely more valuable than a perfect course that never launches because you’re waiting to feel comfortable on camera.

Most effective courses mix formats based on what each lesson is trying to accomplish. You might use a talking head video to introduce a new module and explain why this section matters. Then you switch to screen recording to walk through the technical steps. Then you include a demonstration video showing the end result or real-world application.

This variety keeps your students engaged and serves the content better. Some concepts need you talking through them. Some need visual demonstration. Some need you showing your screen. Match the format to what you’re teaching in that specific lesson.

Just Get Started, It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect

The biggest mistake I see others make with their course videos is waiting until they have the “perfect” setup before they start recording. They go into groups and ask so many questions “Which camera do you use?”  “Which microphone does the guru use?” And they often shell out a lot of money.

But you can create effective course videos with a smartphone, decent lighting from a window, and a $20 microphone.

Start with the simplest format that works for your content. Record a few lessons. See how it feels. Get feedback from a beta student if possible. Adjust your approach based on what’s working and what’s slowing you down.

Your first few recordings might feel awkward, but by the time you’re recording lesson ten, you’ll have developed a workflow that works for you. The technical skills (camera positioning, audio quality, lighting, editing, etc.) all improve with practice. Don’t wait until you’re “good enough” to start. Start where you are and get better as you go.

When learning how to create course videos, remember that the format you choose matters more than the equipment you buy. You can have the fanciest camera setup in the world, but if you choose the wrong video format for what you’re teaching, your students will struggle to follow along.

This post How to Create Course Videos: 7 Formats That Work (Even If You Hate Being on Camera) first appeared on GWEN TANNER | Course Creation Coach and is written by gwent

I’ve been paying attention to what’s happening with digital products lately, and I’ve seen some clear patterns on where digital product trends are going. Now I don’t think you abandon the digital products you’re working on, but I do believe understanding these trends can help you create something truly valuable and stand-out-ish(?).

Here’s what I’m seeing…

Digital products work better when they feel personalized, when the content comes in manageable pieces, when everything works on mobile, and when there’s some way to connect with other people. These aren’t necessarily new ideas, but they’re worth thinking about as you build.

Let’s dig into these product trends and see what it might mean for what you’re creating.

Digital Product Trend #1: Products Work Better When They Adapt to Different People

Digital products don’t have to be one-size-fits-all anymore. A workbook about career transitions could include different paths for someone pivoting within their industry versus someone starting completely fresh.

You don’t need complicated technology to do this. You just need to offer choices within your product. Maybe it’s “pick the timeline that works for you” or “skip to the section that matches where you are right now.” People appreciate when you acknowledge they’re not all starting from the same place.

Digital Product Trend #2: Shorter Content Keeps People Moving Forward

People respond better to focused, achievable pieces than overwhelming mega-courses. Your ideal customer doesn’t want to commit to a 12-week intensive right now. She wants something she can complete this weekend and feel good about.

And this makes your job much easier. That workbook you’re thinking about creating doesn’t need to cover every possible scenario. Your guided journal doesn’t need 300 different prompts. Pick the core transformation you want to help with and design around that.

Digital Product Trend #3: Everything Needs to Work on a Phone

Your future customers are on their phones…always scrolling…on their couch after dinner, waiting in the carpool line, sneaking five minutes during lunch. You name it, they’re scrolling.

What this means to you is that your PDFs need to be readable on a phone screen. Your videos should load quickly. Your templates should work in Google Docs or popular apps people already have installed (maybe something like Noteshelf or GoodNotes). Remember to always test everything on your own phone before you share it with anyone else.

Digital Product Trend #4: Connection Makes Products More Valuable

Digital products that create spaces for people to connect, share wins, and ask questions tend to get better results than products that just deliver content and hope for the best.

You might not be ready to run a full membership community yet, but you could create a simple Facebook group for people who buy your workbook. Or include discussion prompts they can use with a friend. Or build in accountability checkpoints where they report progress. The connection piece matters, even if its connection with you as the product creator (simply ask them to email you back and let you know their results).

