When Gabrielle Juliano-Villani opened her Etsy shop selling digital templates, her first two sales came from friends she’d asked for feedback. Now, she earns over $10,000 a year from the same shop, with her best-selling progress note template helping private practice therapists tackle everyday challenges with ease.
As a licensed clinical social worker, Gabrielle already had experience creating resources for therapists, but turning those tools into sellable digital products wasn’t something she’d considered — until she stumbled across a TikTok video about selling downloads on Etsy. Inspired, she realized the templates she’d been using in her own work could meet a huge need for others. Today, her Etsy shop is a thriving side hustle that combines creativity with a smart approach to serving a niche audience. Here’s how she did it, and how anyone can get started selling digital products on Etsy.
Finding a Niche and Starting on Etsy
The idea to sell digital products wasn’t something Gabrielle had actively planned. As a social worker and coach, she had already been creating tools like progress notes and treatment plans to help therapists understand insurance requirements and pass audits. But her “aha” moment came unexpectedly while scrolling through TikTok. “I hadn’t used Etsy in so long, and I didn’t realize you could even sell digital downloads on the platform,” she explained.
That realization spurred her to action. Gabrielle recognized the unmet demand for reliable resources among therapists, particularly for a note template that had been tested to meet strict Medicaid and Medicare audit standards. “I knew therapists were desperate for a note template that had been tried and tested to actually pass audits, and this was my way of getting it to them,” she said.
She also saw Etsy as the ideal platform for reaching a larger audience than her own website could provide. “Setting up my shop was super easy,” she shared. Within days, she had uploaded her first listings and was ready to begin selling. While her initial sales came from friends providing feedback, Gabrielle’s belief in her niche drove her to keep going — and the results soon followed.
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The Challenges of Selling Digital Products
Launching her Etsy shop was relatively straightforward, but Gabrielle quickly discovered that selling digital products came with its own unique challenges. “I didn’t think about how I would need to also be IT support,” she shared. Customers frequently reached out with questions about downloading files, enabling permissions, or simply locating their saved documents.
To address these issues, Gabrielle created “how-to” guides for her products and included detailed instructions in each listing description. “That’s helped to manage questions that I would get over and over again,” she explained. She also took proactive steps to protect her work by adding attorney-approved disclaimers and copyright statements.
These behind-the-scenes adjustments not only streamlined the customer experience but also allowed Gabrielle to focus more on growing her shop. “Taking the time to troubleshoot and anticipate customer needs upfront made a huge difference.”
How Gabrielle Turned Two Sales Into $10K
Gabrielle’s Etsy journey didn’t take off overnight. “The first month I opened my shop, I had two sales — from friends I asked to buy it and give me feedback on the process,” she said. But she didn’t stop there. By sharing her shop with her existing audience at GJV Coaching and promoting it in therapist Facebook groups where self-promotion was allowed, she quickly gained traction.
One of her most effective strategies was optimizing her shop for search. “I used Etsy’s search keyword report and made sure to include those keywords in my listing titles, descriptions, and tags,” she explained. She also analyzed top competitors to see what they were doing differently and adjusted her own listings accordingly.
Another small but powerful move was encouraging customers to leave reviews. “I reach out to customers and ask them to leave a review, as this also helps boost the shop’s visibility on Etsy,” Gabrielle shared.
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Building Products That Sell
Gabrielle’s best-selling progress note template didn’t come out of thin air — it was born from observing what therapists needed most. “I saw over and over again in Facebook groups, trainings I was facilitating, and consult groups that people were asking for a resource that could show exactly what was needed to pass an audit,” she explained.
Her own experience using these templates in her practice gave her a solid foundation, and feedback from customers helped her refine and improve the product. “My note template had passed audits for both Medicaid and Medicare, and I’ve changed a few things over time based on feedback to make things more clear and easier to use,” she said.
But Gabrielle didn’t stop at just one product. She listened closely to her audience to identify additional needs. “Many of the things I do as a coach and consultant can be turned into templates or worksheets,” she shared. This approach has led to a growing shop with a range of offerings, from intake forms to tools for credentialing and billing Medicare.
Marketing and Growing the Shop
Gabrielle quickly discovered that effective marketing was key to driving sales. Surprisingly, her most successful channel wasn’t Etsy search or ads — it was Facebook groups. “The absolute number one effective marketing channel has been Facebook groups, which surprised me,” she said. “Most of my sales are from my own audience — my Facebook groups and email list.”
While Etsy search and ads contributed to her shop’s growth over time, building a warm audience proved to be the most effective strategy. Gabrielle also leveraged Etsy’s tools, like SEO and the “Star Seller” badge, to boost her shop’s visibility. “Being a Star Seller helps boost your listings to the top of the search,” she explained.
Additionally, she recommended sellers:
- Promote Beyond Etsy: Use social media, email newsletters, and niche communities to drive external traffic to your shop. Etsy values traffic from outside sources, which can boost your listings algorithmically.
- Master Seasonal SEO: Research and plan listings for holidays or seasonal trends months in advance. For example, Gabrielle could promote “New Year Goal-Setting Templates” or “Back-to-School Counseling Forms.” Early optimization positions you ahead of the competition when demand spikes.
- Bundle Products to Drive Sales: Combine related listings into bundles (e.g., progress note templates + intake forms). This increases the average order value and helps Etsy prioritize your products in search due to higher engagement and sales.
- Use Etsy Search Analytics to Outperform Competitors: Track search terms bringing traffic to your shop and compare them with competitors. Adjust your product descriptions and tags to better align with top-performing keywords.
- Rotate Keywords and Tags: Refresh your listings by testing new keyword tags or adding seasonally relevant ones. This can help your listings stay active in Etsy’s algorithm, which often rewards recently updated products.
