Do you love crossing off tasks on a to-do list? Does seeing a clearly laid-out budget make your heart sing? Even if you’re not an organization buff, you’ve probably heard of the Notion app. Since relaunching in 2018, Notion has become one of the go-to workflow tools for businesses and individuals alike, helping them manage tasks big and small.
With their endlessly customizable templates, Notion provides users with innumerable ways to organize their lives and work. That includes anything from grocery lists and personal budget sheets, to corporate project management systems.
Sure, many people create their own Notion templates to help themselves manage work tasks and daily errands, but did you know that you can also create Notion templates to sell to others?
If you’re looking for a simple but legitimate way to make money online, keep reading for a beginner’s guide on selling Notion templates.
What is Notion?
Notion is a productivity and workflow app where companies and individuals can create digital workspaces for infinite uses.
Among many other organizational tools, Notion offers companies task management and project tracking tools to help them run their businesses, and provides individuals with comprehensive note-taking, list-making, and bookmarking tools that help them keep track of their daily lives.
What are Notion templates?
A Notion template is a page or a set of pages that are publicly shared on Notion, and that can be duplicated and customized by other users.
Notion templates can contain lists, tables, and images, and are designed for others to use for a number of purposes. Some examples include simple templates like to-do lists and resume templates, while others are more complex and multi-purpose, like workplace management and personal finance templates.
Essentially, in creating a Notion template, you’re creating an organizational tool that can be used by others — all they have to do is begin inputting their own data.
Most users create Notion templates for their own personal use or to share with their work teams, family members, and more. However, you can also create Notion templates to sell to anyone online.
Why you should sell Notion templates
From to-do lists to project management systems, Notion templates can be used by big corporations, small business owners, and regular individuals for a seemingly endless number of purposes.
Notion is a powerful app and its templates make running a business (or just managing one’s daily life) a lot easier. The thing is that creating a Notion template itself can be pretty time-consuming. That’s why these ready-to-use templates are such sought-after commodities for both businesses and individuals. By creating templates like these, you’re helping others save a lot of time and effort, which they can then put back into their businesses and their busy lives.
Like other digital products, Notion templates only need to be created and uploaded once. From there, these templates can be purchased and downloaded an endless number of times. Because they require such low production efforts and virtually zero overhead, Notion templates are a great way to earn a passive income online.
Related: Recession-Proofing as a Creator: Why You Should Sell Digital Products
What type of Notion templates can you create?
Notion is a robust app with plenty of features. That means when it comes to creating Notion templates, the possibilities are pretty much endless. When deciding which Notion templates you’d like to create and sell, there are a few things you should consider:
1. Ask yourself what type of templates you’d like to create.
Is there a particular niche, industry, or hobby you love and are looking to target? Once you’ve determined your area of interest, do some research to determine people’s needs or pain points in that field. Then, create a template to solve those problems. If your template can address an existing gap in a niche or market, you’ve got a sought-after and sellable product on your hands.
2. Are you a creator with an existing following? Ask your audience what type of Notion templates they’d want to use.
To get this feedback, you can poll your followers on a number of social channels including TikTok, Instagram Stories, Twitter, or even your own email newsletter.
3. Take a look at your own Notion app. Have you created any templates that have helped you manage your own life or business?
It’s likely others will find these templates useful too! Looking at your repertoire of personal templates is a great way to get ideas for templates you could create and sell to others.
When it comes to Notion, the options are pretty much infinite. Notion templates serve a large number of niches, industries, and personal areas, including health and wellness, home and living, marketing, design, education, and more.
Here are some of the most popular Notion templates to get the gears turning:
- Budget planners
- Habit trackers
- Workout planners
- Meal planners
- Daily journals
- Travel planners
- Creative briefs
- Student dashboards
- Reading lists
- Content calendars
- Moodboards
- Product launch planners
- Meeting notes
- Project roadmaps
How much can you make selling Notion templates?
Notion templates arrive in varying levels of complexity. Some are super simple (i.e. grocery lists) while others are more complex (i.e. project roadmap.) Because of this, Notion templates can sell for anything from $5 to $100 or more.
