How to make a digital planner to sell on Etsy faster (2025)

If you want to make a digital planner that suits your own needs perfectly, or dream of selling them, this is the post for you! In this article I'll tell you more about what a digital planner is, and share my favourite templates and other resources for building your own digital planner empire. Using a template is the fastest way to make your own planner, and in this post I'll show you my favourite templates!

*This post contains affiliate links

Why Sell Digital Planners?

Digital products are one of the best ways to start an online business. There’s no inventory to store and no packages to ship. Once you create the product, you can sell it an infinite number of times. It's the definition of passive income!

Digital planners, in particular, are booming. People use them on their iPads and tablets with apps like GoodNotes or Notability to organize their lives, track goals, and stay productive. The demand is huge, and it's a fantastic niche for new sellers.

But what if you’re not a designer? What if you don’t have weeks to spend learning complex software to create a planner from the ground up?

Good news: you don’t have to. You can get started today by using PLR products.

What are PLR and MRR? A Game-Changer for New Sellers

Before we dive in, let's talk about a concept that will save you a massive amount of time: PLR.

• PLR (Private Label Rights): This means you can purchase a pre-made product (like a digital planner), rebrand it as your own, and sell it. You can change the colors, fonts, and add your own logo to make it unique. It’s like buying a generic cake and then decorating it to sell in your own bakery.

  
  

• MRR (Master Resell Rights): This is similar to PLR, but it often gives you the right to sell the product and the rights for your customers to sell it, too. It's a powerful way to not only have a product but also provide resources to other aspiring entrepreneurs.

  
  

Using PLR and MRR products is the ultimate shortcut. It allows you to launch your Etsy shop with a high-quality, professionally designed product in a fraction of the time.

Your First Product: The Undated Digital Planner

If you're wondering where to start, I highly recommend beginning with an undated digital planner.

Why undated? Because it’s an evergreen product. You can sell it all year round, year after year, without it ever going out of style. Customers can buy it in May or November and start using it immediately. This makes it a perfect first product for your shop.

This Undated Digital Planner with PLR rights is a fantastic starting point. It’s designed to be easily edited in Canva, a free and user-friendly tool. You can quickly customize the colors and fonts to match your brand and have a product ready to sell in just a few hours.

Expanding Your Product Line with Niche Planners

Once you’ve launched your first planner, you can easily expand your shop by offering planners for specific niches. The more specific you get, the more you can connect with a passionate audience.

Here are some excellent, ready-to-sell options:

• The Self-Care Planner: The wellness niche is huge. This simple Self-Care Planner (with MRR and PLR) is perfect for customers looking to focus on their mental and physical health.

  
  

• The Reading Planner: Book lovers are a dedicated community! This Reading Planner (with MRR and PLR) helps users track their reading goals, review books, and build a personal library log.

  
  

• More Planner Options: If you want to quickly build a full collection, you can find bundles like this Canva Undated Digital Planner or even a pack of 6 Ready-to-Sell Digital Planners to instantly fill your shop with high-quality products.

  
  
  
  

The Secret to Making Sales: Professional Mockups

Here’s a pro tip that many new sellers miss: your product is only as good as its presentation.

You can have the most beautiful planner in the world, but if your Etsy listing photos are dark or unprofessional, customers will scroll right past it.

This is where mockups come in. Mockups are templates that make your digital planner look like it’s being viewed on a real iPad, often in a beautiful, styled setting. They create a professional and aspirational look that helps customers envision themselves using your product.

Instead of spending hours trying to create these yourself, you can use a template pack. This set of 75 Digital Planner Listing Mockups for Canva is a must-have. You simply drag and drop your planner’s pages into the templates, and you’ll have stunning, click-worthy listing images in minutes.

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Next Steps: From Planner File to Etsy Listing

So, you've used a PLR template to create your unique planner. Now what? Here’s your checklist to get it ready for sale.

