How to Create a $2k+/mo Passive Income Website in 30 Days (or Less)

[Lex DeVille]

In November, I launched a digital product. In under 30 days, I generated over $2,000 in sales.


Four months later, the site had its first $2,000 week...


I've been documenting this progress in my Insider's thread here.

Now, I'm going to show you how to do it.

Here are some things to know:

• The idea is not new or novel
• There are no inventory costs
• I created the product in a day and had it for sale in a month
• The product is not attached to my name
• The business is almost entirely automated
• The business generates mostly passive income
• Anyone from any country in the world could replicate this if you're not a pussy with a shitty attitude

So what is this thread for?
I decided to replicate the process across multiple websites to create a variety of new passive-income streams and you can try it for yourself if you want. Feel free to ask questions. I'll respond when I can.

What does the process look like so far?
I started on both ideas yesterday. I expect to put in 4-8 hours per day for around 30 days to get both launched. Then probably less than an hour per day for each site. Okay, here we go:

1.0 The Product
Both of the new websites will sell digital products. One site will sell one of the products from my first site but to a different niche. The second site will sell a product I have never tested before to a new audience.

1.1 Product Requirements

• Must be a digital product (i.e. text, video, audio, illustrative, etc.)
• Must be simple to create (i.e. I can create it in a day)
• Must have proven sales (as indicated by other sellers in the market)
• Must have an angle that will give me an edge over competitors
• Must be something I can sell through my own website
• Must not require ongoing support or complex systems

1.2 Examples of Potentially Good Digital Products
Short ebook, templates, guides, checklists, sound effects, music, vocal recordings, videos, digital illustrations, digital software, etc. Niching down is generally what makes any of these *good.*

1.3 Product Creation
I want products that can be created fast (like less than an hour). I got ideas from products sold on other sites like Envato, Etsy, Ebay, etc. I also used Google Adwords to check out search volume for keywords. For product creation, I used Canva (I pay for the $9/mo version) and Envato Elements (I pay for the $197/yr subscription).

2.0 Domain Name
Once I decided on products, I needed a domain name for the websites. I used Namecheap to run domain searches and Wordhippo to help brainstorm name ideas. I purchased the domains through Namecheap for $9 each (less for new accounts). Since I already have web hosting with ChemiCloud, I pointed the domains to ChemiCloud. You can buy domains on ChemiCloud, but it's not as cheap. I also set up SSL through ChemiCloud to secure the site's domains.

2.1 Domain Name Requirements

• Three words or less
• Has one or more of the keywords in the name
• Flows well
• Easy to read, remember, and repeat
• Ends in .com

3.0 Website
In cPanel inside ChemiCloud, I added the two domains and set up support emails as support@domainname.com for each site. I forwarded both of these to my personal email (so I don't have to log into multiple emails every day). Then I installed Wordpress using their Wordpress Manager.

3.1 Basic Setup
With Wordpress installed, I visited the site's backend. Now I checked the "General" settings to confirm the URL showed "https" for security. I also checked the permalink settings to confirm they are set to "Post Name" for the blog. Next, I installed my core plugin stack:

• Classic Wordpress Editor (I don't like Gutenberg)
• Yoast SEO
• Thrive Product Manager (which includes several plugins and my theme)

Thrive Product Manager comes from ThriveThemes. You could replicate my process without Thrive (and probably cheaper), but it's my preferred method since Thrive's products are built for marketers (and because I already pay for it).

3.2 Web Pages
Once my plugins were installed, I created all of the core pages:

• Home Page
• About Page
• Contact Page
• Terms Page
• Privacy Page
• Disclaimer Page

3.3 Thrive Themes Setup
With the pages in place, I launched Thrive Builder and installed their "Kwik" theme because I like it. It's wizard walks me through several important steps like adding my logo, page and blog structures, header and footer structures, menu, brand colors, and typography.

3.4 Logo Creation
I used a Canva logo template to create a logo for the first site, then I replicated the logo in the brand colors of the second site, and replaced the first site's name with the second site's name. Beyond that, the logos are identical. Took all of 10 seconds.

3.5 Core Content
For the Terms, Privacy, and Disclaimer pages I copy/paste from a similar website (in this case my own) and then replace their website's info with my own and change areas as needed to be relevant for my sites. For the About page, I stay as simple as possible and write one to two paragraphs about my site. For the home page, I create a main image area with a headline and a call to action leading into a button that goes to the shop page (shop page doesn't exist yet tho). The rest of the page can remain blank for now. You'll see why in the next section.

3.6 Checkout System
One of my websites uses ThriveCart (costs $500 one-time). The other site uses WooCommerce plugin (free but pay for add-ons if you need them). Once WooCommerce was installed, I went through the wizard to setup all the basic stuff like payment methods and whatnot. Once ThriveCart and WooCommerce were set up, I created basic product pages and then I placed those products on the home page of my website as the content for that page (that's why I left it blank earlier). If you use WooCommerce, they will create a shop page for you. Otherwise, you can create a shop page now.

4.0 Email
Email plays a key role in the success of these businesses (particularly email automation). I use ActiveCampaign on the Plus version. ThriveThemes integrates well with ActiveCampaign, as does ThriveCart. There are other email services you can use that cost less or are free to start.

Next Steps?
All of the above was accomplished in one day.

Next, I'll finish WooCommerce setup, optimize the site for mobile viewers, set up a YouTube account for one site (because it will be a good traffic source), create about six products for one site, and around 50 for the other site. After that, I'll turn on Google Ads and see how much it costs to get someone to click on my website and buy the product.

Once all of that is finished, the last step left is to grow the email list, and refine and test everything (pricing, design, emails, etc.) to get people to buy faster with lower acquisition cost.

