80% of Nigerians now want to earn a side income. All thanks to the continual rise in the exchange rate which has affected the prices of goods and services.

However, there’s one question on everyone’s mind. “What can I do to earn a side income in Nigeria?”

As a 9-5 worker, a business owner, or a busy mom, any side hustle you start, must be one that won’t take so much of your time.

That is, it should be something that can be automated to run on its own even when you are busy away at work.

That’s where selling digital products comes in.

Books are fast being replaced by E-books, and classes have been replaced by other online courses. Music has shifted from tapes and CDs to digital files. 

The amazing thing about digital products is that they are simple and inexpensive to create. So, you can sell them repeatedly unlike physical products.

In this post, we’ll discuss what digital products you can sell to earn a side income for yourself.

What are Digital Products?

Anything that can be created or sold through digital channels is a digital product. They cannot be touched but can be seen or listened to. We can call these intangible but valuable products.

Examples of some digital products include; 

• Online courses 
• Ebooks
• Stock photography 
•  Digital Graphics and Templates 

Why Sell Digital Products Over Physical Products?

The most important reason is that your products are not limited by the natural forces of time, location, and distance to get to your customer.

There are lots of good reasons to sell a digital product online. They include;

#1. High-Profit Margins

There is no recurring cost of goods, hence you get to keep the majority of your sales as profit.

#2. Low Investments (High-potential returns)

There are lots of digital products you can put together over time without investing a large amount of money. Online e-commerce tools such as Selar are relatively inexpensive, compared to renting a traditional store. So, you can be sure to get high returns even on your little investments.

#3. Low Overhead Costs

With digital products, you don’t have to pay for shipping or worry about inventories. Once uploaded to an online store, you can easily share your product with your customers easily.

#4. Flexible products

Digital products are very flexible. You can offer free products to build your email list, monthly paid subscriptions for access to exclusive digital content, or licenses to use your digital products. There are lots of options as to how you can incorporate digital products into your business.

#5. More profitable

Digital products sell at a higher margin than physical products. And its margin can increase over time because you do not spend money on producing more units.

Best Digital Products to Sell Online as a Newbie

Here are the best digital products to sell to earn a side income in Nigeria.

1. Ebooks

Ebooks are just like physical books but in a digital form. An ebook allows people to read the information you’ve created in digital format. It can be read on desktop or laptop computers, e-readers, tablets, and even smartphones.

You don’t need to be a scholar before writing an ebook. All you need is to think about what you have a wide knowledge of, it might be a talent, a hobby you’ve grown over the years, or something you’ve learned at school or anywhere else.

It’s very good for people who are new in the digital selling space to start with. And for introverts who are not able to show their faces or voices.

LEARN: How Nigerians Are Making Money Selling Ebooks On Selar

2. Online Courses

Teaching has gone further than being in the four walls of a classroom. People now learn new skills, hobbies, and anything they want to learn from the comfort of their homes.

Creating an online course lets you turn your expertise into a new source of income stream. If you have the knowledge you will love to share with people then creating an online course will be the best for you.

You can create an online course to teach people just about anything from baking classes to sewing classes to yoga etc.

Mostly, online courses are pre-recorded, but can also include many other components that create an engaging learning experience for the students. Some of the components that might be included in online courses are; discussion boards, assignments, projects, etc.

LEARN: How to Create and Sell Online Courses: Everything You Need to Know

3. Graphic templates and designs

This is narrowed to graphics designers. As a graphics designer, you can create custom or editable templates to sell.

Your fellow designers who have tight schedules will love to get a template to ease and speed up their work while non-graphics designers too can use the templates to create amazing graphics with no knowledge.

If you have a passion for design, it can be a chance to let your creativity shine outside of a client’s project.

4. Art Items

Digital artists can create and sell digital products online as a means to generate revenue.

A cartoon artist can turn their work into print-on-demand products, printables, or phone wallpapers. Since you’re selling digital products, you can experiment to know which one your audience will love.

Here are the most common art examples to sell online includes;

• Logos
• Brand kits
• Design templates
• Adobe files and templates (.PSD and . AI files)
• PowerPoint themes
• Backgrounds/Wallpaper
• Original artwork
• Clip art
• Card designs
• Patterns
• Brushes

5. Music and Audio

People play music because it soothes the soul. Audio on the other hand is used as a powerful medium to communicate a strong message, either for inspiration or insight.

