What types of digital products are in demand in my industry?

To determine which digital products are in demand in your industry, it's essential to look at current trends, audience needs, and gaps in what's currently offered. Here's a process to help you pinpoint what's hot and what might have staying power, mixing my Capture, Develop, Expose framework with practical tips:

1. Capture: Start by gathering insights.
2. Research Industry Trends: Look at industry reports, follow thought leaders on social media, read blogs, and join relevant forums or communities.
3. Listen to Your Audience: Engage with your existing audience through surveys, polls, or direct feedback to understand their pain points and what solutions they're actively seeking.

4. Analyze Competitors: Check out what your competitors are offering. This can give you an idea of what's already successful and where there might be gaps.

5. Develop: Turn those insights into tangible product ideas.

6. Identify Your Niche: Within your industry, there's likely a subset of the audience that's underserved. Hyper-specializing can make your product more appealing.
7. Prototype and Iterate: Start with a minimum viable product (MVP) to test your idea. Gather feedback, tweak, and refine the product based on real user insights.

8. Diversify Formats: Depending on your industry, consider creating courses, eBooks, templates, memberships, or software/tools. Different formats resonate with different audiences, so it might be worth experimenting with a few.

9. Expose: Show your work to the world in ways that resonate.

10. Effective Marketing: Use content marketing, social media, SEO, and paid advertising to reach your audience. Make sure your marketing speaks directly to their needs and pain points.
11. Community Building: Create a community around your product, where users can share successes and tips. This not only builds loyalty but can also provide further insights into future product development.

As an anecdote, when I left my corporate engineering role to focus on digital products, I initially thought of creating technical courses. However, listening to my audience revealed a strong interest in content that addresses the transition from corporate to freelance life. This insight led to the creation of "The Corporate Dropout," which wouldn't have existed if I hadn't paid attention to those specific needs.

Remember, the most successful products solve a real problem or fulfill a deep desire. Keep redefining what success looks like for you and your audience. The clearer you are about that, the better you'll be able to design products that truly resonate.