Category Archives: Easy Digital Downloads

How to Sell Audiobooks Online (3 Simple & Easy Ways)

audiobooks, Easy Digital Downloads, ecommerce, memberpress, online store, selling digital products, Tutorials, woocommerce, wordpress ecommerce

Do you want to sell audiobooks online?

By selling your books as downloadable audio files, you can make money without having to pay for shipping or printing. You can also sell the same audio file an unlimited number of times.

In this article, we will show you how to easily sell audiobooks online using WordPress.

How to sell audiobooks online

Why Sell Audiobooks Online?

There are lots of ways to share your experiences or knowledge online. You can create an online course, record a webinar, or even start a podcast.

Another option is recording that information as an audiobook. This is a great way to collect everything you want to say into a single, downloadable file that’s easy to distribute and sell to other people.

Unlike traditional printed books, you don’t have to pay printing or shipping fees for your audiobooks. You also don’t have to worry about physical storage, supplies, or managing your inventory. All of this means lower costs and bigger profits, which makes audiobooks the perfect way to make money online with WordPress.

If you have an ebook, then there are plenty of services that can help you turn it into an audiobook including ACX. Every audiobook you make on ACX will be available on Audible.com, Amazon.com, and iTunes, but it’s also a good idea to add the audiobook to your own website.

With that in mind, let’s see how you can sell audiobooks online. Simply use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use.

Method 1. How to Sell Audiobooks With Easy Digital Downloads (Recommended)

The easiest way to sell audiobooks online is by using Easy Digital Downloads. Easy Digital Downloads is one of the best eCommerce WordPress plugins, and it’s designed specifically to sell digital products.

How to sell an audiobook in WordPress using Easy Digital Downloads

Unlike general eCommerce plugins, Easy Digital Downloads has the specific features you need to promote, sell, and distribute digital products with ease. This means you don’t have to waste time and effort with unnecessary settings, such as configuring your store’s shipping.

Even better, if you’re using SiteGround then Easy Digital Downloads already comes pre-installed on their EDD plan, so you can start using it straight away.

If you’re using a different hosting provider, then you’ll need to install and activate the Easy Digital Downloads plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, go to Downloads » Settings in the WordPress dashboard.

The Easy Digital Downloads plugin's settings

Even though you’re selling audiobooks, you’ll need to set your store’s location. This allows Easy Digital Downloads to auto-fill some fields in the order form, which will help improve the customer experience.

Easy Digital Downloads also uses your location to calculate sales tax.

To add your location, simply open the ‘Business Country’ dropdown menu. You can then choose where your business is based.

Setting the location for your audiobook store

Next, find the ‘Business Region’ field.

Here you can open the dropdown and choose the region where your store operates from.

Setting the region for your online audiobook store

After making these changes, go ahead and click on Save Changes to store your settings.

Next, you’ll need a way to accept credit card payments in WordPress by clicking on the ‘Payments’ tab. Then make sure the ‘General’ tab is selected.

Adding payment gateways to your WordPress website

In the Payment Gateways section, check the box next to each gateway that you want to add to your WordPress blog or website.

If you add more than one payment method, then you’ll need to choose a default gateway.

Adding multiple payment gateways to an online store

You can use any gateway you want, but Stripe can accept credit cards as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay. This is why we recommend using Stripe as the default payment gateway.

With that done, click on the ‘Save Changes’ button.

You’ll now see some new tabs where you can configure each payment method.

Configuring payment gateways including Stripe

Configuring the payment gateway will be slightly different depending on which gateway you’re using, but Easy Digital Downloads will walk you through the process.

Once you’ve set up at least one payment gateway, you’re ready to start uploading audiobooks to your WordPress website.

To create a digital product, select Downloads from the left-hand menu. Then, click on the ‘Add New’ button.

Adding a downloadable audiobook to your WordPress website

You can now type a name for the product into the ‘Enter download name here’ field. This will appear on the audiobook’s page, so you’ll want to use something that catches the visitor’s attention and accurately describes the book.

Next, type out the description that will appear on the ebook’s product page. You’ll want to give visitors all the information they need to decide whether this book is right for them.

Adding a title to a downloable audiobook

Many online stores use product categories and tags to help shoppers find what they’re looking for. If you’re selling lots of audiobooks, then these categories and tags help visitors find related audiobooks, which can get you more sales.

You can create new categories and tags in the Categories and Tags boxes.

Adding categories and tags to a downloadable ebook

For more information, see our step-by-step guide on how to add categories and tags for WordPress pages.

Next, you’ll want to set a price by scrolling to the Download Prices section. Here, type in how much visitors will pay to download the audiobook.

Adding prices to an audio book in WordPress

You’re now ready to upload the audio file that you want to sell. When it comes to audio, WordPress supports mp3, ogg, and wav. It also supports m4a, although this format may not work on all browsers.

Pro Tip: If you want to sell audiobooks in a file type that WordPress doesn’t support, then see our guide on how to allow additional file types in WordPress.

To add an audio file, simply scroll to the Download Files section.

How to upload a downloadable audiobook to WordPress

In the File Name field, type a name for the file that shoppers will get when they buy the audiobook. Then, simply click on ‘Upload a File.’

You can now choose any audio file from the WordPress media library, or you can upload a new audiobook from your computer.

Finally, you’ll need to add a product image, which will usually be your audiobook’s front cover. Simply scroll to the Download Image section and then click on the ‘Set Download Image’ link.

Adding a featured image to your audiobook

This launches the WordPress media library where you can choose an image or upload a new file from your computer.

When you’re happy with your digital download, click on the Publish button to make it live.

Easy Digital Downloads will now create the audiobook as a downloadable product, but visitors still need a way to access the product page.

This might mean adding the page to your website’s menu, creating a sales page where you advertise all your audiobooks, or even adding the book to a custom home page.

No matter what method you choose, you’ll need to know the audiobook’s URL.

To get this link, simply go to Downloads » Downloads. Then, find the audiobook you just created, and click on its ‘Edit’ link.

How to get a link to a downloadable audiobook product

You will then find the URL directly below the product title.

Now, you can link to this product page from any area of your website, simply by using its URL. To learn more, see our step-by-step guide on how to add a link in WordPress.

Easy Digital Downloads also creates a ‘Purchase’ button for this particular audiobook. Visitors can click this button to add the audiobook to their cart.

Adding an audiobook purchase button to an online store

You can add the button for this book to any page, post, or widget-ready area. This allows visitors to start the purchasing process without even Needing to visit the individual product’s page.

To get the audiobook’s shortcode, simply scroll to its Download Settings section. You can then copy the text in the ‘Purchase Shortcode’ field.

Adding an audiobook to your site using a product shortcode

For more information on placing the shortcode, please see our guide on how to add a shortcode in WordPress.

Every time someone buys an audiobook from your website, Easy Digital Downloads will send them an email and download link.

A purchase receipt for an audiobook

While this email has everything the customer needs to access their download, it’s a good idea to customize it. For example, we recommend adding your own logo and branding.

To customize the default email, simply go to Downloads » Settings. Then click on the ‘Emails’ tab.

Customizing the Easy Digital Download emails

When you’ve finished making changes, you may want to send a test email so you can see how the message will look to your customers.

To do this, simply click on the ‘Send Test Email’ button and Easy Digital Downloads will send an email to your admin email address.

Sending a test email for your downlodable audiobook

Have you clicked on the ‘Send Test Email’ button, but haven’t got a test email? If your site isn’t sending emails correctly, then customers won’t be able to download your audiobook.

With that in mind, you can follow our guide on how to fix the WordPress not sending email issue. You can use WP Mail SMTP to make sure the purchase confirmation emails arrive safely in the customer’s inbox.

When you’re happy with how the email looks, you can go ahead and click on the ‘Save Changes’ button.

This is all you need to start selling audiobooks online. However, Easy Digital Downloads has lots more advanced features that can help you sell audiobooks.

For more information on Easy Digital Downloads, please see our guide on how to sell digital downloads on WordPress.

Method 2. How to Sell Audiobook Memberships (Best for Recurring Revenue)

Another option is using your audiobooks to create recurring revenue streams.

For example, you might offer members unlimited monthly or annual access to all your audiobooks for a membership fee. In this way, you can get reliable recurring revenue over a longer period of time.

How to add an audiobook to your site using MemberPress

A membership site is also a great choice if you’re releasing your audiobooks as a series.

If you want to get recurring revenue, then MemberPress is the best WordPress membership plugin. It allows you to accept payments, create an unlimited number of membership levels, restrict access to audiobook pages based on membership subscription, and more.

First, you need to install and activate the MemberPress plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, go to the MemberPress » Settings page to configure the plugin settings.

How to configure the MemberPress plugin

To start, you’ll need to set up a payment gateway.

Out of the box, MemberPress supports PayPal (Standard, Express, and Pro), Stripe, and Authorize.net. You simply need to select the payment method you want to use and then type in the required credentials, such as your PayPal email address.

Adding a payment gateway to a membership site

You may want to add multiple methods, so members can use their preferred gateway. When that’s done, don’t forget to click on the Update Options button to save your settings.

With the setup out of the way, it’s time to create one or more membership levels. These are the subscriptions that visitors will buy to access your audiobooks, or other content.

MemberPress allows you to offer different content for different membership levels. For example, you might create Bronze, Silver, and Gold memberships and then give members access to different audiobooks.

To create the first membership plan, go to the MemberPress » Memberships page and then click on the ‘Add New’ button.

Adding a membership level to your audiobook website

On the next screen, you’ll need to provide a title for the membership plan and then add details in the post editor.

After that, you can set the pricing, billing type, interval, and expiration under the ‘Membership Terms’ section.

How to sell audiobooks online using MemberPress

Next, scroll to the Membership Options box below the editor.

Here, you can customize the plan permissions and membership options.

Adding a membership level to your WordPress blog or website

When you’re happy with how the plan is set up, go ahead and click on ‘Publish.’ To create more membership levels, simply repeat the same process described above.

Once you’ve created all the membership levels, it’s time to add some access rules. These allow you to restrict access to your audiobooks based on the user’s membership plan.

Just go to MemberPress » Rules and then click on the Add New button.

Adding a new rule to your WordPress membership site

Here, you can create all kinds of access rules, but you’ll typically start by selecting the audiobook that you want to restrict access to.

Under ‘Protected Content,’ open the dropdown menu and choose an option from the list. This might be the specific page where you embedded the audio file, content that has a particular tag, or any other option from the list.

Creating content restriction rules in WordPress

After that, open the ‘Access Conditions’ dropdown and choose ‘Membership.’

In the second dropdown menu, select the membership level people will need in order to access this content.

Creating subscriptions for your audiobooks

There are more settings that you can configure, but this is all you need to create a simple access rule.

When you’re happy with how the rule is set up, click on ‘Save Rule.’ To create more access rules, simply follow the same process described above.

Now that everything is set up, you’ll need to make sure visitors can buy memberships and log into their accounts. Thankfully, MemberPress comes with ready-made forms that you can add to your site.

