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How To Come Up With A Product Idea Your Audience Will Love [Ep. 102]

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Interested in learning how to come up with a product idea?

Then you’re in the right place! In this episode of The Profitable Travel Blogger Podcast, we’ll be going over a step-by-step strategy for choosing a digital product to create and sell online.

By the end of this episode, you’ll understand:

  • How to choose the perfect product to create
  • Tips for doing product research
  • Ideas for validating your product idea before you create it
  • How to scale & automate your strategy to make money in your sleep
  • And more!

How To Come Up With A Product Idea [Podcast Episode Audio]

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Invite: Free Profitable Product Launch Challenge

Learn how to plan, create, and launch a digital product that grows your income—on autopilot!

In 5 days, we’ll cover:

✔️ Day 1: Pick the perfect product idea that solves your audience’s biggest problems

✔️ Day 2: Map out your pricing, format, and bonuses—even if you’re starting from scratch

✔️ Day 3: Build an email list ready to buy from you (without paid ads!)

✔️ Day 4: Create a launch plan to maximize sales—even with a small audience

✔️ Day 5: Keep earning sales on autopilot with evergreen funnels and promotions

PLUS, there will be a live Q&A, prizes, and bonuses including a:

  • Step-By-Step Workbook – Turn your ideas into a profitable product launch
  • Profitable Product Launch Checklist – Never miss a step with this plug-and-play guide
  • 3 Sample Launch Plans – Ready-to-use templates to simplify your launch process

➡️ Click here to grab your seat in the free challenge!

Pinpoint Product Ideas With These Helpful Tools

Google Analytics. This free tool helps you identify your top-performing blog posts to uncover what your audience is most interested in—and potential product ideas.

Google Forms. Create surveys to validate product ideas by asking your audience about their biggest challenges and needs.

Canva. Design eye-catching freebies that can help you grow your pre-launch list, or even premium printable products (just make sure you have the rights to sell any of the designs/graphics you use).

Teachable (free trial included). This is the platform I use to create products like course, memberships, coaching, and even digital downloads. They also offer a handy free Course Pricing Calculator.

Kit (formerly ConvertKit). This robust email marketing platform makes it easy to grow your email list with beautiful landing pages and creator referrals. They also have a Kit Commerce for securly selling digital products.

female blogger sitting on a yellow couch and researching profitable products ideas
Use this framework to come up with a profitable product idea. Photo: AndrewLozovyi via Depositphotos.

How To Choose Products To Sell Online In 5 Steps [Episode Transcript]

One of the best ways to take control of your income is launching products and services. Not only does this diversify your revenue streams, but it also means you don’t have to rely on unpredictable traffic sources like Google and social media.

With a product you own and can sell directly to your audience, you create a scalable income source that works for you—even when you’re away from your laptop.

And because you have full control, you can get creative with your marketing—whether that’s featuring it in high-traffic posts, collaborating with other creators, or launching your own affiliate program to expand your reach.

Okay, you get it. Launching products is a smart idea for bloggers.

But, what should you create to actually get your audience excited and increase sales?

That is exactly what we’ll be discussing below. I’ll be going over how to come up with the perfect product idea step-by-step—with loads of bonus tips and examples included.

🎉 Also, don’t forget to grab access to my free Profitable Product Launch Challenge! In just 5 days, you’ll learn how to plan, create, and launch a digital product that grows your income—on autopilot!

Create products for your audience

You want to create products that solve problems and make people’s lives easier or better in some way; but, not just any people. Your people.

The people you are specifically aiming to help through your blog brand. So keep that in mind as we move through the steps for how to choose a product to sell online.

Step #1: Analyze your audience’s needs

One of the biggest breakthroughs I had as a blogger was realizing that answering reader questions could be profitable.

You’re probably already doing this with your free blog, email, and social content—but you can take it even further by creating a product or service that solves their problems.

Personally, I keep a running list of questions I get via email, comments, and DMs in a Google Doc. Anytime I notice the same question coming up, I know it’s a topic worth exploring—and often, that’s what sparks my product ideas.

In my opinion, this is the best way to choose your product.