If you’re a musician, chances are you’ve explored ways you can monetize your talents for your audience.

Podcasters, YouTubers, bedroom pop stars, and film producers, are people who all use audio in one form or another to market their work.

SEE: The Best Digital Products to Sell Online to Make More Money

Platforms to Help You Sell Digital Products Effectively

Here are the top platforms where you can sell your digital products more effectively.

1. Selar

Probably the best of all time, Selar is an e-commerce platform that allows you to sell any kind of digital product or service anywhere in the world.

The platform is so easy to set up, such that you can upload your online courses and start selling in minutes.

You can easily host over 10 courses on Selar, have unlimited videos, drip content, and all the tools you need to successfully manage your students, all wrapped up in the simplest e-commerce tool in the world.

It also comes with lots of relevant features like analytics, sales pages, and automated follow-ups.

Selar is a feature-rich platform for all your course needs and serves any kind of course content – videos, audio, documents, resources, workbooks, and more securely in less than 5 minutes.

With Selar-hosted courses, you get to upload your videos directly to Selar, and your users get access to watch them immediately.

Unique Features Of Selar 

• Upload unlimited course video content without worrying about storage.
• View students’ progress, export their data and offer course certificates to students on completion.
• Grant access to offline students into the course seamlessly.
• Create sales pages to boost sales of online courses.
• Manage your students through effective email marketing campaigns all from one dashboard without an extra email service provider.
• Incentivize your students through coupon codes and discounts.
• Build your curriculum around your teaching style. Deliver your courses seamlessly. Integrate downloadables to enrich your curriculum.
• Don’t worry about intellectual theft again. Enjoy content security features that guarantee the safety of your online courses and videos.
• Create membership sites and coaching programs for exclusive students of your choice.
• Sell tickets to your events, webinars, and coaching programs
• Accept payment in 8 different currencies from your students around the world.
• Pre-launch your course seamlessly on Selar.
• Use Selar’s affiliates to promote your product and increase sales of your product.

It’s totally free to sign up and start selling. However, to access key features of the platform and sell as many products as you like, sign up for the pro plans.

Pricing: Free plan, Pro plan: ₦8,000 / $20 per month, Turbo plan; ₦15,000 / $35 per month; 20% discount on annual plans.

2. Gumroad

Gumroad is an e-commerce tool used by creators to sell digital downloads to anyone anywhere in the world.

The platform offers exclusive features to creators that make it easy to sell your product or service without the hassle of creating an e-commerce store. Gumroad is loved by creators because it is used to sell basic digital downloads like ebooks.

Some of the features of the Gumroad platform are that it comes with in-built marketing tools, analytics, and customizable payment buttons. It is a great solution for anyone who would like to offer subscriptions or membership services and integrate their account into social media services like Facebook.

Unlike other platforms, Gumroad also supports the sale of physical products.

Pricing: Free but Gumroad takes a percentage based on the amount of your earnings.

3. Thinkific

Thinkific is an online course platform designed for creators to freely share their knowledge and get paid for it.

With Thinkific, you can successfully create professional digital products of any kind and sell them to your audience with zero technical knowledge. All the features you need are in-built so you don’t have to worry about third-party app integrations.

Some outstanding features of Thinkific include; drip content, creating course templates, issuing course certificates, coupons for discounts, etc. You can manage every aspect of your business without the need for extra expenses.

Pricing: Free, Basic: $49/month, Pro: $99/month, Premier: $499/month; 20% discount on annual payment.

SEE: The Best Places to Sell Digital Products Online in Nigeria

In summary,

Although there are several other ways to earn side income in Nigeria, digital products are one of the best and easiest ways to earn side income. 

You don’t need to know it all before you start teaching. There’s information within you that you have and other people out there are willing to learn from.

Why not make extra income spreading that knowledge of yours? If you know how to cook, then there are several others who would be willing to learn from you, if you have been doing great keeping your finances at bay, there are thousands of people who would pay you money to learn how to control their expenses and so many more.

It doesn’t need high capital to start, all you need is your willingness to teach and gather audiences.

So, get started now and create your first digital products with Selar.