We recommend adding the MemberPress login widget to a widget-ready area, so members can log in from any page.

Simply head over to Appearance » Widgets and add the ‘MemberPress login’ widget to the sidebar or similar section.

Adding a MemberPress login widget to WordPress

To learn more, please see our guide on how to add and use widgets in WordPress.

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Update’ button to save your widget settings.

There are a few different ways to add a signup page to your website, but MemberPress automatically creates a registration page for each membership level. This means you can simply add these pages to your main navigation menu.

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance » Menus. In the left-hand menu, simply click to expand the ‘Memberships’ section.

Adding membership subscriptions to your WordPress website

You’ll now see a list of all the different MemberPress levels.

To add a membership to the navigation menu, simply check the box next to it and then select ‘Add to menu.’

How to sell audiobooks online

For step-by-step instructions, please see our guide on how to add a navigation menu.

When you’re happy with how the menu is set up, click on ‘Save Menu.’

At this point, you’ve created a website where visitors can buy audiobook subscriptions. However, MemberPress has lots more settings you can use to sell audiobooks, grow your brand, and get more members.

For more information about MemberPress, check out our ultimate guide to creating a WordPress membership site.

Method 3. How to Sell Audiobooks With WooCommerce (Best For Online Stores)

Easy Digital Downloads makes it easy to sell audiobooks on any WordPress blog or website, without you having to configure lots of unnecessary settings like shipping and handling.

However, if you’ve already created a WooCommerce store, then you can sell digital products like audiobooks using this popular eCommerce plugin.

How to sell an audiobook online using WooCommerce

Although it’s mostly used to sell physical products, you can add support for digital products by going to WooCommerce » Settings and then clicking on the ‘Products’ tab.

Here, click on the ‘Downloadable products’ link.

Creating downloadable WooCommerce products

You can now open the ‘File download method’ dropdown and choose an option from the list.

When you’re selling digital downloads, there is a risk that customers may share the direct link with other people. This allows people to download your audiobook without paying.

‘Force Downloads’ helps to protect your site from direct linking, so it’s the recommended method. However, just be aware that very large files may result in a timeout, especially if your server has limited resources.

If this happens, then you may need to change your WordPress hosting plan or select a different file download method.

You may also want to enable the checkbox next to ‘Allow using redirect mode (insecure) as a last resort.’ If WooCommerce encounters any problems, then this setting will deliver the audiobook via an unsecured redirect link rather than showing an error.

This is a much better customer experience.

WooCommerce's downloadable product settings

The second option is ‘X-Accel-Redirect/X-Sendfile,’ which serves the file directly to the customer. This protects the audiobook from unauthorized downloads without impacting your site’s performance.

However, this method requires you to install and enable the X-Accel-Redirect/X-Sendfile module on your server, so it’s not very beginner-friendly. Depending on your plan, you may also need to speak to your WooCommerce hosting provider.

The final option is ‘Redirect only,’ which uses a direct link to the file. This means your audiobook isn’t protected and anyone can access it using the URL. That said, we don’t recommend the ‘Redirect only’ method.

After selecting a download method, you can choose whether visitors must be logged into an account in order to download the audiobook.

Allowing guest checkout can get you more sales and downloads, but requiring users to register with your online store can help you do lead generation.

To make this decision, either enable or disable the ‘Downloads require login’ checkbox.

How to disable guest checkout for audiobooks in WooCommerce

By default, customers can download the audiobook while their order is processing.

If you want to wait until the order is complete, then uncheck the following box: ‘Grant access to downloadable products after payment.’

By default, WooCommerce will download the audiobook to the customer’s computer.

Most of the time this is the best customer experience, but you can set the file to open in a new tab instead. The customer can then decide whether they want to save the file.

There are some use cases where this may be the better option. For example, if you’re showing the customer a free sample, or your audiobooks are short enough to enjoy in one sitting.

In this case, you may want to check the box next to ‘Open downloadable files in the browser.’

How to set up downloadable files in WooCommerce

When you’re happy with the settings you’ve entered, click on ‘Save Changes.’

With that done, you’re ready to add the audiobook as a downloadable product by going to Products » Add New. Here, you can type in a title, add a description, upload a product image, and set the price as normal.

Creating a downloadable WooCommerce product

Then, scroll to ‘Product Data’ and check the box next to ‘Downloadable,’ which adds some new settings.

To start, click on ‘Add File.’

Adding a downloadable audiobook to a WooCommerce online store

You can now either choose the audiobook from your media library or upload a new file from your computer.

After that, type in a filename for the audiobook.

Adding a downloadable audiobook in WooCommerce

By default, customers can download the audiobook as many times as they want, for as long as they want.

If you want to limit the number of downloads per customer, then type a number into the ‘Download limit’ field.

Adding a download limit for your audiobook

If you want the download link to expire after a certain number of days has passed, then type a number into the ‘Download expiry’ field.

When you’re happy with how the audiobook is set up, click on the ‘Publish’ button. The audiobook will now appear as a downloadable product on your online store.

We hope this article helped you learn how to sell audiobooks online. You may also want to check out our expert pick of the best WordPress plugins to grow your site, and our comparison of the best email marketing services for small businesses.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Sell Audiobooks Online (3 Simple & Easy Ways) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Start a Video Blog (Vlog) And Make Money in 2023

aioseo, Easy Digital Downloads, memberpress, pretty links, pushengage, searchwp, seedprod, smash balloon, thirstyaffiliates, Tutorials, wpforms

Do you want to start a video blog and make money?

Vlogging is a powerful way to connect with people and build a personal brand. However, if you simply upload vlogs to third-party platforms like YouTube, then you may struggle to grow your audience, make money, and become a successful vlogger.

In this article, we will show you how you can start a vlog and make money.

How to start a video blog (vlog) and make money

Which Is the Best Website Builder for Your Video Blog?

There are many website builders that can help you create a vlog site, but we recommend using WordPress and a separate video hosting platform.

To learn more about why WordPress is such a good choice, please see our complete WordPress review with pros and cons.

There are two types of WordPress software: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. We recommend using WordPress.org, also called ‘self-hosted WordPress.’ This will give you full ownership and control of your site.

Using WordPress.org allows you to install third-party plugins and themes, including plenty that are designed specifically for vloggers.

Also, while you can upload videos to WordPress, it’s far better to use a separate video hosting platform such as YouTube or Vimeo.

Videos take up a lot of your hosting resources, which will slow down your website. Instead, we recommend uploading your vlogs to a separate hosting platform such as YouTube or Vimeo, which has all the server resources you need.

After uploading your vlogs to one of these sites, you can then embed your vlog in a WordPress page or post by simply copying and pasting a link. WordPress has built-in support for most major video hosting platforms.

If you really want to save time and impress your viewers, then you can use a plugin like Smash Balloon to create a video feed that will update automatically every time you post a new vlog.

An embedded YouTube feed, created using Smash Balloon

If you don’t already have a video hosting platform in mind, then don’t worry. Later in this guide, we’ll help you find the perfect platform for your vlogs.

Step 1. Setting Up Your Video Blog Website

To create a video vlog, you’ll need a domain name and web hosting.

Although the WordPress software is free, hosting and domain names are where the costs can really start to add up.

A domain name typically costs $14.99/year and hosting costs start from $7.99/month. This is a lot for hobby vloggers, new creators, or anyone who is working with a tighter budget.

Thankfully, Bluehost has agreed to offer our users over 60% off on web hosting and a free SSL certificate as part of this deal. This is absolutely essential if you plan to sell premium videos and make money from your vlogs. You will also get a free domain name when you sign up!

Simply click the link below to create a vlogging website for as little as $2.75 per month.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

Because you get a free domain when you sign up with Bluehost, you’ll need to be sure it’s the right fit for your video blog. For expert tips, check out our guide on how to choose the best domain name.

Once you’ve completed the purchase, you’ll get an email with instructions on how to log in to your web hosting control panel. This is your hosting account dashboard where you can manage your vlog, including setting up email notifications and asking for WordPress support if you need it.

It’s also where you’ll install the WordPress software, so let’s do that now.

Step 2. Install WordPress on Your Video Blog

When you sign up with Bluehost using our link, you’ll get access to a one-click WordPress installer. Simply log into your Bluehost account and click on ‘One Click Install.’

Installing the WordPress software

You can now follow the onscreen instructions to set up WordPress.

If you’re using a different WordPress website host like SiteGround, Hostinger, HostGator, or WP Engine, then you can see our complete guide on how to install WordPress for all the top hosting providers.

Once WordPress is set up, you’re ready to start customizing your vlog site.

Step 3. Select a Video Theme

WordPress themes are professionally designed templates that change how your vlog looks and acts.

There are lots of different premium and free WordPress business themes to choose from. You can generally categorize these as multipurpose WordPress themes, or niche industry themes. However, most WordPress themes are designed to show text.

Since we’re starting a vlog, we need a theme that’s designed specifically for videos.

A WordPress video theme

Even if you’re using a separate video hosting platform, embedded videos still take time to load. With that in mind, it’s important to find a lightweight theme that won’t slow down your website. Wherever possible, we also recommend using a theme that has built-in lazy loading.

On top of that, vlogs often need special features such as parallax scrolling, lightbox popups, and fullscreen video backgrounds.

An example of a WordPress vlog theme

That’s a lot to keep in mind, so you may want to look at our expert pick of the best WordPress video themes.

Another option is to use a landing page builder plugin such as SeedProd. SeedProd is the best drag-and-drop WordPress page builder and comes with more than 180 templates.

This includes an entire section of ‘Webinar’ templates that are designed specifically to show videos on your WordPress website.

SeedProd's professionally-designed vlog templates

SeedProd also has a ready-made ‘Video’ block that you can drag and drop onto any page.

For more information, please see our guide on how to create a landing page with WordPress.

The SeedProd page builder plugin

Once you’ve chosen a video theme, please see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress theme.

After installing a theme, you may want to customize it by going to Appearance » Customize in the WordPress dashboard. This will launch the theme customizer where you can fine-tune the theme settings and see your changes in the live preview.

Customizing a WordPress video blog theme

If you’re using one of the newer full-site editing themes, then you’ll need to go to Appearance » Editor instead.

Here, you can fine-tune the theme using blocks.

Customizing a WordPress vlogging theme using the FSE

Just remember that you can customize your theme at any point. You can even completely change your WordPress theme, if you realize it doesn’t quite meet your needs.

This means you don’t need to finalize your site design now. In fact, it may be easier to fine-tune your vlog once you’ve added some content.

Step 4. Create a Custom Homepage

WordPress comes with two content types called posts and pages.

You’ll typically use posts to create articles and blogs, while pages are static “one-off” types of content. For example, you might publish an about page, a privacy policy, or a custom archive page.

There are a few different ways to show videos in WordPress. However, since we’re creating a video vlog you’ll typically embed one or more videos in a blog post.

By default, the WordPress homepage shows your posts in reverse chronological order, so your latest vlog appears at the top of the homepage.