1. Finalize Your PDF:  Once you've customized your planner in Canva, export it as a "PDF Standard." This is the file your customers will import into GoodNotes or their preferred app.

   
   

2. Create a Thank You/Download Page: Etsy has a file size limit (20MB), and many planners are larger than that. The solution? Upload your planner to a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox. Then, create a simple, one-page PDF that includes a "Thank You" message and a clickable link to download the planner from the cloud. This PDF is what you will upload to your Etsy listing.

3. Set Up Your Etsy Listing:

• Photos: Use the mockup templates mentioned earlier to create 5-10 beautiful listing images. Show off the cover, key pages, and different spreads.

  
  

• Title & Tags: Do your keyword research! Use terms like "Digital Planner," "GoodNotes Planner," "iPad Planner," "Undated Planner," and niche-specific terms like "Reading Journal" or "Wellness Planner."

  
  

• Description: Clearly explain what the customer is getting. Mention the software it's compatible with (like GoodNotes, Notability, etc.) and highlight the key features of your planner.

  
  

Your Path to an Etsy Business

Creating a digital planner business on Etsy doesn't have to be a long, complicated process. By leveraging PLR products and professional mockups, you can launch a beautiful, profitable shop faster than you ever thought possible.

Pick a planner, customize it to make it your own, create stunning listings, and you’re on your way to making your first sale!

FAQ:

What exactly is a digital planner?

A digital planner is a versatile and customizable planner that exists in a digital format, typically as a PDF or interactive file. What sets digital planners apart from normal note-taking apps is their ability to emulate the look of traditional paper planners while offering enhanced functionality and convenience.

With stunning designs, realistic textures, and interactive features, digital planners bring planning to life in a whole new way. They can be seamlessly integrated into digital note-taking apps, allowing you to carry your planner with you wherever you go on your tablet.

What can I use it for?

Digital planners aren't limited to daily planning and task management. They can also serve as powerful tools for event planning, project management, goal setting, and more. The flexibility of digital planners allows users to adapt them to their specific needs, making them an indispensable asset for various planning endeavors.

Why should I use a template?

By starting with a pre-made template, you can focus on the fun stuff: Design! Customise and add your personal touch to create a digital planner that reflects your unique style and meets the needs of your intended audience.

The possibilities for customization are endless. You can tailor the planner's layout, color schemes, graphics, and interactive elements to align with your brand and resonate with your target market. Embrace your creativity by incorporating features such as habit trackers, goal-setting sections, inspirational quotes, and more. Designing the perfect planner takes time, so actually also making it from scratch must be a super time-consuming task.

Selling Your Digital Planners on Etsy

Lastly, let me wrap up this post with a few words about selling planners on Etsy.

Etsy provides an ideal platform for selling your digital planners. Create an Etsy shop and set up your listings, showcasing your stunning planner designs with enticing visuals and compelling descriptions. I've not finished customising my templates yet, so currently I only sell stickers and digital paper in my shop, but I am excited to finish my first planner!

Consider offering different versions of your planner, such as dated and undated options. Don't forget to highlight the unique features and benefits of your digital planner to entice potential buyers. There's lots of planners on Etsy, so it's key to stand out visually or cater to a specific niche.

Pretty generic looking planners. Plenty of opportunities to stand out among the competition.

Creating and selling digital planners on Etsy opens up an exciting opportunity to turn your passion for planning into a profitable venture. With the availability of pre-made planner templates, you can get started on your plannerpreneur journey much quicker than if you were to make the planner from scratch. Embrace the creative freedom that digital planners offer and infuse your personal touch to craft stunning and functional designs. But be mindful that this is not a get-rich-quick sort of thing, it requires some work, but it's a lot of fun as well!

Psst: If you start your Etsy shop by clicking on my referral link, we both get 40 listings for free! This is a great way to save some money from the get-go when you start your shop.

I hope this post was helpful! You might also like my blog post How to get high quality clipart and digital paper for free for commercial use, if you're planning on selling digital products.