Growth & Scale?
Long-term, I can bring on freelancers to manage things like the website, products, and email. But one person can bring this to $4k - $10k/mo, maybe more, before hiring becomes necessary.

Ready?
I don't plan to post updates every day. There will be parts you have to figure out on your own. If you want to build a $4k+ per month passive-income that you control, then this thread should help.

Disclaimer: There's no coaching offer at the end of this. No course. Don't DM me for private questions about this. If your question can't be answered in this thread, then it can't be answered by me. Lastly, it's entirely possible that I may fail and you may too, so you need to not be a weenie to make this work for you.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Thats again a very motivating thread made by Lex. Thanks for it.

But again I stand on the same problem as allways.
I just wanted to install Wordpress to get some practice and set up a shop like you showed, when I stuck at doing recherche about what digital product I could sell.
On Etsy I found for download courses how to set up a etsy shop or pictures to paint.
But imo that can’t be anything serious to get going.
So I spent some hours recherching and ended in doing nothing.

Can you evaluate a bit more about how to get a digital product? Thanks?

To be honest, I'm not sure I can simplify the process much further, but I'll try.

1. Find digital products on Etsy (or whever) and see if they have a lot of reviews.

This took 10 seconds to find.





2. Go to the shop's home page, scroll all the way to the bottom of the page, and look at their sales volume and the year the shop was created.



3. Divide the number of sales by the number of years in business (two) and you get 25,029 sales per year.

4. Multiply sales per year by the average sale price per product which you determine by glancing at the shop's products. In this case, it's roughly $6.00. So 25,029 sales x $6.00 = $150,174/year.

5. Ask yourself, "If this shop sells it's products to EVERYONE then who is a niche of EVERYONE?" Accountants? Wedding Planners? Executive Assistants? University Professors? If you want extra reassurance, then use Google Ads keyword tool to search for the niche or the product + niche to see how many searches it gets per month.

6. Recreate the product, position it for those people, run Google ads to those people.

That's the whole process.

There's nothing to get stuck on. You're not choosing products based on your beliefs about what may or may not sell. You choose products based on what has proven sales and then using Google Ads to test niches within that market.

 

[Lex DeVille]

A few additional thoughts for anyone considering doing this:

1. You don't have to use Wordpress.
Most of you should use Shopify so you don't have to learn Wordpress. I don't use Shopify because I'm fast with Wordpress. If you're on a budget, you could leverage sites like Etsy or other digital marketplaces that have little or no fees upfront. The only problem with this is you lack control.

2. Use resources already available to find products.
Etsy, Ebay, and other online marketplaces reveal metrics like total sales, and number of ratings for sellers. These are good indicators of how well a shop and/or product is doing. You don't need to reinvent the wheel here.

3. Targeting a niche is very important.
Let's say you make live streaming overlays for Twitch. If you try to sell that product, you'll compete with all of the other sites that sell Twitch live stream overlays. The way to bypass competitors is to go more niche with your targeting. For instance, you might be a "Fortnite Overlays" website or an "IRL Live Stream Overlays" website. Alternatively, you could niche sideways and sell "YouTube Live Stream Overlays." This is just an example. The point is, you want to find a niche for a product that already has proven sales or reframe the proven product to fit a different market.

4. Use Google Ads to help you find a good niche.
At ads.google.com you can create a free Google Ads account. You DO have to enter your payment information and create a campaign, but just pause the campaign after you create it so you don't get billed. Now use the "Tools & Settings" menu at the top and the "Discover New Keywords" option to search for niches. If you find a niche keyword with 1,000+ searches per month, that's good enough to move forward with the niche.

5. Keep everything as simple as possible.
To move quickly, avoid anything that complicates your process at all. There's no need to spend time on design, copywriting, or building out email funnels right now. Start with the simplest setup possible. Ideally, the initial setup will look something like this:

Google Ad ► Website ► Purchase

Once you have proof of sales, then you can build out systems and processes starting with an email opt-in (we'll get to that in a future post).

 

[Lex DeVille]

Thread followed, incredible step-by-step stuff

Until a few days ago I believed that automatic, replicable stuff should be things like apps/code

But I realised that people are selling photoshop templates by thousands and that this can be used with ebook, templates, charts of whatever


Thanks Lex you make everything appear so simple

Software is fine for this. Chat GPT can whip up something in a few seconds that can be ready for sale with minor modifications.

Using Wordpress as an example, Chat GPT can code a Wordpress plugin, and instruct you step-by-step how to handle the database aspects, package it into a .zip file, and host it for sale on any plugin platform (or your own website). Once you make sales, you can hire a freelancer to handle plugin updates to take over where Chat GPT left off and bill a recurring fee for support/updates.

The hardest part is the mental walls people put up as soon as they face discomfort.

• "I don't have any ideas"
• "I can't find any ideas"
• "I don't have experience"
• "I don't know how to use Wordpress, Shopify, Etsy, Ebay, *insert other platforms*
• "I don't know how to use ActiveCampaign"
• "I can't afford website hosting or a domain"
• "I can't come up with a domain name"
• "I don't know how to use Google Ads"
• "I don't have money for this"

The real problem is facing a system that can be set up in 30 days or less and produce full-time income, but it requires a touch of discomfort (money, thinking, problem-solving...).

