THE VIFLY GUIDE · CHOOSE AN ACTIVITY
Sell a digital resource that solves a small, specific problem.
A digital product sells because it saves its buyer an identifiable amount of effort. A useful template, clearly explained and tailored to a profession, can be more convincing than a catalogue of generic files.
A clear offer.
An identified client.
Understanding a repeated task for a specific audience
Initial design, demonstration, assistance and updates.
BEFORE YOU START
Is this the right model
for you?
Access to a specific niche; search visibility also requires work.
An option to explore if.
You understand a recurring use case and can design a reliable resource that is easy to open and use. You are willing to document the product and help customers with reasonable difficulties.
- Understanding a repeated task for a specific audience
- Designing and testing a file or resource
- Explain the use, licence and limitations
Hold off for now if…
Avoid creating numerous files before observing a need. Reselling content found elsewhere or generated without checks creates rights issues and may offer little value to the buyer.
- Costs to plan for
- Production and tools can be accessible; include acquisition, fees and support.
- Stock and delivery
- No physical stock; compatibility, licences and versions to manage.
A CLIENT, A NEED, A DELIVERABLE
What exactly can you sell?
Example offers to adapt to your skills. None of these formats guarantees demand or a sale.
A preparation kit
A professional preparing a recurring task.
A checklist, a template to complete and a fictional worked example, with the prerequisites for use.
A document template
A profession that repeats the same work structure.
An editable file, instructions and compatible formats; no legal document sold as universally compliant.
A specialised practical guide
Someone looking for a procedure on a subject you have mastered.
A structured method, verified examples and an update date, rather than a collection of vague advice.
FIND BUYERS BEFORE PRODUCING EVERYTHING
Where can you find your
first clients?
An audience is just one possible channel. A useful conversation with the right person often teaches you more than an untargeted post.
Look for the recurring task
Observe recurring questions in a professional group or among your own customers. Ask a few people how they do the task today and what they find difficult.
Let people try the product
Give a test version to representative users with their agreement. Observe where they hesitate without constantly guiding them; improve the file and instructions before selling.
Show the usable result
Publish a demonstration, preview or representative excerpt. Use the words your audience uses to describe their task and connect each piece of content to the specific product page.
Approach prospects with a relevant message and an easy opt-out. The rules differ by audience and channel: CNIL guidance ↗.
- 01
Narrow the idea to a use case
Define the audience, task and outcome. State what the resource simplifies and what it does not replace, particularly regulated professional expertise or a bespoke service.
- 02
Create a tested version
Check calculations, links, formats and instructions. Use your own assets or licences that allow the intended distribution; a personal-use licence does not necessarily allow resale.
- 03
Make the purchase clear
Explain the content, preview, compatibility, licence, access arrangements and support. For digital content, apply the legal rules on withdrawal and any exceptions without assuming they apply automatically.
- 04
Improve through real feedback
Measure visits, purchases and support requests. If interested people do not buy, examine the value, evidence and customer journey before creating more new products.
GUIDANCE, NOT PROMISES
What the figures tell us.
And what they do not tell you.
Market data, a statistical income measure and your sales scenario measure different things. Always keep the period and population beside the figure. The suggested actions alongside them are our editorial analysis.
2026 Barometer · France Num
17 %of very small businesses and SMEs earn more than half their revenue online
Digital tools can support a business, but not all models depend on them to the same extent.
This proportion indicates neither a beginner's income, profit nor chances of success.
Read the source and its scope ↗2024 data · INSEE
330 €median monthly business income for micro-entrepreneurs
Half of micro-entrepreneurs earn less than this amount, excluding zero incomes.
All occupations and working hours combined. This is neither turnover nor an online earnings target.
Read the source and its scope ↗We have not identified representative official national statistics that allow reliable comparisons of beginners' earnings from UGC, affiliate marketing, templates or subscription content. The simulator's amounts are therefore adjustable assumptions, rather than average earnings for these activities.
MAKE THE PROJECT'S ECONOMICS WORK
A sale does not become
your entire income.
Use the same period for every field: a pilot, a month or a launch. Start with sales actually received, after refunds and excluding VAT.
- Price × salesRevenue excluding VAT
- - purchases, tools, fees, advertising.Full costs
- − a reserve you chooseScenario balance
TEACHING EXAMPLE · NO GUARANTEED INCOME
- Revenue excluding VAT
- 600 €
- Balance after costs and reserve
- 330 €
- Balance per hour spent
- 18,33 €
Understand the starting example
Working assumption with no estimate of sales: 25 purchases at 24 € generate 600 € in revenue. With 120 € in chosen costs and a fictional reserve of 150 €, calculated at 25 % of revenue, this scenario leaves 330 €. The 18 hours cover creation, presentation, acquisition and support over the chosen period.
