Build track: a digital download

⏱ 40 min6 steps

A is a people buy once: a spreadsheet , a printable planner, a catalog, a guide. My example is the Garment Collection Catalogue, sold on Etsy.

It's rung 4 on the ladder from What to build, because you take money. Start on a like Etsy, or a platform like Gumroad. They handle more of it for you, included.

Your first listing is a draft. Rewriting it a few times is part of the job.

digital download A file people buy once and download, like a spreadsheet template, a printable planner or a guide. All wordsfile One document on your computer, like a letter or a photo. Files live inside folders. All wordstemplate A starting point with blanks to fill in, so you don't start from nothing every time. All wordsmarketplace A place that lists things from many makers, so you can pick what you want. Etsy is one for shoppers, and takes a cut of each sale. In Claude Code, a marketplace is a list of plugins, usually kept on GitHub, that you add once and install from. All wordssales tax Tax added to what a customer pays, which the seller has to collect and pass on to the state. All words

Before this, you'll want:

Steps

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Check that similar things are already selling
Search the platform you'd sell on. Are similar things selling? Reviews and bestseller tags are clues. What do buyers complain about? That's your way in.
1. Find five similar products on that platform.
2. Write down what each costs and what buyers say in the reviews.
That's not what I see
Nothing like my idea is for sale.
That can mean nobody wants it, not that you found a gap. Go back to Check the idea first and talk to five people who'd buy it before you build.
Start Claude Code in your my-idea folder
1. Open (Cmd+SpaceWindows key, type Terminal, press Enter).
2. Go to your my-idea . Type this and press Enter:
  cd ~/Backyard/my-idea
  cd ~\Backyard\my-idea
3. Check the says my-idea.
4. Start . Type this and press Enter:
  claude
Terminal An app on your Mac where you type instructions instead of clicking on things. Claude Code works inside it. All wordsfolder A place on your computer that holds files and other folders, like a drawer in a filing cabinet. All wordsprompt line The line in Terminal that ends with a % sign. The word right before the % is the folder you're in. All wordsClaude Code Claude, working inside Terminal. It can make files and run things on your Mac, with a safety checker watching what it does. All words
You should see:
Claude Code's name and version at the top, a line starting with ❯ where you type, and ⏵⏵ on in the bar at the bottom.
auto mode Claude works without asking, and a separate safety checker blocks anything risky. All words
That's not what I see
It says "cd: no such file or directoryCannot find path … because it does not exist".
The my-idea folder isn't there. It comes from Check the idea first and The three files, so do those first, then come back.
It says "zsh: command not found: claudeThe term 'claude' is not recognized".
This Terminal window doesn't know about Claude Code. Close the window with Cmd+WCtrl+Shift+W, open a new one and try again. If it still says that, go back to Claude Code and .install Put a new program on your computer so you can use it. All wordssign in Tell Claude Code which Claude account is yours, so it knows you've paid for it. All words
Add the digital-download part to your PRD
This has Claude interview you about your product, one question at a time, and add what you say to with a "Done means" list.
1. Copy the prompt below.
```
I'm making a digital download to sell. Add a section to PRD.md called "Track: digital download" and interview me, one question at a time, to fill it in: who buys this and what they'd otherwise do; what similar products sell for, with links; the platform I'll sell on and its fees; and the format (spreadsheet, printable, guide). Then add this "Done means" list: one product that does one job for one kind of buyer; the file makes sense to a stranger who opens it cold; a listing with clear pictures, what's included and who it's for; and I've bought it once myself to check the download works. Show me the section before you save it. Don't build anything yet.
```
1. Paste it into Claude Code with Cmd+VCtrl+V and press Enter.
2. Answer each question, then read the section and tell Claude what to fix.
prompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All wordsPRD.md One page on the problem, who it's for, and what "done" looks like. PRD stands for product requirements document. All words
You should see:
Claude asks you one question, about who buys it, and waits for your answer. At the end, it shows you the section before it saves it.
That's not what I see
Claude says there's no PRD.md.
Do The three files first, then come back to this step.
I'm not sure which platform to use.
Ask Claude to compare two or three for your kind of product, with their current fees and what each handles for you, like sales tax. Check the fees on their own websites before you decide.
Make the file, with a "start here" page inside
Put a one-page "start here" at the front. It cuts refunds and questions more than anything else. This prompt has Claude plan the file with you, then make it one part at a time.
1. Copy the prompt below.
```
Read the "Track: digital download" section in PRD.md. Plan the file with me before you make it: what goes on each page or tab, and a one-page "Start here" at the front that tells a buyer how to use it. Tell me which format you can make here without installing anything, and what I'd finish myself in an app like Google Sheets, Excel or Pages. Show me the plan and wait for my OK. Then make it one part at a time, save it in this folder, and stop after each part for me to look.
```
1. Paste it into Claude Code with Cmd+VCtrl+V and press Enter.
2. Read the plan. Ask about anything you don't follow, then type OK.
3. After each part, open the file and look before you tell Claude to go on.
You should see:
Claude shows you a plan for the file, with a Start here page at the front, and waits for your OK.
That's not what I see
It works on my computer but I'm not sure it will for buyers.
Open it on another device and in the app buyers will use, like Google Sheets as well as Excel. Have a friend open it cold, with no explanation, and watch where they get stuck.
Claude says it needs to install something first.
In auto mode it won't install programs for you. Ask it: Can we build the first version with nothing to install? If the answer is no, ask it to name the program and where it comes from, and install it yourself.
Open your shop and list the product
Open the shop yourself, on the platform's own site. It asks for your bank details and may check your ID. Claude never sees either. Check the current fees on the platform's own pricing page. Check the platform's rules for things made with . Etsy asks you to say so in the listing.
1. Sign up as a seller on the platform you picked, with your project email. Turn on .
2. Copy the prompt below, paste it into Claude Code and press Enter.
```
Write the listing for this product from PRD.md and the file: a title, a description that says what's included and who it's for, and a list of the pictures I should make. Use only facts from PRD.md and the file. No made-up reviews, numbers or claims. Say plainly in the description that I made it with help from AI, if the platform asks for that.
```
1. Make the pictures Claude listed. Screenshots of real pages from the file work well.
2. Make a new listing on the platform. Paste in the title and description, add the pictures and the file, and publish it.
AI Short for artificial intelligence. Here it means a program like Claude that reads what you write and writes back in plain words. All wordstwo-step sign-in Signing in with your password plus a second thing, like a code on your phone, so a stolen password isn't enough. All words
You should see:
Claude writes a title, a description and a list of pictures to make.
That's not what I see
The platform asks for my bank details and ID.
That's how it pays you, and it's normal. Type them on the platform's own site. Never paste them into a chat with Claude.
Buy it yourself once
1. Buy it yourself, or have a friend do it.
2. Download it, open it, and go through it from start to finish.
3. Open it on another device too.
The mistakes I see most: building before checking demand, a file that only works on your computer, and no instructions.

Later: a second product for the same buyer, then a bundle, then your own small site that sells the bundle without platform fees.
That's not what I see
The platform won't let me buy my own product.
Ask a friend to buy it and refund them, or use the platform's test or preview mode if it has one.

Your challenge

Before you make anything, find five similar products already selling on the platform you'd use. Write down what each costs and what buyers say in the reviews.

Last checked 2026-10-20

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