 

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[heavy_industry]

Don't DM me for private questions about this.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

200 ChatGPT 4 idea suggestions for digital products that can be created in a week or less:

1. Ebooks
2. Printables
3. Stock photos
4. Stock illustrations
5. Digital art
6. Social media templates
7. Online courses or workshops
8. Presets or filters
9. Fonts or typefaces
10. Music or sound effects
11. Website or blog themes
12. UI/UX design kits
13. Email marketing templates
14. Digital stickers
15. Podcast intros or outros
16. Video intro templates
17. PowerPoint or Keynote templates
18. Resume templates
19. Business card templates
20. Icon sets
21. SVG files for cutting machines
22. 3D models for printing
23. Coloring pages
24. Online quizzes or assessments
25. Printable board games
26. Infographic templates
27. Digital scrapbooking kits
28. Crochet or knitting patterns
29. Webinar recordings
30. Guided meditation recordings
31. Custom emojis
32. Lightroom presets
33. Instagram highlight covers
34. Animated GIFs
35. Virtual backgrounds
36. Photoshop actions
37. Mobile app templates
38. Digital planners
39. Travel itineraries
40. Budgeting templates
41. Meal planning templates
42. Fitness workout plans
43. T-shirt designs
44. Etsy shop banners
45. eBook covers
46. Sewing patterns
47. Custom Snapchat filters
48. Zoom event backgrounds
49. Affiliate marketing guides
50. Domain research reports
51. Logo templates
52. Social media strategy templates
53. Wedding invitation templates
54. Printable party decorations
55. Financial planning worksheets
56. Gardening guides
57. Printable gift tags
58. Blog post idea generators
59. Mindfulness exercises
60. Recipe collections
61. Brush sets for digital painting
62. Printable journal prompts
63. Origami templates
64. Greeting card designs
65. Cheat sheets for various topics
66. Productivity tools and templates
67. Custom cursors or icons
68. Quotation graphics
69. Stock video clips
70. Craft project tutorials
71. Language learning resources
72. Web design wireframes
73. Mockup templates
74. Video game mods or assets
75. Parenting resources
76. Short film scripts
77. Online escape room games
78. DIY project guides
79. Printable bookmarks
80. Self-care guides
81. Coding snippets or templates
82. Voiceover services
83. Astrology reports
84. Guided journaling templates
85. Sheet music
86. Digital comic books
87. Teaching resources
88. Desktop or mobile wallpapers
89. Photo editing tutorials
90. Animated logos
91. Virtual reality experiences
92. Writing prompts
93. Fashion lookbooks
94. Mind maps or brainstorming templates
95. Self-improvement guides
96. Home organization resources
97. Digital vision boards
98. Animated explainer videos
99. Podcast cover art
100. Transcription templates
101. HTML/CSS templates
102. Custom soundscapes
103. Calligraphy worksheets
104. Online puzzle games
105. Stock animations
106. Voice synthesizer presets
107. Video editing tutorials
108. Personalized video messages
109. DIY beauty recipe books
110. Homebrewing guides
111. Printable shopping lists
112. Interactive digital magazines
113. Sublimation designs
114. Online trivia games
115. Pet care guides
116. Smartphone ringtones
117. Custom app icons
118. Daily affirmations
119. Social media content calendar templates
120. Digital collage sheets
121. eBook formatting services
122. Hand-lettered quotes
123. Virtual escape room puzzles
124. Podcast editing templates
125. Video overlays or effects
126. ASMR recordings
127. Ephemera collections
128. Digital postcards
129. Travel photography guides
130. Stock drone footage
131. Printable habit trackers
132. Tarot or oracle card readings
133. Online scavenger hunts
134. Guided relaxation techniques
135. Smartphone notification sounds
136. Augmented reality experiences
137. Printable certificates or awards
138. Personal branding resources
139. Art therapy exercises
140. Skill-sharing videos
141. Flipbook animations
142. Printable luggage tags
143. Online fitness challenges
144. Wellness tracking templates
145. Graphic design tutorials
146. eBook conversion services
147. Social media management resources
148. Time management tools
149. Motivational wallpapers
150. Stock vector graphics
151. Instagram puzzle feeds
152. Digital rubber stamps
153. Customer avatar templates
154. Environmental impact calculators
155. Blogging resources
156. DIY jewelry making guides
157. Study guides or summaries
158. Photo restoration services
159. Video game streaming overlays
160. Handwriting fonts
161. Online group coaching sessions
162. Mindfulness coloring pages
163. Stock 3D animations
164. Animated social media icons
165. Printable event tickets
166. Music production tutorials
167. Mood board templates
168. Film photography guides
169. 3D environment assets
170. Printable recipe cards
171. Instagram story templates
172. Video transition effects
173. Urban gardening guides
174. Smartphone app walkthroughs
175. Game design tutorials
176. Interior design guides
177. Video game strategy guides
178. Printable stencils
179. Online debate clubs
180. Personal development challenges
181. Green living guides
182. Digital cookbook templates
183. Online book clubs
184. Remote team-building activities
185. Printable wedding planner
186. Interactive children's books
187. YouTube channel art
188. Digital embroidery designs
189. Drawing tutorials
190. Animated social media stickers
191. WordPress plugin development
192. Stock audio loops
193. DIY home renovation guides
194. Virtual reality meditation sessions
195. Printable labels
196. Art tutorial videos
197. Vegan or vegetarian recipe books
198. Digital note-taking templates
199. Virtual tours
200. Printable chore charts

 

[Lex DeVille]

To be fair I’m 99% convinced I’m the problem not the product. (Here’s the thread, I can send you the actual page if you wanna let me pick your mind a bit… I did miss your input, after all *puppy eyes* )

• Is the niche big enough? If anything it might not be niche enough now that I’m reading.
• Does the product solve a problem? Yes.
• How long have you been in business? Since Dec/Jan this year
• Are the people who don't buy from ads joining your email list? Good one. I’ve no clue on how to track that so I can’t answer that (I’m going by Mail Chimp and Shopify’s analytics).
• Are you targeting the right people/keywords with Google ads? I’m using Facebook ads, hadn’t tried Google ads yet. Reading this I should probably give it a go. Now for “the right people” I think the answer is yes.
• Are you using negative keywords to get rid of non-buying tire-kickers and freebie seekers? No. *takes note*
• Where do your Google Ads lead and what is on the page they lead to? Again Facebook ads rn, but the ad leads to the product page of each product. (Where the add to cart is, not the homepage)

I’m using automation to send an email to ask for reviews after purchase currently and that’s it, but obviously I’m not making use of the emails I have so far (200) nor do I have a clue on how to leverage them effectively.