This balance is not net income for tax purposes. The calculation determines neither social contributions due, income tax nor VAT. It does not replace a complete budget or a check of your applicable regime.
Check the framework for my activity ↗Low duplication costs do not remove creation time or acquisition costs. The illustrative balance is not a net salary; account for actual charges, refunds and any applicable VAT.
THE POINTS THAT CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING
What is best avoided.
Hundreds of products without an identified audience may mostly create unpaid work.
Check the licences for images, fonts, templates and content used in the file you sell.
Do not promise lifetime access or updates unless you can honour that commitment.
A compatibility issue or insufficient instructions can turn every sale into a support request.
FROM THE MODEL TO AN UNDERSTANDABLE OFFER
VIFLY tools
that support this project.
Content attracts attention. The offer provides clarity. The journey guides people towards an action. Choose only the tools useful to your current stage.
Present and sell a resource
Explore premium content and the creator shop to choose the right purchase journey for your product.
See how it works ↗Give your demonstrations a destination
Place the preview, explanations and resource page along a path that is easy to follow.
See how it works ↗Check AI usage
Read the guidance on rights and data before incorporating AI-generated material.
See how it works ↗BEFORE THE FIRST SALE
A professional framework
suited to your activity.
French guidance checked on the guide's verification date. The applicable regime depends on your profession, customers and circumstances; consult the sources and get help where needed.
Register and invoice
Choose the appropriate framework, check the formalities and organise quotes, invoices and payment tracking. Receiving payment online does not make the activity invisible.
Official procedures ↗Inform and respect the customer
Clarify the seller's identity, offer, price, deadlines and applicable rights. A digital product does not automatically exclude the right of withdrawal.
Online selling rules ↗Check the rules of the profession
Coaching does not remove the qualification requirements of a regulated activity. Vocational training has its own formalities; a platform does not create eligibility for funding.
Training requirements ↗ · Regulated professions ↗For data, prospecting and creative work: CNIL ↗, commercial influence ↗ and VIFLY AI guide.
QUESTIONS BEFORE CHOOSING
Straight answers.
Which digital product should I choose to start?
A resource linked to a task you know and that people already carry out. Choose a short, testable version rather than a large catalogue designed without user feedback.
Can I sell templates created with a graphic design tool?
Check the licences for the tool and every component. The right to use an image in a project does not always include the right to redistribute its file or resell it as a template.
Why might a useful resource fail to sell?
It may lack visibility, address a low-priority task or be poorly explained. Check the problem and reasons for not buying before attributing the outcome entirely to the algorithm.
METHOD & SOURCES
Help with choosing,
with visible limitations.
Guide written by VIFLY and checked on 24 October 2026. Recommendations reflect editorial judgement. Calculations are hypothetical, and statistics retain their original period and scope. We do not give occupations profitability scores or present turnover as disposable income.
The links to studies and public authorities below contain no referral parameters added by VIFLY. VIFLY pages help you put the guidance into practice. To report an error or information that has changed, contact us.
View the guide's sources
- INSEE · self-employed income 2024 ↗30 June 2026
Economically active micro-entrepreneurs on 31 December 2024, France excluding Mayotte and agriculture. Online and offline activities, both main and supplementary.
- France Num · survey 2026 ↗Updated on 12 October 2026
A survey of 9 655 French micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Business practices, rather than service providers' earnings.
- FEVAD · ecommerce review 2025 ↗11 February 2026
The French market for products and services, including major players. Sector revenue, not an individual's margin.
- Eurostat · online learning 2025 ↗19 March 2026
European Union internet users, with usage during the three months before the survey. Free and paid resources combined.
- Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr · task scam ↗7 October 2026
Warning signs and procedures for victims of fake online jobs.
- DGCCRF · pyramid schemes and MLM ↗28 August 2025
The distinction between real sales and payments mainly linked to recruitment.
- Service Public · selling online ↗19 June 2026
Seller information, contracts, consumer rights and obligations according to the customer group.
- Service Public · training activity declaration ↗27 November 2025
Vocational training, formalities and the distinction from leisure courses.
- French Ministry for the Economy · commercial influence ↗Accessed on 24 October 2026
Transparency in commercial content and creators' responsibilities.
- CNIL · prospecting by email ↗Accessed on 24 October 2026
Consent, information and the right to object according to the audience and channel.
- DGCCRF · dropshipping responsibilities ↗Accessed on 24 October 2026
The seller remains responsible even when a supplier ships directly.
- Service Public · starting a business ↗Accessed on 24 October 2026
Formalities and a regime suited to the activity; check your personal circumstances.
- Ministry of the Economy · copyright and image rights ↗Accessed on 24 October 2026
Permissions and limits on using content.
- Service Public · regulated activities ↗Accessed on 24 October 2026
Qualifications and authorisations to check for the profession concerned.