Actually, this is exactly how I’ve come up with some of my most profitable products like my Travel Blog Prosperity membership, my various blogging courses, and my NYC photo tours and trip consulting.

But what if you’re not getting a ton of questions yet?

The first thing I recommend is deciding what you want to be known for—and consistently creating helpful, relevant content around that topic.

For instance, if you want to be an RV travel expert, sharing your best RV travel tips and lessons learned will help you become the go-to resource when people have questions about RV travel—and they’ll be more likely to trust your expertise when you launch a related product.

Beyond these strategies, you can also:

a) Check your analytics. Look at your most popular blog posts and social media content. What topics are people already engaging with? Consider these topics as you choose a product to create.

b) Browse niche forums & Facebook groups to see what questions people are asking to get a sense of what they need help with.

c) Run polls and surveys that ask specific, problem-focused questions like “What’s the biggest challenge you face when planning a trip?”, which can get you more useful information that vague questions like “Would you pay $29 for this product?” since people often don’t know what they’d buy or pay until they see the product presented. Focus instead on uncovering pain points so you can design a solution they’ll value and want to purchase.

female travel blogger giving the peace sign while walking the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC
I launched my NYC photo tours after having so many readers ask me to show them around. Photo via Jessie Festa.

Step #2: Choose the right product format

Not just for your audience, but also for you. The key here is to match your product to the transformation your audience wants while keeping in mind how much time and effort you can realistically commit.

Quick win products

Let’s start with Quick Wins. These are things like checklists, templates, spreadsheets, and planners that give your audience immediate results—and they’re often fast to create.

For example, if your audience struggles to organize their trip expenses, you could create a Travel Budget Planner to help them keep track of spending and savings.

I love quick-win products because they’re easy to sell, especially if this is your first digital product. Plus, they make great upsells later on.

Step-by-step products

Now, if your audience needs something more detailed, you might want to create a Step-by-Step Guide. Think ebooks, travel itineraries, or video tutorials—anything that walks them through a process.

For example, let’s say you’ve gotten loads of questions about planning a trip to Japan. You could create a detailed 2-week Japan itinerary complete with a map, seasonal packing lists, and transit tips.

The selling point here is that step-by-step guides help people save time and stress less—because the work, or at least the research and heavy lifting to find the solution, is already done for them.

female travel blogger holding a laptop
Printable products can be an easy sell while offering your audience quick wins. Photo via Jessie Festa.

Interactive products

Finally, the last product format we’ll discuss is Interactive Products. These include things like workshops, courses, memberships, and even services and experiences like tours and custom travel planning (tutorial below).

Interactive products are great for delivering bigger transformations because they’re hands-on and encourage active participation.

For instance, if your audience wants to learn how to travel for free or cheap using miles and points, you could create a Travel Hacking Course that walks them through earning rewards, redeeming points, and booking free flights—complete with step-by-step lessons, calculators, and live Q&A sessions.

Interactive products do take more time to create, but they also tend to be priced higher than simpler products, which means they can bring in bigger profits as long as you properly promote them.

🎁 And by the way: the workbook you’ll get in the free Profitable Product Launch Challenge links a variety of real-life examples for each product format, so make sure to grab that in the show notes.

Which product format is best?

Speaking of product format, how do you decide which is best for you?

Ask yourself:

  • Does your audience need fast results—or deeper guidance?
  • How much time do you have to create and maintain this product?

For instance, if you create some type of travel planning spreadsheet, you likely will create it once and it’s good to go; however, if you create an online course you’ll likely need to update it from time to time—how often depends on the topic—and answer student questions.

Then there are memberships, which mean in exchange for recurring revenue you’ll need to be regularly creating new content and engaging with members.

Remember, too, that the format you choose doesn’t have to be set in stone. A checklist today could grow into a full course tomorrow—so start where you are and build as you go.

Step #3: Test product demand

Before you fully create a product to sell online, validate demand.

Pre-sell your product

We’ll cover even more strategies for testing demand in the free Profitable Product Launch Challenge, but one I want to highlight now is pre-selling your product; as in, selling it before it’s fully created to confirm interest and generate early income.

To incentivize early buyers, you can offer bonuses or discounted pricing.

