Someone dropped a comment on one of Alston’s YouTube Shorts and said something that probably sounds familiar: “That’s great, but nobody actually tells you how to create digital products.” And they were right. You hear over and over again that digital products are one of the best things to sell online. Low overhead, no shipping, you make it once and sell it a hundred times. But the gap between “I want to make one” and “I have a finished file ready to sell” is where most people stop. So Alston put this video together to close that gap, step by step, tool by tool.
The good news: most of what you need is free. The tools exist. The templates exist. The platforms to sell on exist. What this guide covers is the full picture from picking your product type all the way through delivering it to a paying customer. If you watch the video and read this alongside it, you will run out of excuses by the end.
What You’ll Walk Out With
- A clear picture of which digital product types are realistic to make right now with your current tools
- How to use Canva for free to build PDFs, planners, workbooks, ebooks, and presentations
- Where to research product ideas without copying anyone’s work
- Free and low-cost tools for audio products, image files, and mini video courses
- How mockups make your digital product feel real and increase your chance of getting a sale
- An honest comparison of the platforms you can use to sell (with actual monthly costs)
- The fastest way to find the right platform for your situation at finder.platformproof.com
First, Pick What Type of Digital Product You Want to Make
Before you open a single tool, you have to decide what kind of digital product you are actually making. This matters because the tool that is right for a planner is totally different from the tool that is right for a song or a course. Alston runs through the main categories in the video: planners, ebooks, workbooks, video courses, songs, podcasts, images and pictures. Each one has its own creation path.
If Alston covered how to make each type in full detail, he said the video would be six hours long. So the goal of this guide is to give you a clear enough picture of each path that you can pick yours and get started. You do not need to master all of them. Pick one, make one, get it out, and see what the market says.
PDFs, Planners, Workbooks, and Ebooks: Start With Canva
For anything in the PDF category, the starting point is Canva. Canva is free to use. There are premium features you can pay for, but the core functionality you need to create a PDF planner, workbook, ebook, or template is available at no cost. Go to canva.com, search for “planner” in the template search bar, and you will immediately see hundreds of starting points.
Now here is an important step that Alston emphasizes and it applies to every product type: do not download a template and re-upload it as your product. That is not a product. That is a copy. What you want to do is take a template as a starting point and then make it meaningfully different. Change the colors, update the layout, adjust the functionality, add pages, remove pages, make it specific to your niche. When you have done that, what you have is original.
For ideas on what to make, Etsy is genuinely useful for research. Type your niche into Etsy’s search bar and look at what already sells. Alston shows this in the video using the pet niche. He searches “pet planner” on Etsy and finds that the market already exists. There are buyers. The job is to look at what is already out there and build something better than the competition. One of the listings Alston noticed was an “editable Canva pet planner,” which is already made in Canva. The tool is right there on the listing. The point is: if other sellers are making money with something you could produce this weekend, there is no reason to wait.
Once your file is ready in Canva, click Share, go to Download, change the file type to PDF, and hit download. It lands on your computer as a file you can sell.
SVG and PNG Files
If you want to sell image files like PNGs, Canva handles that well on the free tier. SVG files, which are a different format used for things like printable graphics and digital cutting files, are a premium Canva feature. Around holidays and seasonal events, SVG files sell consistently on Etsy. Easter designs, Christmas graphics, birthday cut files, all of that falls into this category.
If you do not want to pay for Canva’s premium tier, you have a few other options for working with SVGs and more advanced image formats. Alston uses Affinity Photo for his own image work. Photoshop is another option if you are already paying for Adobe’s suite. For a completely free online editor, there is Photopia, which runs in your browser without any software install. The right tool depends on your budget and how much time you want to spend learning a new interface.
Songs and Podcasts: Audacity Is Free and It Works
If you want to create audio products, whether that is a podcast series or a collection of original songs, the free tool Alston recommends is Audacity. Spelled A-U-D-A-C-I-T-Y. It is a free audio editor that has been around for a long time and gets the job done without a subscription.
If you are on iOS, GarageBand is another solid free option that lets you record and produce audio without paying for anything extra. And if you want to start even simpler before touching any editing software, your phone works. Recording audio directly into your smartphone will not produce studio quality, but it will produce something you can sell if the content is good enough. Start with what you have.
