How To Sell Notion Templates: The Complete Guide
Want to learn how to sell Notion templates online? You’re in the right place.
In this post, I’ll be sharing a step-by-step beginner’s guide that you can follow to start your own business selling Notion templates.
I’ll cover absolutely everything you need to know, including a foolproof blueprint you can use to create Notion templates that customers will want, and a complete guide on how to list those templates for sale on both your own website and online marketplaces.
I’ll also share some popular template ideas, examples of successful Notion template stores, some powerful marketing strategies, and more.
Why sell Notion templates?
Notion templates are one of the best types of digital products you can sell online. Here’s why:
- Huge market demand. Over 35 million people use Notion globally. Even if only 10% of those users purchase pre-made templates, that’s a potential target market of 3.5 million customers that you can tap into.
- Easy to niche down. The modular nature of Notion means there are lots of different use cases for the platform. For example, some people might use it for project management or recruitment, others might use it for goal tracking and budgeting. As a result, there are plenty of different types of templates you can create, which makes it easy to niche down and carve out your own space in the market.
- Virtually zero overheads. Like all digital products, selling Notion templates has virtually zero overheads. You only need to create a template once, and you can sell it an infinite number of times with no extra production costs. This makes it a great way to earn a passive income.
How to create Notion templates that sell
First, we’re going to talk about creating Notion templates. Below, I’ve prepared a step-by-step guide you can follow to come up with ideas, create your templates, and prepare them for sale.
Start with keyword research
Step one is to decide what kind of Notion templates you’re going to create. And that’ll require some market research.
The aim is to find a niche that:
- There’s plenty of demand for
- Doesn’t have too much competition
I like to use the alphabet soup keyword research method for this.
First, open up Google and type ‘Notion templates for a’ into the search bar, and Google should bring up a bunch of search suggestions that begin with that string.
If a query appears in the search suggestions, it means that lots of people have already searched for it. Therefore, it tells us there’s demand for that product.
Instantly, then, we can see a bunch of good ideas here: Notion templates for ADHD, Notion templates for authors, etc.
Grab these ideas and move them over to a spreadsheet to keep track of them. Then, repeat the process again, moving on to the next letter of the alphabet, i.e. ‘Notion templates for b’.
Again, we can see a lot of great ideas here: Notion templates for bloggers, books, business, bible studies… there’s a ton.
Add these to your spreadsheet again and keep repeating the process for every letter of the alphabet, until you have dozens of ideas.
Assess the competition
Now, we should have a spreadsheet with hundreds of ideas for Notion templates we might want to create and sell.
We need to narrow that list down, so next, we’re going to assess the competition for each template idea.
To do so, search for one of your ideas on Etsy:
Then, look at what shows up. Are there dozens of other sellers already selling that template? If so, it might be too competitive.
Are there no other sellers already selling that template? If so, it might be a red flag that there’s not enough demand for it after all.
Ideally, you’re looking for a sweet spot: There should be at least a couple of other sellers that have already made sales of that kind of template (this tells you there’s definitely demand for it), but few enough that you can compete.
Build your templates
Once you’ve evaluated the competition, you should have a better idea of which of your template ideas you want to move forward with.
Now, it’s time to create your first template. And you pretty much have two options:
Option one is you can create your own Notion templates entirely from scratch. This will require you to have a very good knowledge of how the platform works.
You’ll need to plan your template structure, i.e. decide on the hierarchy of pages and databases you’re going to use and how you’re going to connect them. Then, create the wireframes based on your plan, and add visual quality and design elements to make it look and feel the way you want.
Explaining exactly how to do all that is outside the scope of this article, but there are lots of YouTube tutorials out there that you can follow. I’d suggest duplicating and recreating templates other creators have made to help you learn the ropes before you make your own.
Option two is to repurpose a PLR (Private Label Rights) Notion template. These are templates other creators have already made; you can buy licenses for them that permit you to modify and republish them with your own designs.
Repurposing a PLR is much less work than starting from scratch as the basic structure (pages, databases, etc.) is already done for you. All you’ll be doing is tweaking the design to make it fit whatever niche you’re focusing on.
For example, you might redesign the database layouts and add decorative icons, images, and other visual elements to create a certain aesthetic.
Create template variations
Once you’ve created one template, it might be worth creating variations of that template to help you hit a wider target market.
For example, let’s say you’ve made a goal-tracking Notion template. You could make a minimalist variation of that template using simple colors, as well as a Boho variation, dark academia variation, botanical-themed variation, and so on.
That way, you’ll be hitting multiple keywords and niches without having to build multiple templates from scratch—you’re just making visual changes to the same one you already created.
Consider creating template bundles
If you want, you can create multiple templates around a similar theme/use case and bundle them up.
For example, you could sell a wedding planning Notion template kit that includes four separate templates: a wedding day planner, a gift tracker, a budget planning tool, and a honeymoon planner. See what I mean?
The great thing about selling template bundles is that you can typically charge more per sale. And customers are more likely to see it as something worth paying for compared to single templates.
Test your templates
Before you put your templates on sale, it’s important to test them to make sure there are no errors/issues. This will help to ensure you don’t get tons of disgruntled customers asking for a refund or leaving bad reviews.
When you’re testing them out, go through each page make sure there are no broken links or typos, and check that all the databases are working the way they should.
It might help to have a fresh pair of eyes for this, so ask a friend or family member to test it out for you. They might pick up on something you’ve missed.
Publish your Notion template
Once it’s ready and you’ve tested it out, it’s time to publish it so that you can share it with your customers.