I also see that you mentioned putting keywords on the URL. Maybe I should change that, mine is just a DBA I put in there to put something.

Seems my whole …idk, call it funnel, isn’t working as well as it could . I have the base ad> website > purchase set up pretty much BUT I’m obviously falling short in other aspects. I’ll get to work on the few I was able to identify now. Did I mention you’re the best?

There's two reasons I'm using Google ads and not Facebook. Both are probably affecting your sales.

Reason 1: Targeting
Facebook's targeting options are a disaster. They used to be pretty good, but now they suck and it's not easy to get your ads seen by the right people. Google has very detailed targeting insights, especially when you properly set up analytics and conversion tracking (this takes time and a lot of patience!).

Reason 2: Click Intent
People on Facebook are usually scrolling (time-wasting). They get interrupted by ads that catch their attention. They often aren't ready to buy and didn't know they wanted/needed the product before they saw the ad. Combine that with the fact they may not even be the right people due to targeting issues and it can result in low sales. Better to send Facebook clickers to a free opt-in and educate them with emails since they might only be in the awareness phase.

On Google, the people who see my ads are searching for the exact keywords I target, and I know the keyword(s) because Google tells me what they're searching for. This makes the targeting really specific. Add in negative keywords for terms like "free," and place a word like "Order Now" in the ad headline and the only people who should click are those who are ready (or nearly ready) to buy.

Getting the right people with the right intent to your shop will probably make a sizable difference in your sales.

 

[Lex DeVille]

one thing isn't really clear to me and it bothers me. i understood your process and could easily create a whole basic website like you in a few hours, also loving Thrive Themes (never heard of ThriveCart before but sure great thing haha)
email optin and tracking no problem also
for Google Ads i'd consult Andy because i wouldn't like to get my budget go to waste, used Facebook Ads before (and it's terrible)

but i can't get my mind around the 1day creation thing
when i think of creating a product people would love and use in their daily activities i typically think of a week of creation minimum
when i think of creating photoshop templates (which i don't have much experience there) i see myself sitting 7 days on computer crafting this before it is halfway ready to sell
could u maybe give some notes or hints on what a product is and needs to be created in one day? didn't quite understand this

The product doesn't have to be created in a day. If it can, that's great. The product my first site sells took more than a day to *fully* create, but once it was created, it could be duplicated into other products in minutes by changing minor details.

Examples:

- Recipes: Can be productized as a downloadable PDF in minutes.
- Live Streaming Skins: Can be made in an hour using Inkscape for free. Can easily be turned into multiple skins by changing nothing but the color.
- ASMR: Can be recorded in an hour or less and uploaded as a .MP3.
- PDF Guide: Teaching how to spray your house with pesticides could be created in an hour or less.
- Chat GPT Prompts: Give people access to 25 creative prompts that help Chat GPT write a novel for you.
- Music: An hour-long meditation track can be created in a few minutes with Envato and Canva
- Photos: You can take stock photos with your phone at home and upload them in minutes.
- Graphics: Simple graphics like the arrows marketers use to point to buttons can be made in 5 minutes.
- Email Automations: Create an automation in ActiveCampaign and then sell access to the link that allows other people to install the same automation in their own ActiveCampaign account without doing any setup work. Can be done in a few minutes.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

I'm not being a dick when I say this, but y'all need to figure some stuff out on your own.

While this thread offers a step-by-step process, it does not offer to build an income system for you.

At some point, you have to pull up your big girl panties and take a little risk.

• You have to come up with a product idea
• You have to do the market research
• You have to find a niche
• You have to offer your product to that niche
• You have to invest in the systems to sell your product
• You have to go through the trials and errors on the road to success

You are all in a battle against fear.

Fear is powerful. Fear is tough. Fear has many weapons.

Fear is a dictator that wants to keep you a slave and a slave you will remain until you revolt and fight for the life you want.

Either you conquer fear or fear conquers you.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

After creating some digital products, I found out etsy isn't supported in my country. Damn.

Sell on a different platform or marketplace.

Platforms that allow digital products:

• Gumroad (www.gumroad.com)
• Sellfy (www.sellfy.com)
• Easy Digital Downloads (www.easydigitaldownloads.com) - WordPress plugin
• Shopify (www.shopify.com) - with digital product apps like Digital Downloads or SendOwl
• Podia (www.podia.com)
• FetchApp (www.fetchapp.com)
• SendOwl (www.sendowl.com)
• E-junkie (www.e-junkie.com)
• Payhip (www.payhip.com)
• DPD (www.getdpd.com)
• WooCommerce (www.woocommerce.com) - WordPress plugin with digital product support
• Selz (www.selz.com)
• FastSpring (www.fastspring.com)
• DigiStore24 (www.digistore24.com)
• Squarespace (www.squarespace.com) - With digital product support
• Wix (www.wix.com) - With digital product support
• Weebly (www.weebly.com) - With digital product support
• Ecwid (www.ecwid.com) - With digital product support
• BigCommerce (www.bigcommerce.com) - With digital product support
• Magento (www.magento.com) - With digital product support
• PrestaShop (www.prestashop.com) - With digital product support
• OpenCart (www.opencart.com) - With digital product support
• Zyro (www.zyro.com) - With digital product support
• MemberPress (www.memberpress.com) - WordPress membership plugin
• Restrict Content Pro (restrictcontentpro.com) - WordPress membership plugin
• Paid Memberships Pro (www.paidmembershipspro.com) - WordPress membership plugin
• S2Member (s2member.com) - WordPress membership plugin
• MemberMouse (membermouse.com) - WordPress membership plugin
• LifterLMS (www.lifterlms.com) - WordPress learning management system
• LearnDash (www.learndash.com) - WordPress learning management system
• Thinkific (www.thinkific.com) - For online courses