Mini Courses and Video Courses: Your Smartphone Is Enough to Start
A lot of people freeze at the idea of making a video course because they think they need a studio, a camera, ring lights, and a full production setup. Alston’s answer to that is straightforward: he would start with his smartphone if that was all he had.
His specific setup recommendation for beginners: find a room with natural sunlight, prop your phone up on a stack of books or on a shelf at eye level, and record. That is it. Eye level matters because it looks more natural and professional than shooting from a weird angle. Natural light matters because artificial lighting is uneven when you are just starting out. You can improve everything over time, but this setup produces usable footage right now.
For slides and presentations within a course, Canva works here too. Alston shows an example in the video of a “Mastering Social Media” presentation he made entirely in Canva for free. It is not fancy. It is not elaborate. It is slides with content on them. He goes through them one by one, hits the arrow to advance, and records himself talking through it. The Canva smartphone app means you can actually do this whole process from your phone if your laptop is not in the picture.
One practical note: Canva presentations have a timer feature that lets you set how many seconds you want to spend per slide. Alston says he does not even use it. He just hits present and advances when he is ready. For a beginner, that simplicity is worth something.
Getting Better Equipment Without Spending Full Price
When you are ready to invest a small amount in your setup, Alston suggests a sourcing approach that most people do not think of: thrift stores, Goodwill, and pawn shops. Pawn shops in particular carry discounted microphones, webcams, and audio gear because people bring in equipment when they need cash. You can find legitimate gear at a real discount if you are willing to look.
This is not about buying broken junk. It is about recognizing that the used market exists and that “decent equipment” does not have to mean “new equipment.” A microphone that was $120 retail might be $30 at a pawn shop. That changes the math on whether you can afford to start this week.
Mockups: Make Your Digital Product Feel Tangible
One of the most practical pieces of advice in this video is about mockups, and it is easy to overlook if you are focused on just getting your product built. A mockup is a realistic-looking image that shows your digital product in a physical-looking context. Think of it as a product photo for something that does not physically exist.
Why does this matter? Because when someone lands on your sales page and all they see is a file name or a download link, it does not feel real. When they see an image of your ebook displayed on a tablet, or your course shown on a laptop screen, or your planner inside a clean lifestyle photo, it becomes something they can picture themselves using. That shift in perception directly affects whether they buy.
The tool Alston recommends for this is Smart Mockups at smartmockups.com. It has a free tier. To find free options, go to the Technology section, choose Multiple Devices, and filter down to free. Smart Mockups also connects directly to Canva, which means you can build your design in Canva and import it straight into Smart Mockups without downloading and re-uploading. Once your mockup looks right, you download it and drop it into your sales page. Canva also has some mockups built in, though Smart Mockups gives you more variety.
Not sure which digital product matches your actual situation?
Answer a few questions and get a specific recommendation at finder.platformproof.com.
Alston’s First Digital Product: A Real Example With No Filters
Before the platforms and the pricing, Alston walks through his own first digital product because it cuts through a lot of the overthinking that kills most people before they start. His first product was called the 602 Business Blueprint. He made it in a single weekend using Google Docs. No Canva. No design software. Just a Google Doc with content in it.
It is 36 pages. Alston calls it out directly in the video: it is not pretty. It is not the best thing he has ever made. But it sold. He wrote it in Google Docs, downloaded it as a PDF, uploaded it to Google Drive, and when someone bought it, he shared the link. That was the whole system. No fancy platform. No subscriber page. Just a product and a link.
The lesson Alston draws from this is important for anyone who tends to wait until something is perfect before putting it out: get your first version into the market as fast as you can. The market will tell you whether people want it. Once you know they do, then you build version 2, version 3, version 4. The people who improve the fastest are the ones who shipped something imperfect early and used real feedback to make it better.
Where to Sell: An Honest Look at Your Options
This is where a lot of beginners get confused because there are multiple platforms, each with a different cost structure and a different set of trade-offs. Here is the breakdown Alston covers in the video.
