You don’t need a genius idea—just a real pain to solve. This guide shows how to validate product ideas fast, build MVPs with AI, and launch smarter. Skip the guesswork and start selling digital products people are already searching for.
The Real Pain: “I Don’t Know What to Sell”
This is where most people get stuck. You want to create something useful, something people will pay for—but you’re staring at a blank page. You’ve read advice like “follow your passion” or “just start,” but none of that helps when you’re unsure what people actually want.
You’re not alone. This pain shows up in different ways:
- You’ve got skills, but no clear product idea.
- You’ve tried brainstorming, but everything feels generic or already done.
- You’re worried about wasting time building something nobody wants.
- You’re overwhelmed by too many options and don’t know how to narrow down.
Let’s say you’re a business consultant. You’ve helped dozens of clients streamline operations, but when it comes to packaging your expertise into a digital product, you freeze. Should you create a course? A checklist? A guide? What would people actually buy?
Or maybe you’re a professional who’s great at organizing workflows. You’ve built custom Notion dashboards for your team, but you’re unsure if anyone outside your company would pay for them. You’re stuck in the “what if it’s not good enough?” loop.
This pain is real—and it’s not about laziness or lack of talent. It’s about uncertainty. You don’t want to build blindly. You want to build something that solves a real problem.
Here’s what makes this pain worse:
| Trap You Fall Into | Why It Feels Productive But Isn’t |
|---|---|
| Endless idea generation | You stay busy but never validate anything |
| Watching “how I made $10K” videos | You consume instead of creating |
| Waiting for inspiration | You delay action and lose momentum |
| Copying what’s trending | You build something that lacks differentiation |
Instead of chasing ideas, flip the script. Start with pain. Real pain. The kind people complain about, search for, and pay to solve.
Here’s how you can start shifting your thinking:
- Look for complaints, not compliments. What frustrates people in your industry or niche?
- Think about what people ask you for help with repeatedly.
- Scan forums, comment sections, and reviews for recurring problems.
- Use Keyword Insights to find what people are searching for but not finding good answers to.
- Use AlsoAsked to map out related questions and pain points around a topic.
Let’s say you notice people struggling with onboarding remote teams. You see questions like “How do I train new hires remotely?” or “What’s the best way to document SOPs?” That’s a pain worth solving. You could create a Notion-based onboarding playbook, a video walkthrough, or a checklist bundle.
Here’s a simple way to evaluate if a pain is worth solving:
| Question to Ask | If Answer is “Yes,” You’re Onto Something |
|---|---|
| Are people actively searching for it? | Use Keyword Insights to check |
| Are there complaints in forums or Reddit? | That’s demand in disguise |
| Can you solve it faster than others? | That’s your edge |
| Would solving it save time or money? | That’s your value proposition |
You don’t need to invent something new. You need to package a solution better, faster, or clearer than what’s out there.
Tools like SparkToro can help you understand where your audience hangs out and what they care about. You can see what podcasts they listen to, what keywords they use, and what topics they engage with. That’s gold when you’re trying to figure out what to build.
If you’re still unsure, use Tally.so to create a quick form and ask your LinkedIn or email list what they’re struggling with. You’ll get real answers, not guesses.
The pain of “I don’t know what to sell” isn’t solved by more ideas. It’s solved by listening better, validating faster, and using smart tools to guide your next move.
Start with Pain, Not Passion: How to Find Profitable Problems
If you’re still trying to “find your passion,” you’re probably stuck. Passion is great for motivation, but it’s unreliable for product-market fit. What works better is identifying pain—specific, recurring problems people are actively trying to solve. That’s what people pay for.
You don’t need to guess. You can use tools and simple workflows to uncover what people are already struggling with. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to Reddit, Quora, and niche Facebook groups. Search for phrases like “I hate,” “I can’t figure out,” or “How do I…”
- Use Keyword Insights to find clusters of search terms that reveal pain-driven intent. You’ll see what people are Googling when they’re stuck.
- Use AlsoAsked to map out related questions around a topic. This helps you understand the full scope of the pain, not just the surface-level complaint.
Let’s say you’re exploring the productivity niche. You notice people asking things like:
- “How do I organize my week better?”
- “What’s the best way to track tasks across multiple teams?”
- “How do I stop forgetting follow-ups?”
These aren’t just random questions—they’re signals. You could create a Notion template, a short guide, or a mini-course that solves one of those problems. You’re not inventing something new. You’re packaging a solution that’s already in demand.
Here’s a simple framework to help you spot profitable pain:
| Signal Type | What to Look For | Where to Find It |
|---|---|---|
| Search Intent | “How to…” or “Best way to…” | Keyword Insights, Google Trends |
| Complaints | “I hate…” or “I’m tired of…” | Reddit, Twitter, comment sections |
| Repetition | Same question asked in different places | Quora, forums, YouTube comments |
| Urgency | “I need this now” or “ASAP” | Facebook groups, Slack communities |
You’re not just collecting ideas—you’re building a vault of validated problems. That’s your starting point. Once you’ve got a few strong signals, it’s time to test them.
Validate Before You Build: Use AI to Test Demand
You don’t need to build a full product to know if people want it. You just need to test the idea in a way that gives you real feedback. This is where AI and lean tools shine.
Start by creating a simple landing page or mockup. Use Durable.co to spin up a one-page site in minutes. You can describe the problem, offer a solution, and add a call-to-action like “Join the waitlist” or “Download the free version.”
Then use Copy.ai or Anyword to write pain-first headlines and benefit-driven copy. You want to speak directly to the problem, not just describe features. For example:
- Instead of “Task Management Template,” say “Stop Missing Deadlines—Use This Weekly Planner That Actually Works.”
- Instead of “Remote Onboarding Guide,” say “Train New Hires in 3 Days Without Zoom Fatigue.”
