I'd love to create a digital product... but I have no idea what to create. This is one of the first challenges you may face if you decide to create a digital product. And I totally get why.
In a world where it feels like a new digital product is launched every millisecond and that all the best digital product ideas are already taken, finding that one-of-a-kind idea can seem overwhelming. Even impossible, right?
But what if I told you that you could nail down a unique digital product idea in just 60 minutes?
That's exactly what we'll do together in the next hour.
In this guide, you'll go through a quick and efficient step-by-step process. Within an hour, you’ll have a solid digital product idea ready to develop. We’ll break the process down, with each step taking only a few minutes. From brainstorming to validation, you’ll learn how to generate digital product ideas that stand out in the crowded market.
Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, this guide will help you speed up your creative process and set the stage for success.
Ready? Let's start with the basics to set you up for a successful brainstorming session.
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What Is a Digital Product?
Digital products are goods or services that exist in digital form. They live on your devices, in the cloud, or somewhere in the vast expanse of the internet.
That eBook you purchased? It's a digital product. Your Spotify subscription? A digital product. And the most recent course you bought? Also a digital product!
As you can see, digital products come in many shapes and sizes. They can be as small as a single music track or as vast as an entire online course. They include things like apps, software, digital art, e-tickets, and more.
Essentially, if it's delivered electronically and you can't hold it in your hands, it's a digital product.
Can Everyone Create a Unique Digital Product?
Absolutely! I'm convinced everyone has a digital product idea in them — something unique and valuable they can offer to the world, and make an impact and earn money while doing so.
Your unique digital product is at the intersection of your skills and experiences, customer's needs (which equals to market demand as well), and your preferred format. Here's a helpful visual:
Let's go through the process of coming up with and refining your winning digital product idea.
How to Find a Unique Digital Product Idea
Finding a unique digital product idea doesn't have to be overwhelming or complicated. If you break it down into manageable steps, you can do it in just 60 minutes.
The first step? Brainstorming. It's an essential step to finding your golden idea. From there, you'll do a quick market research to validate and refine your idea.
Ready? Set your timer to 60 minutes and follow these steps.
Step 1. Brainstorm Your Accomplishments and Experiences (15 Minutes)
Grab a notebook or open a blank document on your computer. Now, start thinking about your personal and work achievements.
As you go through the questions below, write down everything that comes to mind. FYI, you'll be tempted to think you haven't achieved anything particular or judge your ideas and think of them as too personal, niche, or simple. But don't judge them, just let them flow, okay?
Now that you know how to approach this brainstorming session, ask yourself:
For the first question, jot down absolutely everything that comes to mind.
Did you land two jobs straight out of college? Moved abroad? Mastered SEO? Figured out the clothes you need to buy for your capsule wardrobe to always look put together? Improved your skin with healthier food without a 73-step skincare routine? Keep going. List it all. Every experience is valuable.
Each of these achievements is the result of a problem you solved. So, a simple way to answer question #2 is to turn your achievements into how-to problem statements. E.g., turn“landed two jobs straight out of college” into “how to secure a job without any experience.”
Question #3 is there to help you identify a digital product idea that other people need help with (the key to creating a profitable digital product) and a topic you genuinely enjoy (super important for promoting it later on).
Wonder how your achievements are relevant to your digital product idea?
The thing is, the best and most profitable digital products solve a real problem many people face. If you've solved the exact problem yourself, you're the best person to create a tool or guidance to help others struggling with the same problem.
That's why listing your life and work accomplishments is the first step in finding a unique digital product idea.
So, by the end of this exercise, you should have a shortlist of potential ideas. (They might not all be golden, but that's okay. The point here is to get your creativity flowing.)
Onto the next step.
Step 2. Identify Your Target Audience (10 Minutes)
Once you have the initial list of problems you've solved, think about who is still trying to solve them. Your target audience—and future buyers—are typically people who are just a few steps behind you in trying to solve a specific pain point.
To identify them, ask yourself:
Answer these questions by imagining your ideal customer.
Pro tip: It helps a lot if you're thinking about just one specific person instead of a group of people. So, focus on only one person you could help.
Give that person a name if that makes it easier for you. (Confession: When I write and create new products, I always think of Maya—my ideal customer avatar.) Write down their characteristics, problems, and daily challenges, and pinpoint what solution they need.
Understanding your audience and future buyers is vital. It helps you tailor your product to meet their needs and makes marketing much easier down the line.
If you understand the pain points of your audience, you can create a product that meets their needs.
Step 3. Research Existing Digital Products (20 Minutes)
Next, you need to check if your idea exists in the market. Research similar products to see what’s already available and identify any gaps or shortcomings.
I often see new digital product creators skip the research and jump straight into the creation process. You may be tempted to do it, too. But remember that this is a crucial step in creating a profitable product. If you can find a gap that you can fill, you’re already ahead of the game.
