How to Sell Documents and Make Money

Do you want to sell documents and make money online? Who wouldn’t!? This is a great way to use your skills and talents to start a business or side hustle.

In this article, we’ll show you how to quickly get started selling documents. We’ll share tips to make the highest profits possible!

You Can Do This

What are you good at? What topic could you talk about all day? You can turn that passion into money by selling digital documents. You just need to write it out and add some polish.

From supplemental worksheets, guides, and sheet music, to reports and customizable templates, you have something to contribute to the world!

First, take a look at what’s out there. How are other similar people pricing their documents? What’s normal for other industries?

Next, the big question is: what value are you offering? To figure it out, consider some of the following questions:

What type of document(s) are you selling?

• Templates for resumés and stationery can be anywhere from $10 to $30
• Detailed reports and informational pieces containing legal, medical, or specialized expertise can range anywhere from $20 on into the hundreds or even thousands
• Fitness and nutrition guides commonly sell for between $15 and $50.

Are you selling a single document or bundle?

• Consider selling collections of documents (such as industry reports, data sets, contact lists, or stationery sets).
• This allows you to charge a higher price and deliver maximum value.
• Just like with any other digital product, single digital documents sell for less than bundles containing multiple documents.

Are there any bonus materials?

• Audio version
• Extra worksheet
• Access to bonus content

What are your competitors charging?

• Check out marketplaces like Etsy, Creative Market or Envato Elements
• Find individual digital product stores of your competitors
• Keep in mind that marketplaces tend to have lower pricing in general (sometimes enforced by the platform)

Do you have clout within your industry?

• People will often pay a premium for the expertise of a trusted source
• If you have a large following or established industry authority, you can factor that into your pricing

Ongoing Revenue

Consider other ways to generate revenue with your documents:

• Subscriptions or recurring memberships
• Cross-promotion or affiliate marketing
• Regularly updated “live” documents
• Alternate formats

Subscriptions

The subscription / membership model gives customers ongoing access to a group of specialized documents.

Some examples would include:

• A collection of legal templates for starting a new digital business
• A group of documents for job seekers or career advancement (resumé, cover letter, and other professional templates)
• Unlimited access to sheet music
• Industry-specific reports and data sets

Cross-promotion or Affiliate Marketing

Cross-promotion and affiliate marketing are other ways to get long-term recurring revenue. Expand your reach and get more sales by partnering up with content creators, influencers, and other high profile people within your industry. 

Imagine you write luxury yacht maintenance manuals and you decide to partner with a blogger who talks about luxury yachts and international travel. The result is your products are exposed to a larger audience. You may even get access to an email list full of people who are more likely to be interested in your products.

“Live” Documents

You could also try selling access to “live” documents that are periodically updated, such as contact lists, website lists, or data sheets. Customers would be charged a subscription fee for access. New subscribers will join, revenue will come in regularly, all without increasing the amount of work involved.

Alternate Formats

Consider creating alternate formats, such as audio, video, or infographics. This can increase their earning potential.

This could include:

• Audio guides
• Podcasts
• Video tutorials
• Other languages
• Variations on colors, layouts, etc.

Repurpose your document content into smaller segmented products, or use certain documents as lead magnets for gated content!

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Featured image: istockphoto