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The Tools You Need to Sell Digital Products

This is the seventh in a series of 10 podcast episodes/blog posts all about digital products. Check out the other posts in this series below.

1. How to Create Digital Products That People Actually Want
2. 8 Digital Product Ideas for Your Service-Based Business
3. When is the Right Time to Create Digital Products?
4. How to Find the Time to Create Digital Products
5. 5 Ways to Validate Your Idea for Your Digital Product
6. 5 Limiting Beliefs Keeping You From Creating Your Digital Product
7. The Tools You Need to Sell Digital Products
8. Digital Products vs Courses – Which Should You Create?
9. Your Digital Product Launch Questions Answered
10. Digital Products Not Selling? Here’s What to do

I know that tech can sometimes be a stumbling block when it comes to building digital products into your service-based business model so if you’re someone who is feeling overwhelmed with not knowing what tech you need, this episode is for you.  I’m going to be sharing with you the exact tools that I use in my business to create and sell digital products. 

The Tools You Need to Sell Digital Products

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1. ThriveCart

The first tool that I use for my digital products is ThriveCart. I’ve been using Thrivecart for over 2 years now and it’s the platform that I use for everything related to taking payments in my business. Thrivecart is an online shopping cart solution that lets you create high-converting checkout pages and collect payments on your website.

I originally started using ThriveCart to take payment for my Showit website templates and then soon transitioned all of my invoices and payments over to the platform. I use it for my 1:1 mentoring offerings, my group programs and my digital products. What I love about ThriveCart is that it is a one-time payment so no monthly or annual costs. 

Now I know that ThriveCart can be a big investment for some people, especially those at the beginning of their digital product journey. When I first launched my Showit template shop, I actually used a monthly shopping cart solution called SendOwl. I used SendOwl for about a year before investing in ThriveCart and it did the job perfectly. What I also love about SendOwl is that it can also be used to deliver digital products that are in PDF form. 

In 2021, ThriveCart introduced its own course platform, ThriveCart Learn which is included in the one-time fee. I started using ThriveCart Learn in 2021 and I can safely say that I think it’s great! So much so that I’m using it to host all of the modules for the course that is included inside of Expand Your Brand.

Other course platforms such as Kajabi, Kartra, Teachable, Podia all come with a monthly or annual subscription so I love that I’m not having to pay out anymore for a course platform.

Sign up to ThriveCart for a one-time fee.

2. Showit

The second tool that I use is one that I was already using in my business and that’s Showit. I use Showit for my website and I also use it for my sales pages and shop pages.

There is absolutely no need to invest in another sales page platform like LeadPages when you can use your own website. Now you of course don’t need to use Showit if your website is already hosted on SquareSpace or WordPress, just use the platform that you’re already using if you are happy with it.

As with most website platforms, I can embed email marketing forms into Showit as well as link out to my application forms for which I currently use Clickup and Thrivecart for my payment buttons.

Get a free month of Showit when you sign-up using this link.

3. Mailerlite

The next tool I use is Mailerlite. Mailerlite is an email marketing platform that again, I was already using in my business so not another tool that I had to purchase. 

I absolutely love and recommend Mailerlite to anyone as it’s really easy to use and the automation features are great for setting up things like sales funnels and automated customer onboarding sequences.

There are other email marketing platforms out there but some of them don’t yet offer the functionality that’s needed for a digital product business. I’d recommend avoiding platforms like Mailchimp and Flodesk. Suitable alternatives to Mailerlite are ActiveCampaign and ConvertKit.

The other thing I like about Mailerlite is that it’s free for the first 1000 subscribers. 

4. Slack

The fourth tool that I use is Slack. Along with many of the other platforms I use for digital products, Slack is one that I use for my 1:1 clients and it’s one that I’ll be using for the community inside of Expand Your Brand.

Now Slack isn’t an essential tool for a digital product business and a community platform such as Slack is only needed if you plan to have a community alongside your offering. 

Other community platforms available are of course Facebook Groups. I personally don’t enjoy using Facebook groups for communities but I do know that they work really well for some people. You can also check out Circle and Mighty Networks if you are looking for different community platforms to try out.

5. Google Drive 

Number 5 on my list is Google Drive. Google Drive pretty much exists as the hub of my business. I use it for absolutely everything both internally and externally. 

The things I use Google Drive for is digital product storage and also for workbooks and spreadsheets inside of my courses and programs. Something I’ve really noticed within other courses and programs is that well designed workbooks are on their way out and practical solutions such as a Google Doc or Google Sheet are in. 

6. Canva

As a designer, I probably should be using Adobe Indesign or Illustrator to design my digital products but personally I love how easy Canva is to use. It’s also great because my team can then access the files without needing to have or learn Adobe. 

I use Canva to design slides for my lessons and masterclasses and also to design my ebooks and workbooks. It’s just so easy and accessible.

7. Loom

The final tool on my list is one I use for my programs and courses and that is Loom.  I use Loom to screen record my lessons and also as video storage before adding them to ThriveCart Learn because one thing I will say about ThriveCart’s course platform is that it doesn’t have it’s own video hosting option so you will need an additional option for this such as Loom or Vimeo.

I know that it might seem like I use a lot of tools here but as I’ve mentioned previously, many of these were tools that I was already using in my business so I didn’t need to go out and add more expenses to the business and also if you are not planning on creating courses or programs, you won’t need some of the options I’ve mentioned in this episode.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about the tools I use in my business. This post contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you but I would never recommend something that I don’t use or wouldn’t use in my own business.

Be sure to check out the other posts in this series. Here’s a reminder of them again.

1. How to Create Digital Products That People Actually Want
2. 8 Digital Product Ideas for Your Service-Based Business
3. When is the Right Time to Create Digital Products?
4. How to Find the Time to Create Digital Products
5. 5 Ways to Validate Your Idea for Your Digital Product
6. 5 Limiting Beliefs Keeping You From Creating Your Digital Product
7. The Tools You Need to Sell Digital Products
8. Digital Products vs Courses – Which Should You Create?
9. Your Digital Product Launch Questions Answered
10. Digital Products Not Selling? Here’s What to do


If you’re looking for support, accountability and guidance in building digital products into your business, be sure to check out Expand Your Brand, my 12-month high-touch group program for online service providers who want to grow their audience, launch their digital product and make consistent sales.

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