A custom homepage on a WordPress vlog

However, you may want to move this blog list to another page, and use a custom homepage instead. This custom homepage can introduce your vlog to visitors and let them know what you have to offer.

You might even create a YouTube gallery of all your best videos, which is a great way to catch a visitor’s attention and make them want to watch more of your content.

Smash Balloon allows you to create all kinds of galleries, including showing a specific YouTube playlist or favorites feed, a single video, or even your latest live stream.

Adding a YouTube vlog feed to your WordPress website

For step-by-step instructions on how to create an attention-grabbing homepage for your video blog, please see our guide on how to create a custom homepage in WordPress.

Once you’re happy with the design, it’s time to set it as your homepage. To do this, go to Settings » Reading in the WordPress dashboard.

How to set a custom homepage in WordPress

Here, scroll to ‘Your homepage settings’ and select ‘A static page.’

Next, open the ‘Homepage’ dropdown and choose the page that you want to use.

Changing the homepage on a WordPress video blog

After that, simply scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on ‘Save Changes.’ Now, if you visit your website you’ll see the new homepage in action.

With that done, make sure you create a separate blog page to display your vlogs.

Step 5. Set Up Your Video Hosting Platform

Before you can start adding videos to your WordPress website, you’ll need to upload them to a separate video hosting platform. In this way, you can show countless high-resolution videos on your website without affecting its performance.

For more on this topic, see our post on why you should never upload a video to WordPress.

There are lots of different video hosting platforms that you can use, but we recommend YouTube as it’s the most popular choice.

It’s free to create a YouTube account and you can upload as many videos as you want.

Uploading videos to YouTube

YouTube even has a Partners Program that you can join to make money from your videos. This program also offers more benefits like analytics, longer videos, and editing tools.

Since it’s such a popular platform, there are lots of great WordPress plugins for YouTube. For example, you can use plugins to quickly and easily embed a YouTube playlist in WordPress.

Adding a YouTube playlist to a vlog using Smash Balloon

If you don’t want to use YouTube, then there are many other popular platforms including Vidyard, Wistia, and SproutVideo. For a closer look at all the top video sites, please see our expert pick of the best video hosting sites for bloggers.

After choosing a platform, you’ll need to create an account and upload all the vlogs that you want to show on your WordPress website.

For instructions on how to do this, check out the online documentation for your chosen video hosting platform.

Step 6. Create Your First Vlog

To create your first vlog, simply go to Posts » Add New in your WordPress dashboard.

WordPress has a block-based editor that allows you to create beautiful content layouts for your vlogs. Here, you can add text, images, audio clips, and more.

How to create a new vlog post

For an in-depth look at the editor, please see our WordPress block editor tutorial.

The easiest way to add vlogs to WordPress is by using the built-in auto-embed feature. If you’re using one of the big video hosting platforms, then you can simply paste the video’s URL into the WordPress content editor, and WordPress will handle the rest.

Just head over to your chosen video hosting platform and find the vlog that you want to show on your WordPress blog. You can then simply copy the video’s URL.

After that, switch back to the WordPress dashboard and paste the URL in the content area. If you paste it into a standard Paragraph block, WordPress will automatically try to place it in the correct block, such as the YouTube block.

Embedding a YouTube video in WordPress

Even if you don’t see the platform-specific block, it will use the Embed block and display the video inside the content editor.

For more information, please see our detailed guide on how to easily embed videos in WordPress blog posts.

How to show a YouTube vlog in WordPress

As you’re working on the vlog, you can see how it’ll look to visitors by clicking on ‘Preview.’

This will open the page in a new tab.

How to preview a vlog in WordPress

The WordPress post editor also has sections for Categories and Tags. You can use these to organize your vlogs so it’s easier for visitors to find interesting content. To learn more, please see our guide on how to add categories and tags in WordPress.

When you’re happy with how the vlog looks, go ahead and click on the ‘Publish’ button in the top-right corner of the screen.

To add more vlogs to your website, simply follow the same process described above.

Step 7. Add a Contact Form to Your Vlog

Some viewers might want to contact you directly. This may include affiliate marketers, sponsors, advertisers, and other brands who are looking to build relationships with creators, or other vloggers who want to collaborate.

These people could ring your phone number or send a message to your business email address, but we always recommend adding a contact form to your website.

This makes it easier for potential partners to contact you, so you don’t miss out on any opportunities to grow your brand and make money from your vlogs.

The easiest way to add a contact form to your WordPress website is by using the free WPForms plugin. WPForms comes with a built-in Simple Contact Form template that you can customize using the drag-and-drop editor.

Adding a contact form to a WordPress vlogging site

You can then add the form to any page, post, or widget-ready area using the ready-made WPForms block.

For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to create a contact form in WordPress.

Step 8. Help Visitors Find Interesting Vlogs

Once you’ve added some content to your vlog, it’s a good idea to add a navigation menu so visitors can find their way around the different videos.

Adding a navigation menu to a video blog (vlog)

The exact location of your menu will depend on your WordPress theme. Most themes have several options, so you can create multiple menus and then show them on different areas of your vlog.

Whether you create a single menu or multiple menus, it’s easy to add navigation to your vlog. For a complete guide, please see our post on how to add a navigation menu.

Adding a navigation menu to a WordPress vlog

Menus encourage people to explore your site, but sometimes visitors may want to search for a specific vlog. WordPress comes with a built-in search feature, but it’s quite basic and not very good at finding relevant content.

That’s why we recommend using SearchWP, which is the best search plugin for WordPress.

It is very easy to use and gives much more accurate search results. It allows visitors to search for a keyword in the post or page title, content, URL slug, categories, tags, taxonomies, WordPress excerpts, and even comments.

All of this can help visitors find interesting vlogs, fast.

How to improve WordPress search with SearchWP

For step-by-step instructions on SearchWP, please see our guide on how to improve WordPress search.

Step 9. Optimize Your Vlog for SEO

If you want to get more viewers, then you’ll need to optimize your vlog for SEO. This will help search engines understand your content and show it to people who are looking for videos just like yours.

WordPress SEO is a huge topic that can be confusing for new vloggers. With that in mind, we recommend using All in One SEO for WordPress (AIOSEO).

The AIOSEO SEO plugin

AIOSEO is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market and has everything you need to get your vlogs onto the first page of Google, without having to learn any complicated SEO jargon.

AIOSEO comes with the easiest setup wizard that helps you choose the best SEO settings for your business. AIOSEO will even scan your vlogs and show an actionable checklist on how you can optimize that specific vlog.

An actionable checklist for improving SEO

Additionally, AIOSEO has a video sitemap feature that you can use to show search engines what’s the most important content to index.

To help you get started, please see our ultimate guide on how to set up All in One SEO for WordPress correctly.

Step 10. Notify Users About New Vlogs

Did you know that 70% of people who leave your site will never come back? Thankfully there are lots of ways to turn abandoning visitors into loyal viewers.

To start, it’s smart to create an email newsletter so people who enjoy your vlogs can subscribe. After that, you can email these subscribers every time you post a new vlog.

You can also keep them engaged with your brand by sending them fun surveys and polls, notifying them about any giveaways and contests you’re running, or even simply asking them for feedback on your latest vlog.

An example of an online giveaway or contest

All of this can help you create a sense of community and build a stronger relationship with your viewers.

If you do build an email list, then you’ll want to make sure your messages arrive safely in the subscriber’s inbox and not in their spam folder. With that in mind, we recommend using an SMTP service provider to improve your email deliverability rates.

Another option is to use push notifications with software like PushEngage to send targeted, personalized messages to viewers after they leave your vlog.

Push notifications are short, clickable notifications that appear as a popup on the user’s desktop or mobile devices. Some of the biggest websites in the world use push notifications to keep users engaged, including Facebook.

These notifications go directly to the user’s web browser or mobile device so they have a high chance of getting the person’s attention, which makes them perfect for notifying viewers when you post a new vlog.

To learn more, see our guide on how to add web push notifications to WordPress.

Step 11. How to Make Money From Your Video Vlogs

Creating lots of quality, engaging vlogs takes a lot of time and effort, so you may want to make money from your videos.

If you’ve created a contact form, then potential sponsors and partners already have a way to contact you, which is a great start. However, there are lots more ways to make money online with WordPress.

Here are some of the best ways to make money from your vlog.

  1. Google AdSense

There are many reasons why it’s smart to embed videos on your own website, rather than simply uploading them to platforms like YouTube.

One major benefit is that you can show Google AdSense ads next to your videos.

Google AdSense

When you sign up for Google AdSense, Google acts as a middleman between you and the advertiser. Instead of you having to find the right partners for your vlog, Google allows advertisers to bid for keywords matching your content. This allows you to get the best possible rates for the ads on your vlogging website.

For more details, please see our article on how to properly add Google AdSense to your WordPress blog.

  1. Affiliate marketing

Many vloggers make money by recommending products and services to their viewers. For example, many lifestyle vloggers film daily routine videos showing off their favorite skincare or fitness products.

By using affiliate links, you can earn money every time a viewer buys a product or service based on your recommendation.

For the best results, it’s a good idea to only recommend quality items that you already use and trust. If you encourage viewers to buy poor-quality or scammy products, then you’ll damage your band and almost certainly lose viewers.

There are plenty of affiliate marketing plugins and tools for WordPress that can help you make money by promoting affiliate products, but we highly recommend PrettyLinks or ThirstyAffiliates to all vloggers.

To get started, please see our step-by-step affiliate marketing guide for beginners.

  1. Ask for Tips and Donations

If you build a strong, positive relationship with your viewers then they may want to support your work as a vlogger. This is particularly true if you’re a hobby vlogger or someone who is just starting out.

Although they’re mostly used by non-profits, some vloggers use donation forms so that viewers can support their work. These forms are often presented as ‘buy me a coffee’ or ‘buy me a beer.’

An example of a donation form

To learn more, please see our guide on how to create a donate form in WordPress.

  1. Create a Membership Site

Most of the time, you’ll want your vlogs to be publicly available so you can get as many views as possible and build your audience.

However, some vloggers may want to create a video membership site in WordPress. This allows people to pay for different perks, such as early access to the latest vlogs, exclusive live streams, or premium members-only videos.

You can also offer perks that don’t involve videos, such as a members-only forum, blog posts, or the ability to chat with you directly on channels like Discord.

The easiest way to create a membership site is by using MemberPress. It is the best WordPress membership plugin on the market and allows you to accept payments, create unlimited subscription levels, restrict access to video pages based on levels, and more.

Creating video memberships with the MemberPress plugin
  1. Sell Your Videos as Digital Downloads

Depending on the kind of vlogs you create, you may decide to sell some of your premium videos as digital downloads. For example, if you’re a health and fitness vlogger then you might create videos teaching your followers different exercise routines.

For some niches, this can be a way to monetize the audience you’ve built from your vlogs.

Easy Digital Downloads is the best platform to easily sell digital products. You can get started in minutes and accept credit card payments with Stripe, PayPal, Google Pay, and Apple Pay.

