I’ve made $15,000+ on Gumroad — 6 Important Lessons Learned
I logged into my Gumroad account today and saw that I hit a milestone, surpassing $15,000 in revenue!
About a year and a half ago, I started using Gumroad to sell my ebooks.
In that time, I’ve sold hundreds of ebooks and services, as well.
Getting to $15K in revenue has been a journey.
Here are 9 lessons I’ve learned along the way…
9 Things I Learned from Hitting $15K in Gumroad Sales
First, if you’re not sure what Gumroad is, it’s a digital marketplace where you can buy/sell goods.
As a seller, you can:
- Upload your digital product (like an ebook, template, e-guide, course, etc.) to Gumroad
- Set pricing
- Write your product sales page and,
- Publish it
Then, Gumroad will collect payment and distribute the product to the customer, when you make a sale.
Read my Gumroad review to learn more about the process and my personal experience…
It’s been a long journey and I’ve learned a lot of tiny lessons.
Here are some of my top takeaways…
1. Marketing is everything
A big one. My sales change A LOT when I’m marketing compared to when I’m not.
My marketing strategy is pretty low key and simple.
I plug my products at the end of my Medium stories and share them in my emails to my email lists and Substack.
Sometimes I find myself not plugging my products on Medium as often. When that happens, my sales dip, big time.
This has taught me that marketing makes a difference.
What I do for marketing is just the tip of the iceberg. There are SO MANY more things you can explore to promote your products.
If marketing is a struggle for you, or if you’re not sure about getting your Gumroad enterprise off the ground, I recommend this service.
You get a Gumroad business (including marketing) created for you.
Or, if you want to learn how a six-figure Gumroad entrepreneur (the creator of that service) does her magic to make a ton of sales ($200K+) on Gumroad with her 33 Immersion technique, this online course shows you how.
2. Your sale price can make or break you
Pricing your product is important.
I have sold far more $20-something dollar courses than those priced at $40+.
That’s not to say that $40+ products fail.
It just boils down to what you’re selling.
A mini-guide, $20.
A macro-guide, $30.
A course, $100+.
These are just some examples.
I’ve played around with the pricing a lot and I’ve come down to a strategy that finally works, based on the products I’m selling.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with your pricing to find that magic sweet spot.
3. Building a community can blossom your business
I see so many (including my own) products flourish when a community is included with the purchase.
People want to collaborate, engage and mingle with like-minded individuals.
Imagine buying a course then, joining a group with other course-takers that you can ask questions, bounce ideas off of, compared progress, etc.
It’s gold.
It doesn’t make sense to come with a community for every digital product, but, based on what you’re selling, strongly consider creating a community (like a Facebook group, Telegram chat, etc.).
It can help your sales and customer engagement big time.
4. Sales will peak and dip
This can happen based on so many factors.
Don’t let it get you down if you have an off week, month, or a string of poor-performing months.
Keep your eye on the prize and continue to ride the wave. This happens to many entrepreneurs.
5. Your selling platform matters
The ease of setup/management for you and the customer is important. I’ve tried many selling platforms before Gumroad.
Gumroad was the winner.
There may be better platforms that are a fit for your products and business, but, I’m a huge fan of Gumroad.
If you’re new to selling products through a platform, take your time evaluating the options and choose a platform that you feel is the best fit for you.
6. Delaying your daydream will cost you
Today, you have a dream of launching an ebook business but, don’t pull the trigger until next year?
This will delay:
- Opportunities
- The option to make money
- Ability to earn a passive income
- Connecting with peers, customers, and
- Other fruitful rewards
If you want to do this, take action!
It doesn’t have to be perfect. You can revise and review your product an unlimited number of times in the future, to continue to make it better and better over time.
TL;DR
I just covered 6 lessons I learned after making $15K in Gumroad sales.
- Marketing is everything
- Your sales price matters
- Building a community can do big things for you
- Sales fluctuations happen
- Your selling platform matters
- Delaying your dream can cost you
By the way, here are my products:
Anything missed?
What are some things you’ve learned from your product-based or service-based business?
Note: Affiliate links are in this article which means if you click a link and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Want to learn how to start a part-time side hustle as a creator? My new ebook Mastering Part Time Content Creation shows you how you can make money as a content creator. Check out the ebook!