Digital Product Trend #5: Curated Collections Can Be More Valuable Than Original Content

Some of the most useful digital products are actually organized collections of existing resources. You gather the best tools and resources, arrange them in a logical order, and save people the hours they would have spent searching.

Your toolkit could be templates you’ve used plus a few resources you find invaluable. Your guide could point people toward the right tools instead of trying to be every tool. Curation counts as creation. Throw in a video showing how you’ve used the tools yourself makes it even more special.

Digital Product Trend #6: AI Can Help Without Taking Over

Digital product trends are showing that AI is being used to support customers when they get stuck, not to replace human expertise.

Maybe you can include prompts people can use with ChatGPT to brainstorm their specific situation. Or you can create templates with AI-generated examples they can customize. The technology exists to make your product more helpful without replacing the knowledge and valuable content only you can provide.

Digital Product Trend #7: Video Builds Trust Faster

Digital products with video tend to build trust more quickly than text alone. Not fancy, over-produced, perfect videos. But a real, authentic, “here’s me explaining this” video.

You don’t need special equipment or a script. You need your phone camera and the willingness to press record while you talk through the concepts you’ve explained many times before. People buy from people they trust, and seeing your face helps a lot.

What This Means for Your Digital Products

These digital product trends aren’t about overhauling everything you’ve done so far (or that you’re just getting started on). They’re more about small adjustments that will make your product easier to use and more likely to get your customers the results they are looking for.

So, try to pick one thing that feels doable right now. Maybe it’s filming a quick welcome video. Maybe it’s breaking your content into smaller modules people can finish in one sitting. Maybe it’s adding a simple way for customers to connect.

You don’t need to do everything at once. Just need to keep moving forward with something that serves the people you’re trying to help.

This post 7 Digital Product Trends: Your Customers Will Love Your Products first appeared on GWEN TANNER | Course Creation Coach and is written by gwent

If you’re 50+ and have been Googling “how to create digital products,” you might be convinced everyone else got a tech manual you missed. Well, you’re not behind. And you absolutely don’t need to become a graphic designer or spend $100s per month on all these techy tools people are promoting.

What you DO need is already in your head: decades of experience and knowledge that someone would pay to learn from you. The gap between what you know and a sellable digital product is smaller than you think, and it has nothing to do with tech skills.

In this post, I’ll explain to you you exactly how to create digital products after 50 using what you already know, simple tools you can learn in an afternoon, and a simple approach that honors your experience instead of drowning you in software tutorials.

Why Most Digital Product Advice Doesn’t Work for Women Over 50

Most tutorials assume you’re 25, grew up with Canva, and want to “scale to 6 figures in 90 days.” The guru advice focuses on tools and tactics, not on the expertise you already have.

They miss something important. You actually know you’re stuff because you’ve been learning for decades. You understand what makes sense and what creates confusion. You know when someone’s giving you fluff versus real help.

The digital product that sells isn’t the one with the fanciest design – it’s the one that solves a specific problem for a specific person. You already know how to do that.

The real barrier for people our age isn’t tech. It’s knowing which tech matters and which is just noise. You don’t need another tool tutorial to create digital products after 50 years of life experience… You need a knowledge-first method that starts with what you know, not what software you need to learn.

What You Actually Need to Create Digital Products 

So let’s get into what it is you really need to create the digital product you know that you have inside you. You need expertise, a way to teach it and a way to structure it all to share with other people.

The Three Real Requirements

1. Deep, Specific Expertise in Something

This is what you know or what you’re good at:

• Not “life coaching” – but “helping career women navigate corporate politics after 50.” 
• Not “health tips” – but “meal planning for women managing pre-diabetes and joint pain.”

What do former colleagues still text you about? That’s your expertise. You have this already.

2. A Clear Teaching Method

How do you naturally explain things when someone asks for help? Do you use stories? Step-by-step instructions? Frameworks? Real examples?

You already have this. We’re just naming it so you can package it.

3. Structured Thinking

Can you organize information logically? You’ve been doing it your whole career. Can you break down a complex topic into learnable chunks? 

That’s literally the whole skill you need to create digital products.

What About the Tech Stuff?

You might be thinking “But Gwen, I need to know Canva, and Shopify and Kajabi because that’s what all the gurus and videos say I need!”  Well, not really, you don’t have to be complicated (you can be if you want, but it’s not necessary).

You don’t need:

• Canva expertise
• Website design skills
• Video editing abilities
• Fancy course platforms
• Social media following
• Email marketing automation

You do need:

• Google Drive (you probably already use this)
• Ability to create a PDF (file Save As..PDF in your favorite writing tool)
• A simple way to accept payments (PayPal, Stan Store, Gumroad – designed for non-techies)

That’s it. Three things you can learn in an afternoon, if you haven’t used them recently.

A Google Doc PDF from an expert beats a Canva-designed workbook from someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Every. Single. Time.

How AI Helps You Create Digital Products After 50

AI isn’t writing your product, workbook or course for you. Instead, it works like a strategic thinking partner who helps you extract, organize, and structure what’s already in your head.

What AI Will Do for You

1. Helps You Extract What’s Already in Your Brain

It turns “I just know this stuff” into structured, teachable content. Ask AI:

Help me identify the 5 most common mistakes I see professionals make when [your area].

It gets your expertise out of your head and onto paper.

2. Validates Your Ideas Before You Build

It saves you from creating something nobody wants. Ask:

What would someone need to know BEFORE they could successfully [outcome your product delivers]? 

Test your assumptions before you invest weeks in creating your digital product.

3. Organizes Your Expertise Logically

It takes your brain dump and creates a learning sequence. Give AI your scattered insights and ask:

Organize these ideas I have into a step-by-step learning path: [your brain dump].

Let it do the structural work for you.

4. Helps You Make Decisions Faster

Should this be a workbook or a mini-course? What’s the right price point? What format matches how you naturally teach? AI helps you think through these decisions without drowning in options.

AI doesn’t try to replace what you know, instead it helps you package it (and often faster than you could do alone).

Your Biggest Tech Fears About Creating Digital Products After 50

“Do I need a website to sell digital products?”

No. Platforms like Stan Store, Gumroad, or Kit (formerly ConvertKit) give you a sales page in minutes with zero coding. You paste your product description, upload your PDF, set your price – done. Website completely optional.

“What if I don’t know how to use Canva?”

Then don’t use it. Use Google Docs. It works perfectly fine and it’s what I use. Simple beats fancy when you know your stuff.

“What software do I actually need?”

For your first product I suggest:

• Google Drive (free – for sharing a link to the product)
• Google Docs (free – for creating your content)
• A payment platform like Stan Store ($29/month) or Gumroad (free)

That’s the complete list. Everything else is optional.

“What if my product looks ‘homemade’?”

Good. “Homemade” by a 30-year expert is infinitely more valuable than “polished” by someone who Googled the topic last week. Your audience wants your expertise, not graphic design. A simple, clear PDF from you beats a flashy template from a novice every time.

“Am I too old to learn this?”

If you can send an email, organize files on your computer, and use Google Docs, you have 100% of the tech skills needed. Age is not the barrier. Believing the hype that this is complicated IS the barrier. Learning to create digital products after 50 is simpler than you think.

“What about email marketing, funnels, automation…?”

Not for product #1. Launch simple:

1. Create your product (Google Doc)
2. Put it on a simple sales page (Stan Store/Gumroad)
3. Share the link with people who need it
4. Collect payment

That’s a complete business. You can add complexity later if you want. You don’t need it to start.

The Path Forward

If you want to create digital products after 50 you don’t have to master technology. It’s all about recognizing that what you know has real value. And packaging that value is simpler than the internet and the gurus wants you to believe.

You don’t need to become a designer, a coder, or a tech wizard. You need to:

• Identify one specific problem you solve better than most
• Organize your solution into a simple format
• Use AI strategically to help you structure what you want to teach
• Put it all on a simple sales page and share it

Your first digital product doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to exist in the world/

The challenge is usually knowing which questions to ask yourself at each step. That’s where AI becomes invaluable. Not to write your content, but to help you think through decisions you’ve never had to make before.

