10.30.2023

Create Digital Planner Templates to Sell

Thank you for joining us as we continue our series ALL ABOUT digital products to sell! The best part...you can do it all from the comfort of your own home! Times are so different now, and the resources of computers and the internet make literally anything possible. The possibilities truly are endless, and today we are going to dive into digital planner templates.

Creating and selling digital planner templates on Etsy can be a lucrative venture. 


Let's look at the how-to, and then we will go over types of digital planners that customers often seek.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create these templates. 


HOW TO CREATE DIGITAL PLANNER TEMPLATES


Step 1: Research and Define Your Niche

- Start by researching the digital planner market on Etsy. Identify popular themes and styles.

- Choose a niche or specific target audience for your digital planners (e.g., students, professionals, moms, fitness enthusiasts).


Step 2: Choose Your Software

- Select the software you're comfortable with for creating digital planners. Adobe InDesign, PowerPoint, or even specialized digital planner software like GoodNotes are common choices. Canva is pretty much ALWAYS the perfect go-to for building and designing any sort of digital product.


Step 3: Create a Basic Template

- Design a basic template layout with pages like a cover, monthly and weekly spreads, note pages, and section dividers.

- Consider adding elements like hyperlinked tabs, buttons, and interactive checkboxes for user convenience.

Canva even has built in planning templates that can be edited and used to suit your niche! All put together for you, the hard work has already been done! Simply change it (colors, text, possibly layout, titles, dates) to suit the theme you are going for, and even add in graphic elements (Canva has a ton!). So don't get hung up on what to have on the template, the layout, or even what it should look like. Choose from some already made templates! Be sure to change it up slightly to go with your theme.


Step 4: Customize Page Designs

- Customize the design of your planner pages to suit your chosen niche. For example:

    - Student Planners: Include academic calendars, assignment trackers, and exam schedules.

    - Fitness Planners: Incorporate workout logs, meal planning sections, and progress trackers.

    - Business Planners: Add sections for goal setting, project management, and budget tracking.

    - Mom Planners: Include family calendars, meal planning, and to-do lists tailored to parents.

    - Wellness Planners: Design pages for gratitude journals, mood tracking, and self-care routines.


Step 5: Set Up Hyperlinks and Navigation

- If applicable, set up hyperlinks within your digital planner to allow users to easily navigate between sections and pages. If you're not familiar with this process, we highly recommend diving into the plethora of YouTube tutorials that are fabulous at walking you through from start to finish.  We can't speak highly enough of these super helpful tutorials that will have you an expert at this in no time.


Step 6: Add Functional Elements

- Implement interactive features like checkboxes, fillable text fields, and digital stickers that users can customize.

- Ensure that all elements are user-friendly and intuitive.


Step 7: Proofread and Test

- Thoroughly proofread and test your digital planner to catch any errors or glitches.


Step 8: Save Your Planner

- Save your digital planner as a PDF or compatible file format.


Step 9: Create Additional Versions

- Offer various versions of your planner to cater to different preferences, such as dated and undated options, different color schemes, and layouts.


Step 10: Set Up Your Etsy Shop

- Create or optimize your Etsy shop and add relevant information, including a shop banner, logo, and shop policies.



Step 11: Create Listings

- Create listings for your digital planner templates. Use high-quality images and detailed descriptions.

- Specify any software or app requirements for using your templates.


Step 12: Price Your Digital Planners

- Research the pricing of similar products on Etsy and set competitive prices based on the complexity and features of your planners.


Step 13: Market Your Shop

- Promote your Etsy shop and digital planners through social media, email marketing, and other online channels.

- Engage with potential customers and answer their questions promptly.


Step 14: Provide Excellent Customer Service

- Be responsive to customer inquiries and offer support when needed.

- Consider providing user guides or tutorials to help customers get the most out of your digital planners.


Step 15: Continuously Improve and Update

- Pay attention to customer feedback and make necessary improvements to your digital planners.

- Regularly update your listings with new designs and features to attract repeat buyers.


Popular types of digital planner templates include daily, weekly, and monthly planners, specialized planners for tracking specific goals or activities (e.g., fitness, finance, health, or travel), and bullet journal-style planners with customizable layouts.


DIGITAL PLANNER TEMPLATE IDEAS

Pin-able lists to save these ideas!


Now let's focus on examples of digital planner templates that are popular and in demand on platforms like Etsy.


1. Classic Daily Planner: A digital daily planner template with sections for hourly scheduling, to-do lists, and notes. It often includes a calendar view.


2. Weekly Planner: Weekly planner templates offer a snapshot of an entire week with space for goal-setting, task lists, and notes.


3. Monthly Planner: These templates provide a view of the entire month, featuring space for monthly goals, important dates, and habit tracking.


4. Academic Planner: Tailored for students, academic planners include sections for class schedules, assignment tracking, exam dates, and project management.


5. Fitness and Health Planner: Designed for tracking workouts, meal planning, water intake, and health goals. Some may include weight and measurement logs.


6. Business Planner: These templates cater to entrepreneurs and professionals, offering sections for goal setting, project management, financial tracking, and business-related notes.


7. Meal Planner: Meal planner templates help users plan their weekly or monthly meals, including grocery lists, recipe pages, and nutritional information.


8. Budget and Finance Planner: Financial planners include budget tracking, expense logs, savings goals, and debt repayment plans.


9. Travel Planner: Perfect for vacation planning, these templates include itineraries, packing lists, and travel-related expenses.


10. Mom Planner: Designed for busy parents, these planners often feature family calendars, meal planning sections, and to-do lists for managing household tasks.


11. Wellness and Self-Care Planner: These planners focus on mindfulness, gratitude journals, mood tracking, and self-care routines.


12. Project Planner: Ideal for managing personal or work projects, they offer project timelines, task lists, and goal-setting pages.


13. Wedding Planner: Wedding planners help brides and grooms organize their big day with sections for guest lists, vendor information, and wedding day timelines.


14. Holiday and Event Planner: These planners are tailored for planning special occasions like holidays, birthdays, and parties, featuring guest lists, shopping lists, and decor planning.


15. Goal and Habit Tracker: Designed to help users set and track personal and professional goals and habits over time.


16. Bullet Journal-Style Planner: These templates offer blank or dotted pages for a highly customizable, creative planning experience.


17. Gratitude Journal: Focused on daily or weekly gratitude practice, these templates encourage reflection and positivity.


18. Home and Garden Planner: Useful for planning home improvement projects, gardening, and household maintenance.


19. Personal Development Planner: Designed for personal growth and self-improvement, with sections for goal-setting, self-reflection, and progress tracking.


20. Coloring and Creative Journal: These planners include coloring pages and creative prompts for artistic expression.


These are just a few examples of the many digital planner templates available. The key to success is to create templates that cater to specific needs and offer features that make planning and organization more efficient and enjoyable for users.


People look for digital planner templates that offer organization, convenience, and aesthetic appeal. Interactive features, customization options, and user-friendly navigation are highly sought after. By catering to the needs and preferences of your target audience, you can create digital planner templates that sell well on Etsy.


Check back with us soon as we continue our dive into more possibilities of digital products you can sell to start building your business!