Marketplaces

• Udemy (www.udemy.com) - For online courses
• Teachable (www.teachable.com) - For online courses
• Skillshare (www.skillshare.com) - For online courses
• Envato Market (market.envato.com) - For digital assets, such as web templates, graphics, and music
• Creative Market (www.creativemarket.com) - For digital design assets like fonts, graphics, and templates
• iStock (www.istockphoto.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Shutterstock (www.shutterstock.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Pond5 (www.pond5.com) - For stock video, music, and sound effects
• Etsy (www.etsy.com) - For digital art, printables, and patterns (not specifically focused on digital products but allows them)
• Fiverr (www.fiverr.com) - For digital services, including design, marketing, and content creation
• GraphicRiver (graphicriver.net) - For graphic design resources
• ThemeForest (themeforest.net) - For website themes and templates
• CodeCanyon (codecanyon.net) - For code scripts and plugins
• AudioJungle (audiojungle.net) - For music and sound effects
• VideoHive (videohive.net) - For stock video footage and motion graphics
• PhotoDune (photodune.net) - For stock photography
• 3DOcean (3docean.net) - For 3D models and materials
• TurboSquid (www.turbosquid.com) - For 3D models
• CGTrader (www.cgtrader.com) - For 3D models
• ArtStation Marketplace (www.artstation.com/marketplace) - For digital art resources
• DesignBundles (www.designbundles.net) - For digital design resources
• FontBundles (www.fontbundles.net) - For fonts
• Motion Array (www.motionarray.com) - For video templates, stock footage, and audio
• Daz 3D (www.daz3d.com) - For 3D models and assets
• Reverb (reverb.com) - For digital audio software and plugins
• Vexels (www.vexels.com) - For graphic design resources
• VectorStock (www.vectorstock.com) - For vector graphics
• Dreamstime (www.dreamstime.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Depositphotos (depositphotos.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Can Stock Photo (www.canstockphoto.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Bigstock (www.bigstockphoto.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Alamy (www.alamy.com) - For stock photos, illustrations, and video
• Snapwire (www.snapwi.re) - For stock photos
• Foap (www.foap.com) - For stock photos and video

 

[Lex DeVille]

I set up a new passive income site yesterday. Here's what that looked like:

• Product is a downloadable PDF document
• $9.97 for the domain
• $5/day in ad spend
• 8 hours or so in time invested

I built the whole thing yesterday and launched with Google ads yesterday too.

Earned my first sale overnight.

I made this one simpler than my other site.

It's one page.

That one page has 4 CTAs that all lead to a ThriveCart checkout page.

The page has good copy, basic credibility markers like credit card logos, images, solid branding...

After purchase, the customer instantly receives the product.

Finally, they reach a thank you page.

That's the entire funnel.

No email opt-in. No lengthy site history. Not attached to my name.

For this site I'm testing price points under $9 to see if I can move higher sales volume faster with ads + a price so low anyone can afford it.

Ideally, I'll find a price that people will pay all around the world so I can expand my advertising worldwide instead of targeting the US. That will help keep costs down.

 

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[Andy Black]

5. Keep everything as simple as possible.
To move quickly, avoid anything that complicates your process at all. There's no need to spend time on design, copywriting, or building out email funnels right now. Start with the simplest setup possible. Ideally, the initial setup will look something like this:

Google Ad ► Website ► Purchase

^^^ This.

Stop with all the fancy stuff and get on with it.

Start as close to the end as possible.

Google for "feed a starving crowd".

Well done Lex.

 

[Lex DeVille]

So, it's Friday.

Site 2 is mobile-optimized, online, and just needs products added for sale.

Site 3 is online, but needs text on the About page, mobile-optimized, and products added for sale.

Both sites should be ready for ads by Monday.

A few additional thoughts:

Q - Why do you need terms/privacy/disclaimer/contact/about pages?
A - Because you don't have reviews yet. You have no social proof. So you leverage other points of credibility to put consumers at ease about doing business with you until you get social proof.

Q - Why does the site need to be mobile-optimized right now?
A - Because all your customers are shopping from their phones.

Q - Why are we starting with Google Ads and not Facebook?
A - Because people who click Google ads want to buy specific shit.

Q - What if my product descriptions suck?
A - Let ChatGPT write them for now. Clean them up later.

Q - What if I can't afford Google Ads?
A - I plan to start with a small daily budget under $10. You can start as low as $1.00 I think. Assuming you picked a proven product and a solid niche, you should see sales quickly. Assuming you price your product high enough to run ads without eating a hole in your pocket, you should get profitable fast, which means you can spend more on ads to get more sales.

Q - What if I don't know how to do Google Ads?
A - Follow @Andy Black - I literally have no idea what I'm doing with Google Ads most of the time, but they make money. Beyond Andy's stuff, you'll spend time Googling how to use Google's ads. At some point, you'll want to set up conversion tracking through your website, but that can come later on.

Q - What about the blog?
A- Once you get your site online with ads running to it, then you can work on a few long-form blog posts if you want to capture more organic traffic.

 

[Andy Black]

I do know that building a community is 100% the absolute last thing I would do.

What sense does it make to build a community to sell to when people are ready to buy right now?

^^^ This.

If someone's searching on Google with credit card in hand to BUY your product or service then don't ask them to join a community or ask them to opt-in for a lead magnet. Send them to a checkout page and gtfo of their way.