To give you an idea of the earning potential of selling Notion templates, take a look at creator Easlo. The self-proclaimed “Notion Guy” began making and selling Notion templates in 2021. By October 2022, he was making $20,000 of passive income per month.
Tip: When pricing your Notion template, we suggest looking into the prices of similar templates in your niche to make sure you’re charging competitively, but not too little for all the effort you put into it!
With Notion templates (as with all digital products), you want to think volume. Since you only need to create a template once, you might want to consider selling it at an accessible price to encourage the most possible sales.
Interested in selling Notion templates? Grab our free resource below for 120 template ideas you can create and sell online!
How to create and sell a Notion template
So, you have a great idea for a sellable Notion template? That’s only the half of it! Now, it’s time to get to work creating the finished product. Here, we guide you through the process of how to create and sell a Notion template, from preliminary research to setting up your digital storefront.
1. Research your competition
Research is always the first step when you’re creating a new product. Before building your Notion template, you’ll want to dig into what your competitors are doing for a number of different reasons.
First, you’ll want to make sure there’s an adequate gap in the market for your template. You don’t want to waste all that work on a template that essentially already exists. You might want to add additional tools and features to your template that competitors haven’t considered to give you that leg up.
2. Build, test, and design your template
Now it’s time to create your template! After building out the template’s main tools, be sure to test them out to ensure everything runs smoothly. Then, it’s time to amp up the look of your template, to make it even more attractive to potential buyers.
For instance, to make her academic planner for high school students stand out from similar Notion templates, creator @mnotiontemplates has designed hers with a Gilmore Girls-inspired aesthetic, appealing to fans of the TV series.
3. Add instructions
By nature, some templates are more intuitive and easy-to-use than others. No matter how simple your template, you’ll want to include a list of instructions that walk your buyer through using it. These could be a set of written instructions within the template or in an attached PDF, or even a set of video instructions.
4. Publish your template
Once you’ve finished creating your Notion template, tap the save button at the top right corner of the app. Then, toggle on the “Share to Web” button. Once you’ve shared your template, you’ll see another set of toggle buttons where you should ensure that:
- “Allow Editing” is off.
- “Allow comments” is off. (Unless you’d like your customers to leave comments and feedback on your template.)
- “Allow duplicate as template” is on. (This allows your customers to save their own copy of the template.)
- Search engine indexing is off. (So that your template won’t appear publicly on the internet.)
5. Create a PDF
Think of this PDF as the packaging for your template. This PDF is what customers will purchase as a digital download from your web shop. It should include:
- A link to your Notion template.
- A set of instructions on how to use the template (unless these instructions are included within the template itself.)
- A general terms of use (here, you should remind your customers not to share your template link publicly.)
6. Set up an online store
Now, you need a place to sell your template. You can set up an online store by using a link-in-bio storefront tool like The Leap, or building your own website using Squarespace. After you’ve set up your online storefront, you just need to upload your PDF as a digital download, set your determined price, and watch the dollars roll in.
Whichever platform you choose depends on your budget and personal preference — just make sure it supports selling digital products.
Want to start selling your Notion templates? Create your online storefront on The Leap today.
How to get more sales for your Notion templates
To sell your template, you’ll need to get it in front of potential customers’ eyes. Marketing is essential when it comes to selling any digital products. And that includes Notion templates!
If you already have an online following, you’ll want to promote your new Notion template through your social channels. That includes TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, newsletters, or however else you reach your following.
If you don’t have an audience yet, you’ll want to start building one. Work on creating content — videos, blog posts, etc. — within the niche your template caters to. This will ensure your template gets in front of the right audience.
Here are some great examples of using TikTok content to promote your Notion templates:
Wondering how much you can make by marketing your digital products on TikTok? Use our free TikTok Money Calculator to estimate your earnings.
Make your first sale!
Notion is not just a helpful productivity app — it’s a powerful tool you can use to make money online. The number of Notion templates you can create are virtually endless. And so is the cash! So, get out there and start making and selling your own planners, trackers, and calendars. The world of Notion is your oyster.
Want to start making money online? Grab our 6-step digital product launch checklist to go from an initial idea to your first sale.
Follow The Leap on TikTok and Instagram for more monetization tips for creators. We also make a newsletter.
