Ever thought about making money with Notion?

Imagine turning your organization skills into a profitable side hustle.

Well, I did just that – and earned $15,310 selling Notion templates in my spare time.

In this post, I’ll share the exact steps, strategies, and secrets I used to build, market, and sell Notion templates successfully.

Ready to dive in?

Let’s get started!

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My background – How I got started

Before diving into Notion templates, I was already working as a professional blogger.

I started blogging back in 2015, and by 2019, I was managing a large team of content writers.

That’s when I first came across Notion on Product Hunt, and it completely changed my workflow.

After seeing videos from productivity experts like Ali Abdaal, August Bradley, and Thomas Frank, I began building a “Life Operating System” in Notion.

Notion isn’t just a note-taking app!

It’s a powerful tool for creating custom systems that can handle all kinds of tasks, projects, and goals.

I developed dashboards in Notion for everything from managing my blog and YouTube channels to keeping track of my personal goals and even cataloging the knowledge I acquired from books and courses.

As my system grew, I thought, “Why not share it?”

Documenting the process and selling it as a template seemed like a great idea, and that’s when my Notion template business was born.

How niching down helped me?

The Notion template market is getting crowded.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of templates available today.

So, how can you make yours stand out?

It’s simple: Niche down.

You need to pick a niche where you have expertise, or a specific group you want to serve.

Some examples include templates for startups, agency owners, students, or teachers.

For instance, I’ve seen teachers do well on platforms like Gumroad by creating templates specifically for managing class materials.

As Notion grows in popularity, new niches keep popping up, so there’s always room to carve out your space.

The key here is to create something that you use yourself.

When you have firsthand experience with your template, you can refine and update it to make it genuinely useful for others.

That authenticity helps attract customers who can see you’re genuinely invested in the system.

Choices I faced

Now, let’s talk about selling.

There are several ways you can sell your Notion templates, and each has its pros and cons.

• Marketplaces like Gumroad and Etsy: These are awesome spots to sell your Notion templates. It’s like setting up a digital shop. Just make sure to use catchy keywords and some SEO magic to get noticed. And don’t forget to check out what’s trending in your niche. It helps you stand out and boost your sales.
• Notion’s template gallery: This option is perfect for generating organic traffic. The Notion template gallery allows you to showcase your template to Notion’s audience directly, which can lead to steady sales.
• Freemium models to attract customers: I saw some clever creators, like Sam Bird, offer free templates as lead magnets like client portals or CRMs, just to get folks hooked. It’s a smart move because these freebies often lead to bigger sales down the line.

But, in my experience, YouTube is where the magic really happens.

With YouTube, I could visually walk potential buyers through the template and show them its capabilities in real time.

🤑 When people see the value and understand how to use the template, they’re much more likely to buy it.

How I sold my Notion templates

Throughout the years of using Notion, I built and refined my life operating system and content management system in Notion.

Once I had a system refined well enough, I thought, “Why not bundle all the things that I have built into a complete life operating system, especially for solopreneurs and content creators, and sell them online?“

So I decided to create a series of videos on how to build my system, educating people how they can build the system themselves or else they can buy my system.

When I released my first Notion video, “2023 Second Brain Setup,” I saw an immediate response.

The timing was perfect – around New Year’s when everyone was rebuilding their workspace and setting goals.

That video’s success pushed me to release more.

I made videos like “Notion Task Management System,” where I explained how to build a task manager in Notion, and viewers could download a free version.

For access to the full system, they’d need to buy it on my website.

I also created a dedicated website, CoreSystem.io, to house my templates and manage sales.

Here’s the setup I used:

1. Product Demo: A video demo of the system on the homepage helped customers understand exactly what they were getting.
2. Testimonials: I showcased reviews from people who had used my system and found it valuable.
3. Two Pricing Plans: The Starter plan at $157 offered basic access to the templates, while the Pro Bundle at $197 included CreatorOS for content creators and specialist templates.

For those purchasing my LifeOS, I offered an add-on called CoreAI, which provides a library of AI prompts I use in my business.

This add-on was popular – almost every customer bought it with their template, increasing my revenue per sale.

Instead of using popular platforms like Gumroad or Etsy, I choseThriveCartfor my sales.

Why?

ThriveCart gave me more control over my sales funnel, which is important as someone with years of digital marketing experience. This flexibility let me customize the customer journey, track conversions, and offer upsells likeCoreAI.

Selling Notion templates can be highly rewarding if you’re strategic and have a product that truly delivers value.

Here’s a recap of my top tips:

1. Start with a niche: Focus on a specific audience that would benefit from your expertise. Create templates that offer solutions to their unique needs.
2. Build a community: Use platforms like YouTube to create video tutorials and attract an engaged audience. Show your potential customers the full capabilities of your template so they can see its value.
3. Use a sales funnel: Instead of relying solely on third-party platforms, consider creating a website for more control over the buying experience. ThriveCart worked well for me, but other platforms could also be effective.

Finally, if you’re interested in diving deeper into Notion template sales, get my free Notion Profits Playbook.

It’s a guide on how to earn with Notion, and I share weekly insights on content creation, sales, and solo entrepreneurship.

If you want more tips, go ahead and read this blog post on 7 ways to monetize Notion.