The Easy Digital Downloads WordPress eCommerce plugin

With Easy Digital Downloads, you have complete control over how you distribute your videos. You can allow customers to download files as many times as they want or restrict file downloads by time or attempt.

To start selling your premium videos, please see our complete guide on how to sell digital downloads on WordPress.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to start a video vlog and make money. You may also want to learn how to increase your blog traffic or check out our list of the best email marketing services.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Start a Video Blog (Vlog) And Make Money in 2023 first appeared on WPBeginner.

7 Best Multi Currency WordPress Plugins (Free + Paid)

currency, currency converter, currency switcher, Easy Digital Downloads, multi currency plugin, product prices, Showcase, woocommerce, woocommerce currency converter, wp simple pay

Do you want users to easily change the currency on your WordPress website?

A multi-currency WordPress plugin lets you show different currencies on your website and automatically apply the exchange rate. This way, customers can switch their local currency when purchasing a product.

In this article, we’ll share the best multi-currency WordPress plugins that you can use on your site.

Best multi currency WordPress plugins

Why Use a Multi Currency WordPress Plugin?

A multi currency plugin allows you to offer multiple currencies on your WordPress website. Your customers can switch currencies from the US dollar to their native currency with a click of a button.

If you’re running an online store, then having a currency switcher plugin can come in handy.

You can reach a wider audience and target users from around the world. Customers from other countries can easily convert the product prices into their local currency without leaving your website.

It also improves the overall shopping experience for customers. The plugin removes any pricing confusion that people may have. As a result, you get to keep customers on your website and boost sales.

That said, let’s look at the best multi-currency plugins for WordPress.

1. Easy Digital Downloads

The Easy Digital Downloads WordPress plugin

Easy Digital Downloads is the best eCommerce plugin for WordPress that lets you sell digital products like ebooks, digital art, music files, software, and more.

It offers multi-currency support and lets you show prices in different currencies. You can select from over 200 currencies and have complete control over the exchange rate.

There is an automatic option where the plugin will auto-update the exchange rate and convert the price from USD to the customer’s local currency. On the other hand, you can also manually set the exchange rate.

Multi currency settings in EDD

Besides that, Easy Digital Downloads lets you sell digital downloads with ease. It offers unlimited file downloads, full data reporting, a shopping cart, and more. It also easily integrates with payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal and third-party tools like AWeber, ConvertKit and Slack.

Pricing: Easy Digital Downloads is a premium plugin with prices starting from $99.50 per year.

2. YITH Multi Currency Switcher for WooCommerce

YITH multi currency switcher for WooCommerce

YITH Multi Currency Switcher for WooCommerce is the next multi-currency WordPress plugin on our list.

It is super easy to use and lets you add unlimited currencies to your WooCommerce store. You can show a currency switcher anywhere on your website and let customers choose their local currency.

Besides that, the plugin also automatically detects users’ geolocation and displays prices in their native currency. It integrates with APIs of the European Central Bank, Google Finance, and other providers to automatically update exchange rates.

You can also control the frequency of exchange rate updates. For example, the plugin can check it daily, twice daily, weekly, monthly, or every 15 days.

Other than that, you get options to customize the currency switcher, display different payment methods for specific countries, and more.

Pricing: YITH Multi Currency Switcher for WooCommerce is a premium plugin that will cost you $99.99 annually.

3. WP Simple Pay

WP Simple Pay

WP Simple Pay is the best Stripe plugin for WordPress that lets you accept one-time or recurring payments on your website. The best part, you don’t have to set up a shopping cart to collect payments.

WP Simple Pay lets you select from 135+ different currencies supported by Stripe. It also lets you choose your site’s region’s default currency, format, and tax rate. This way, you can charge customers in their native currency and receive funds in your preferred currency.

With WP Simple Pay, you get a drag-and-drop payment form builder and over 10 different payment methods. For example, you can collect payments through credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, ACH direct debit, and more.

Pricing: WP Simple Pay prices start from $49.50 per year. There is also a free version you can use to get started.

4. CURCY – Multi Currency for WooCommerce

CURCY

CURCY is a free WooCommerce multi currency plugin. It lets you accept payments in different currencies and helps customers to switch to their preferred currency.

The plugin is easy to use and set up. It automatically detects users’ location on your WooCommerce store and displays products in the native currency.

You can also allow the plugin to set the exchange rate automatically. However, there are different options for controlling the exchange rate. For example, you can manually set the rate, keep the product prices fixed in other currencies, and manage the exchange rate fee.

Pricing: CURCY is a free WordPress plugin.

5. WooCommerce Multi-Currency

WooCommerce multi currency

WooCommerce Multi-Currency is a premium WooCommerce extension that allows you to show product prices in the customer’s country’s currency.

Like many other plugins on our list, you can choose between automatic or manual exchange rate settings. The plugin supports different exchange rate providers’ APIs, such as Open Exchange Rate, Abstract, Exchange Rate API, and more.

Using a shortcode, you can display the currency switcher anywhere on your WooCommerce store. It also has a sidebar widget and helps customers quickly convert prices into their local currency.

Pricing: WooCommerce Multi-Currency prices start from $99 per year.

6. Currency Switcher for WordPress

Currency switcher plugin

Currency Switcher for WordPress is another free and beginner-friendly plugin you can use to show different currencies on your website.

It works with Open Exchange Rate API and allows you to automatically convert the prices into different currencies depending on the exchange rate. There is also an option to manually control the exchange rate.

Currency Switcher for WordPress supports currency conversion for visitors from the United States, Australia, Europe, and India.

You can easily add the currency switcher to any page using shortcodes. Plus, the plugin easily integrates with WordPress page builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder.

Pricing: Currency Switcher for WordPress is free to use plugin.

7. Currency Converter Widget

Currency convertor widget

Currency Converter Widget is a premium WooCommerce plugin that you can use on your store. The multi-currency plugin offers a dynamic widget that converts product prices in real-time.

It automatically grabs the latest exchange rate and applies it to the products. You can add and convert as many currencies as you want.

The best part is that the plugin saves the converted total at checkout. This way, you can see the prices customers saw on your WooCommerce store.

Pricing: Currency Converter Widget will cost you $49 per year.

Which is the Best Multi Currency WordPress Plugin?

Based on our research, the best WordPress multi-currency plugin are Easy Digital Downloads, YITH multi currency switcher for WooCommerce, and WP Simple Pay.

The choice of picking the best multi-currency plugin depends on the type of website you’re running.

For instance, if you’re selling digital products, then Easy Digital Downloads is the best choice. It is super easy to use and lets you select from over 200 different currencies. You get full control over the exchange rate and can add as many currencies as you want.

On the other hand, YITH Multi Currency Switcher for WooCommerce is the best multi-currency plugin to use if you have a WooCommerce store. It automatically detects the user’s location and converts product prices. Plus, you can choose from different providers to set the exchange rate.

Lastly, you can also use WP Simple Pay to collect online payments without setting up a shopping cart. It is the best Stripe plugin and supports over 135 currencies.

We hope this article helped you pick the best multi-currency WordPress plugin. You may also want to see our comparison of the best live chat software and best business phone services for small business.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 7 Best Multi Currency WordPress Plugins (Free + Paid) first appeared on WPBeginner.

15 Most Popular Digital Products You Can Sell Online in 2023

Beginners Guide, blogging, digital products, Easy Digital Downloads, ecommerce, make money blogging, make money online, memberpress, membership site, online store, recommend plugins for wordpress, selling digital products, selling online courses with wordpress, wordpress blog posts page, WordPress Plugins, WordPress Themes

Are you looking for popular digital product ideas to sell online?

In today’s creator economy, there are many opportunities to make money online. You can sell items like music files, videos, blog posts, eBooks, software, apps, podcasts, premium content, and more.

In this article, we will share the most popular digital products that you can sell online.

Most popular digital products you can sell online

What are Digital Products?

A digital product is essentially anything that you can buy, download, and use on a device such as a computer or mobile phone. For example, ebooks, software, videos, music, online courses, and more can be digital products that you can purchase at an online store.

They are delivered to you electronically, usually through a direct download in your user dashboard or in an email with a download link inside. In general, you can easily access them anytime or anywhere.

Why Sell Digital Products Online?

Digital products have a lot of advantages compared to selling physical products.

First, you don’t have to worry about keeping inventory and meeting supply or demand requirements. Once you create a digital product, you can sell it again and again.

This also relieves you of any storage issues. Some physical products need to be kept at a warehouse and may require special storage conditions like refrigeration, which can be costly. On the other hand, you don’t have to worry about storing your digital products.

Besides that, you get to generate a passive income stream with digital goods and easily grow your sales. They also help reach a wider audience across the globe, as people from around the world can buy your digital products.

That said, let’s look at some of the most popular digital products you can sell online today.

1. eBooks

Sell ebooks online

eBooks are a great digital product to have, and you can write about any topic you like. The best part, once you’ve created an ebook, you can simply market it and earn passive income.

Now, if you have a WordPress blog or write articles regularly on any other platform, then you can repurpose the content for your ebook.

For instance, your most popular guides would already have enough content to be converted into an ebook. Or you can combine several blog posts into an ebook about a particular topic.

Once you’re done with the writing part, you can then add the ebook to your WordPress site so people can download it.

You can follow our guide on how to create and sell ebooks in WordPress from start to finish.

2. Online Courses

Online course digital product

The next most popular digital product you can sell is online courses. People are always looking to improve their skillset and learn new things.

You can use this opportunity to share your expertise and teach other people through a virtual classroom. For example, if you’re a fitness instructor, then you can create an online course and teach people different exercises.

The best part, you need very little investment and no technical knowledge to create online courses.

There are many tools in the market that can help you get started in no time. All you need is a domain name for your site, WordPress website hosting, and a learning management system (LMS) plugin.

LMS software like MemberPress or Thrive Apprentice makes it super easy to create interactive courses without editing code. Plus, you can manage students and course material, offer quizzes, and more.

You can learn more by following our guide on how to create and sell online courses in WordPress.

3. Premium Memberships

Create a membership site

Just like ebooks and online courses, a membership website is another simple way of making money online. You can sell premium memberships with access to exclusive content and community features.

For example, you can lock specific guides, cheat sheets, interviews, videos, podcasts, newsletters, and other content behind premium memberships.

On the other hand, you can offer exclusive entry to different communities, like a forum, Slack channel, or Facebook group, through a membership site.

What’s great about memberships is that you don’t have to rely on advertising revenue. You can allow your website visitors to support your site and generate continuous income.

There are many membership plugins and tools you can use to get started. For instance, MemberPress lets you restrict access to content, integrate different payment services, create unlimited membership levels, allow drip content, and more.

To start selling memberships, you can see our step-by-step guide on creating a WordPress membership site.

4. Tutorials and Guides

Tutorial and guides

You can also sell individual guides and tutorials as digital products. This is a great way to earn more money if you have long articles or multiple blog posts on a particular topic.

Simply turn your guides into a downloadable file like a PDF document. You can then charge a fee to visitors who are willing to purchase your content.

For example, let’s say you have a detailed guide on email marketing. You can turn that guide into a PDF file and sell it as a digital product.

