About This Side Hustle
Selling digital templates and printables is a fantastic passive income side hustle. Create Canva templates, Notion templates, spreadsheets, planners, social media templates, resume templates, or wedding printables, then sell them on Etsy, Gumroad, or your own website. Once created, each product can sell unlimited times with zero marginal cost.
Earning Potential
Individual templates sell for $3-30. Template bundles sell for $20-100. Top Etsy template sellers earn $5,000-30,000/month. Notion templates on Gumroad can earn $1,000-10,000/month. Scale by expanding your catalog.
Pros
- True passive income
- Zero inventory
- High profit margins
- Create once, sell forever
- Low startup cost
Cons
- Competitive market
- Need to stand out
- Customer support for digital products
- Platform dependency
- Requires marketing
30-Day Launch Plan
1
Days 1-5
Research & Plan
Find profitable template niches
- Research bestselling Etsy digital products
- Identify gaps in the market
- Choose 3-5 template types to create
- Study competitor pricing and reviews
- Create a product development calendar
2
Days 6-12
Create Products
Design your first template collection
- Create 5-10 templates using Canva Pro
- Design professional mockup images
- Write detailed product descriptions
- Create demo videos showing the template
- Test all templates for functionality
3
Days 13-18
Set Up Shop
List your products for sale
- Create an Etsy shop with optimized SEO
- Set up a Gumroad page
- Write keyword-rich titles and tags
- Create bundle deals for higher average order value
- Set up instant digital delivery
4
Days 19-30
Market & Scale
Drive traffic and expand your catalog
- Create Pinterest pins for each product
- Share on Instagram and TikTok
- Start a blog about your template niche
- Create 5 new templates per week
- Analyze sales data and create more of what sells
Tips for Success
- Study Etsy SEO - titles and tags are everything
- Create bundles to increase average order value
- Use Pinterest as your primary traffic driver
- Listen to customer reviews for product ideas
- Build a brand, not just individual products
Skills Required
Design basics
Canva or similar tools
Market research
SEO
Marketing
Tools Needed
- Canva Pro
- Etsy seller account
- Gumroad account
- Pinterest account
- Mockup generator