If you’re thinking of using a template for your digital product, COOL – you should!
Why reinvent the wheel if it already exists?
Listen to this as a podcast:
I know this is a hot topic and point of contention for many folks out there.
But here’s the thing – just because you’re using a template doesn’t make it a given that it’s going to be the same as the original and that it won’t get the attention (sales) it deserves.
Let’s first talk about how you can make a template your own.
My rule of thumb: customize a template in at least 5 different ways to make it clearly distinguishable from the original.
Here are 10 different ways you can customize your template.
1. Change Fonts and Text Style
- Adjust font styles, sizes, and spacing to match your brand or aesthetic. Choose fonts that resonate with your target audience (modern, playful, or elegant, etc)
2. Personalize Colors
- Update color schemes to reflect your brand colors or even, better yet, a theme. Canva’s color palette tool makes it easy to switch out colors throughout the entire design for a cohesive look.
3. Add Unique Graphics or Icons
- Incorporate custom icons, illustrations, or graphics from Canva’s library or upload your own. Look for visuals that align with your topic or theme to add personality.
4. Include Your Logo or Brand Elements
- Add a logo or any other brand elements (like a tagline) to increase brand recognition. Place it strategically—such as in the header, footer, or watermark—so it doesn’t distract from the content.
5. Use Customized Backgrounds
- Swap out the background color or texture for something more unique, like a subtle pattern or gradient, to make the template feel one-of-a-kind.
6. Replace Placeholder Images
- Add your own images or illustrations to replace any stock images or default graphics in the template. This creates a personal, custom feel, especially if your images align with your brand.
7. Modify Layout and Spacing
- Adjust the layout by moving sections around, resizing elements, or changing the spacing to suit your style. This customization can make the design look less template-like and more original.
8. Add Interactive Elements (if for digital use)
- For digital printables or PDFs, add clickable links to resources, social media, or a website. This works well for guides, workbooks, or resource lists.
9. Incorporate Personalized Headers or Titles
- Change generic headings and section titles to match the tone of your product or niche. Try creating fun, branded names for sections that reflect your voice.
10. Layer Elements for Depth
- Use Canva’s layering tools to create a more dynamic look by stacking shapes, graphics, or text. You can adjust transparency or add shadows to give the design dimension.
11. Customize to difference sub niches
And lastly, and maybe most importantly, don’t forget that one template can be turned into a VARIETY of different products just by retargeting who it’s for and what it is used for.
For example: I recently used one of my own product templates (found in my ready to sell digital product pack) in my personal life.
Watch this video to see my examples in real time.
My kids started ISR swim lessons which is a pretty intense swim program – 6 weeks, 4 days a week for 10 minutes per day.
This felt like a long journey so I decided to use my rewards chart template to make it super fun with prizes along the way! This also helped them visualize the timeline to completion.
My template started looking like this (this is one of 30 available templates in the ready to sell digital product pack)
And in the end it looked like this:
You can see that I added different colors and graphics, changed some of the fonts, and I printed it out with each of their names on it, too!
It went from a standard reward chart to a swim reward chart. Narrowing down the use case for it further changed the original design.
For the purpose of demonstrating this point, I went ahead and created yet another two variations of this chart just to show you how versatile one template can truly be.
And finally:
You could see how this could easily be not just a reward chart but also a countdown to an exciting event like a holiday or birthday, summer camp or grandparent visit, too!
My point is this: you CAN still be very original even if you’re starting out with a template.
Templates are there to get the gears turning.
Once you turn those gears, you’ll be able to create a limitless variety of products, catered to your audience and niche, relevant to the demand out there, and reap the benefits of those sales coming in!!
So what are you waiting for?
Want to start leveraging templates?
If you purchase 30 printable templates and turn each one into 5 different products, that's 150 potential products you could make – and they all would be fairly unique!!
If you're interested in templates, check out the ready to sell digital product pack – 30 templates you can use with a free canva account – available for resale.
