What to charge: pricing your first digital product without guessing

New sellers price by effort. Buyers pay for outcome. That gap is why so many first products are either priced at nothing or priced at fantasy.

Start by writing one sentence: 'After buying this, you will be able to ___ within ___.' If you cannot fill both blanks, fix the product before you price it.

Then anchor to the alternative. If your template saves a small business two days of work, it is worth more than a coffee. If your ebook replaces a free blog post, it is not.

Realistic starting bands: short ebooks and playbooks sit around $5–$15. Templates and systems sit around $9–$29 depending on how much setup they remove. Mini courses sit around $19–$59. Anything above that needs proof — testimonials, results, or a named reputation.

Raise prices after reviews, not before. Your first ten sales buy you social proof; your next hundred pay you properly. Launch slightly cheaper than you want to be, collect ratings, then move up in steps.

One warning: discounting permanently trains your audience to wait. Use bundles instead of cuts.