This post How to Create Digital Products After 50 With No Tech Skills first appeared on GWEN TANNER | Course Creation Coach and is written by gwent

If you’re a nurse, you have some extremely valuable knowledge in your head that would make an amazing digital product. I feel this is such an important role these days when we have a shortage of nurses (and doctors), so stress levels of those who are working are very high, managing so many patients.

I want to walk you through some digital product ideas that are unique to your area of expertise and encourage you to make your very own. Below you will find 9 digital product ideas for your first product you can use or tailor to you what you already know.

Why Should you Think About Digital Product Ideas in the First Place

As a nurse, you’re already teaching every single day. You’re creating systems to remember medications. You’re developing shortcuts to get through 12-hour shifts without losing your mind. You’re explaining wound care to a patient’s family member in language they can understand.

You’ve had these types of conversations dozens of times.

Creating digital products with your nursing expertise means taking all those mental checklists, your clinical judgment, those tricks you’ve learned through experience, and packaging them in a way that helps other people. You create it once. You sell it repeatedly. And then…maybe create your next digital product.

Below are 9 digital product ideas that make sense for nurses. Some focus on helping other nurses succeed. Others help patients and families navigate healthcare. All of them start with knowledge you already have.

Digital Product Ideas That Save Nurses Time

Time is the one thing nurses never have enough of. Digital products that cut through the chaos of a busy shift sell themselves.

1. Nurse’s Template Bundle (Brain Sheets + Report Templates)

Every nurse has their own version of the report sheet they scribble patient info on during shift change. Some nurses have perfected theirs over years of trial and error. Combined with structured shift report templates, these are very popular nursing-related digital products on Etsy.

Your template bundle could include:

• Brain sheets organized for different specialties 
• Shift report / SBAR templates 
• Both digital versions and printable versions

The nurses buying this aren’t looking for something fancy (maybe just a little cute). They want something that keeps them from missing critical information when they’re juggling multiple patients, and helps them give thorough handoff reports without forgetting crucial details.

These templates don’t just save time. They reduce the anxiety that comes with wondering if you forgot to mention something important during the report.

2. Time Management Systems for 12-Hour Shifts

Managing time during a 12-hour shift is its own skill. Many nurses develop systems that help them stay on top of meds, assessments, documentation, and the hundred other things that pop up.

Your system might cover:

• How to prioritize when everything feels urgent
• Clustering care to save steps
• Documentation strategies that don’t eat your whole shift

This type of product works because it addresses a universal nursing struggle. Everyone wants to leave on time without cutting corners on patient care.

Digital Product Ideas That Help Nursing Students Survive 

Nursing students are drowning in information while simultaneously terrified they’ll kill someone. Products that reduce overwhelm while building real competence have a ready market.

3. Exam Prep Materials

Every nursing student has to pass an exam for licensing. Many of them fail the first time because they studied wrong, not because they didn’t study enough.

Effective prep materials might include:

• Practice questions organized by difficulty and topic
• Mnemonics that help them remember facts easily
• Test-taking strategies specific to nursing exam questions

The students buying these aren’t looking for another textbook. They want the insider knowledge that helps them think like nurses, not just memorize facts.

4. Clinical Skills Checklists

Students might walk into the hospital or clinic with confidence (and terror!). Checklists give them a sense of control when everything might feel a little chaotic during their first days.

Your checklist could cover:

• Step-by-step procedures they’ll perform in clinicals
• What to do when something goes wrong
• How to talk to patients (especially difficult patients)

These work best when they include the “nobody tells you this” details that textbooks leave out.

5. Nursing School Organization Planners

Nursing school can feel like drinking from a fire hose while running a marathon. So nursing students who figure out how to be organized early have a massive advantage.

Planners might include:

• Study schedule templates that account for clinical days
• Assignment trackers that prevent last-minute panic
• Self-care reminders (we don’t want our nursing students forgetting they’re human)

Products like these sell because they address the hidden curriculum of nursing school: how to manage the workload without losing your mind.

Digital Product Ideas for Nurses Looking To Change Career 

Sometimes nurses may want to move into different specialties, leadership roles, or completely different areas of healthcare. These transitions come with questions that Google can’t answer.

