Ever dreamed of earning a substantial monthly income from a creative side hustle? I make over $4,000 every month selling templates I design on Canva—and you can absolutely do it too! In this guide, I’ll break down exactly how I started, why this business works, and give you a simple roadmap to start your own successful template shop.
Why Selling Canva Templates Really Works
- Low Start-Up Costs: Canva’s free plan is powerful enough to begin designing.
- Massive Market Demand: Entrepreneurs, students, teachers, and small businesses always need fresh designs—planners, social media graphics, resumes, ebooks, and more.
- Digital Products = Passive Income: You design a template once and sell it repeatedly—no inventory or shipping headaches.
My Journey to $4,000/Month
I started designing Instagram post templates for fun, then began listing them on Etsy and my own small website. The incoming sales amazed me. By expanding into other template types—like e-book layouts, planners, business cards, and online course materials—I found even more success. Focusing on trending aesthetics, adding value (like editable color schemes), and optimizing my listings for search enabled my income to grow steadily.
How YOU Can Start Making Money Selling Canva Templates
Step 1: Learn Canva’s Tools & Trends
- Explore Canva’s various features: drag-and-drop design, font pairing, color palettes, and template sharing.
- Study what’s popular—search Canva Marketplace, Etsy, and Pinterest to spot trending styles or high-demand templates.
Step 2: Choose a Template Niche
Successful niches I’ve tried:
- Social media packs (Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest)
- Planners and journals (daily, weekly, fitness, budgeting)
- Business kits (logos, presentations, business cards)
- Influencer/media kits
- Wedding invitations, resumes, classroom tools
Step 3: Design Your Templates for Flexibility
- Offer customization: Use editable text, colors, and images so buyers can easily adapt them.
- Provide clear, simple instructions for buyers on how to use/edit their purchase.
Step 4: Set Up Your Sales Channels
Top ways to sell:
- Etsy: Huge audience looking for digital downloads
- Gumroad or Shopify: Your own online storefront for higher profit margins
- Your Website or Blog: Build your own traffic, retain all earnings
List your template with:
- High-quality preview images
- Clear, enticing descriptions
- Search-friendly keywords and tags
Step 5: Price Smart & Bundle Products
- Start with compelling prices ($5–$15 per template), then offer bundles for a higher perceived value.
- Run sales and promote new launches to encourage reviews and repeat customers.
Step 6: Promote Your Products
- Share your work on Pinterest and Instagram with engaging mockups (Pinterest drives lots of template sales).
- Collect email addresses and build a simple newsletter—announce new releases and exclusive discounts.
Tips For Scaling to $4,000/Month
- Release new templates every few weeks to attract repeat buyers.
- Expand into bundles and seasonal/holiday designs.
- Respond quickly to customer messages and be proactive addressing questions or custom requests.
- Use feedback to refine your products and discover new template ideas.
- Invest in mockup and preview design (good visuals = higher sales).
Why This Business Works
- People love beautiful design and will happily pay for tools that save them time.
- Canva’s ease of use means beginners can utilize your templates with zero design background.
- Digital products have minimal overhead—most of your sales are pure profit.
- The business model is flexible: scale up or hang back as your schedule allows.
Final Thoughts
If you’re creative, detail-oriented, and eager to build real online income, selling Canva templates is one of the best ways to start. I began with zero experience and now enjoy over $4,000 a month in digital product sales—and you can absolutely do the same by following this easy roadmap. Dive in, experiment, and let your creativity generate income 24/7!
Thank you for reading!