Validating Digital Products and Services

Validating Digital Products

Research

Let’s first do some really basic research to see if anyone is doing something like you want. If there’s ZERO competition, it can often mean there’s not many people willing to pay for what we’re selling.

Example

Collin wants to make a Gmail course that shows how to be more productive with Gmail. We’ll start by opening up a couple of sites:

• Amazon.com
• Google Keyword Tool
• Google Trends
• Skillshare.com
• Udemy.com

We’ll search the word “Gmail” on every site, just to see what info we can gather.

We found a course called “Master Gmail to be 10x more productive” that sold 369 copies at $69 each. Giggity! At least SOMEONE is making a bit of money with a Gmail course, so there might be some hope for us.

You can watch this “Validation Kit” technique here: Product Validation Kit Technique

Validation Ideas

Here’s a way to validate an app, with a quick landing page and email signup. Checkout how it was done with a one-page website and an email signup list: App Validation with Landing Page

Figure out exactly what you’re offering

Use these three things to define exactly what you’ll be offering. This is just for you to narrow down exactly what you wanna deliver.

[PRICE + BENEFIT + TIME]

Examples:

• For $69, I will teach you how to validate your business in two hours.
• For $69 I will teach you how to write better in two hours.
• For $25 I will teach you how to save an hour a day on your Mac, in just 20 minutes.
• For $10 I will send you a PDF file with 10 mind hacks that will change the way you think in 1 minute each.

Build and sell a digital product

• If you want to make a PDF file, simply write the document in Google Docs and click “Save As PDF”. Instant eBook!
• Udemy and Skillshare are easy places to host a video course.
• GumRoad.com makes it incredibly easy to sell any of your video files, ebooks, mp3’s, Excel files….anything digital. Try it, it works great.
• Alternatively have people Paypal you directly and manually email them your product.

First 3 customers

These are some places we can hunt down our first three customers:

1. Go to communities like forums, Facebook Groups, or Reddit. If we’re thinking of selling a Gmail productivity course, maybe test the waters by posting some gmail hack videos/articles in productivity groups like reddit.com/r/productivity/ Gauge the interest you get.
2. You can make your own course and post it on Udemy, Skillshare, or use GumRoad to sell it yourself. Platforms like this make it REALLY easy to sell/distribute any digital content.

Tools

• Google Docs for writing content and making PDF eBooks
• Camtasia for making video and recording your screen