Google Drive or Dropbox (Free Delivery)
For complete beginners who want to spend zero dollars on delivery, this is the simplest option. You upload your product file to Google Drive or Dropbox, and when someone buys, you share the link. It is manual. It does not scale well. But it costs nothing, and it works well enough to validate whether your product sells at all. This is what Alston did with his first product.
Gumroad (Free to Start, 10% Per Sale)
Gumroad lets you create a product listing, accept payments, and automatically deliver a digital file without any monthly fee. The cost is 10% of each sale. If you sell a $20 ebook, Gumroad keeps $2. For someone who is genuinely starting from scratch, has no upfront budget, and wants to see if their product sells before paying for anything, Alston says this is a reasonable starting point. He does not love the 10% fee long-term, but it removes the barrier to entry.
Etsy (Available, Not Recommended)
Alston is direct about Etsy. The platform exists and you can sell digital products there, but he does not recommend it as a primary sales channel. The reason is simple: when someone buys from you on Etsy, you do not get their contact information. You make a one-off sale, maybe for $4, and that customer is gone. You cannot email them later. You cannot offer them your next product. The relationship belongs to Etsy, not to you. Alston’s view is that a repeat customer relationship is worth far more than any single transaction, and Etsy structurally prevents you from building that.
Stan Store ($29/Month, Not Alston’s Pick)
Stan Store offers a 14-day free trial and then charges $29 per month. It is a link-in-bio style store, meaning you set it up as a single URL where your social media followers can find all your offers at once. Alston has a specific critique of this format that is worth understanding. When you give a buyer four or five options that all sound vaguely similar, they get overwhelmed. Overwhelmed people do not buy. They bounce.
Alston’s preference is the opposite structure: create one piece of content, send people in one direction, give them one decision to make. Yes or no. That structure converts better than a menu of options.
Honest Drawbacks to Know Before You Start
This video is practical and realistic, but there are a few things worth saying plainly so you go in with clear expectations.
Your first version will not be your best version. Alston’s 602 Business Blueprint is a Google Doc. It looks like a Google Doc. And it sold. The standard for “good enough to sell” is lower than most people think. What matters is whether the content delivers real value, not whether the design is impressive.
SVGs require either a premium Canva account or a different tool. If SVG files are the product type you want to pursue, budget for Canva Pro or set aside time to learn Affinity Photo or Photopia. Neither is a massive barrier, but they are real ones.
Smartphone audio quality is limited. For a basic podcast or introductory mini course, phone audio can work. For a premium-priced course where people are paying $97 or more, shaky phone audio will hurt your reviews. The pawn shop mic suggestion exists for a reason. Budget $20 to $40 for used equipment when you are ready to take it seriously.
Manual delivery through Google Drive does not scale. If you get 50 orders in a week and you are manually sending links to each one, that becomes a problem. Free delivery methods work for your first 10 to 20 sales. After that, it makes sense to move to a platform that automates delivery.
Gumroad’s 10% cut adds up. On a $10 product that is $1 per sale. On a $100 product that is $10 per sale. Once you are selling consistently, the math on switching to a flat monthly fee platform usually works in your favor. Do the math when the time comes.
A Step-by-Step Decision Path for Your First Digital Product
If you are not sure where to start, here is the simplest path through everything covered in this video:
- Decide on one product type (planner, ebook, mini course, or audio product). Pick the one that fits what you already know how to do.
- Search your niche on Etsy. Look at what sells. Take notes on gaps, complaints in reviews, and ideas for improvement. Do not copy. Use it as a market research tool only.
- Open Canva (free at canva.com). Search for a template in your product category. Edit it until it genuinely reflects your niche and your perspective. Change the colors. Add or remove pages. Make it yours.
- Export your file. For PDFs, use Canva’s share/download feature. For a course, record yourself using your smartphone in a well-lit space with the phone propped at eye level.
- Create a mockup at smartmockups.com to make your product look real on a sales page. Use the free tier. Connect your Canva design directly if you want to save steps.
- Choose a delivery method based on your budget. Google Drive or Gumroad if you are starting from zero. A paid platform with email list access when you are ready to build a repeat customer relationship.
