The 5 MAJOR mistakes that cost me $$$ selling digital products (+ what I'd do differently)

About this video

Drawing on what she describes as 10 years of running an online business, Kate Hayes lists five things she would do differently as a digital product seller. First, research before choosing a product: she now checks Etsy’s first pages of search results for organically ranking listings and uses Sales Samurai for demand data, giving the example that ‘soy candle’ gets over 60,000 Etsy searches a month with high competition, while ‘funny soy candle’ still gets over 17,000 with much lower competition; she also consults yearly design-trend articles from Canva, Kittl, and Creative Market. Second, invest money and time in quality mockups, since listing images make or break a sale for products buyers cannot hold. Third, start an email list immediately rather than waiting years, using a free lead magnet, a simple landing page, and a welcome sequence of three to five emails; she cites research that people are six times more likely to click a link in an email than on social media. Fourth, try paid ads sooner, starting with just a couple of dollars a day, mainly to learn which listings people respond to. Fifth, collaborate with complementary sellers or influencers earlier instead of working alone, structuring the pitch as a win-win.

Key takeaways

• Research demand before creating: use Etsy’s organic top results and keyword data to find niches with high search volume but lower competition.
• Quality mockups are non-negotiable for digital products because listing images carry the job of showing value and building buyer trust.
• Start an email list from day one with a lead magnet, landing page, and a three-to-five-email welcome sequence, and promote the freebie everywhere.
• Run small paid ads early — even a couple of dollars a day — for data on which listings resonate, then double down on the winners.
• Collaborations with complementary sellers or influencers give faster traction by borrowing an audience that already trusts the partner.

Episode details: published September 1, 2026 · 15:56 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Kate Hayes’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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