Creating a digital product can be a time-consuming but ultimately extremely reward task! It involves a lot of planning, research, and execution. But one of the most critical steps is figuring out what your customers want. Without this vital step, you could end up creating a product that nobody wants.

To avoid this scenario, it's essential to take the time to find out what your customers are looking for. You need to know what their pain points are, what they're struggling with, and what they're willing to pay for. This will give you the information you need to create a product that will meet their needs and exceed their expectations.

So, let's talk about how to find out what your customers want. This process involves several steps, including brainstorming topic ideas, researching additional ideas, and validating those ideas to see which ones are most likely to be profitable.

By following this step-by-step process, you'll be able to generate a list of potential topics for your infoproduct, research them further, and validate your ideas to ensure that you're going to have a popular product. Don't skip any of these steps, as there's nothing worse than investing a lot of time and effort into creating what you think is an awesome product, only to find out that your market has no interest in the topic.

Step 1: Generate Ideas

The first thing you want to do is some old-fashioned brainstorming to help you generate topic ideas for your product. You can start by writing down all the potential topics that come to mind as think about your problems, your hobbies, topics that interest you, topics that you know a lot about, and so on.

For example, if you spend your free time restoring a classic car, that’s a potential topic idea. If you love scuba diving, that’s a potential topic. If you have overcome a problem (such as losing weight) or achieved a goal (such as running an ultra-marathon), these are all potential topics for you to write about.

1. Identify your passions and expertise: Start by considering your own passions, interests, and areas of expertise. Think about the knowledge, skills, or experiences you possess that could be valuable to others. Your expertise can serve as a foundation for creating a digital product that aligns with your passions and allows you to share your unique insights.
2. Address a specific problem or pain point: Think about common problems or pain points within a particular niche or industry. Consider how you can provide a solution or create a product that alleviates those challenges. By addressing a specific problem, you can create a digital product that is highly valuable and in demand.
3. Conduct market research: Research the market to identify gaps, trends, and opportunities. Look for areas where existing products are lacking or where customer needs are not being fully met. Analyze competitor offerings and customer reviews to gather insights about what works well and where improvements can be made. This research will help you identify potential niches or product ideas that can differentiate you from the competition.
4. Brainstorm with others: Engage in brainstorming sessions with colleagues, friends, or members of online communities who share similar interests or expertise. Collaborative brainstorming can generate a wide range of ideas and perspectives that you may not have considered on your own. Encourage open and creative thinking, and don't be afraid to explore unconventional ideas.
5. Explore emerging technologies or trends: Stay up-to-date with emerging technologies, trends, and industry developments. Consider how you can leverage these advancements to create innovative digital products. For example, virtual reality, blockchain, artificial intelligence, or voice-activated technologies may present opportunities to develop unique and cutting-edge products.
6. Tap into your target audience: Engage with your target audience through surveys, interviews, or online communities. Ask them about their needs, desires, and pain points. Listen to their feedback and suggestions for potential digital products. By understanding your audience's perspective, you can develop products that directly cater to their preferences and solve their specific problems.
7. Repurpose existing content or expertise: Look at your existing content, such as blog posts, articles, videos, or presentations. Consider how you can repurpose and package that content into a digital product. You can transform blog posts into an e-book, repurpose video tutorials into an online course, or compile industry insights into a research report. Repurposing content allows you to leverage your existing expertise and resources effectively.
8. Seek inspiration from other industries: Explore digital products in other industries or niches for inspiration. Look at successful products and consider how you can adapt their concepts or features to your own niche. Adaptation and innovation across industries can lead to unique and compelling digital product ideas.

Step 2: Research Additional Ideas

Now we’re going to add to your list of potential ideas by doing some research in your niche. Take note that in the next step you’ll start validating your ideas, but this step is the beginning of validation as well.

Your first step is to run a Google search for your niche keywords. For example, if you’re interested in gardening, you might run a search for “organic gardening.” Other examples include: “classic car restoration,” “full-time RVing,” “weight loss” and similar.

Take a look at the first page or two of websites for each search you do. Here’s what you’re looking for: