Why this matters
A digital product is something you make once and can sell many times without making it again: a spreadsheet template, a short practical guide, a set of prompt templates, a planner, a set of lesson note templates. There is no stock to buy and nothing to transport. AI can help you plan, draft and polish one far faster than before. This was the theme of SydCrest's "Monetizing Your Skills With AI: Building Digital Products" event in Accra, and it is something you can start on a phone or a computer.
Start with a real problem
The most common mistake is starting with "What can AI make?" instead of "What problem do people around me have?" Good digital products solve a specific problem for a specific group of people. For example:
- Market traders who struggle to track daily sales and debts: a simple, ready made record template in Google Sheets with instructions.
- JHS teachers who spend hours on lesson notes: a set of note templates and tested prompts for planning lessons.
- Job seekers in the north who are unsure how to write a CV: a short guide with examples and fill in the blank templates.
- Small business owners new to social media: thirty prompt templates for posts, with tips for checking and editing.
Talk to five people in your target group before you build. Ask what wastes their time and what they have tried. Their words will shape your product.
How AI helps you build
- Planning: "Suggest an outline for a short guide on [topic] for [audience]."