And if they're looking for information then give them ... information.


I don't see a "huge push away from ads". Some businesses prefer to run ads rather than do "content marketing" or even SEO. And for many businesses it makes no sense to build a community, newsletter, or YouTube channel, etc.

I remember listening to a podcast a few years ago where the host and interviewer agreed that if you don't have a community then you don't have a business. I switched off there and then. That's what they were selling... how to build a community, and they'd drank the koolaid and were forcing it on their audience (sorry, community).

 

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[Lex DeVille]

This is a great revenue stream Lex. I’m thinking about setting up something like this for my girlfriend because she wants to get her feet wet in online biz, and this seems like a great entry point where you can get some quick market feedback as a beginner and I personally have all the skills needed to make it work anyway.

I have a few questions:
1) What sort of ROAS can you expect? So to make $2K sales, what sort of ad spend do you need?
2) When you say you created 50 digital products for the website, what exactly does that mean? Is it like 50 different versions of the same product or?
3) How do you use email marketing automations and what sort of effect do they have?
4) What have you done with regards to testimonials initially? I know social proof can be quite important for these products

1. I'm no ads expert, so keep that in mind as I write this. I spend $45/day across four ad groups in a single campaign and started with $10/day. If I'm looking at sales conversions, I generate a few hundred directly. Most clicks don't turn into sales immediately. What happens is they come to the site, browse, and end up on my email list. I email the list 4-6 times per week. I don't know my ROAS. I have conversion tracking set up, but it tracks all sales conversions as a single metric rather than by price. I haven't updated it because there are so many products with different prices. What I do know, is I'm profitable.

3. Right now, I've got a lead magnet for opt-in, then a day later they get an invitation to a free educational series with 7 emails that lead to several pitches. I have an after-purchase email series (that I need to finish lol). It provides additional information/learning and leads to a pitch after about four days. The only other automation is an abandoned cart that sends a 10% off coupon to motivate a purchase.

At the start, I only had a lead magnet opt-in. I don't know how effective any of the automations are. I haven't looked that closely at the numbers. I send a regular campaign at least 4-6 times per week. All of the above combined keeps sales moving. My email list has a little over 400 subscribers. I recently scrubbed a bunch of non-buyers. There appears to be a correlation between list growth and sales growth. I also get a good number of sales from returning customers.

4. I didn't have testimonials to start, so I built pseudo-credibility. I had a money-back guarantee, payment processor logos under checkout buttons, and added "Refund Policies" and a "Careers" page. The site looks clean and has a video header that adds professionalism. I also added a testimonial request page to the user account area where I offer a coupon code for a testimonial. I removed the money-back guarantee once I had some testimonials. Now I do not offer refunds at all.

*EDIT for #4*
I also used the FOMO plugin from fomo.com from very early on. Before I had testimonials, I used it to show a small social proof popup in the bottom left corner each time someone joined my email list.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

I started with the same premise and I even ”upgraded” to offer the physical product but I can’t seem to find the traction. I think I'm spending more on ads than what I get when I sell something.

I'm not sure where you're at in all of this, but if you're getting some sales, then you have proof people want your product. Some questions that spring to mind:

• Is the niche big enough?
• Does the product solve a problem?
• How long have you been in business?
• Are the people who don't buy from ads joining your email list?
• Are you targeting the right people/keywords with Google ads?
• Are you using negative keywords to get rid of non-buying tire-kickers and freebie seekers?
• Where do your Google Ads lead and what is on the page they lead to?

Sorry, that's a lot of thinking out loud.

Can you next elaborate a bit on what type of content you send to the opt-in list?

People opt-in to my website for a "Quick-Start Guide" for the product. It's basically a four-page ebook I made in Canva that answers FAQs and then has CTAs that lead back to the product for purchase.

A day later, an automated message goes out about a free 7-day training to prepare the reader to buy the product. They can choose to opt-in to that or not by clicking a button.

If they opt-in for the training, they get 7 days of *mostly* teaching emails. The last 2 or 3 emails have CTAs back to the product.

After someone makes a purchase, I send four days of additional training emails to help them use the product. This is supposed to be 7 days of emails, but I got lazy and never finished writing the other three emails lol. Some of these emails have CTAs that lead back to products.

I also send a non-automated email campaign at least 4-5 days per week. These are teaching emails, value mailers, testimonial stories, and coupons/sales offers.

Non-automated email campaigns go out between 10-10:30 AM.

Currently, I've got 413 subscribers. I had about 60 more, but I deleted people who hadn't opened an email in more than 60 days.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Something I would encourage all of you to do is your own research and testing.

The tools, funnels, branding, etc. that you use for your system should be based on what makes sense for your customers.

Don't just read what I'm doing and copy/paste that into your system. Don't just take someone's word about which web host or theme is the best.

Do your own research.

Think about your people and their needs.

This is the same YOU Focus approach I taught to freelancers.

What works well for one business might not work at all for the next because they have different customers with different needs and expectations.

I don't need a 7-day course to buy a t-shirt mockup to sell my t-shirts. If I like a mockup, I just buy it.

Don't educate those who don't want or need to be educated.

Don't blindly follow others in this process or you'll end up with lackluster results.

Motivating people to buy from your business instead of another is a thinking man's game. It requires that you're always thinking about who the person on the other side of the screen is, what their life is like, and what they need to see/read before they buy.

The closer you get to delivering the experience they want/need, the faster they will become your customer.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Could you drop us a link to one of you websites cause a picture says more than a thousand words and an example says more than a million words.

No.

 

[Xavier X]

Software is fine for this. Chat GPT can whip up something in a few seconds that can be ready for sale with minor modifications.