To do so, click Share in the top-right. Then, click the Publish tab > Publish.
On the options page, make sure Link expiration is set to Never, Allow editing is set to Off, Allow commenting is set to Off, and Allow duplicate as template is set to On.
Then, hit View site to view it as your customers will see it, and do one final quick check to make sure everything’s working as intended.
Create your product visuals
When you list your templates for sale, you’ll need to set a thumbnail image. It’s super important to get this right, as it’s the only thing potential customers will have to go off when deciding whether or not to click your product listing.
You can use graphic design tools like Canva to create an eye-catching thumbnail that puts your template in the spotlight and communicates what it is, what it does, and why users should buy it.
In addition to the main thumbnail image, you’ll also want to add a few more screenshots that show off your template in action. Potential customers will want to be able to take a look at what they’re going to get before they hit buy, so show them.
Package everything in a PDF
All you really need to do to provide your customers with the template is send them a link. However, most platforms will make you provide some sort of downloadable file.
So, you’ll need to create a PDF and add the link to your template to it. You should also write up a quick how-to guide with basic instructions on how to use your template and add that to your PDF, as well as terms of use.
How to sell Notion templates through your own store
The best place to sell your Notion templates is through your own online store as you’ll have more control and get to keep all your profits.
You can build your online store through Sellfy in under 10 minutes. It’s super beginner-friendly, affordable, and charges zero transaction fees.
Just sign up, connect a payment processor (PayPal or Stripe), and add your template PDF as a digital product. You can set your own pricing and product description, upload product images, etc.
You can change the look of your store through Sellfy’s Store Customizer. Elsewhere on the platform, you can also manage orders, set up discount offers, automate tax collection, create an affiliate marketing program, and more.
How to sell Notion templates through online marketplaces
If you don’t want to create your own website, the other option is to sell your Notion templates through online marketplaces.
It’s a little more hands-off, and it’s easier to make sales as you have a built-in customer base, but the tradeoff is the marketplace will usually take a portion of your sales revenue as their cut.
Here are some of the best marketplaces to list your Notion templates for sale:
#1 – Etsy
Etsy is a global marketplace for independent artists and makers. It’s a great place to sell Notion templates for individual use, rather than businesses, like life planners, goal trackers, etc.
#2 – Creative Market
Creative Market is another online marketplace for design assets. Unlike Etsy, it caters more to businesses and professionals than hobbyists, so it’s a good place to sell Notion templates for business.
#3 – Notion
You can sell templates on Notion itself. Just log in to your account and then head to the Submit a Template page and fill out the form to submit a request for your template to be featured in their gallery.
#4 – Gumroad
Gumroad is an ecommerce platform like Sellfy, but it also has a built-in marketplace where you can list your templates. Shoppers can then browse products through the ‘Discover’ page.
How to market your Notion templates
Unfortunately, your Notion templates won’t just sell themselves. Once you’ve listed them on your Sellfy store or online marketplaces, you’ll need to do some marketing to get customers to find and purchase them.
Here are some tips to help you get started.
Promote your templates on social
Social media is probably the best marketing channel to promote Notion templates.
For example, you could make short-form videos that show off your templates and share them on Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, etc.
For example, check out this video from TikToker DailyAlissa, where she promotes her cozy, Ghibli-themed notion template.
It has over 360,000 views and over 18k likes to date, and you can bet it generated hundreds of sales.
Offer free templates to build an audience
If you don’t already have an audience, it’s tough to make sales. So in the beginning, it might be a good idea to offer your first couple of templates for free. This will help you to get some traction.
For example, you could list one template on your store for free alongside a larger paid template bundle, and then launch the free template on Twitter and other social networks to drive some initial traffic.
Then, when people download your freebie, you could include an offer in the download pack inviting users who like your template to purchase the larger bundle with 50% off.
Optimize your listings for SEO
SEO stands for search engine optimization. It’s the process of making your website, product pages, titles, descriptions, etc. more likely to show up in search engines like Google so that you get more organic traffic.
SEO is especially important for online marketplaces like Etsy, as it will help determine where your listing shows up when customers search for your target keyword on the platform.
Ideally, you want to make sure your template shows up above the fold so potential customers see it immediately without having to scroll.
Promote your templates in niche online communities
Another good idea is to find online communities filled with your target customers, and then promote your templates there.
For example, let’s say you made a travel planner template. You could join a Facebook group for digital nomads, or a subreddit for backpackers, and share your templates with group members.
Just keep in mind that many online communities have strict rules regarding advertising, so try not to spam and instead, try to promote your templates in a more subtle/natural way.
For example, you could offer one of your templates for free as a way to give back to the community while also driving some traffic to your store.
Run ads and sales
Running ads is another low-effort way to get customers. But obviously, it requires some spending.
In the long term, you want to be getting customers organically, but paid ads can be useful in the short term to help you build up a customer base and get some initial reviews to put your store on the map.
Ads are especially useful on Etsy. You can run 24-hour sales to help get your listings to show up at the top of the SERPs and attract some initial buyers. Then, once you’ve made a lot of sales, you’ll be much more likely to rank organically.
Frequently asked questions
Final thoughts
That covers everything you need to know about how to make money selling Notion templates.
To recap, start by doing some keyword research and competitive analysis to find a niche with potential.
Then, either create templates for Notion from scratch or repurpose existing PLR templates, and list them for sale on your own Sellfy website (or a marketplace like Etsy).
Finally, leverage freebies, discount offers, paid ads, and social media marketing to promote your templates and drive sales.
To learn how to sell other types of digital products, check out the posts below:
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