For example, you might sell access to a Travel Photography Masterclass that covers shooting techniques and editing workflows. Deliver it module-by-module to founding members, include a bonus live Q&A, and teach lessons live to get feedback that helps refine future modules.

Create a related freebie

If you’re not ready to pre-sell, you can still test demand, at least for the product topic, by offering a related freebie—which also allows you to grow your email list with potential buyers before officially launching.

I share some powerful freebie ideas here:

Onboard product beta testers

💡 Tip: You might also consider offering beta tester access at a discount in exchange for feedback and testimonials. This not only helps you improve the product but also builds social proof for your full launch.

Step #4: Focus on solving a specific problem

Instead of solving every problem your audience has, focus on one clear pain point and deliver a practical, measurable solution.

People don’t want endless information—they want quick wins and clear outcomes that make their lives easier as quickly as possible.

Products that promise specific results—like “Cut your packing time in half” or “Edit 10 photos in 10 minutes”—tend to sell better than those with vague outcomes.

For example, instead of a general RV travel course, you might create an RV Electrical Masterclass that helps students safely wire their RV for off-grid power in just one weekend.

Even if your product offers a larger transformation—like a comprehensive course—it’s still important to break it up into quick wins, with each module helping students achieve progress so they stay motivated and build confidence as they move through the material.

female travel blogger looking out the window while drinking a coffee
Focus on offering quick wins through your products to keep people happy and motivated. Photo via Jessie Festa.

Step #5: Focus on scalability

You want to think beyond your initial product launch to consider how you can grow your product earnings and offerings over time.

Expand your product offerings

First, think about how you might expand your offerings—such as through related products.

Going back to the previous RV Electrical Masterclass example, now that you know your audience wants help building out their RV, you might create a DIY RV Plumbing Masterclass or an RV Kitchen Blueprint.

Or you might combine your related products to create higher value bundles or use them as upsells.

For example, you might offer someone purchasing the RV Electrical Masterclass your RV Kitchen Blueprint at checkout at a discount.

Here’s another idea:

If you feel like your audience is facing a recurring information problem, consider creating a membership that provides ongoing value with Q&A calls, content updates, or exclusive bonuses for recurring revenue.

Automate your product sales

Keep in mind, scalability also means automating so that you make money in your sleep. Some ideas include setting up things like:

a) An automated email welcome sequence, which is a series of emails that nurtures new subscribers and ends with a product pitch

b) Tripwires—low-cost, limited-time offers shown after someone downloads a freebie—which are meant to be a no-brainer offer and convert well

c) An affiliate program, that incentivizes other bloggers and influencers to promote your product in exchange for a referral commission.

blogger sitting on an outdoor patio while typing on her laptop
Continue expanding and automating to make money with products faster and easier. Photo via Jessie Festa.

Continue improving your product offering

Finally, continue optimizing as you grow. Track sales, test new strategies, and gather customer feedback to refine your product and expand with complementary offerings.

By planning for scalability upfront, you set yourself up for lasting income success without constant promotion.

Final thoughts on choosing a product to create

Now I hope you enjoyed this episode. I hope you feel inspired and empowered to pinpoint the perfect product to launch.

Don’t miss your chance to join my free Profitable Product Launch Challenge! You’ll not only learn how to create, launch, and scale a product that grows your business, but you’ll put that learning into practice—so you can launch your product and start increasing your income faster.

And of course, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes sharing these bite-sized strategies for bloggers who want to turn their blogs into profitable full-time businesses.

Happy blogging!

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Monetize Your Blog With These Helpful Past Episodes:

How To Plan & Host A Profitable Retreat

7 Types Of Emails That Can Boost Your Travel Blogging Income

How To Price, License & Sell Your Travel Photography

How To Start A Profitable Multi-Day Tour Company

How To Co-Host A Profitable Affiliate Marketing Webinar

How To Make Money Blogging In A Year Or Less

How To Sell A Blog For Profit

How To Monetize Your Blog From Day One

How To Create A Profit Plan For Your Travel Blog

Click here for all profitable blogging podcast episodes.

What are your top tips for choosing a product to launch?