Making money online by creating digital products

(WFSB) – If you’ve spent any time on social media, you’ve probably seen it and perhaps even been tempted by it.

Social media stars talking about how you can quit your day job and make money online, just like them.

For a few, it really does work.

But what about the average person, and where do you even begin?

Kallie Branciforte is “That Practical Mom” on social media.

She started creating content online about 12 years ago.

“I started to gain some traction. I made videos on YouTube,” said Branciforte.

Sharing DIYs, home hacks and mom motivation.

But it was several years, logging early mornings and weekends, before she felt comfortable quitting her day job.

“I waited until I was making my, for two years, I made a fulltime income from my side hustle,” Branciforte said.

There are several ways influencers can make money online.

One of them is creating online products. Branciforte has digital downloads, like these, which are online guides giving tips on organizing and meal prepping.

“You want to make a little bit of money at home, digital products are a great way to do it because you create them once, so there’s a bulk of work in the beginning but they kind of sell on autopilot. You’re not fulfilling them you’re not shipping them you’re not doing much,” said Branciforte.

But Branciforte said they come with a lower price point and therefore a smaller profit.

She sells a “time blocking printable” for $1.50. The “meal planning bundle” goes for $7. But “the cleaner in 30 days e-book” goes for $27.

You can sell those digital downloads on sites like Stan, Etsy or even Amazon.

But Branciforte said that so-called “passive” income is still directly tied to hard work, because you still have to market the product.

“I don’t think it’s as easy as people make it out to be,” said Branciforte. “It’s more than a fulltime job.”

Branciforte has now branched out to physical products as well.

Creating “chaos coordinator” t-shirts, hats, and a planner too, ranging from $30-$40, but she has to pay someone else to handle the back end, storing and shipping the orders, which comes at a cost.

“I buy them in bulk and I send them to my guy who fulfills them,” Branciforte said.

Even with millions watching her content, selling that stuff is still not the bulk of her business. She estimates it’s only about 8-percent or less of her income.

“I didn’t go into physical product thinking I would make a ton of money, and I don’t make a ton of money its more just to support the rest of my business,” said Branciforte. “They think you have one viral video and that it you’re made and that’s not how it works, you have to show up every day.”

That’s what UConn Marketing Professor Greg Reilly teaches his students.

“The main lesson of the week is the market works pretty well and you’ll get what you work for,” Reilly said. “99.9999 percent of the people cannot get rich quickly with anything in this world.”

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