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

[ugudango]

Hi, first of all great post!
I've got a question. When you say "Product creation" do you mean actually recreating the digital product itself? Or just creating a product listing on the page?
Since you're talking in very short amounts of time, I'll assume it's the latter, but I want to be on the same page.

Thanks in advance and good luck.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Just… overwhelming.

I ll try to start with an Etsy shop and setting up simple digital products.

Imo for the beginning it’s enough work to do.

Thanks

Etsy is as good a place to start as any.

I didn't bring it up in the first post because it's better to build a business you control, (and because I got banned from Etsy in January after cursing at a non-customer in a DM) but...

I was generating a full-time income on Etsy from this business before the ban.

In January, I generated $2,342.79 from Etsy and $4,512.79 through my website. In total, the business was $144 shy of $7,000 for its third month.

Etsy is easy income if you run ads and people want your product. But as soon as they decide they don't want you, they'll throw your shop straight into the garbage and if you don't have your own website, you'll end up with $0 income.

I sent every customer I earned through Etsy to my website and email list immediately, and many became repeat customers through my website later on.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Hi, first of all great post!
I've got a question. When you say "Product creation" do you mean actually recreating the digital product itself? Or just creating a product listing on the page?
Since you're talking in very short amounts of time, I'll assume it's the latter, but I want to be on the same page.

Thanks in advance and good luck.

I create digital products, and I create listings on my website. Digital products don't have to take a long time to create. They just need to solve problems people have in the ways those people want their problems solved.

Imagine you create a checklist for people who are relocating to Austin, Texas. Would people who are relocating to Dallas, Texas need a similar checklist? Yes. What about people moving to San Antonio, Texas? Yes. What about people moving to Portland, Oregon? Yes.

All the people have the same moving considerations (they all need to take the same general steps). So in this instance, you would only need to duplicate the checklist and replace "Austin" with "Dallas," "San Antonio," "Portland, Oregon" or whatever the location is. Then run ads to the people who are already searching for such a checklist.

This is only an example. I don't know if this is a good product or not.

 

[ugudango]

I create digital products, and I create listings on my website. Digital products don't have to take a long time to create. They just need to solve problems people have in the ways those people want their problems solved.

Imagine you create a checklist for people who are relocating to Austin, Texas. Would people who are relocating to Dallas, Texas need a similar checklist? Yes. What about people moving to San Antonio, Texas? Yes. What about people moving to Portland, Oregon? Yes.

All the people have the same moving considerations (they all need to take the same general steps). So in this instance, you would only need to duplicate the checklist and replace "Austin" with "Dallas," "San Antonio," "Portland, Oregon" or whatever the location is. Then run ads to the people who are already searching for such a checklist.

This is only an example. I don't know if this is a good product or not.

Thanks for the reply, that's pretty impressive.
I also like the example, people on this forum really do have a way with words that I haven't heard IRL. Maybe it's a small thing but I'd never hear people talking the way they do here.

Best wishes on your journey!

 

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[Raoul Duke]

Great thread and impressive results, congrats man.

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.

Your product seems to violate the commandment of Entry at first glance, but the rest of the CENTS framework is very much respected.

Keep going man!

https://tinyurl.com/mtybsje6

 

[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.

 

[Bentorq]

Massive insight - thank you!

One question if I can.. are you creating these digital products that you are offering from scratch or white labelling them? Just trying to work out the gap in knowledge - wether I need to learn how to create these products etc

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Massive insight - thank you!

One question if I can.. are you creating these digital products that you are offering from scratch or white labelling them? Just trying to work out the gap in knowledge - wether I need to learn how to create these products etc

I'm not sure what you mean by "white labeling." I'm finding products with proven sales and creating my own version to sell to a niche audience that is likely to buy.

 

[Andy Black]

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.

Thanks for the shoutout Lex. It's great seeing people get into Google Ads.

 

[BellaPippin]

"You can't invoice for input."
(Blaise Brosnan)

In this case it's more like "You don't invoice for input."

Ok but I read Pierce and now

 

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[BellaPippin]

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.

 

[BellaPippin]

although our price points are waaay wayy different.

 

[BellaPippin]

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?

 

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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.

 

[Charnell]

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.

I hope people can recognize how much value is in these 173 words. There should be no more questions about starting an email marketing initiative if you follow this plan laid out in front of us. Hell, your copy could suck and still produce results with this.

 

[Lex DeVille]

I hope people can recognize how much value is in these 173 words. There should be no more questions about starting an email marketing initiative if you follow this plan laid out in front of us. Hell, your copy could suck and still produce results with this.