6. Specialty Transition Guides

Moving from Med-Surg to ICU, or from Pediatrics to Labor & Delivery, could mean learning a whole new world. Transition guides help nurses make those moves without feeling like they’re starting over.

You could create:

• What to expect in your first 90 days in a new specialty
• Clinical skills specific to that area
• The unwritten rules every specialty has but nobody teaches

These guides really help because they’re written by someone who’s actually made the transition, not someone who’s just read about it.

7. Resume and Interview Prep for Nurses

Nursing interviews ask different questions than other jobs. “Tell me about a time you had a difficult patient” requires a completely different answer than generic interview advice suggests (like “what makes you unique?”).

Interview prep products might include:

• Common behavioral questions specific to nursing
• How to explain why you’re leaving your current position (without burning bridges)
• What to ask during interviews to avoid toxic units

The nurses buying these guides are looking for the RIGHT job, not just any job. So they need help presenting their experience in ways that matter to hiring managers.

8. New Nurse Survival Guides

The first year of nursing can feel brutal. New nurses need more than clinical skills; they need emotional survival strategies.

Your guide might cover:

• How to handle your first patient death
• Setting boundaries with demanding patients and families
• What to do when you make a mistake (because everyone does)

These guides sell because they acknowledge the reality of nursing instead of pretending it’s all sunshine and positive vibes. New nurses need someone to tell them the truth about what they’re walking into.

Digital Product Ideas That Help Patients and Families 

Nurses see what happens after patients leave the hospital. They see the confusion, the missed follow-ups, the preventable readmissions. Digital products that bridge the gap between medical care and home care solve real problems.

9. Caregiver Support Guides

Family caregivers are doing nursing tasks with zero training. They’re changing dressings, managing medications, and watching for complications, all while terrified they’ll do something wrong.

Guides for caregivers could include:

• How to actually care for someone after surgery (in plain language)
• Red flags that mean “call the doctor now”
• How to advocate for your loved one in healthcare settings

The people buying these aren’t healthcare professionals. They’re often scared adult children caring for aging parents, or spouses suddenly responsible for complex medical care. They need information from someone who understands both the medical side and the emotional reality of caregiving.

Starting With One Digital Product Idea

All of these ideas might feel overwhelming when you’re trying to choose just one. That’s normal.

Choosing the best digital product idea for you depends on three things: what you know deeply, what people actually need, and what you can realistically create (think about your schedule, tech ability, etc.)

Start by asking yourself: 

• What do people ask me about constantly? 
• What do I wish someone had told me when I was newer in my career? 
• What problems have I solved so many times I could teach it in my sleep?

Your first digital product doesn’t need to be comprehensive or perfect. It just needs to solve one specific problem for one specific group of people. A simple checklist that saves new nurses time (and they can pull up on their mobile phone)  is more valuable than an elaborate course nobody has time to finish.

Create something small, test it, get feedback, and improve it. You’ll learn more from actually putting something out there than from months of planning the perfect product.

This post 9 Digital Product Ideas That Are Perfect for Nurses first appeared on GWEN TANNER | Course Creation Coach and is written by gwent

Most of us don’t think about creating accessible digital products. Not because we don’t care, but because we’re already overwhelmed with everything else we’re learning as we build our first digital products.

But when your digital products aren’t accessible, you’re unintentionally locking out people who want to learn from you and buy from you. People who use screen readers. People with vision challenges or color blindness. People who are deaf or hard of hearing. People with ADHD or dyslexia who need clearer, simpler language.

The good news is creating accessible digital products doesn’t require a tech degree or a big budget. AI tools can help you make meaningful improvements without hiring an accessibility expert. And these improvements make your products easier to use for everyone, not just people with disabilities.

Accessible Digital Products Help You Reach More Buyers

When you create accessible digital products, you’ll be significantly expanding your potential audience!. People with different abilities, devices, and learning needs can all benefit from what you’re teaching.

Accessible digital products are easier to understand for everyone. They often perform better in search engines. They build trust with your audience. And honestly, they can even feel more “professional.”