- Publish and send it to your first potential buyers. A social media post, a message to people who have asked about your niche, or a short-form video pointing to your product page. Get eyes on it.
Find Your X
The tools are not the hard part. Most of them are free. The hard part is picking the right starting point for where you actually are right now, not where you plan to be in six months. If you want a direct answer to which platform, which product type, and which revenue path fits your current situation, finder.platformproof.com walks you through it. Answer a few questions and get a specific recommendation instead of trying to reverse-engineer someone else’s business model.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest digital product to make for a complete beginner?
A PDF product made in Canva is the lowest-friction starting point. You can search for a planner or workbook template in Canva’s free library, edit it to fit your niche, export it as a PDF, and have a finished product in an afternoon. No design experience required, no paid software, no recording setup. It is not glamorous, but it works.
Do I need to pay for Canva to make a digital product?
No, not for most PDF product types. Canva’s free plan gives you access to a large template library, the ability to edit designs, and the ability to download as PDF. The paid tier unlocks features like SVG export and a larger premium asset library. If you are making a planner, workbook, ebook, or presentation-based course, the free plan is enough to start.
Can I sell the same digital product on multiple platforms at the same time?
In most cases, yes. Unless a platform requires exclusivity (which most do not for digital downloads), you can list the same product on Gumroad, your own website, and elsewhere simultaneously. The trade-off is that spreading across multiple platforms makes it harder to build a consistent audience in one place. Most people do better by picking one primary channel and directing all their traffic there.
How long does it actually take to make a first digital product?
Alston made his first product, a 36-page business blueprint, in a single weekend using Google Docs. A Canva planner with edits can be done in a few hours. A simple mini course shot on your phone over two evenings is realistic for a working adult. The timeline inflates when you overthink it. The first version does not need to be perfect. It needs to exist so you can find out if people want it.
Is Gumroad really free, and what is the catch?
Gumroad does not charge a monthly fee. Instead, they take 10% of each sale you make. On small-ticket products, that is a manageable cut for a beginner who does not want to pay for a platform before knowing if their product will sell at all. The catch is that 10% becomes more significant as your prices and volume increase. Many creators start on Gumroad and move to a paid platform once they hit consistent sales.
Do I need professional equipment to make a video course?
Not to start. Alston’s recommendation is a well-lit room with natural sunlight, your phone propped at eye level on a stack of books, and whatever recording you can get done in that setup. The content matters more than the production value at the beginning. When you are ready to improve, used microphones and webcams at pawn shops and thrift stores can cost $20 to $40 and make a meaningful difference without a large investment.
Can I legally use Canva templates to make products I sell?
Canva’s free and Pro plans allow commercial use of the templates they provide, meaning you can edit them and sell the result. What you cannot do is download a Canva template without meaningful modification and sell it as your own original work. Canva’s own content license requires that you make substantive changes. The practical standard Alston describes is that your finished product should look and function differently from the template you started with. Change the layout, the colors, the content, the pages.
What should I price my first digital product at?
This video does not go deep on pricing strategy, but the general principle Alston operates from is that lower prices remove friction for a first purchase, while higher prices suggest more value and attract buyers who are more committed to using what they buy. A common starting range for beginner digital products is $7 to $27. Price your first version based on what feels fair for the result it delivers, then adjust based on what you learn from actual buyers.
Read Next
If you want to see how digital products work in a specific market before you build your own, this post walks through one of the most active niches on Etsy right now.
Sell This Digital Product Now If You Want To Make Money On Etsy
Sources
- Canva (free PDF and presentation creation): canva.com
- Smart Mockups (free product mockup images): smartmockups.com
- Audacity (free audio recording and editing): audacityteam.org
- Gumroad (free-to-start digital product sales, 10% per transaction): gumroad.com
- Stan Store (link-in-bio storefront, $29/month after trial): stan.store
- Etsy (marketplace for digital downloads, research use): etsy.com
- Photopia (free browser-based photo editor): photopea.com
- GarageBand (free iOS audio recording and production): available on iOS App Store
Helping 1 million working adults make their first $3,000 online with the skills they already have. Alston Godbolt, Platform Proof.