My $100k Notion Template Launch (Lessons and Resources)

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I just made $100,000 in a single month selling @NotionHQ templates through @Gumroad. Here's how: - Built an audience w/ tutorials and free templates - Spent a LOT of time on the sales page - Product bundles - Upgraded the customer experience everywhere Here are the details:

First up: Here are the exact tools I use to run this business: @gumroad - payment processing @convertkit - email list @HelpkitHQ - help docs @circleapp - customer support @zapier - automations @loom - support videos @Front - email delegation @elemntor + WordPress - sales pages

Total monthly cost to use all these tools is currently $585/mo. This is an example of a template business scaled to 5-6 figures/month. If you're just getting started, there are also a ton of free tools. @heyeaslo does a great job rounding these up - go follow him!

The template I launched is called Ultimate Brain. It's a complete second brain for Notion, combining tasks, notes, projects, goal-tracking, and life organization into a single template: thomasjfrank.com/brain/ Two guiding principles led me to building this template:

1 - It's exactly what I wanted. Ever since Notion launched, I've wanted to figure out how to use it as a complete productivity system. If you're not excited about your product, you can't expect your audience to be!

2 - A majority of my audience's questions centered around personal productivity. In business, market research is critical - otherwise you can waste time building a product no one wants. This is why creating content is great - your audience's questions are that research.

Here's how I started building up my audience: In August 2020, I started a second channel called Thomas Frank Explains. It focuses ONLY on @NotionHQ tutorials. I have 3 main content pillars: 1. Build guides 2. Beginner tutorials 3. Feature-release videos

Each of these pillars serves a different purpose. Build guides are long-form and practical - they teach people how to get a result. These tend to do the best long-term. Beginner tutorials (in my Notion Fundamentals Series) don't pull in crazy views, but they're foundational.

If someone finds one of my build guides and gets stuck, I want to make sure I have a beginner video that will get them un-stuck. This is also the overall goal of the channel - create the highest-quality (and most comprehensive) free educational resource possible.

Finally, feature-release videos are much like the videos that tech creators like @reneritchie make - essentially news coverage, timed when hype is highest. We typically scramble to get these made, but the effort is worth it - they get a lot of views and bring in new subscribers.

We also use a ton of techniques I've learned over 8 years as a full-time YouTuber to make the videos as high-quality as possible. If you're curious, I've broken down exactly how I make my videos (and what gear I use) in this video: youtube.com/watch?v=1tZ5-niQtLw

I'll note that I've done very little promotion for this channel on my main channel (mainly because it's very niche). It primarily grows through SEO and organic (algorithmic) promotion. Much of that growth comes from identifying the right topics to cover (hence the pillars).

Another note: Thomas Frank Explains is a fairly small channel - only 61k subs and 100k-200k views/month. Yet it's the main marketing channel for a 6-figure launch and makes $1k-$2k/mo on AdSense. Niching down (in the right niche) is powerful! You don't need millions of views.

Check out (and follow) @RedGregory1, @AugustBradley, and @mariepoulin for three more examples of people crushing it and building sustainable @NotionHQ businesses through YouTube content. But also follow people in other niches for diverse creative inspiration!

Some creators who inspire and influence me: - @Caddicarus - the main person who inspired me to learn editing - @valentinavee and @joeyschweitz - holy cinematography batman - @theKevinShen - set-design master - @Volksgeist_ - animation god (check out his @WatchNebula class!)

I used free Notion templates to build up my email list with @convertkit. Currently my Notion Tips list is at around 35,000 subscribers. I'll note that I DON'T require sign-up for my templates - I make it an option. Otherwise I'm paying for subscribers who don't want my emails.

Once someone does sign up to my Notion Tips email list, I immediately send them: - All my other free templates - A bonus list of all the tools I use I believe SURPRISE and DELIGHT are business super-powers. Always be looking for ways you can exceed expectations.

Let's look at the sales page next. Most template creators just use a default Gumroad page and call it a day. I spent more than 10 hours making a fully-designed page using @elemntor and WordPress. It's also a seamless part of my website.

The sales page has 3 jobs: - Highlight a PROBLEM the potential buyer has, or an OUTCOME they want - Prove that the product is THE solution - Address and overcome any objections

My problem (which I share with many people): I'm tired of juggling a bunch of apps. I want my productivity system all in one place. Note how the heading immediately addresses this goal.

Next, the page has to prove Ultimate Brain is the best solution. It does that through: - Feature highlights - A full demo video - Testimonials

I get testimonials in 3 ways: - A feedback link at the top of each template - Simply asking customers after a positive support interaction - Building relationships with other creators (long-game)

Finally, my sales page has to overcome objections. I do this by: - Offering 30-day full refunds (most template creators are too scared to do this) - Including actual support - Having a FAQ section

These additions make the purchase virtually risk-free for the customer. If they get stuck, we're there to help with personalized support and a growing base of help docs/tutorials. And if it's not a fit, they can just get a refund.

For those worried about piracy, I will simply link back to this tweet: twitter.com/TomFrankly/status/1522971862258667521

I will note that providing support is HARD and time-consuming. There's a reason I haven't made a YouTube video in over a month. I'm now growing a support team so I can get back to content. But it's also valuable. Doing support forces you to become a true expert on your product.

Ok, let's talk about product bundles. I've found that offering a bundle with both of my templates - Ultimate Brain and Creator's Companion - is a GREAT way to increase the average value of a sale.

Again, this decision was driven by customer requests. A lot of people wanted a bundle version of the two templates, so I spent a ton of time figuring out how to integrate the two. Ultimate Brain w/ current promo is $49. Bundle is $179. You do the math.

Now, @gumroad doesn't offer upsells during checkout (bummer), but I use a @convertkit automation to let customers know about the bundle right after purchase - and give them a discount code so they can upgrade to it.

I haven't figured out the upgrade % yet, but simply offering the bundle has resulted in a lot of extra revenue (the listed prices are pre-discount codes):

Finally, I'll talk about upgrading the customer experience. @dwiskus - our CEO at @standardshows and @WatchNebula - has a saying: "Always invest in 'Plus'". Plus is that little extra spit-and-polish that moves what you do from merely good to truly great.

When you're just starting out, it's good to stay scrappy and use what works. Don't get bogged down in perfectionism - cut out anything that paralyzes you and SHIP. But after that - as soon as you can - invest in Plus.

I try to do that wherever possible: - Youtube content - Freebies so good that others would charge for them - Sales page - Onboarding - Help docs - Customer support (values: cheerfulness, empathy, anticipation of future responses and needs)

Our beginner's guide for Ultimate Brain is built around this principle. It includes written tutorials, interactive elements, a full demo version of the template, and more than 6 hours of video tutorials.

This is based on what customers have asked for. Some wanted videos, some wanted written guides, others wanted a demo. So we spent dozens of hours crafting a guide that includes all of those. Again, do the hard stuff and strive to DELIGHT the customer. Exceed expectations.

That's it for now! If you found this thread valuable and learned something, an RT would be awesome 😊 Happy to answer any questions you have as well - and I'll continue sharing lessons as I learn them!