The entrepreneurial journey is about identifying needs and creating solutions. For many modern entrepreneurs, this now includes creating and selling digital products. These assets, from ebooks to social media templates, offer a scalable way to generate income. The biggest hurdle? The belief that you need to be a professional designer with expensive software to create something worth buying.
Canva dismantles this barrier. It’s not just a tool for marketing your own startup; it's a powerful factory for creating professional-grade digital products you can sell. By leveraging its user-friendly platform, you can turn your expertise into a new revenue stream.
Here are five types of profitable digital products you can create with Canva.
1. Customizable Social Media Templates
A consistent social media presence is non-negotiable for modern brands. However, many business owners lack the time or skill to create visually appealing graphics daily. This is where you come in.
- How to create them: Use Canva’s vast array of elements, fonts, and layouts to design cohesive template packs for specific platforms like Instagram Posts, Instagram Stories, or LinkedIn banners.
- Pro-Tip: Create a unique "Brand Kit" for each template pack you design, defining a specific color palette and font hierarchy. This gives your templates a professional, unified theme that makes them more attractive to buyers. You can then create a variety of post types (e.g., quotes, promotions, questions) within that theme.
2. Professional Ebooks and Informational Guides
If you have expertise in a specific area, an ebook or guide is an excellent way to package and sell that knowledge. Canva transforms this process from a word-processing nightmare into a design-forward experience.
- How to create them: Use Canva Docs, a visually engaging alternative to traditional word processors. You can seamlessly integrate brand elements, create clear data visualizations with charts and graphs, and even embed videos to make your content more dynamic.
- Pro-Tip: Start with a template to structure your document and ensure all necessary sections are included. Focus on creating a clean, easy-to-read layout that makes complex information digestible for the reader.
3. High-Value Presentation and Pitch Deck Templates
Startups and professionals are constantly pitching ideas to investors, partners, and clients. A well-designed presentation plays a crucial role in capturing an investor's attention. This creates a high-value market for premium templates.
- How to create them: Design a comprehensive presentation template that includes all the essential slides for a winning pitch deck: The Problem, The Solution, Market Size, The Team, and The Ask. Use Canva’s chart tools and layouts to create visually compelling ways to present data.
- Pro-Tip: Instead of one generic template, create niche-specific pitch decks (e.g., "SaaS Startup Pitch Deck" or "Non-Profit Grant Proposal Deck") that are tailored to the unique needs of a specific industry.
4. Business and Client Document Templates
Solopreneurs, freelancers, and small businesses need to project professionalism to attract clients, but they often lack the resources for custom design. You can fill this gap by creating templates for their most-used documents.
- How to create them: Use Canva Docs to design professional templates for business proposals, project plans, or strategic partner outreach. The ability to create a visually rich, on-brand proposal can significantly differentiate a startup from its competitors, making your templates highly valuable.
- Pro-Tip: Bundle related documents into a cohesive "Client Welcome Kit" or "Freelancer Starter Pack" to increase the value of your product.
5. Digital Planners, Journals, and Worksheets
The digital wellness and productivity market is booming. Many people use tablets and apps to organize their lives, creating demand for digital planners, journals, and worksheets.
- How to create them: Use Canva’s core design tools to build your layouts. The Elements tab contains a vast library of lines, shapes, tables, and graphics you can use to structure your pages. The Text tab provides tools for adding headings and body text for instructions or prompts.
- Pro-Tip: You can also use Canva Whiteboards templates for user journey maps or flowcharts as a starting point for creating unique worksheets and organizational tools.
Terence Latimer is an Information Communications & Technology professional, consultant, and entrepreneur based in the Mojave Desert.
I write about my experience in startups, tech, and the art of business. I’m also the Founder of Latimer Digital, a creative technology agency.
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