Confession of a Lazy Introvert Creator: How AI Built My Digital Product and Affiliates Promoted It on Autopilot—for Free
This is how Build Once, Sell Forever Actually Works: How I Used AI (ChatGPT)+ Affiliate Networks Power to Launch My Online Business
Okay, the legends or gurus of online business empire would scold me to write this guide openly on Substack. Because here I have mentioned the exact secret sauce they use (and I use!) to earn passive income while I sleep.
Wouldn’t it be great if you can create a digital product even if you are NOT expert on the subject?
Wouldn’t it be cool if some other experts / bloggers promote your product in return of a small commission?
And last but not the least, wouldn’t it be greatest if all this you could do for FREEEEE..!!!!
Sounds like a puzzle, isn’t it?
Let’s break the noise, cheat the gurus and dive in!
The dream of making money online is alive and kicking. But while most people scroll endlessly for ideas, few actually execute one.
Today, I'm breaking down a simple but powerful strategy to create and sell your first eBook or digital product online—even if you’re a beginner and have zero design or tech skills. I will also openly disclose what other ‘so called‘ gurus hesitate to say. Because I am successfully earning from my online business and I want my substack family should also do the same!
This is the exact roadmap I used (and you can too 👇.
⚡ Step 1: Create Your Digital Product Using AI (ChatGPT FTW)
You don’t need to be a writer or spend weeks outlining content.
Just open up ChatGPT and use prompts like:
“Suggest outline of a 10-chapter eBook titled ‘[Your Topic]’ targeted at [Your Audience].”
“Write Chapter 1 in an engaging, beginner-friendly tone with real-world examples.”
Example:
I created a 50-page eBook titled “The Ultimate Business Plan Template & Financial Guide for Entrepreneurs, Startups, and Small Business Owners” in less than 24 hours.
It included tool descriptions, use cases, worksheets and How-Tos—100% AI-powered, of course thoroughly edited by me.
Suggestions:
Niches that work: Health, Wellness, Productivity, Fitness, Online Income, Templates, Study Hacks
Don’t forget to add your name, a cover page (use Canva), and a simple table of contents
📦 Step 2: Upload Product on Payhip (Free + Beginner-Friendly)
Head over to Payhip.com – it’s free, no monthly fee, and lets you sell digital downloads globally. (They charge per sale 5% Means if you make money then only you need to pay them!)
Although I did it on gumroad due to some reasons, but I recommend to use either payhip OR gumroad as platform to list your products.
Steps:
Create a free account
Upload your PDF or ZIP file
Set your price (start with $27–$47)
Add a description + cover image
Enable PayPal or Stripe for payment
Payhip even lets you set discount codes, create product bundles, and embed checkout on your blog.
🔗 Step 3: Get Affiliates via Digistore24 (Your Sales Army) [A Lazy Guy’s Classic Master Stroke]
Don’t want to rely on your small audience?
Let others promote your product and earn commissions.
✅ Signup at Digistore24
✅ List your Payhip product
✅ Set a commission (I recommend 40% to 50% initially)
✅ Write a short sales copy + upload visuals
Create an affiliate page with:
What your product is
Why it converts
Swipe emails, captions, and promo images
Affiliate terms + payout details
Affiliates will pick your product and promote it on autopilot while you sit back and earn.
📧 Step 4: Set Up Email Automation with MailerLite
Now build your email list so every visitor becomes a potential buyer—even if they don’t buy today. Here your Substack subscribers can also play a key role. Just create a post with product details and ask them if they would like to promote your product.
Go to MailerLite.com – free for up to 1,000 subs
Create a landing page offering a free chapter or bonus
Set up an email sequence:
Email 1: Welcome + freebie
Email 2: How this product helps
Email 3: Social proof / testimonials
Email 4: Buy now (with discount)
Email 5: Case study or behind-the-scenes
Use the free automation builder to make it run on autopilot.
Comment below if you want this exact email scripts that actually convert!
💡 Bonus Tips (Based on My Own Mistakes)
Always test your links before sharing
Add bonus checklists, templates, or spreadsheets to increase value
Ask early buyers for testimonials or feedback
Use free tools like Canva, Notion, and Google Docs to speed up content creation
Keep improving your product over time (add updates for free)
🧠 Real Case Study: What I Did
Written with ChatGPT and Curated by ME! (FREE)
Designed with Canva (FREE)
Uploaded to Payhip ($27.99) (FREE)
Listed on Digistore24 (50% commission) (FREE)
Built email list using MailerLite + free Notion planner (FREE)
Made 23 sales in the first 10 days (Cool, Isn’t It?)
5 affiliates started promoting after I shared swipe files
Not bad for something built in a weekend!
🚀 Final Thoughts
The real win here isn’t just the money—it’s the complete system and skill of building and selling online. Once you do it once, it gets easier, faster, and more profitable.
If you’re still stuck in “learning mode,” this is your nudge to shift into building mode.
🧠 Use AI
📦 Create a product
🛒 Upload it on Payhip / Gumroad
🤝 Let Digistore24 affiliates promote it
📧 Capture leads via MailerLite
… and watch your first stream of online income come alive.
PPS - I may need few days to collate and send the detail, so guys please be patient!
If you want to check the product page or sales copy I wrote, please click below!
UPDATE 1:
Okay, I am really grateful to all readers for overwhelming response!
This really made my day! It’s not even 24 hours since I published the post and I am flattered by the DMs, comments and subscriptions!
Updating the post to include the answers to some FAQs on this method -
FAQ 1 - How much time does it take to get approval from Digistore24?
Ans - Usually it takes 48 hours minimum. Depending upon your product, they may suggest some changes also. You may need to create separate sales page on their portal and then link it back to payhip.
FAQ 2 - Why do you use Mailerlite as email provider?
Ans - I already have one older account of Mailerlite with significant subscribers. So I have reused it. I had created manual email sequence there. But you may use any email service provider for the same.
FAQ 3 - How affiliate tracking happens and what about direct sales on payhip?
Ans - Digistore24 tracks all affiliates at their end. So you need to just add proper tracking ids to your sales pages. Regardless of this, direct sales on payhip will also keep on working separately. Make sure you show same price to both portals so customers can get proper guidance.
FAQ 4 - Do you have paid subscription plan on Substack?
Ans - As of now, I don’t.
FAQ 5 - Can you publish step-by-step guide for this?
Ans - Please refer above answer. However, as I have already mentioned in the OP, I am working on creating comprehensive guide to showcase such strategies to make passive income online with ease. It would include both theory and practical steps.
UPDATE 2:
It has been months and still I am amazed to see this post is resonating with readers equally well!
After years of experience, I am giving final touch to my upcoming course which includes such useful guides and exact psychology framework you can use to build your own online solopreneur business.
For those who want to understand how to recruit quality affiliates which doesn’t damage your brand repo, I would only say one thing:
“Trust matters far more than Profits.“
You don’t need to rush to hunt down promoters. You just need to find promoters from your own email list or even substack audience. For this, you may have to scrutinize them using certain criteria.
This is what works for me -
They should have at least 100 subs or followers on SS or X respectively.
They should be in the same niche as mine.
They should have launched at least one digital product.
OPTIONAL - They should be your paid subscriber.
Nonetheless, I will keep on updating this post as per the questions I receive in DMs and comments. If you still have any questions, please feel free to ask!
And last but not the least, please keep on sharing this post to your friends and loved ones!
Shoot me now🙏
The simpler the better; the less steps the easier it is for newbies especially. The end result is to earn a decent income legitimately.