Mostly, I just want to keep the product in front of people - keep them seeing it every day. Attack the mind from different angles and push buttons until one triggers a purchase. Then push that button a lot haha.

 

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[BellaPippin]

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?


Edit: I got a Google Ads Campaign going.

 

[BellaPippin]

15 Types Of Emails To Send To Your Email List (+ 85 Ways To Grow It)

15 types of emails to send to your email list, what to include in them, and when to send them.

sumo.com

Tadahhhh! in case anyone else is a total ****** like me

 

[Ing]

Sorry, that I occupy your thread, Lex.
Just to share: I started my Etsy shop today and as I had no product jet, I put in a physical product I prduced 2 years ago. I don’t think, anybody will buy, but just to have one, I did.
So I ran into some problems, when my son came in and he solved my problems in seconds.
Imo younger people than me have a big advantage in e-commerce.
And I m glad to have him.

 

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[KiwiEC]

This thread is a goldmine, thanks again for this.

 

[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.

 

[NIK4658]

It's amazing how helpful and incredibly valuable this thread is, thanks for all the knowledge, really. You are helping me a lot.

 

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[Andy Black]

@Lex DeVille ... do you have a Weekly Trading sheet setup where you track your numbers, and make note of changes you made?

I can't stress how useful they are. Combine that with keeping a more detailed log for each week and you can go back and find out what you did, why, and how (if you screenshot as you go).

I just posted a screenshot of a Weekly Trading sheet here.

 

[Lex DeVille]

@Lex DeVille ... do you have a Weekly Trading sheet setup where you track your numbers, and make note of changes you made?

I can't stress how useful they are. Combine that with keeping a more detailed log for each week and you can go back and find out what you did, why, and how (if you screenshot as you go).

I just posted a screenshot of a Weekly Trading sheet here.

No, but I haven't been making many changes from week to week. Once I saw which ads were converting, I scrapped all the other ads and put my spend toward the remaining four and let them run.

I probably should set that up. I know conversions increased for one ad when I switched the link from the shop page to the product page, so it would be nice to track changes more closely going forward.

 

[Andy Black]

No, but I haven't been making many changes from week to week. Once I saw which ads were converting, I scrapped all the other ads and put my spend toward the remaining four and let them run.

I probably should set that up. I know conversions increased for one ad when I switched the link from the shop page to the product page, so it would be nice to track changes more closely going forward.

Yeah, at the start you may be testing too many things to log them all.

When you're in a groove and trying to scale this will help.

Logging your notes in a discrete W/C thread/log will help too. In a few months time you'll look at your metrics and wonder why something improved or fell off a cliff in a certain week. You can see the small change log notes in your sheet, and also go back to the relevant W/C thread/log and see your notes of what you were trying, why, etc. This is even handier if you've a team and want to train them up or see what they're doing.

 

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[AndreiR]

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.

Advertising on Facebook is definitely not what it used to be, mainly because of the ios14 privacy updates and competition between other advertisers. What do you think of using Facebook Ads in conjunction with better tracking platforms like Hyros? Or using Facebook's Conversion API to set that up directly?

Also, it seems like there's a huge push towards organic content online and on online communities, and away from Ads. People hate being sold to, but love buying. So what do you think of using a Skool.com (made by Sam Ovens) community to build an audience that you then 'graduate' into becoming clients?

 

[A Sunderland]

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.)

never used them, but I've seen vouchers for search ads on G, YouTube, Bing etc.
might be helpful for newbies

 

[Lex DeVille]

Advertising on Facebook is definitely not what it used to be, mainly because of the ios14 privacy updates and competition between other advertisers. What do you think of using Facebook Ads in conjunction with better tracking platforms like Hyros? Or using Facebook's Conversion API to set that up directly?

Also, it seems like there's a huge push towards organic content online and on online communities, and away from Ads. People hate being sold to, but love buying. So what do you think of using a Skool.com (made by Sam Ovens) community to build an audience that you then 'graduate' into becoming clients?

I'm not opposed to Facebook ads. To me, FB ads don't make sense to get this type of business off the ground because of the click intent. People on FB are not actively looking to buy solutions (usually). Better targeting/tracking won't change that. FB ads can play a role in the overall marketing strategy, but that role isn't at the beginning.

As for what other people are pushing for, I have no idea. I don't follow gurus and don't know who Sam Ovens is. 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?

I would also note that communities aren't usually *passive.* Without an engaged community, they probably aren't buying from you.

 

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[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).

 

[Andy Black]

Putting my mod hat on... upgraded to Gold.

Thanks for dropping the nuggets for others to follow Lex.