Using Wordpress as an example, Chat GPT can code a Wordpress plugin, and instruct you step-by-step how to handle the database aspects, package it into a .zip file, and host it for sale on any plugin platform (or your own website). Once you make sales, you can hire a freelancer to handle plugin updates to take over where Chat GPT left off and bill a recurring fee for support/updates.

For anyone who wants a basic example of this, I offered a step-by-step in creating a simple Wordpress plugin with chatGPT here.

IDEA - ChatGPT / AI / MidJourney Creation Repository: Share Your Useful Creations

I am aware there are two or three ChatGPT-related threads on the forum. However, I wanted to make this one separate, to highlight and share random tools and things we create using the AI. Especially for non-coders using it to create neat little things for business, productivity and so on. While...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

 

[Andy Black]

Q - Why do you need terms/privacy/disclaimer/contact/about pages?
A - Because you don't have reviews yet. You have no social proof. So you leverage other points of credibility to put consumers at ease about doing business with you until you get social proof.

... and when a Google employee checks out your site to see if they should ban you they'll see you're more legit.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Wow, thanks a lot for pointing out this process Lex. I will definitely look into that.

I have a few questions:

1. You write that you currently have products on your first website with prices ranging from $49.97 to $297.97. How much were the products sold for when you found them and decided to sell them to a new audience?

2. One thing I don't quite get: How can you have recurring revenue for a digital product?

3. Assuming you take the product from your example at $6, what's the maximum you estimate you could charge for it?

4. On one of your new sites you want to have 50 products. Are these 50 different products? How does that work in terms of niche? With 50 different products, the niche has to be pretty broad, right?

Thanks a lot.

1. Different people sold my item at different prices ranging from as low as maybe $5 or $6 to as high as a few hundred.

2. It's easy to have recurring revenue for digital products. For instance, if your products can be updated from time to time, then recurring payments for access makes sense. So if you offer a digital library of sorts, or if you offer a software service or ongoing support of some kind, then you could turn your products into a recurring subscription model.

3. I don't assume a maximum I could charge for it. I test different prices and see what people actually buy.

4. The 50 products will be different, but they'll all be variations of the initial product that the same audience would want to buy. The niche doesn't need to be broad. If I sold donut recipes, then I could easily have 50 different donut recipes. All recipes are donuts, so they will all appeal to donut shops looking for new recipes to try.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Monday Challenges
I wanted to focus on Google ads but ran into issues with WooCommerce this morning. To fix these, I asked Chat GPT for solutions and kept asking until it produced ideas that worked.

Site 2
I'm tidying up today and will get a Google Ads account ready. Tomorrow, (possibly today) I'll set up a basic campaign for a single keyword and start running ads to my shop page to see what it takes to get a sale.

Site 3
The products for this site take a little longer, so I'll focus on launching Site 2 this week, and Site 3 next week unless I get really motivated before then.

Status Report
We're approximately one week into this and almost have live products. I've spent less than $100. Some of you might spend slightly more or slightly less depending on where and how you start.

A note on Google Ads
When I set up my campaign, I'll share some parts of the process, but a lot of it comes from @Andy Black's training, so I'm not step-by-stepping that part. You'll want to learn from his resources if you don't know how to use Google Ads.

A note on Etsy
If you start on Etsy, you should have at least 30 to 50 (ideally over 100) listings. There's an Etsy thread that discusses why. I think it's this one.

A note on action...
If you're reading this thinking, "I should do something like this," just do it. Enough of the process is already available that you should've started already.

 

[biophase]

I don't know what the difference is lol.


Keyword planner shows what people are searching for, but I want to know what search term they searched for when they saw my ad and clicked on it. Does that make sense?

If I use phrase match or exact match then I wouldn't get that data, right?


That makes sense.

I do need to test Maximize Conversions on my first site. Site 2 doesn't have enough data for it yet, but I think the other site does. I hadn't considered that Google would figure all of that other stuff out for me.

Hi Lex,

Great thread. Just going to slightly hijack it to prove something to the people who can't come up with ideas. Ideas are everywhere. Since I'm an ecom guy, I probably view everything through this lens. I came across this on etsy for $65 with many reviews.

A quick search on Amazon shows you can get 25 gummies for $2.71 and the canvas for $2.00 ea. So $4.71 cost of goods, plus some glue and a box to ship. You can make $45 a pop selling these. So simple.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Got it, thanks for your reply!

It sounds like you're creating multiple products for 1 niche / 1 site (eg. an ebook, a recurring subscription, etc) - have I got this correct?

That's one way to do it. I'm not set on doing it one way. For instance, I've had multiple products for multiple niches, and I've had a single product that had many variations for one niche. Depends on what the product is and what the people want/need. For my next attempt, I plan to have multiple products for one niche.

And finally, in terms of product creation do you simply do your own research when it comes to recreating a winning product? I can imagine it's easier if you already have knowledge of the topic!

I'm not sure what kind of research you're referring to. I wouldn't choose a product where I'd need to do extensive research because it would lead to time-wasting. ChatGPT 4 should be able to answer most questions. If not, then the product is not the right product for me.

One thing I think about a lot is the creative angle. Specifically, I ask, "what's the story?" or "What stories might I tell?"

If I can move the person from buying a product to buying a story, then I don't need research. I need creativity. I need ideas. I need to be a better storyteller than the next store.

The niche is a type of story. It's a story people sell themselves about who they are. Really it's the story of who they wish they were. If you wrap your product in a story that reinforces their fantasy, it allows them to escape inward, deeper into their fictional reality. Then they have a strong motivation to buy your product because, in a sense, it connects their fantasy with reality.

 

[constant]

View attachment 47492

“hello sir would you be my mentor please provide email id.

edit: SIR its been 10minutes”

 

[Lex DeVille]

Thank you much for providing your entire process. I'm kind of shocked that you can sell a product for over $50 that takes so little effort to create. At the very least this will make a fun side project!