There are many WordPress eCommerce platforms you can use to sell digital products. We recommend using Easy Digital Downloads because it is beginner friendly, offers a shopping cart, easily integrates with payment gateways, and more.

You can learn more by going through our guide on how to sell digital downloads on WordPress.

5. Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets and cheatsheet

Spreadsheets are another type of digital product you can sell on your website and generate revenue. You can create all types of useful spreadsheets for your audience.

For example, let’s say you have expertise in search engine optimization (SEO). You can create a technical SEO checklist for beginners and offer that as a paid spreadsheet. Similarly, you can create checklists, templates, calculators, lists, and other types of spreadsheets.

The best part is that you don’t need any investment to create a spreadsheet. Plus, it helps offer evergreen content that can you use to generate leads and a passive income stream.

You can check out our guide on how to sell spreadsheets online for more details.

6. WordPress Plugins

Create WordPress plugins

You can also create WordPress plugins and sell them as digital products.

WordPress is open-source software, and it powers over 43% of the website on the internet. There are over 60,000 WordPress plugins that include free and paid options. This shows that there is a huge potential to create a plugin that generates revenue.

Usually, you need basic coding knowledge like PHP, CSS, HTML, and JavaScript to write a plugin. For more details, you can see our step-by-step guide on how to create a WordPress plugin.

You can also hire a developer to help you create a plugin. There are many WordPress developer job websites where you can post an opening and hire the right talent for a specific project.

If you’re willing to take on a DIY project, then you can also use a plugin called Pluginception. It lets you create a WordPress plugin from the WordPress dashboard. To learn more, please follow our guide on how to create a WordPress plugin using a plugin.

7. Software and Mobile Apps

Build an app and software

Just like WordPress plugins, you can also create software and mobile apps. There are many SaaS (software as a service) products that you can create for any niche. It can be productivity software, workout apps, games, and more.

Usually, SaaS products have a recurring subscription. This means that you’ll need to generate income on a monthly or annual basis.

Since creating such software and apps requires specific skills, you might need to hire developers. This process can be expensive because you’ll need investment for creating software or purchasing an existing one ($15,000 and upwards).

As an alternative, you can convert your WordPress websites into mobile apps and monetize them. There are tools and plugins that can turn your site into an app. For example, let’s say you have a membership site. Converting it into an app will help you attract mobile users and sell it as a digital product.

On the other hand, you can also join affiliate programs and earn a commission on each sale. You can create a WordPress blog to review different software and apps and promote them as affiliates. Or you could create an online store using affiliates.

For more information, check out our ultimate guide to affiliate marketing for beginners.

8. Website Themes

Website themes

Similarly, you can make WordPress themes and sell them online. Themes are necessary for every WordPress user, and often users look for themes that offer specific features and customization options.

There are many platforms where you can sell website themes. Some of these include Enavto, Themeforest, CodeCanyon, and Creative Market.

You can also list a free version of your theme on the WordPress.org theme directory. From here, you can encourage users to upgrade to a premium version to unlock more features.

We recommend selling the digital products on your own websites instead of a marketplace like Envato because they charge a large commission on every sale without much benefit.

You can use an eCommerce solution like Easy Digital Downloads to create your own digital store.

9. Digital Art and Graphics

Digital art

If you’re a graphic designer or an artist, then you can create a variety of digital products and sell them online.

For example, you can create logos, design templates, original digital artwork, clip art, patterns, brushes, backgrounds, icons, fonts, shapes, and more.

Besides that, creating assets for different photo editing software like Adobe PhotoShop, Canva, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Photo can also help you make money online.

To get started, please follow our guide on how to sell digital art and graphics online.

10. Photographs

Photography

Another great digital product you can sell online is photography. Many people look for images that they can use for their WordPress websites and blogs.

There are different types of photos you can sell. Some of these include stock photos, event pictures, portraits, drone images, backgrounds, and more.

Now, you can sell your images to different stock photo sites, like Shutterstock, 500px, iStock Photo, Adobe Stock, and more. Each of these websites has a payment structure where they’ll share a percentage of direct sales or give you a royalty fee.

On the other hand, you can create your own photography website and sell your images there. This way, you don’t have to share the profits with another third party and have more control over your images.

To help you get started, check out some useful WordPress plugins for photographs.

11. Videos

Create videos

Videos are the next digital products on our list that you can sell online.

For example, videos like drone footage, stock videos, online training, product reviews, video game reviews, and gameplay footage are some of the ideas you can use to create a video-based digital product.

One of the easiest ways of monetizing your videos is by creating a video membership site. This way, you don’t have to rely on ad revenue from other platforms and get recurring payments from users who pay to access your content.

12. Recipes

Create recipes and cookbook

Are you a chef, a home cook, or a food blogger? If you do, then you can sell recipes as digital products.

The food industry is worth trillions of dollars and is very competitive. However, you can find a niche that your audience likes and share recipes to earn money.

For instance, you can start a food blog and offer premium recipes for subscribers. Or you could combine multiple recipes into an ebook and sell that as a digital product.

Plus, you can offer cooking courses and other premium content by creating a membership site. We recommend MemberPress for this sort of site, as it’s the best plugin for that on the market.

13. Podcasts

Podcast

Podcasts are audio shows that users can subscribe to. They are generally made up of audio files that listeners can download or stream to listen to.

There are many topics you can create a podcast on. For example, if your topic is music, then you can narrow it down to a specific genre. Similarly, if you’re into sports, then you can create a podcast on football.

Another great way of selling podcasts is by inviting industry experts and serving it as a masterclass. You can charge a premium or only offer these podcasts to members to generate income.

Many podcasters rely on their communities supporting them, whether that’s through a service like Patreon or creating their own membership site.

For more details, you can follow our guide on how to start a podcast and make it successful.

14. Professional Services and Coaching

Professional services

You can also sell your expertise as a digital product and help other businesses.

For example, if you’re a copywriter, graphic designer, social media expert, developer, fitness coach, legal professional, translator, SEO expert, offer technical support through live chat, or any type of consultant, then you can offer your services to others for a fee.

Now, you can sign up for different freelancing websites like Upwork, or create your own site. From here, simply market your expertise on social media platforms and build a following to get more projects and clients.

15. Research and Data

Research data

Do you conduct industry-wide surveys, polls, and research? If yes, then you can create digital products and sell the research data.

Many businesses are looking for insights into their industry. They want to better understand their audience and find out what they like or don’t like.

You can carry out research on popular topics, collaborate with companies, or simply run a survey to gather data. After that, you can create a report, add it to your website, and sell it to consumers.

If you have a membership website, then you can also offer research and data to subscribers.

For examples, see some of our research articles we offer for free here at WPBeginner:

Bonus: Plugins and Tools to Market Your Digital Products

Now that you know some of the most popular digital products to sell online, you’ll also need to market them to your customers.

Here’s a list of WordPress plugins and tools that you can use to promote your product and boost conversions:

  • OptinMonster – It is the best lead generation and popup plugin for WordPress. You can create different campaigns and use smart targeting rules to promote digital products and increase conversions.
  • WPForms – This is the best WordPress form plugin. You can use it to create an order form, payment form, and more.
  • All in One SEO (AIOSEO) – The plugin helps you optimize your website for search engines. This way, you get to improve search engine rankings, attract more organic visitors to your site, and boost sales of your digital products.
  • MonsterInsights – It is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. Using the plugin, you can track your digital products performance, which files get the most downloads, uncover the most popular products, and track eCommerce revenue without editing code.
  • PushEngage – This is a push notification software for WordPress and allows you to send personalized web notifications to customers about new products, promotions, sales, etc.
  • WP Simple Pay – You can collect online payments on your website using this plugin. The best part, you don’t have to set up a shopping cart to sell digital products while using WP Simple Pay.

We hope this article helped you find the most popular digital products to sell online. You may also want to see our guide on low-cost and easy online business ideas that make money and the best email marketing tools to promote your digital products.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 15 Most Popular Digital Products You Can Sell Online in 2023 first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Sell Music Online in WordPress (Step by Step)

Easy Digital Downloads, music, musicians, selling digital products, Tutorials

Recently, one of our readers asked if it was possible sell music online in WordPress?

The answer is yes. Whether you’re selling your own songs or creating an online music store, you can easily do this in WordPress. Selling music online is a great way to make money without having to pay high shipping or manufacturing costs. It can also be an easy way to promote your own band or music, as well as grow your fanbase.

In this article, we will show you how to easily sell music online in WordPress, step by step.

How to sell music online in WordPress

How to Sell Music Online in WordPress

The easiest way to sell music online is by using Easy Digital Downloads. Easy Digital Downloads is the best eCommerce WordPress plugin that’s designed specifically to sell digital products including music.

How to sell music online using WordPress

Unlike general eCommerce plugins like WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads is built specifically with the features you need to promote, sell, and distribute digital music online.

In this way, you don’t have to waste time configuring features that aren’t necessary for selling digital products, such as shipping and inventory management settings.

With that being said, let’s see how you can easily sell music online in WordPress.

Note: If you are looking to sell physical copies of your music, too, such as vinyl records or CDs, check out our guide on how to set up an online store.

Before You Get Started

Before you can start selling music online, it’s important that you have a WordPress site setup already.

For this, you will need a domain name and WordPress hosting.

We recommend using SiteGround’s EDD hosting because it comes with Easy Digital Downloads pre-installed.

SiteGround Managed Hosting forEasy Digital Download (EDD)

But you can also use any other WordPress hosting provider and follow our instructions below.

Step 1. Setting Up Your eCommerce Plugin

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the Easy Digital Downloads plugin. For detailed instructions, please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

The Easy Digital Downloads WordPress plugin

Upon activation, head over to Downloads » Settings in the WordPress dashboard.

How to set up the Easy Digital Downloads WordPress plugin

Even though you’re selling music, you still need to set your store’s location. This allows Easy Digital Downloads to auto-fill some fields in the order form, which will make it easier for fans to buy your music. Easy Digital Downloads will also use this information to calculate sales tax.

To add your location, simply open the ‘Business Country’ dropdown menu. You can then choose where your business is based.

Setting the location of your online music store

Next, open the ‘Business Region’ dropdown menu and choose the state or province where your store operates from.

After making these changes, go ahead and click on Save Changes to store your settings.

Adding a region to your digital music store

Step 2. Adding a Payment Gateway to Your Music Store

When selling music online, you’ll need a way to accept credit card payments in WordPress.

By default, Easy Digital Downloads supports popular payment gateways including Stripe, PayPal and Amazon Payments.

Pro Tip: Want to use a different payment gateway instead? You can add extra payment options using the Easy Digital Download extensions.

To add payment gateways to your website, go ahead and click on the ‘Payments’ tab. Then make sure the ‘General’ tab is selected.

Adding a payment gateway to your WordPress website

In the Active Gateways section, check the box next to each gateway you want to use on your WordPress website.

If you check more than one payment method, then you’ll need to choose a default gateway, which will be selected automatically when the visitor arrives at the checkout.

