Coffee With Cole: The Digital Writing Podcast

Episode Summary: "The 6 Types of Digital Products"

Host: Nicolas Cole
Date: February 17, 2026

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Nicolas Cole walks listeners through the six main types of digital products in the writing and creator economy. Drawing from years of experience and millions in digital sales, Cole demystifies the product landscape, explains the logic behind pricing, and offers actionable advice on how to get started, scale, and avoid the most common misconceptions about digital product creation. The tone is energetic, direct, and transparent, with valuable insights for both beginners and experienced digital entrepreneurs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Digital Product Landscape: Why Know the “Game” You’re Playing?

• Many creators use terms like "newsletter", "course", or "community" interchangeably, which leads to confusion (02:00).
• Cole: "If you don't understand what game you're actually playing, it is very hard to win. How do you win at a game when you don't even know what game you're playing?" (02:29)
• Cole sets the stage for clarity by breaking down the six main vehicles (products) by type and price point.

The Six Types of Digital Products & Their Characteristics

1. Low-Low Ticket (Sub-$99)

• Examples: eBooks, mini digital courses, paid newsletters
• eBooks on Amazon are expected to be $0.99–$9; off-Amazon (with added videos/context), creators can often charge 5–10x more (04:50).
• Paid newsletter = "a book that never ends" (08:36).
• It's much easier for beginners to sell a standalone product first before moving to a recurring model (09:30).
• Quote: "You don't jump to recurring. You do the standalone first." (10:36)
• Cole’s first product: two fitness eBooks, sold tens of thousands of dollars with a very small audience (13:02).
• Advice: Master the “one-and-done” product before layering on subscriptions or continuity.

2. Low Ticket ($99–$350)

• Examples: Larger courses with more depth and content
• Price point of up to ~$350 is an “impulse buy” for many and the purchasing psychology shifts above this (16:27).
• The core metric is NOT word count or video number, but “Did your product solve the promised problem?” (19:55)
• Strategy tip: Always price at the top of the acceptable range; lower price does lead to more buyers, but also to less revenue overall (22:19).
• Quote: "You get more customers, more people buy and you make less money. You are almost always better off... defaulting to the top of the range." (22:19)

3. Cohort-Based Experience ($350–$999)

• Examples: Live courses, guided cohorts, group programs
• The leap from Vehicle 2 is about experience—not content. Most information is the same as the course version, but delivered live, with increased accountability and interaction (24:00).
• Critical difference: Asynchronous (on-demand) vs. live, experiential learning.
• Your time is the “premium asset” justifying the price jump.
• Strategy tip: Build products sequentially—one leads to the next. Record the course, then offer a live version for additional revenue.
• Quote: "Creating the low ticket digital product is really the forcing function for you to crystallize all of your thinking... then you can double monetize it by going, 'And now I’m going to create the opportunity to teach it live.'" (26:50)

4. Community ($10–$199/month, typically ~$99)

• Examples: Membership sites, ongoing groups
• One of the most misunderstood and hardest models: “Everyone loves the idea of recurring revenue until they realize that they’ve just signed themselves up for recurring work.” (30:35)
• Community is the combination of the first three products: info (courses), live components, ongoing Q&A/support, peer connection.
• Communities are akin to “a cohort-based experience that never ends” (33:45).
• Start with simpler products and work your way through; launching a community from scratch is operationally advanced.

5. High Ticket Group Coaching ($3,000–$10,000+)

• Examples: Intensive coaching programs, business accelerators
• Adds 1:1 coaching, highly tailored accountability, and often targets financial outcomes (36:12).
• Operational warning: Needs substantial team and backend sophistication; overhead jumps dramatically.
• Cole’s team for PGA: 30 full-time employees, millions of automations (37:00).
• Most digital entrepreneurs never graduate beyond previous vehicles because of the scale and complexity required.

6. Masterminds ($10,000–$100,000+)

• Examples: Elite business groups, thought leader circles
• All of the above vehicles PLUS the value of high-net-worth networking and exclusive in-person events (38:50).
• Example: Cole joined a $68k/year mastermind focused on sales teams—paid over $130k across two years and cites tremendous ROI for business growth.
• Expectations and experience need to match price—misalignment causes client dissatisfaction.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Cole: “A paid newsletter is just a book or an ebook that never ends.” (08:36)
• Cole: "You don't jump to recurring. You do the standalone first... I'm eating my own dog food here." (10:36)
• Cole: "Most people think, 'If I charge less, more people will buy.' ...You get more customers, more people buy and you make less money." (22:19)
• Cole: "A community is really just the evergreen version of that... the culmination of everything that came before." (33:45)
• Cole: “Everyone loves the idea of recurring revenue until they realize they've just signed themselves up for recurring work.” (30:35)
• Cole: “If a customer joins a Mastermind and you give them a low, low ticket digital product, they're going to be pissed.” (40:32)
• Cole: "The price point reinforces the vehicle, which sets the expectations.” (41:14)
• Cole: "You do not need some giant audience... I sold $10,000 of my fitness ebook when I had less than 3,000 followers.” (43:10)

Timestamped Flow of the Episode

• 00:01–02:29 – Intro, overview of digital product success, why “vehicle” clarity matters
• 02:30–04:13 – Common terminology confusion, the danger of playing the wrong game
• 04:14–13:49 – Vehicle 1: Low-Low Ticket (eBooks, paid newsletters), pricing psychology, importance of context
• 13:50–22:56 – Vehicle 2: Low Ticket (courses), solving bigger problems, why content length doesn't matter, pricing strategies
• 23:53–28:20 – Vehicle 3: Cohort Experience, difference is LIVE, pairing on-demand and live, building product ladders
• 28:21–35:24 – Vehicle 4: Community, combining previous vehicles, complexity and operations involved
• 35:25–38:50 – Vehicle 5: High Ticket Group Coaching, scale challenges, expensive to run
• 38:51–41:14 – Vehicle 6: Masterminds, high-value networking, expectations, Cole’s own $68k/year experience
• 41:15–44:48 – Q&A Rapid Fire:
  • Where to start if you’re new (always with Low-Low Ticket, even for established course creators)
  • Building with small audience—focus on niche and problem clarity, not numbers
  • Using digital products as lead magnets or for brand awareness in traditional businesses
• 44:49–End – Closing remarks: importance of matching product type, pricing, and customer expectation

Actionable Takeaways

• Start simple. If you’re new, begin with a low-low ticket, one-problem, high-context product (eBook + videos).
• Don’t conflate products. Vehicles serve different purposes and come with different customer expectations.
• Price with intention. Match the price to the product vehicle and its delivered experience.
• Audience size is a myth. Start with the right offer for the right audience—size follows value.
• Expand sequentially. Move up the ladder of product complexity as you master each prior step.

Closing Tone

Cole’s style throughout this episode is candid, practical, and motivational, with no sugar-coating about the work required or the allure/pitfalls of higher-ticket models. Listeners get both a practical framework and the seasoned perspective of a digital entrepreneur who encourages deliberate progression—one vehicle and skill at a time.

For Further Learning

• Recommended reading: The Art and Business of Online Writing (Cole's book) (41:31)
• Resource guides and masterclasses:
  • startwritingonline.com (for beginner frameworks)
  • premiumghostwritingblueprint.com (for ghostwriting monetization)
  • One Person Publishing Empire (Amazon self-publishing guide) (44:10)

This summary captures the structure, key insights, and the instructive, motivational tone of the episode, equipping anyone—regardless of experience level—to grasp the full spectrum of digital product opportunities, as presented by Nicolas Cole.