- Focus on Click-Through Rate (CTR): Test your main thumbnail images to find the one that generates the most clicks. Make sure the first two lines of your product description are keyword-rich and engaging to encourage clicks.
- Unlock Repeat Customers with Free Downloads: Offer a free resource, such as a checklist or guide, in exchange for an email address. Use your email list to share updates and sales, driving repeat traffic back to Etsy. Repeat visits and purchases boost your shop’s overall ranking.
- Leverage Etsy Push Notifications: Use Etsy’s in-app marketing tools to promote sales or new listings directly to your followers. Push notifications often see higher engagement than standard email campaigns.
- Optimize Listing Photos for Search and Conversion: Bright, high-quality images with clear, well-lit angles can improve both your CTR and conversion rates. Listings with professional photos tend to perform better in Etsy’s algorithm.
- Use Etsy Ads Wisely: Focus your ad spend on products with proven appeal, like best-sellers or seasonally relevant listings. Monitor performance to avoid overspending on underperforming items.
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The Reality of Passive Income
While selling digital products offers the allure of passive income, Gabrielle is quick to set realistic expectations. “I think it’s really easy to get sucked into marketing tactics and think you’ll make $100k off your Etsy shop,” she said. “While I suppose it could happen, I think it’s pretty unusual.”
Her own success didn’t come without effort. Building her shop’s SEO and audience took time, and even now, Gabrielle regularly promotes her listings to maintain steady sales. “While it is more passive now that I have done a lot of the legwork, I do still share my shop and continue to get it in front of people to make sales,” she explained.
Gabrielle’s transparency about the ongoing work required to sustain “passive” income helps demystify the process for aspiring sellers. For her, the key is treating it as a supplemental income stream and focusing on steady growth over time.
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Tips for Aspiring Digital Sellers
For those looking to follow in her footsteps, Gabrielle shared her top advice for starting and growing an Etsy shop. While the basics like knowing your niche are important, she emphasized that success often comes down to how well you execute the small details that sellers don’t always think to share.
Gabrielle’s Insider Tips for Etsy Sellers:
1. Nail Your Niche Early. “Know your niche, know what makes you stand out, and know what people need and are looking for,” Gabrielle said. She observed recurring frustrations in therapist Facebook groups and tailored her templates to solve high-stakes problems, like passing Medicaid audits.
💡 Pro Tip: Spend time researching your audience’s biggest pain points. Join online communities, forums, or social media groups where your target audience gathers and observe the questions they ask most often. Then, create products that directly address those gaps.
2. Leverage Warm Audiences for Quick Wins. Gabrielle credited much of her early success to promoting her shop within therapist Facebook groups she already belonged to, where self-promotion was allowed. This warm audience trusted her expertise, leading to a spike in early sales and reviews.
💡 Pro Tip: Warm audiences convert best, so start with your inner circle. Reach out to colleagues, friends, or existing social media followers and ask for feedback on your first listings. Consider offering a small incentive, like a discount code, in exchange for an honest review.
3. Optimize Like a Pro. Gabrielle used Etsy’s keyword reports to refine her listings, titles, and tags. “I made sure to include keywords my audience was searching for,” she explained. She also studied successful competitors to fine-tune her shop presentation.
💡 Pro Tip: Treat your Etsy shop like a search engine. Use tools like Marmalead or eRank to identify high-traffic keywords and strategically place them in your product titles, tags, and descriptions. Beyond keywords, focus on product photos — bright, professional images significantly boost clicks and conversions. Think of your photos as your first impression.
4. Turn Feedback Into Fuel. Customer feedback isn’t just about improving your products — it’s also a goldmine for expanding your offerings. Gabrielle’s audience consistently asked for templates that addressed specific pain points, leading her to create a range of products, from treatment plans to SMART goal templates.
💡 Pro Tip: After each sale, send a follow-up message asking for specific feedback about your product. Questions like, “Was there anything missing?” or “What additional tools would help you?” can inspire new products that align with customer needs. Use this feedback to diversify your offerings and create product bundles for higher-value purchases.
5. Reviews Are Your Secret Weapon. Gabrielle didn’t just hope for reviews; she actively asked for them. “I reach out to customers and ask them to leave a review,” she said, which boosted her shop’s credibility and visibility in Etsy search rankings.
💡 Pro Tip: Craft a friendly follow-up message template that you can easily personalize. For example: “Hi [Customer Name], I hope you’re loving your new [Product Name]! If you have a moment, I’d greatly appreciate it if you could leave a quick review. Your feedback helps small shops like mine grow and reach more people. Thank you!”
Gabrielle emphasized the importance of starting small and listening to your audience. “It’s easy to fall into the comparison trap or think, ‘Who would buy this?’ but you won’t know if you don’t try,” she said. “Many people would rather pay for something than try to create it themselves. Time is valuable!”
Her message to new sellers is clear: don’t overthink it. Start with a simple product, promote it authentically, and focus on delivering real value.
The Road Ahead
Gabrielle’s Etsy shop has grown steadily since its modest beginnings, and she has big plans for the future. “It’s been really amazing to see the growth. I was so disappointed when I opened my shop and only had two sales — and now it’s grown to over $10K a year!” she said.
Her current offerings, like the best-selling progress note template, have already helped therapists streamline their practices, but Gabrielle is constantly thinking about what’s next. “I plan to keep adding more templates on treatment planning and writing SMART goals, Polyvagal Theory and nervous system regulation tools, scripts for therapists to use in their practice, and more paperwork bundles,” she shared.
For Gabrielle, this side hustle isn’t just about the income — it’s about making life easier for others in her field. “This is a small way I can make running a business easier for therapists with tools that I know work,” she said. Her story is a testament to the power of listening to your audience, embracing creativity, and building something meaningful.
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