To make this decision, simply open the ‘Default Gateway’ dropdown and choose the payment method you want to use. You can use any gateway you want, but Stripe can accept credit cards as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay. With that in mind, we recommend using Stripe as your default gateway.

Adding a Stripe gateway to your WordPress blog or website

After selecting one or more payment gateways, click on the ‘Save Changes’ button. You’ll now have access to some new tabs where you can configure each payment gateway.

The process will vary depending on which gateway you’re using, but Easy Digital Downloads will walk you through the process.

Let’s use Stripe as an example.

To set up Stripe, simply select the ‘Stripe’ tab and then click on ‘Connect with Stripe.’

Connecting the Stripe payment gateway to WordPress

This launches a setup wizard that will walk you through the process of configuring Stripe as your payment gateway.

If you’re using multiple payment gateways, then you’ll need to repeat these steps to set up each gateway separately.

By default Easy Digital Downloads shows all your prices in US dollars. Once you’ve set up your payment gateway, you may want to change the currency that’s used on your website.

To show your prices in any currency other than US dollars, just click on the ‘General’ tab. Then, select ‘Currency.’

How to change the currency settings in your online music store

Next, open the ‘Currency’ dropdown. You can now choose the currency that you want to use on your online music store.

Just be aware that some payment gateways may not accept every currency. If you’re unsure, then you can always check your chosen payment gateway’s website. Most have a list of all the currencies they support.

With that done, click on ‘Save Changes’ to store your settings.

Step 3. Turn Your Music Files into Downloadable Products

Once you’ve set up a payment gateway, you’re ready to start adding music to your online store. With Easy Digital Downloads, you can add sell a single song or add multiple files to the same digital product. This is perfect for selling EPs, albums, compilations, and other products that have multiple separate audio files.

Create a New Digital Product

To create a digital product, simply select ‘Downloads’ from the left-hand menu. Then, click on the Add New button.

Adding music as a downloadable product

You can now type in a name for the product. This will be shown on the product’s page, so you’ll typically want to use something descriptive like the title of the album or single.

Next, type out the description that will appear on the product page.

This should give shoppers all the information they need to decide whether the product is right for them. For example, you might include the genre, duration, and track listing. You might also want to show customer reviews, quotes from music critics, or the star rating.

Adding customer reviews to your WordPress website using Easy Digital Downloads

Add Categories and Tags

If you’re planning to sell music from lots of different artists, then categories and tags can help shoppers find what they’re looking for.

Helpful and descriptive categories can encourage shoppers to explore related artists and genres, which can get you more sales. You might even get creative and add tags for different characteristics like mood, influences, or activities, as you can see in the following image.

Adding product tags to your WordPress website

You can create new categories and tags in the ‘Categories’ and ‘Tags’ boxes.

This works similarly to adding categories and tags to WordPress pages.

Adding product tags and categories to your music website

Set a Price (Or Create Variable Pricing)

After that, you’ll want to set a price by scrolling to the Download Prices section.

Here, type in how much visitors need to pay before they can download the digital product.

Adding a price to a digital music download

Most of the time you’ll want to charge a fixed amount, but Easy Digital Downloads also supports variable pricing.

You might use variable pricing to sell different versions of the same digital product. For example, you could create an extended album with additional tracks, or have several versions of a single with different bonus songs.

If you want to sell variations, then select the ‘Enable variable pricing’ checkbox. This adds a new section where you can start to build your variations.

For now, just type in a title and price for each variation.

How to enable variable pricing

To add more variations, simply click on ‘Add New Price.’ This adds another section where you can type in a title and price.

With that done, you’ll need to set the default variation, which will be selected when the visitor first lands on the product page. Simply check the radio button next to the variation you want to use.

Adding variable pricing to your songs, albums, and EPs

Add Your Audio Files

You’re now ready to start uploading audio, which can either be a single file or multiple separate audio tracks.

When it comes to music, WordPress supports mp3, ogg, and wav. WordPress also supports m4a, although this format may not work in all browsers.

Pro Tip: If you want to sell music in a file type that WordPress doesn’t support, then see our guide on how to allow additional file types in WordPress.

You can now scroll to the Download Files section and click on the ‘Upload a File’ icon.

Uploading audio and music files to an eCommerce store

Now simply choose a song from the media library, or upload a new file from your computer.

With that done, type a title into the ‘File Name’ field. This will be visible to the shopper, so you’ll typically want to use the song’s title. However, you can also add extra information such as the artist’s name.

If you want to add multiple tracks to the digital product, then click on ‘Add New File.’ This adds a section where you can upload another file.

How to sell songs, audio files, and albums online using WordPress

Simply repeat these steps to upload all the files you want to include in the digital product.

Finish Setting Up Variable Pricing (Optional)

Did you enable variable pricing in the previous step? If you’re selling different versions of the same product, then you’ll need to choose which files to include in each variation.

For example, you might release ‘My Awesome Album’ with 10 tracks, and ‘My Awesome Album Extended Edition’ with 12 tracks.

Note: If you set a single price, then skip ahead to the next section.

In the ‘Price Assignment’ column, you’ll see that every audio file is set to ‘All’ by default. This means it’s included in every variation.

To change this, simply open a file’s ‘Price Assignment’ dropdown and choose the variation that customers need to purchase, in order to get this audio file.

How to create variable music downloads using WordPress

Simply repeat these steps to build unique variations with different track listings.

Protect Your Music By Setting a Download Limit

By default, a customer can download a product as many times as they want after purchasing it. This can be useful if the person accidentally deletes their download, or they want to listen to the track on multiple devices such as their smartphone, tablet, and computer.

However, offering unlimited downloads can make you vulnerable to scams. For example, a customer might share their direct download link with dozens of other people, who then download your music for free.

With that in mind, you may want to set a reasonable file download limit by typing into the ‘File Download Limit’ field.

Add a download limit to your music files

Note: If you set this value too low, then customers may occasionally contact you asking for extra downloads. If there’s a genuine reason why they need to re-download the file, then you can simply resend the purchase receipt by going to Downloads » Payment History in your WordPress dashboard.

Create a Refund Policy

Hopefully, everyone who buys your music will be happy with their purchase. However, it’s still smart to think about how you’ll handle refunds.

If you scroll to the ‘Refunds’ section in the left-hand menu, then you’ll see that Easy Digital Downloads offers your customers a 30-day refund by default.

Creating a refund policy for your online store

If you want to give customers more or less time to claim a refund, then simply type a new number into the ‘Refund Window’ field.

A generous refund policy can make customers see your site as trustworthy and fair, which could get you more sales. It will also help turn hesitant visitors into first-time customers.

Giving unhappy customers their money back is a big part of good customer service. Even if they didn’t like their purchase, an easy refund process may still convince people to buy from you in the future.

For that reason, we recommend offering refunds wherever possible. However, if you don’t want to give refunds, then open the ‘Refund status’ dropdown and choose ‘Non-Refundable.’

Changing the refund policy on your music store

Upload Your Album or Song’s Cover Art

With that done, you’ll need to add a product image. This will typically be the album or single’s front cover, or the musician’s logo.

Pro Tip: If you don’t already have a product image, then you can create one using web design software such as Canva.

To add a product image, simply scroll to the Download Image section and then click on the ‘Set Download Image’ link.

Adding a product image to a music store

This launches the WordPress media library where you can choose an image or upload a new file from your computer.

Add Download Instructions

Finally, you may want to add some download instructions, which will appear on the order confirmation page.

An example of download instructions, on a purchase confirmation page

They’ll also be added to the bottom of the purchase receipt email customers get when they buy from your site.

You can use this section to share technical information, such as the file format or the programs it’s compatible with. However, you can also write a thank you note, or even share exclusive perks such as a coupon code.

Download instructions, on a music purchase receipt

No matter what information you want to share, go ahead and type it into the ‘Download Instructions’ box.

Once that’s done, you can go ahead and click on the ‘Publish’ button to make the digital download live.

Adding download instructions to a digital music download

Step 4. Customize Your Digital Download Emails

Every time someone buys music from your store, Easy Digital Downloads will send them an email.

Inside the email, they will find a download link to their purchased music.

The default Easy Digital Downloads purchase receipt email

While this email has everything the customer needs by default, it’s a good idea to customize it. For example, you might help your email stand out by adding your own branding and logo.

To customize the default email, head over to Downloads » Settings. Then click on the ‘Emails’ tab.

How to customize the purchase confirmation email on your online store

Add Your Own Logo and Branding

You may want to start by adding a logo to the purchase confirmation email.

This logo appears at the top of the screen, so customers can immediately see who the purchase email is from.

Adding your music store's logo to the purchase receipt email

To add a logo, click on the ‘Upload File’ button. You can now either choose an image from the WordPress media library or upload a file from your computer.

Change the ‘From’ Name and Email

You can also add a ‘From Name’ which will appear in the customer’s inbox. With that being said, you’ll want to use something that the customer will recognize such as the name of your band or online music store.

You’ll also need to add a ‘From Email,’ which will act as the ‘from’ and ‘reply-to’ address.

Configuring the payment confirmation email

Some customers may reply to the purchase receipt email. For example, if they’re having problems downloading your music, then they might reach out by clicking ‘Reply.’

Because of that, you’ll want to use a business email address that you frequently check.

Improve Your Email Deliverability

If shoppers don’t get the purchase receipt email, then they won’t be able to download the music they just bought.

This is a bad customer experience, so you’ll want to make sure the purchase receipt email arrives in the shopper’s inbox and not in their spam folder. For that reason, we recommend using WP Mail SMTP to improve email deliverability rates.

Simply click on the ‘Install & Activate WP Mail SMTP’ button and then follow the onscreen instructions to configure the free plugin. For more information, please see our step-by-step guide on how to fix the WordPress not sending email issue.

How to fix the WordPress not sending email issue

When you’re finished, don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Changes’ button.

Write Your Purchase Email

After all that, click on the ‘Purchase Receipts’ tab.

How to create a custom purchase receipt for an online store

On this screen, you can type in an email subject, add a heading and also change the email’s body text.

You could simply type in the text that you want to send to every customer. However, you can create more helpful and personalized emails by using the Conditional Emails feature.

Conditional Emails use ‘template tags’ to personalize your messages. These template tags change based on factors such as the buyer’s name, how much they paid for their music download, and any coupon codes they used for the purchase.

When Easy Digital Downloads sends an email, it’ll automatically replace the template tags with real values.

To see all the different tags you can use, simply scroll to the bottom of the page.

Easy Digital Download's conditional email settings

Test Your Purchase Receipt Email

When you’ve finished making changes, you may want to send a test email to check how the message will look to your customers.

Simply click on the ‘Send Test Email’ button and Easy Digital Downloads will send an email to your admin email address.

Sending a test email from your online music store

When you’re happy with how the purchase receipt email looks, you can go ahead and click on the ‘Save Changes’ button.

Step 5. Test Your Digital Music Download

After all that, it’s a good idea to test the digital download to see whether there are any problems or anything you want to change.