For starters, explore the following platforms:
Google Search: Look up products related to your idea. Search for the keywords you used to describe a problem you'd like to help people solve.
Marketplaces: Check marketplaces like Etsy, Amazon, and Udemy.
Social Media: See what people are talking about in forums or groups related to your niche. Facebook groups, Pinterest, Reddit, and Quora are also great places to explore.
When you find competitors selling similar products or targeting the same audience, review their products (especially their reviews) and answer the following:
Question #1: What are people loving? More importantly, what do they frequently complain about or what issues do they have with current products?
Question #2: Are there features or benefits missing from these products?
Question #3: Can I combine elements from different products to create something new?
This step is about identifying gaps that your unique digital product can fill.
The fact that there are competitors in the market shows that there's a demand for this type of product. And your competitors' reviews are gold mines for finding gaps in the market.
So, note everything you find. This research helps you understand the competition and spot opportunities for a unique angle and profitable digital product.
Step 4. Narrow Down and Refine Your Idea (10 Minutes)
You're nearly there! You've now got a list of brainstormed ideas and a better understanding of the market. Spend the next 10 minutes evaluating these ideas and narrowing down the ones you should focus on.
Here are some questions to guide you:
Question #1: Is this digital product idea feasible with my current skills and resources? Put simply, is this something I can actually create?
Question #2: Is there a demand for this product? (Hint: If you found competitors with lots of reviews, the answer is yes. Alternatively, if your digital product idea is so unique that nothing like it exists on the market but a) people often ask you to help them solve a problem your digital product would resolve or b) you've seen lots of people on social media or forums talking about it, the answer is also yes.)
Question #3: Do I find this idea personally interesting and motivating?
Rank your ideas based on these criteria. Choose the top three that score the highest.
Step 5. Decide on Your Winning Digital Product Idea (5 Minutes)
Finally, use the last 5 minutes to select one unique digital product idea to pursue. Trust your gut here.
Choose an idea that excites you and has potential demand. Write it down and commit to it.
There you have it—a practical, step-by-step guide to brainstorming a unique digital product idea in just 60 minutes. By following these steps, you'll have a concrete, unique digital product idea to develop further.
Finding a Unique Digital Product Idea: My Example
Curious about how this process works in practice? I followed this exact process to create my most unique product, Resume Shop Starter Kit.
Here's an example of how this process worked in my case.
Brainstorming my experiences (step 1): I created 100+ digital products and sold more than 10,000 of them, with my bestsellers being resume templates. Many HR professionals, resume writers, and career coaches were interested in selling digital products but didn't know where to start. With my experience, I realized I was onto something unique. I just needed to research the market and find the right way to package my expertise.
Identifying the target audience (step 2): Since HR professionals, resume writers, and career coaches have already started reaching out to me asking for help selling resume templates, my target audience was very clear early on—it was all those HR and career professionals who wanted to diversify their income with digital products.
Market research (step 3): I checked existing products and noticed a gap—there are many digital product starter kits, but most of them are either vague or generic. None of them cater to my specific audience or provide all the tools you need to launch a resume shop. (I literally got to the 17th page in Google search results, which was a clear sign that nothing similar exists.)
Refining the idea (step 4): My initial idea was to create an online course on selling resume templates. But I soon realized that it would be too long and would still lack the main thing needed for a successful resume shop—user-friendly, easy-to-use, and ready-to-sell resume templates. So, I mapped out a few alternative ideas on how my bestselling resume templates could be packaged into a toolkit other HR and career professionals can use to start their shops.
Choosing the idea (step 5): Finally, I opted for a digital toolkit that provides all the guidance and resources HR and career professionals need to launch their resume shops in only 5 days. That's how my unique digital product—Resume Shop Starter Kit—was born!
This process helped me come up with not only the starter kit but also with the Job Search Toolkit That Sells. It's a simple, rinse-and-repeat process you can follow every time you consider creating a new digital product.
Key Takeaway
Everyone can create a unique digital product. It all starts with finding a winning idea.
Want to find it in 60 minutes? Set your timer and dedicate 15 minutes to brainstorming, 10 minutes to identifying your audience, 20 minutes to market research, 10 minutes to narrow down your ideas, and the final 5 minutes to pick your winning digital product idea. Done!
This practical approach ensures you focus on actionable steps, helping you identify your best digital product idea in just an hour.
Ana Colak-Fustin
Hi there—I'm Ana, a former recruiter, HR consultant, and founder of ByRecruiters.com. My career advice, job search tools, and business journey have been featured in Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, Jobscan, A Better HR Business, Starter Story, and other global media. Since 2018, over 8,000 professionals worldwide have used my digital job search tools to land new jobs. Now, I'm on a mission to help 80,000 more.