Digital products are a dime a dozen these days. Some of them are amazing, while others are probably not so good.

So how do you create a digital product that leads to growth for your business?

I see a lot of things online about the content of a digital product (which is important!) but not a lot about the design of a successful digital product. 

According to a British study, 94% of first impressions are design related. Our attention spans are shorter than ever and our eyes allow us to make snap judgments on everything we see. 

That means that in a competitive environment, it’s more important than ever to use good design to your advantage. In this post, I’m going to share five important things to consider when creating a digital product. 

This guide is written with e-book-style digital products that are delivered via PDF in mind. Think workbooks, guides, and other instructional information.

Step 1: A compelling cover page

Ever go into Barnes & Noble to peruse magazines? Those beautiful, glossy covers are what draw us in. Even though your product is digital, it doesn’t mean it can’t have the same allure of a glossy magazine! A well-designed cover page goes a long way in increasing the excitement of the buyer when it hits their inbox. 

Additionally, having a great cover is essential in creating mock-ups for your product that will be used on your product listing page and in your marketing efforts. 

I recommend looking at magazine and book covers on Pinterest (or Barnes & Noble 😉) to see what stands out to you visually. In general, you want to shoot for three main things: 

1. A high-quality image or illustration that isn’t too busy. 

2. The title of the digital product sized large enough to recognize at small sizes. Check out Unsplash for free photos or Social Squares for high-quality paid images. 

3. Your name! Paste your name (and a logo if you have it) on the cover. 

Step 2: High-quality mockups

When you’re selling a digital product, it’s important to bridge the gap between the customer and the product because at the end of the day…you’re selling a PDF file. What you need to focus on is helping the customer imagine that product in real life, solving their problems. 

One way you can achieve this is by utilizing high-quality mockups to showcase your digital product. Moyo Studio has some of the best digital mockups I’ve seen, but you can also peruse Etsy and Creative Market for other options.  

If you’re looking for a free alternative, I recommend using Canva SmartMockup. I have a whole post on how you can use Canva SmartMockup to create product mockups here. One of the things I really love about the Canva SmartMockup tool is that they have one-click mockup options that feature real scenes with people in them. Rather than just having a photo of your product in a device frame, you can include a variation that shows someone actually using the product!

Step 3: A table of contents page 

Not only does a contents page make it feel official, but it also is like a snapshot preview of your product that lets people know what to expect. Odds are, after someone buys your digital product they’re going to want to dive right in so this allows them to hop right to the section they’re interested in. And when they come back later in the future to reference your materials, that extra layer of organization will help them have a better experience. 

Step 4: A friendly about page

Just like how the inside of a book jacket tells you about the author, you want to make sure you introduce yourself to your audience. Even if they’re already familiar with you, it allows you to share more about yourself, why you created this product, and how it can help them. People buy from those who they can trust so having an about page is sort of like a welcome mat to that person being a lifetime customer of your brand. 

From a design perspective, I recommend keeping things simple. Include a photo of you, an intro that’s broken into scannable chunks, and a signature for a personal touch (I recommend the Brittany or Moontime font in Canva for this). I also often include a band on the bottom of the page where they can connect and follow me. 

Step 5: An invitation to connect further

Since there isn’t a true “back cover” of a digital product, I like to close things out with a nicely designed “farewell” page that invites your audience to connect further. On this page, I typically do a simple layout with a branded stock image and include a blurb that answers where they can go to find more resources, ask questions, and get customer service if they need it. Leave your customer on a good note knowing you have all the answers and support they need!

Bonus: did you know that Canva is smart enough to detect if you type in a full web address into your document? For example, if you type in “website.com,” Canva will detect the link and make it clickable in your document. This includes links for web addresses and also email addresses. For example, if you were to put your business contact email into a document and someone clicks on it, the link will open up to send an email to that address. Pretty cool! I make sure to include my website on the back page as a call to action for them to keep engaging with my brand. 

Conclusion: The Five Things You Need for an Amazing Digital Product

Whether you’re new to digital products or have launched them in the past, you can use these tips to craft amazing digital products to sell to your audience. Creating a quality digital product can be a lengthy process and knowing what to include upfront can help you plan and prioritize your efforts. 

The best part is once you have one branded Canva template for digital products, you can use it as a jumping-off point in your next digital product!

Do you sell digital products as a content creator? What are your questions about designing a digital product?