Enable Test Purchases

To start, you’ll need to put Easy Digital Downloads into test mode so you can buy products without having to enter any payment information.

In the WordPress dashboard, go to Downloads » Settings and then click on ‘Payments.’

Adding a payment gateway to Easy Digital Downloads

On this screen, check the box next to ‘Test Mode.’

Next, select ‘Store Gateway’ as this allows you to make a purchase without typing in any credit or debit card information.

Adding payment gateways to WordPress

After that, click on ‘Save Changes’ to store your settings.

Make a Test Purchase

Now you’re in test mode, go to Downloads » Downloads and hover your mouse over the product you want to test.

When it appears, click on the ‘View’ link.

How to customize a music download

This opens the item’s product page.

To go ahead and make a test purchase, click on the ‘Purchase’ button.

Testing a music purchase on your WordPress website

Easy Digital Downloads will now add this product to your shopping cart.

To proceed, click on the ‘Checkout’ button.

How to sell music online with WordPress

Under ‘Select payment method,’ click to select the radio button next to ‘Store Gateway.’

You can now type in your name and email address. Easy Digital Downloads will send the purchase receipt to this address, so you’ll need to use a real email address that you have access to.

How to sell albums, songs, and music online using WordPress

After a few moments, you’ll get a purchase confirmation email containing links to download each track in the digital product.

If everything works as expected, then you’re ready to start accepting payments from real-life music fans.

To take Easy Digital Downloads out of test mode, go to Downloads » Settings, and then select the ‘Payments’ tab. Here, uncheck the box next to ‘Test Mode’ and the box next to ‘Store Gateway.’

How to accept payments online using WordPress

With that done, click on ‘Save Changes’ to store your settings. You’re now ready to accept credit card payments in WordPress.

Step 6. How to Promote Your Music Downloads

At this point, you’ve created one or more digital products, but you still need to drive potential customers to your product pages so they can buy your music.

This might mean creating a sales page where you advertise all the latest releases, adding a particular product page to your website’s menu, or even highlighting your favorite track on a custom home page.

You could even write a WordPress blog where you talk about music topics such as the latest releases, your tour experiences, or your favorite records. These posts are the perfect place to include links to any relevant albums and singles that readers may want to buy.

No matter how you promote a product, you’ll need to know its URL.

To find this link, head over to Downloads » Downloads. You can then hover your mouse over the product and click on its ‘Edit’ link.

Selling music online using WordPress and Easy Digital Downloads

You’ll find the URL under ‘Summary’ in the right-hand menu.

You can now link to this product page from any area of your website, simply by using its URL. To learn more, see our step-by-step guide on how to add a link in WordPress.

Adding a product page to your WordPress website

Easy Digital Downloads also creates a ‘Purchase’ button for each digital download. Visitors can click this button to add that specific product to their shopping cart.

You can add this button to any page, post, or widget-ready area. This allows visitors to start the purchasing process without necessarily visiting the product’s page.

Adding a music purchase button to your website or blog

To get the button’s shortcode, simply scroll to the product’s Download Settings section. You can then copy the text in the ‘Purchase Shortcode’ field.

For more information on placing the shortcode, please see our guide on how to add a shortcode in WordPress.

How to add a digital down to WordPress using shortcode

We hope this article helped you learn how to sell music online with WordPress. You can also go through our guide on the best live chat software for small businesses and our step by step guide on how to create an email newsletter.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Sell Music Online in WordPress (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Create and Sell Ebooks in WordPress from Start to Finish

Beginners Guide, blog to ebook, create an ebook, Easy Digital Downloads, EDD, mpl-publisher, offer pdf downloads

Did you know that you can create an ebook from your WordPress blog posts?

Offering ebook downloads on your WordPress website is a good way to make money online or grow your email list. Writing a book is a big job, but you may discover that you’ve already written enough content for a book on your blog.

In this article, we’ll show you a smart way on how to create an ebook from your WordPress blog posts.

How to Create an Ebook From Your WordPress Blog Posts

Why Create an Ebook From Your WordPress Blog Posts?

If you publish regular blog posts on your WordPress website, then you have a lot of content that you can repurpose or monetize. One of the best ways to repurpose your content is to turn your blog into an ebook.

Writing an ebook can build your site’s credibility. You can use it to grow your email list, offer it as exclusive content on a membership site, or sell it to make money from your blog.

However, writing a book is difficult, and 97% of people who start to write a book never finish.

The good news is that you may have already written a book. Your most popular blog posts may already contain enough quality content to repurpose as a successful ebook. Or you can use your blog to write a new book one post at a time.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how to create an ebook from your WordPress blog posts. Here’s what we’ll cover in this tutorial:

Choosing Which Blog Content to Use in Your Ebook

Your first job is to decide which blog posts should be included in your ebook. If your blog is about a certain topic or niche, then you may just need to find your most popular blog posts. Each post will become a chapter of your ebook.

However, if you wish to create multiple ebooks, then you should choose blog posts that cover more specific topics, such as popular posts in a specific category. You can even consider future ebook ideas when you are planning the content to write about on your blog.

How to Find Your Most Engaging Content to Include in an Ebook

You want to create an ebook that people actually want to read. A good starting point is to find your most engaging and popular blog posts. That way, you already know that your readers are interested in these topics.

If you are not already tracking user engagement on your WordPress blog, then the best way to get started is by using MonsterInsights. It’s the best Analytics plugin for WordPress and helps you configure Google Analytics without writing code.

The MonsterInsights Google Analytics plugin

There’s also a free version of MonsterInsights that you can use as well.

When you install and activate MonsterInsights, you will also set up Google Analytics tracking in WordPress. Once your blog has been tracked for some time, you will be able to view important user engagement metrics such as your most popular content.

You just need to visit the Insights » Reports page in your WordPress admin area and go to the ‘Overview’ report. You can scroll down to see different reports, and you will find your most popular content under the ‘Top Posts/Pages’ section.

Top posts and page report

You’ll find detailed instructions about how to set up and use MonsterInsights in our guide on how to track user engagement in WordPress with Google Analytics.

Now that you know what your most popular posts are, you need to choose which ones to include in your ebook. They should contain evergreen content that will stay fresh and also fit together logically as chapters to form a complete ebook.

Writing a Series of Blog Posts to Create Content for an Ebook

Another way to come up with blog content for an ebook is to write a series of articles on a particular topic. These blog posts can then be compiled into an ebook.

We do something similar on WPBeginner, where we regularly compile a series of posts into a new article. Here are some examples of articles we have compiled with repurposed content from our existing articles:

In fact, whenever you are writing about a complex topic, it is almost always better to write a series of posts that break the topic up into smaller parts.

You can learn more in our guide on how to efficiently manage post series in WordPress.

Quickly Updating the Posts You Choose for Your Ebook

Once you have chosen the blog posts you wish to include in your ebook, take some time to quickly update them if necessary. By doing that now, you will make sure that both the blog post and ebook are free from errors and contain all of the necessary information.

You can start by making sure there are no spelling or grammar errors in the post. Most likely you did this before publishing each post, but it’s worth checking this again in case something was missed.

You can learn the best ways to proofread your posts in our guide on how to check grammar and spelling mistakes in WordPress.

Also, take time to check the comments on each post. They may identify areas where the blog post isn’t clear enough or is missing important information. Take time to address those issues.

Later in this article, you will make further edits that will be needed in the ebook but not the blog posts.

Creating Professional-Looking Cover Art for Your Ebook

One of the best ways to create an ebook that looks professional is to use a well-designed ebook cover. Your readers will actually judge your book by its cover.

You could hire a graphic designer using websites such as 99designs or Fiverr. Or you can use graphic design software or web services to do it yourself even if you don’t have design skills.

Before you create the cover art for your book, make sure you first finalize the ebook title. It should be clear and concise, grab the reader’s attention, and describe what the book is about. You may also want to create a subtitle and book description.

One of the easiest ways to create cover art is with Canva, a free online graphic design tool. It comes with easy-to-use tools that allow you to create a book cover from a template.

The basic Canva account is free and gives you access to dozens of ready-made templates. To get the full power of Canva, you may want to sign up for a Pro account. This lets you upload your own fonts, set your brand colors, and more.

After creating your account, simply type ‘book cover’ into the search box and then click on the ‘Book Cover’ search result.

Searching for Book Cover Templates in Canva

Canva will display a list of thousands of book cover templates. These have the correct width ratio of 1.6 and also a high-quality resolution of 1410 x 2250 pixels.

You can filter the list by clicking the genres at the top of the screen, or by checking one of the styles or themes on the left. This will help you find the most suitable templates quickly.

Filtering the Ebook Cover Templates in Canva

Once you find a template you want to use for your cover art, you should click it to preview it. You will also see whether it is a free, paid, or pro template. After that, you should click the ‘Customize this template’ button.

Canva will now load its drag-and-drop editing interface. You can point and click on any item in the template to edit it. Make sure you type the correct title, subtitle, and author. You can rotate, resize, crop, and delete items.

You can also add more text, icons, shapes, patterns, and backgrounds to your design from the left column. However, you will often get the best result by making simple changes.

Customizing a Book Cover in Canva

When you have finished creating your cover art, you will need to save it to your computer. Simply select File » Download from the menu at the top of the screen.

You can select a variety of file types from the drop-down menu, including PDF, JPG, and PNG. For this tutorial, we will choose PNG and then click the ‘Download’ button.

Downloading a Book Cover in Canva

Method 1: Turning Blog Posts Into an Ebook Using Google Docs (Free)

You can create an ebook from your blog posts using Google Docs. This requires a little more manual work than our second method, but it’s free and makes it easy for you to edit and customize your ebook.

You need to start by creating a new Google Doc and naming it with your ebook’s title.

After that, make sure that under the View menu, ‘Show Print Layout’ is checked. This will allow you to see how each page of your ebook will look.

Inserting Your Ebook Cover Art

The first thing you need to do is insert the cover art you created earlier.

You can either use drag and drop to place it on the first page, or select Insert » Image from the menu and upload it to your computer.

Inserting a Cover Image in Google Docs

Once you’ve done that, you should select Insert » Break » Page break from the menu to start a new page.

Creating a Title Page and Table of Contents

On the new page, you should type the title of your ebook. Before you press enter, make sure you format it as a title by selecting ‘Title’ from the Styles drop-down menu.

Selecting the Title Style in Google Docs

If you wish to center the title, then you need to select Format » Align & Indent » Center.

You can now press the Enter key several times and type the ebook’s subtitle if you have one, as well as your name or your blog’s name as the author.

A Title Page Example in Google Docs

You might like to format them using a larger font and center them. Don’t use a heading style, or these lines will be included in your table of contents. You can also use the enter key to space these lines appropriately down the page.

Once you’re done, you should select Insert » Break » Page break from the menu again to start another new page.

On the next page, you will add the table of contents. Google Docs will populate this with headings as you add content to the document.

Start by typing the heading ‘Table of Contents’ and format it with the Heading 1 style.

Tip: If your text is still being centered, then you will need to select Format » Clear formatting from the menu to return to the default formatting.

