How to create a business by selling Coda docs

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How to create a business by selling Coda docs

Create a business by selling your Coda docs

The Maker Journey:

Step #1

⭐ Vision

Step #2

⚒️ Build

Step #3

📣 Promote

🔺

You’re here

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Have a great Coda doc and you want to monetize it? These best practices will overview your options to monetize your docs built on Coda. Whether you’re building and selling a curated list of resources, templates, or tiny apps, this guide will explore what tools you can use and what’s the ideal workflow.

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Copy this Starter Kit

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🔖 What to monetize

So what can you actually sell with Coda? You can use Coda to build and monetize different digital products, here are some examples:

Curated list of resources - You could use a tables and filters to create a curated list of something valuable. For example, a list of tips for getting your first 100 customers.

Coda templates - A high-value template for a specific audience, for example, a brand strategy operating system built for entrepreneurs and brand strategist.

Coda-run services - You could use Coda to store data and build a workflow for an app, for example, you could use the Twillio app to send daily wine recommendations to your customers.

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💰 How to collect payments

Currently, there's no way to sell docs via the Gallery, however you can use other platforms to sell and share your docs.

Strategy

Step-by-Step

✅ Pros

❌ Cons

Tools

Upvote

Downvote

Share a published doc with a payment button

Publish your Coda template and add a button or embed with a payment link. This works best if payment is optional, like when asking for donations or tips.

Very easy to launch, you don’t need any web development skills.

No custom domain or custom branding.

Anyone would be able to see the template without buying it.

Use a third-party monetization platform

You can use a tool like Gumroad, Buy Me a Coffee, or Patreon to build a simple landing page and quickly add a checkout form connected to your Stripe or PayPal account.

Easy to set up a landing page. You can add images, embeds and videos to the landing page.

View your landing page’s analytics and build a list of your followers.

High fees.

Learning curve to set up the landing page and payment processor.

Build a custom-domain landing page

Use a website builder to create your branded landing page and promote your docs. You can include a payment button in your website using tools like Paypal or Stripe.

Full customization

Harder to set up, you’ll need basic web design skills.

There are no rows in this table

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🤝 How to grant access to the buyers

There are three ways to share your doc to a customer so that they can create a copy for themselves:

Sharing Type

Step-by-Step

✅ Pros

❌ Cons

Upvote

Downvote

Grant view access to customers.

Don’t publish your template and set your doc to “Can View” mode only.

Go to Share→ Advanced Settings and enable the “Allow others to copy this doc” option.

Ask customer for their Coda account email in the checkout.

When you receive an order, go to your Coda doc, “Share”→ “Invite” and add your customer email with “Can View” option. *You could also use the API for this step.

Your customer will receive an email to access the doc in view mode, and they’ll be able to create a copy.

Easy to set up

Your customer won’t be able to share the doc with anyone else.

You’ll have to manually grant access to each customer (unless you use Coda’s API to do it automatically).

Create a copy of the doc and share the copied template.

Don’t publish your template and set your doc to “Can View” mode only.

Ask customer for their Coda account email in the checkout.

When you receive an order, go to your Coda doc and create a copy, then rename the copy to your customers name.

Go to “Share” and invite your customer using their email.

You can customize the doc to each customer, for example by adding a personal welcome page.

You’ll have full control on who’s creating a copy of your doc.

You’ll have to manually create a copy of the template and then grant access to each customer (unless you use Zappier or use Coda’s API to do it automatically).

Share the URL of your published template.

Go to Share menu in the top right corner and Publish your template.

Disable the “Discoverable by anyone” option.

Go to Doc interaction and select “Play Mode”.

Go to Share→ Advanced Settings and disable the “Allow others to copy this doc” option.

Go to Share→ Advanced Settings and disable the “Allow people who can edit to change access and add new people” option.

Very easy to setup.

You can automatically send customers to published doc URL.

100% self-serve. No need to grant access to any customer.

Anyone could share the published doc link to others.

No control on who is creating a copy of the template.

There are no rows in this table

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🔧 Tools and Platforms

Platforms you can use to monetize your digital product, click “learn more” to find out about fees, examples and why you should use the tool.

Gumroad

Gumroad is an online platform that allows you to sell your products directly to your customers, without the hassles, high fees, and low conversion rates of a marketplace model. Gumroad provides you with a payment form that you can share all over the internet or on your website, as well as insights into who your customers are, how they're finding you, and how to keep them coming back for more.

Open website

Learn more

Buy me a coffee

Instant Payout. Loved by Artists, Youtubers, Musicians, Writers, Nonprofits, Podcasters. A free, fast, and meaningful way to accept support and memberships from your fans.

Open website

Learn more

Patreon

On Patreon, you can let your fans become active participants in the work they love by offering them a monthly membership. You give them access to exclusive content, community, and insight into your creative process. In exchange, you get the freedom to do your best work, and the stability you need to build an independent creative career.

Open website

Learn more

Ko-fi

Ko-fi allows creators like you to receive money from fans of your content. Create your page and button and share it anywhere on the web

Open website

Learn more

Stripe Payment Link

Use Payment Links to sell online without a website. Create a full payment page in just a few clicks and share the link with your customers—no code required.

Open website

Learn more