You don’t need to master complicated technical standards. Just focus on a few simple foundations:

• Clear structure means using headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs so your content is easy to scan. This helps screen readers work properly and helps all of us find information faster.
• Good color contrast means your text stands out clearly from the background. Those pretty pastel designs that look gorgeous on Instagram are often impossible for people with low vision or small screens to read (take it from someone who has to do all of her work on a large computer monitor).
• Text alternatives means providing captions for videos, transcripts for audio, and descriptions for images (known as “alt text”). People who can’t see or hear your content still deserve to get the information.
• Keyboard-friendly experiences means people can navigate your website or course platform without needing a mouse. Although this might not be something you can personally control,  you can make sure you choose a platform that does have this feature. Or you can find out how people can use keyboard shortcuts, and make that available for your customers.

Once you have these basics in place, AI tools can help you check for accesibility problems and fix them faster. Here are some ways you can easily use AI to create accessible digital products.

Way 1: Add Captions and Transcripts to Your Videos

If you’re recording videos, webinars, or podcast episodes, captions and transcripts are essential for accessible digital products. They help people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people watching in noisy coffee shops or quiet libraries, and learners who prefer reading or want to skim through content quickly.

AI tools can automatically generate captions for your videos and transcripts for your audio. You can then turn those transcripts into blog posts, downloadable notes, or searchable text inside your course or product.

You’ll still need to review and fix important terms, names, and any AI mistakes. But that takes minutes instead of hours of manual typing.

Way 2: Write Better Image Descriptions (Alt Text)

Alt text is a short description that explains what an image shows. Screen readers read it aloud so people who can’t see the image still understand what’s there.

AI can analyze your images and generate first-draft descriptions, which is especially helpful when you have dozens of images in your slide decks, PDFs, and course content.

Edit what AI gives you so it reflects the purpose of the image in your specific context. “Screenshot of a sales dashboard showing a 45% revenue increase” is more useful than “A computer screen.”

Way 3: Make Your Writing Clearer and Easier to Read

Dense, complex writing exhausts everyone. Clear, plain language makes your accessible digital products work better for all your readers.

Paste your sales page, lesson script, or workbook text into an AI tool and ask it to simplify the language, break up long sentences and paragraphs, and add headings and bullet points for better structure.

Make sure the simplified version is still accurate, sounds like you, and doesn’t over-promise results. AI can make writing clearer, but you’re still the expert on your content and your brand voice.

Way 4: Check Your Color Choices

Light, pretty designs are often hard for people with low vision or on smaller screens. Poor color contrast is one of the most common problems in digital products that haven’t been formatted for accessibility.

Use color-contrast checker tools to scan your products for hard-to-read text and get suggestions for more accessible color combinations that still match your brand.

Then apply the changes in Canva or your editing tool. But always do a visual check to make sure everything still feels like you.

Way 5: Scan Your Pages for Accessibility Issues

If you have a website, online course, or membership site, automated scanning tools can “crawl” your page flag common issues so you know where to focus your time.

Run checks on your homepage, main sales pages, and if possible, your lesson pages if you’re using a course platform, and your downloadable resources. These tools highlight missing image descriptions, heading problems, contrast issues, and more.

Start by fixing the most impactful issues first – like your primary sales pages and core course modules.

Building Accessible Digital Products Into Your Workflow

Accessibility isn’t a one-time project you finish and forget. It’s an ongoing part of creating quality digital products. But you don’t have to fix everything at once.

Start here:

• Add AI-generated captions or transcripts to your next video, then quickly edit them for accuracy.
• Run a readability and color-contrast check on your main sales page, PDFs and other documents.
• Make AI-assisted image descriptions part of your normal workflow whenever you upload new images to your website or sales pages

Each small improvement you make (like better captions, clearer text, stronger contrast, more thoughtful structure) makes your content easier to use for everyone in your audience.. Over time, these habits give you accessible digital products that are more inclusive, more professional, and more effective at reaching the people you want to serve.

You’re not trying to be perfect. You’re just making sure your content and expertise can reach everyone who needs it.

This post How to Create Accessible Digital Products Using AI (5 Simple Ways) first appeared on GWEN TANNER | Course Creation Coach and is written by gwent