Now you can press Enter and select Insert » Table of Contents from the menu. You can choose from a version with page numbers and a version with hyperlinks.

Inserting a Table of Contents in Google Docs

At the moment, the table of contents will be quite empty, but it will be updated as you add blog posts to your ebook.

Pasting the Your Blog Post Contents

Now it’s time to start pasting the content from your blog posts into Google Docs. Before you paste each blog post, make sure you insert a new page break (Insert » Break » Page break) so each ebook chapter starts on a new page.

Then, just head to your WordPress website and navigate to your blog post.

Simply highlight the entire post, copy it to the clipboard, and then paste it into Google Docs. After that, insert another page break and repeat until all the blog posts have been copied.

You may also want to set the title of the posts to Heading 2 in Google Docs so they’re included as chapters in your Table of Contents and document outline.

For our demo ebook, we pasted the contents of 7 blog posts into Google Docs to produce a 167-page ebook. Selecting Tools » Word count from the menu shows that the document contains almost 25,000 words.

Editing Your Ebook Contents

Now you should work through your ebook content and make any changes that are necessary. Some things that work well in a blog post won’t belong in an ebook.

For example, you may need to tweak the title of each blog post so it works better as a chapter heading. And if you added a call to action at the bottom of each blog post, then you may need to remove it from each chapter in your ebook.

You may need to replace references to ‘posts’ with ‘chapters’. Also, you should replace internal links to your blog with links to the chapters in your ebook if they are included.

You should also work on the transitions between chapters so your book flows better, otherwise, it might read like a collection of separate blog posts. You might also want to add a stronger introduction and conclusion to the book.

You might also like to add additional material to the book, such as sections on:

  • How to use this book
  • What you’ll find in this book
  • About the author
  • Contact information
  • Copyright information
  • Disclosures
  • Resources and links
  • Footnotes and sources

Finally, make sure you correct any spelling and grammar errors you find while editing.

Customizing Your Ebook’s Design

Before you export your ebook from Google Docs, consider whether you can improve the design of your ebook.

For example, you can customize the appearance of your headings or normal text.

This is easy to do in Google Docs. You can start by changing the format of a particular heading directly. Just select the font you want, if you want it bold or underlined, or other design choices.

After that, with that text still highlighted, select Heading 1 » Update Heading 1 to match from the drop-down menu to automatically change all other headings to match.

Customizing Heading 1 Style in Google Docs

You can also add a header or footer that includes your ebook title and page numbers.

Just select Insert » Headers & Footers and then click ‘Header’ or ‘Footer’ in the menu. You can set up page numbers by clicking the ‘Options’ menu from the header.

Adding Page Numbers to the Header in Google Docs

When you are happy with the way your ebook is formatted, then it’s time to export it in an ebook format.

Exporting Your Ebook as a PDF

Now that you have finished creating your ebook, you can save it to your computer as a PDF. Simply select File » Download » PDF Document from the menu.

Exporting a Google Doc as a PDF Document

Tip: Before exporting your ebook, we recommend you update the table of contents to include any new chapters you have added. When you click on the table of contents, you will find a button labeled ‘Update table of contents’ at the top.

Google Docs also allows you to download the ebook as an EPUB Publication. This format should be used if you want to make the book available in a marketplace such as Amazon’s Kindle Store.

Method 2: Turning Blog Posts Into an Ebook Using a Plugin

You can also create an ebook from your blog posts using a plugin. MPL-Publisher is the best ebook creator plugin because it covers everything you need to do in an easy-to-use interface.

You will need to use the premium version to export your ebook as a PDF file. This costs $49 per WordPress site and also offers a cover editor and the ability to store the settings for multiple books. The free version can export in EPUB and Microsoft Word formats, and more.

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the MPL-Publisher plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you will need to enter the license key that was emailed to you. Simply navigate to MPL-Publisher » Publish eBook on the admin sidebar, then click on the ‘Premium’ tab. Now you can paste the license key into the field provided.

Entering a Premium License Key in MPL-Publisher

Entering the Book Details

Next, you need to enter some details about your book. Make sure you are looking at the ‘Details’ tab of the MPL-Publisher » Publish eBook page.

From here, you can fill in the book details such as the title, subtitle, author, and description.

Entering the Book Details in MPL-Publisher

Next, you should click on the ‘Meta’ tab where you can enter metadata about the book.

You will find fields where you can fill in the book’s ISBN (or some other unique identifier), language, publication date, publisher name, and copyright information.

Entering the Book Metadata in MPL-Publisher

You can scroll to the bottom of the page and click the ‘Save’ button to store the book details and metadata.

Inserting Your Ebook Cover Art

Now you can move to the ‘Cover’ tab. Here you can add the cover image that you created earlier.

Simply click the ‘Select Image’ button and you will be taken to your site’s Media Library. From there, you can upload the cover art and then click the ‘Select’ button.

Adding Cover Art in MPL-Publisher

If you haven’t already created your cover art, you can use the plugin’s Cover Editor to create a book cover right from the WordPress dashboard. Note that this is one of the plugin’s premium features.

Customizing Your Ebook’s Design

Now you can switch to the plugin’s ‘Design’ tab to choose how your book will be formatted. Several themes are available, and you simply click on the theme you wish to use.

Choosing a Theme in MPL-Publisher

When you scroll down the page, you can choose whether to include the post’s featured images in the ebook and whether to insert or embed the images in the ebook.

Make sure you choose the second or third option. We recommend you avoid the first option, which is to link the images from your website.

Embedding or Inserting Images in MPL-Publisher

Advanced users can also format their books using custom CSS.

Make sure you scroll down and click the ‘Save’ button to store your progress.

Selecting the Posts to Include in Your Ebook

On the left of the screen, you will see a list of posts on your website. To include a post in the ebook, simply click its checkbox.

If you have a lot of posts on your website, then you make it easier to find the posts you wish to include by filtering the list. You will find filters for type, status, category, month, and year.

For this tutorial, we’ll filter the list to include only posts (not pages) that have been published. We’ll also filter the list by the ‘Blogging’ category.

Simply select the desired criteria from the drop-down menus and then click the ‘Filter content’ button.

Filtering Posts in MPL-Publisher

Next to each post, you will see a word count and how long the chapter will take to read.

Once you check the posts you wish to include, you can reorder them by dragging and dropping the hamburger icon. That’s the icon that looks like three horizontal lines.

When creating your ebook, MPL-Publisher will automatically create a table of contents containing these chapters.

Editing Your Ebook Contents

You can edit a post by clicking the ‘Edit’ link that appears under the post when you hover your mouse over it. The changes will be seen in both your ebook and the post on your website.

Editing or Duplicating Posts in MPL-Publisher

If you want to edit the ebook contents only, leaving the post on your website as it is, then you need to click the ‘Duplicate and Edit’ link. This will create a duplicate of the post with the ‘Book Chapter’ custom post type.

Once you update the book chapter, you will need to uncheck the original post, then locate and check the new book chapter you just created. Book chapters display a book icon beside the title.

Identifying the Book Chapter Post Type in MPL-Publisher

If you want to add a new chapter to your book that doesn’t appear on your blog, then you can click the ‘Add New Book Chapter’ button.

This will create a new blank book chapter that will be found only in your book, and not on your blog.

In Method 1 above, we provide a list of additional material you might like to add to your ebook, such as contact information, disclaimers, and more.

Exporting Your Ebook as a PDF

Once you have finished setting up the ebook, you can export it. You need to scroll down to the ‘Output format’ and choose ‘Adobe File (PDF)’ as the file type.

Exporting Posts as a PDF in MPL-Publisher

Alternatively, you could select ‘Microsoft Word (DOCX)’ if you plan to continue editing the book or sending it to a professional editor, or ‘EPUB 3.0’ if you plan to make the book available in an online ebook store.

If you like, you can check the ‘Validate content before download’ box. This ensures that the ebook will not contain HTML errors.

Finally, simply click the ‘Download eBook’ button, and MPL-Publisher will compile your ebook and download it in the format you specified.

How to Promote and Monetize Your eBook in WordPress

Now that you have created an ebook from your blog posts, you need a way to promote it, so more visitors can get your ebook. There are a few ways to do this.

The method you choose depends on your business goal. You can giveaway the ebook for free to raise awareness, use ebook as a lead magnet to get more email subscribers, or sell your ebook to make money online.

1. Allowing Free Ebook Downloads in WordPress

You can offer your ebook as a free download using the WordPress file block.

Simply edit the post or page where you want to add your ebook download and then add a ‘File’ block.

add file block and click on media library

This will allow you to upload the ebook to your site, and it will be displayed in the post in a small PDF viewer by default.

For step-by-step instructions, see Method 1 in our guide on how to add ebook downloads in WordPress.

Tip: Want your visitors to be able to search for your ebook’s content on your website? WordPress doesn’t do this by default, so we wrote a guide on how to add PDF indexing and search in WordPress.

2. Using Ebook Downloads to Get More Subscribers

If you’re using your ebook to grow your email list or capture leads, then you’ll want to make sure your visitors can’t access the ebook until they share their email addresses.

An ebook popup, created using OptinMonster

You can set that up using OptinMonster, the best lead generation plugin for WordPress. We use it on WPBeginner and have increased our conversions by over 600%.

For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to add content upgrades in WordPress.

3. Selling Ebook Downloads in WordPress

Selling digital products like ebooks is one of the best ways to earn money from your WordPress website.

To sell ebooks, you’ll need a plugin like Easy Digital Downloads, one of the best eCommerce WordPress plugins. This beginner-friendly plugin makes it super easy to sell any type of digital product including ebooks.

Once installed and activated, you can easily add new downloads to your website. It’s easy to add a title and description for your ebook, as well as categories and tags.

Adding a download to Easy Digital Downloads

The plugin also handles pricing. You can choose variable pricing with multiple options. You may have one option to sell just the ebook and another that includes an additional product. Using EDD, they will both show on the same product page.

You can also simply set a single price for your ebook purchase.

Creating variable pricing for an ebook in WordPress

After that, you can upload your ebook and add a cover image that will be displayed on your website.

You can find more detailed instructions in Method 3 of our guide on how to add ebook downloads in WordPress.

Bonus Tips to Promote Your Ebook

The easiest way to promote your ebook is to your existing audience. Both email newsletters and push notifications are an excellent way to spread the word about your new ebook launch.

You can use PushEngage to setup push notification for your blog readers. This has among the highest engagement rates.

For email marketing services, we recommend either Constant Contact or Sendinblue since they’re affordable for new users.

Another proven technique you can use to promote your ebook is giveaways. These help you leverage the power of social media to bring more new users to your blog.

We recommend using RafflePress plugin to create a viral giveaway since it seamlessly connects with all major social media platforms.

Adding actions to your Twitch giveaway

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to create an ebook from your WordPress blog posts. You may also want to learn how to start your own podcast, or check out our comparison of the best WordPress SEO plugins to grow your traffic.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Create and Sell Ebooks in WordPress from Start to Finish first appeared on WPBeginner.

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