Templates are often the first digital product people sell, because you’ve usually built one for yourself already: the Notion dashboard that runs your week, the Canva set behind your posts, the resume layout that got you hired. Turning one into a product is mostly about delivery, previews and a clear license, and the delivery depends on the tool the template lives in.
How to sell templates online: delivery by tool
| Template | What the buyer gets | How it’s delivered on ShopFast |
|---|---|---|
| Notion | A link to duplicate the template into their workspace | The product’s message to every buyer |
| Canva | A template link that opens a copy in their account | The product’s message to every buyer |
| Google Docs or Sheets | A make-a-copy link | The product’s message to every buyer |
| Figma | A .fig file |
A download |
| Website or theme | A ZIP of code with a readme | A download |
| Resume | DOCX and PDF, sometimes a Google Docs or Canva link | A download, a message, or both |
A message is a short text that every buyer of the product receives after payment, which makes it the natural home for a link. Files go out as private download links made for each order, shown on the order page, in the receipt email and in the buyer’s library. One product can do both: the link in the message and a PDF guide as a download.
How to sell Notion templates
Build the template in a clean workspace, with sample content that shows how it’s meant to be used and none of your personal data. Share it so buyers can duplicate it; Notion’s own help pages describe the current steps, which change from time to time. Paste the link into the product’s message with three or four lines of setup: duplicate it, then open the Start here page.
A Notion link can be passed on by anyone who has it. You can’t fully prevent that, so give buyers reasons to own their copy: a license that rules out sharing, a way to get help, and new versions sent only to owners.
How to sell Canva templates
Canva templates go out the same way: a template link in the product’s message, which opens a copy in the buyer’s own account. Check two things first. Canva has its own terms about selling templates and about the photos, graphics and fonts inside them, and those terms decide whether a design can be sold, so read them before you list. And buyers need a Canva account to use the link, so say so on the product page, along with anything in the design that needs a paid Canva plan.
Figma, website and resume templates as files
- Figma. Export the
.figfile, organize pages and components clearly, and list every font with where to get it. Don’t include font files unless their license allows it (how font licensing works). - Website templates and themes. Ship a ZIP with the code, a readme with setup steps, a license file and a changelog, and link a live demo from the product page. When you release a new version, send it to every owner from Catalog → Updates (updates to owners). Code that gets frequent releases sells more like plugins and scripts.
- Resume templates. Include an editable DOCX, a filled-in PDF example, and both US Letter and A4 sizes. Job seekers often ask whether a template is easy for applicant tracking systems to read; a single-column layout with real text, not text inside images, is the safe answer.
Show the whole template before the sale
Template buyers want to see exactly what they get:
- A screenshot of every page or frame, not just the cover. A short screen recording of the template in use is even better.
- A view-only demo for Notion and website templates, so buyers can click around.
- The requirements: which tool, which plan of that tool, and which fonts.
- What’s included, as a list: pages, sizes, file types.
You can customize how product cards look on your store, so the details buyers scan for show before they click (product cards). Product pages also get titles, descriptions and structured data for search engines (store SEO).
Build a template shop people browse
Once you have more than a handful, structure matters. Group templates into categories and collections (Notion, Canva, Resume, Social media), turn on storefront search, and drag products into the order you want buyers to see first. Your template shop lives at its own shopfa.st address with a store template and a visual editor, and you can connect your own domain on a paid plan (see current plans). The setup is covered in digital storefront.
Licenses and pricing
Decide what buyers may do before you set a price:
- Personal use: the buyer uses the template for themselves.
- Commercial use: the buyer can use it for their business or in client work.
- Never resale: nobody may sell or share the template itself.
Add personal and commercial use as options of one product, each with its own price, and put the terms in a short license file. Then use bundles for template packs (a bundle is delivered as all its parts), pay what you want for a starter template, and a discount code for launch week. More in how to price digital products, and on refunds for products that can’t be returned in refund policy for digital products.
Step by step
1. Prepare the template
Remove personal data and leftover test content, then create the share link (Notion, Canva, Google Docs) or export the files (Figma, code, Word) along with a short setup guide.
2. Create the product
In Products → Add product, name the template after the job it does, add screenshots of every page and say which tool and account the buyer needs.
3. Add the delivery
For a link template, paste the link and the setup steps into the product's message. For a file template, upload the files or one ZIP.
4. Add license options
If you sell personal and commercial use, add each as an option with its own price and describe what each one allows.
5. Test the purchase
Press Simulate first sale on Get started and check that the order shows the link or download exactly as a buyer will see it.
Questions sellers ask
How do I deliver a Notion template after someone pays?
Put the template's duplicate link in the product's message. Every buyer receives it once the payment confirms, with any setup notes you write. Add a PDF guide as a download if you want the link and instructions in the buyer's library too.
Can I sell Canva templates?
Yes, as template links in the product's message. Canva has its own rules about selling templates and the elements inside them, so read Canva's current terms before you list, and tell buyers they need a Canva account.
Can buyers share my template link?
Anyone who has a link template's link can pass it on; that's how Notion and Canva sharing works. A license that forbids sharing, support for buyers, and new versions sent only to owners give people a reason to buy their own copy.
What should a Figma template include?
The .fig file, preview images of every frame, a list of the fonts used with where to get them, and a short guide to the components and styles. Don't include font files unless their license lets you redistribute them.
Can I sell personal and commercial licenses for a template?
Yes. Add each license as an option of the product with its own price, and describe what each one allows in the description and in a license file.
How do I send a new version to people who already bought?
Post an update in Catalog → Updates with a changelog and, for file templates, the new file. Everyone who owns the template gets it by email, Discord DM and Telegram, and it shows under What's new in their library.