The effort doesn't matter. It's not like the customer knows how much time it took to create the product. They only see the end result. Once you have proof of sales, then you improve your marketing efforts to sell the end result faster.

 

[Lex DeVille]

I ran this through Google Translate even though based on the "Good luck" I already knew what it said.

Google translates it to "Lex, I really wish you continued success, but it's hard to produce value over time with products built so quickly. Good luck!"

When I run it through my personal business translator (myself) it says, "Lex, I know nothing about value creation so here is my excuse why I can't do this."

I don't need luck because I understand business and value creation.

...but good luck to you.

I think we need to clarify something...

The process proposed in this thread is NOT:

1. Make a shit product in 10 minutes
2. Put it in the market
3. Become a millionaire and buy a Ferrari in 30 days

The process proposed in this thread IS:

1. Leverage an existing product with proven sales that you can recreate quickly because it's digital
2. Make it somehow better than the existing product (niching down is just one way)
3. Put it in the market
4. Get sales and feedback
5. Iterate and improve the product and your processes over and over and over

In March I spent like $800 on ads and generated $6,000 in sales. In April I spent $1,800 on ads and made $4,500 in sales. Holy shit. Should I quit? Give up because my ad spend went way up and my sales dropped?

NO. I just keep changing shit and trying stuff. My ad spend went up because I tried a different ad approach and it turned out not to be as profitable. So now I'll try another approach and hope for better results.

All business is iterations of improvement.

That's the name of the game. If you don't have iterations of improvement, of course, you'll fall by the wayside. Of course, your product will be dust in the wind.

You start somewhere, ANYWHERE, and then you try stuff and see what works and what doesn't. Whatever works, keep doing it. Whatever doesn't work, lose it.

That's it. That's how you make a digital product valuable and profitable today and in the future.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Okay, finally have something to update.

After launching the new 1-page site with the low-priced product, I'm starting to get traction on it.

It took a few days, but I used the Google ads data to narrow my audience and locations and also updated the copy on the page to be more pain-focused, more direct-response style, and a bit more intriguing.

After the adjustments I earned two sales, bringing my total up to three.

Total Sales: $20.00
Ad Spend: $16.27

Big numbers, I know, but you have to start somewhere and this one deals in low numbers on purpose.

Now that I have data, I'll get rid of all of the search terms that aren't performing and only keep those that get clicks or sales.

I'll increase my budget from $5/day to $10/day.

Current Page Layout
Below is the page layout for my entire 1-page website:

Section 1: Headline, Subheadline, CTA Button, Card Logos
The headline is huge and uses the "Want [thing they want]?" format to target their exact search term. The subheadline adds a benefit and reaffirms that we offer a solution for what they want. The button uses the, "YES! I Want [thing]" format with a second tiny line of text that says (Just $[price]). Below that are card logos.

Section 2: Website purpose
This section (H2) states that my website has one purpose. The subheading, in one short sentence, says that purpose is to sell [thing they want]. Then it shows a number counter (if you don't have sales you can use subscribers, page visitors, etc. - anything to create some movement on the page).

Section 3: How it Works
I used two boxes in this section to split the process into two steps.

• Step 1: Checkout.
• Step 2: Download (replace this with whatever is relevant for your product)

Section 4: Why Do This?
In two short paragraphs, I talk about the customer's pains. Then I bring the copy back to the fact that we solve those problems. Finally, I close this section with a CTA button (duplicate of the Section 1 button with card logos below).

Section 5: About Us
This section is split into two colums. On the left is a relevant image (with the site's name over it) that I made in canva (doesn't have to be an image of the product, but that's fine too). On the right is two paragraphs about our store. Both paragraphs just remind the customer what our purpose is and then call them to action with a CTA button at the end (same style as other buttons).

Section 6: FAQ
This section covers the limiting beliefs and reservations people might have that stop them from whipping out their wallet. It also mentions our refund policy. At the end of this section I have another CTA button with card logos and below that I added a line of typeform text that states the price and reminds the customer of key benefits.

That's it.

That's the whole website, and now it's generating sales on autopilot.

Going forward, I'll add a Moneyback Guarantee section at the bottom of the page with a fancy seal for credibility.

I'll also probably ask for a testimonial on the thank you page after the customer access my product (and maybe an automated email series to ask for testimonials.

 

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[Andy Black]

Q - What if I can't afford Google Ads?
A - I plan to start with a small daily budget under $10. You can start as low as $1.00 I think.

You can have budgets of less than $1.00.

Note that Google can take up to twice your daily budget. They're supposed to average it across the month but they're sneaky f*ckers so set to half what you want initially.

(Note that you can set budgets to $0.01 to effectively pause campaigns.)

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Ad Adjustments
I've added several new ad groups targeting additional search terms and switched to only targeting mobile users. Currently getting clicks at $0.33.

Microsoft Clarity
Thrive Themes gave me trouble this morning, so I just installed the Clarity plugin instead of adding code. Easy breezy.

Product Pages
I added the following sections to all product pages this morning:

• Ways Xproduct Can Help You (in checklist format)
• About Us (this is one paragraph)
• FAQ (covers questions from the FAQ page)
• Money-Back Guarantee (7-day guarantee)

Website Pages
I added a "Refund Policy" page and linked it in the footer menu. The page covers the 7-day guarantee.

Dealing with the Overwhelm Problem
Those who feel overwhelmed by all of the things they need to do should pay attention to the build process here. I started as simply as possible. Each day, I add a little more to the website. A little more to the ads. A little more to the email system.

It doesn't matter which area I focus on. Each day the system grows a little, looks more credible, gets closer to that first sale, and then the next, and the next...

Each day I test something different.