---
name: digital-product-plan
description: "Plans digital product creation (templates, tools, resources) with market validation, pricing, and distribution. Use when building downloadable products for passive income."
allowed-tools: Read Write Glob
metadata:
  author: matthewhitcham
  version: "1.0"
---

# Digital Product Plan

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:
- Plan a digital product (template, toolkit, guide, course, or resource)
- Validate demand before investing time in building the product
- Design pricing, packaging, and distribution strategy
- Create a launch plan for a new digital product

**DO NOT** use this skill for SaaS product planning, physical product development, or content marketing strategy. This is for downloadable or self-serve digital products.

---

## Core Principle

A DIGITAL PRODUCT SOLVES A SPECIFIC, PAINFUL PROBLEM FOR A DEFINED AUDIENCE — IF YOU CANNOT DESCRIBE WHO BUYS IT AND WHY IN ONE SENTENCE, THE PRODUCT IS NOT FOCUSED ENOUGH.

---

## Phase 1: Brief

### Required Inputs

| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|-------|------------|---------|
| **Product idea** | "What digital product do you want to create?" | No default — must be provided |
| **Target buyer** | "Who is this for? Be specific — role, situation, pain point." | No default — must be provided |
| **Problem solved** | "What specific problem does this product solve?" | No default — must be provided |
| **Product format** | "What format? Template, toolkit, guide, course, spreadsheet, other?" | Template or toolkit |
| **Existing expertise** | "What qualifies you to create this product?" | No default — must be provided |
| **Revenue goal** | "What is your revenue target for this product?" | $1,000 in the first 90 days |

**GATE: Confirm the brief before starting validation.**

---

## Phase 2: Validate

### Demand Validation Checklist

Before building, confirm demand exists:

```
## Validation Evidence

- [ ] **Search volume:** People search for this topic (Google Trends, keyword research)
- [ ] **Community demand:** Questions about this topic appear in forums, groups, or social media
- [ ] **Competitor products:** Others sell something similar (competition = demand)
- [ ] **Direct feedback:** At least 5 people from target audience say they would buy this
- [ ] **Content traction:** Your content about this topic gets above-average engagement
```

### Competitor Analysis

| Competitor | Product | Price | Reviews/Sales | Gap You Can Fill |
|-----------|---------|-------|---------------|-----------------|
| [Competitor 1] | | | | |
| [Competitor 2] | | | | |
| [Competitor 3] | | | | |

### Positioning Statement

"[Product name] helps [target buyer] [solve specific problem] by [how it works], unlike [alternative], which [key differentiator]."

**GATE: Confirm validation evidence is sufficient before planning the product.**

---

## Phase 3: Plan and Build

### Product Scope

```
## Product Specification

**Product name:** [Name]
**Format:** [Template / Toolkit / Guide / Course / Spreadsheet]
**Deliverables:**
- [File 1: description]
- [File 2: description]
- [File 3: description]

**Build time estimate:** [X] hours
**Tools needed to build:** [List tools]
```

### Pricing Strategy

| Price Point | Positioning | When to Use |
|-------------|-------------|-------------|
| $9-29 | Impulse buy, low friction | Templates, single tools |
| $29-79 | Considered purchase, clear ROI | Toolkits, comprehensive guides |
| $79-199 | Premium, high value | Course bundles, systems |
| $199+ | Premium with support | Programs with coaching or community |

**Pricing formula:** What is the result worth to the buyer? Price at 10-20% of that value.

### Distribution and Sales Page

**Platform options:**
- Gumroad (simple, fast setup, 10% fee)
- Lemonsqueezy (lower fees, better branding)
- Your own website + Stripe (full control, more setup)
- Etsy (for templates, built-in traffic)

**Sales page essentials:**
1. Headline: Problem + solution in one sentence
2. Pain points: 3-5 problems the buyer faces
3. Product preview: Screenshots, demo, or sample
4. Benefits: What the buyer achieves (not features)
5. Social proof: Testimonials, reviews, or results
6. Pricing: Clear, with value justification
7. FAQ: Handle top 5 objections
8. Guarantee: 30-day money-back

### Launch Plan

| Phase | Timeline | Actions |
|-------|----------|---------|
| Pre-launch | 2 weeks before | Build waitlist, tease on social, create sales page |
| Launch | Day 0-3 | Email list, social announcement, launch discount |
| Sustain | Week 2-4 | Content marketing, SEO, testimonials |
| Evergreen | Ongoing | Automated sales funnel, paid ads (if ROI positive) |

---

## Phase 4: Polish

### 1. Product Quality Standards

```
## Before You Ship

- [ ] Product solves the stated problem completely
- [ ] Instructions are clear enough for a beginner to follow
- [ ] Files are professionally formatted (no placeholder text or broken links)
- [ ] Quick-start guide is included
- [ ] File formats work on both Mac and PC (or specify requirements)
- [ ] Tested by at least 2 people from the target audience
- [ ] Sales page accurately represents the product (no overpromising)
```

### 2. Post-Launch Metrics

Track for the first 90 days:
- Sales page visits
- Conversion rate (target: 2-5% for cold traffic, 5-15% for warm)
- Total units sold
- Revenue vs. goal
- Refund rate (target: under 5%)
- Customer feedback and testimonials

### 3. Quality Checklist

```
## Digital Product Plan Checklist

- [ ] Target buyer and problem defined in one sentence
- [ ] Demand validated with at least 3 evidence types
- [ ] Competitor analysis completed with gap identified
- [ ] Product scope and deliverables documented
- [ ] Pricing set with clear rationale
- [ ] Distribution platform selected
- [ ] Sales page written with all essential sections
- [ ] Launch plan includes pre-launch, launch, and sustain phases
- [ ] Product tested by target audience members before launch
- [ ] 90-day metrics plan defined
```

---

## Example

**Product:** "The Freelancer Invoice Toolkit"
**Buyer:** Freelancers who invoice manually and lose money on late payments
**Problem:** Unprofessional invoices, no payment terms, no follow-up system

**Deliverables:**
- 5 invoice templates (Google Sheets + Excel)
- Payment terms library (30 pre-written clauses)
- Late payment follow-up email sequence (5 emails)
- Invoice tracking spreadsheet
- Quick-start guide (PDF)

**Price:** $29
**Positioning:** "Stop losing money on late payments. The Freelancer Invoice Toolkit gives you professional templates, payment terms, and follow-up emails — so you get paid on time, every time."

---

## Anti-Patterns

- **Building before validating** — spending 40 hours on a product nobody wants is the most expensive mistake. Validate first.
- **Too broad** — "The Ultimate Business Toolkit" appeals to nobody. "The Freelancer Invoice Toolkit" appeals to every freelancer who has been paid late.
- **Underpricing** — $5 for a product that saves $500 devalues your work and attracts low-quality buyers. Price based on value.
- **No launch plan** — posting a link and hoping for sales is not a strategy. Plan the launch like a campaign.
- **Perfectionism** — v1 does not need to be perfect. Ship, gather feedback, iterate.

---

## Recovery

- **No sales in the first week:** Review sales page conversion. If traffic is sufficient, the page is not converting — rewrite the headline and CTA. If traffic is low, drive more traffic through content and outreach.
- **High refund rate:** The product is not meeting expectations set by the sales page. Either improve the product or adjust the sales page to set accurate expectations.
- **Cannot validate demand:** Test with a minimum viable product — sell a single template before building the full toolkit.
- **Competitor already dominates:** Differentiate on a specific niche, include a unique bonus, or offer superior quality. Competing on price alone is a race to the bottom.