Once your page is live, share it in relevant communities. Use SparkToro to find where your audience hangs out—what podcasts they listen to, what hashtags they follow, what sites they visit. That’s where you promote.
You can also run quick surveys using Tally.so or Typeform. Ask questions like:
- What’s your biggest challenge with [topic]?
- Have you tried solving it before? What didn’t work?
- Would you pay for a solution that solves this in under 30 minutes?
You’re not just collecting opinions—you’re validating demand. If people click, sign up, or reply with interest, you’ve got traction. If they don’t, you pivot fast.
This process saves you weeks of building something that might flop. You’re using AI and smart tools to test before you invest.
Build MVPs with Lean Tech Stacks
Once you’ve validated the pain and confirmed interest, it’s time to build your MVP—your minimum viable product. This isn’t about perfection. It’s about speed, clarity, and usefulness.
You can build digital products without writing a single line of code. Here’s how:
- Use Notion, Airtable, or Softr to create templates, dashboards, or interactive tools.
- Use Loom, Tella, or Descript to record short tutorials, walkthroughs, or mini-courses.
- Use ChatGPT or Claude to help you write scripts, guides, checklists, or even generate ideas for product bundles.
Let’s say you’re creating a “Client Onboarding Toolkit” for freelancers. You could:
- Build a Notion dashboard with intake forms, timelines, and SOPs.
- Record a Loom video explaining how to use it.
- Package it with a downloadable checklist and a short email template.
Then use Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, or ThriveCart to sell it. These platforms handle payments, delivery, and even upsells. You can start earning without setting up a full website.
Here’s a lean stack you can use:
| Function | Tool Option 1 | Tool Option 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Build product | Notion | Airtable |
| Record content | Loom | Tella |
| Write copy | Copy.ai | Claude |
| Sell product | Gumroad | Lemon Squeezy |
| Promote | SparkToro | ConvertKit |
You’re not just building—you’re solving. And you’re doing it with tools that let you move fast and stay lean.
Launch Smart: Position, Price, and Promote
You’ve built something useful. Now it’s time to get it in front of people—and make it easy for them to say yes.
Start with positioning. Your product should be framed around the outcome, not the effort. People don’t buy templates—they buy clarity, speed, and relief.
- Use pain-first headlines: “Stop wasting time on onboarding—use this plug-and-play system.”
- Use benefit-driven bullets: “Save 5+ hours per week,” “Train new hires in 3 clicks,” “Avoid costly mistakes.”
Then price based on transformation. If your product saves someone 3 hours a week, that’s worth more than a $10 download. Anchor your price to the value of the result, not how long it took you to make.
Promotion is where most people hesitate. You don’t need a huge audience—you need the right message in the right place.
- Use ConvertKit or MailerLite to send emails to your list. Share the pain, the solution, and a clear CTA.
- Use SparkToro to find niche communities, podcasts, and influencers who already talk about your topic.
- Use Descript or Opus Clip to turn your product walkthrough into short-form videos for LinkedIn, YouTube, or TikTok.
You’re not selling—you’re helping. And when your product solves a real pain, promotion becomes a conversation, not a pitch.
Bonus: What Actually Sells Well Right Now
If you’re still unsure what kind of digital product to create, here are formats that consistently perform well:
- Templates for Notion, Airtable, Excel, or Google Sheets—especially for business workflows, planning, and tracking
- Niche guides and playbooks—like “How to Hire a VA in 3 Days” or “Sourcing Matrix for Contractors”
- AI-powered toolkits—prompt packs, automation workflows, or cheat sheets for professionals
- Micro-courses—short, outcome-driven lessons that solve one specific problem
These products are fast to build, easy to deliver, and solve real pain. That’s why they sell.
3 Actionable Takeaways
- Don’t chase ideas—chase pain. Use tools like Keyword Insights, AlsoAsked, and SparkToro to uncover what people are already struggling with. That’s where demand lives.
- Validate before you build. Use Durable.co, Copy.ai, and Tally.so to test your product concept quickly and cheaply—before investing time into building.
- Build lean and launch fast. Use Notion, Loom, Gumroad, and ConvertKit to create, package, and promote your product with minimal friction.
Top 5 FAQs About Creating and Selling Digital Products
1. What if I’m not an expert in anything? You don’t need to be an expert—you need to solve a specific problem better or faster than someone else. Focus on clarity and usefulness, not credentials.
2. How long does it take to build a digital product? With the right tools, you can go from idea to MVP in a weekend. Templates, guides, and short videos are especially quick to produce.
3. Do I need to be tech-savvy to use these tools? No. Tools like Durable.co, Notion, and Gumroad are built for non-technical users. You’ll be surprised how much you can do with drag-and-drop interfaces and AI-assisted writing.
4. What if nobody buys my product? That’s why you validate first. If you test demand before building, you’ll know whether it’s worth pursuing. If it flops, you pivot—fast and cheap.
5. Can I sell to businesses or just individuals? Both. Many digital products—like onboarding templates, SOP guides, or productivity dashboards—are valuable to teams, consultants, and business owners.
Next Steps
You’ve got the tools, the strategy, and the mindset. Now it’s time to move. Don’t wait for the perfect idea—start with a real pain and build something useful.
- Use Keyword Insights and AlsoAsked to find what people are searching for but not finding good solutions to.
- Create a simple landing page with Durable.co and test your messaging using Copy.ai or Anyword.
- Build your MVP using Notion, Loom, and sell it through Gumroad or Lemon Squeezy.
- Don’t overthink your first product. Solve one pain well.
- Don’t wait for a big audience. Start with one person who needs what you’ve built.
You’re not just creating a digital product—you’re building a system for solving problems, validating ideas, and earning from what you know. That’s how you work and live smarter.