Hey there! As someone who has managed WordPress sites for over 15 years, I‘ve seen first-hand how selling videos online can be an extremely lucrative business.
But don‘t just take my word for it – the numbers speak for themselves:
- 86% of businesses use video as a marketing tool (WordStream)
- The average internet user watches 100 minutes of online video per day (Backlinko)
- By 2027, 82% of all internet traffic will be video traffic (Cisco)
Clearly, video is massive and continues to grow. People absolutely love consuming video content.
And with the right ecommerce platform, selling your own videos can be a great way to tap into this demand while making an ongoing residual income from your work.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share my expertise as a WordPress professional to show you step-by-step how to successfully sell videos online using WordPress and Easy Digital Downloads (EDD).
Over the years, I‘ve helped dozens of video creators, studios, and media companies use WordPress and EDD to sell their video assets online.
Here are just a few examples and case studies:
Stock Footage Company
I worked with a company that shot premium stock footage and needed a platform to sell their clips a la carte. EDD allowed them to upload all their HD video files and make them available for one-off sales or as part of bundles. This instantly opened up a new revenue stream for their existing library of footage.
YouTuber / Influencer
A YouTuber with over 1 million subscribers was getting lots of requests from fans to access and download his raw behind-the-scenes footage. By creating an EDD store on WordPress, he could easily sell this unedited footage to his most engaged followers.
Video Production Company
A corporate production company had created hundreds of videos for clients over the years. They decided to launch a side business selling these videos as stock elements that other companies could license and use. Their EDD store gave them immediate access to sell these existing assets.
Animator
An independent 3D animator was creating awesome animated logos, transitions, backgrounds, and motion graphics for clients. By launching her own shop with EDD, she could sell her animations as video overlays, elements, and assets for other video creators to use.
As you can see, if you create great video content, you can leverage WordPress and EDD to generate ongoing passive income from your existing work.
Now, let‘s dive into the step-by-step process…
The first step is getting the right foundation in place: your domain, web hosting, and SSL certificate.
I always recommend starting with managed WordPress hosting for a few reasons:
- It‘s quick and easy to set up
- Optimized specifically for WordPress sites
- Comes with free SSL, speed optimization, and security
- 24/7 expert support
- Daily backups
My top recommendation is SiteGround. Their startup plan is just $3.99/month and includes:
- CDN for fast video delivery
- Free SSL certificate
- Easy Digital Downloads pre-installed
- Transferable between domains
- WP site migrated for free
SiteGround‘s optimized infrastructure can easily handle the large video files you‘ll be selling. Plus their global CDN will ensure fast streaming and downloads for your customers anywhere in the world.
To get started, just head over to SiteGround via this link and choose your domain name. Within minutes, your managed hosting account will be ready to go!
With your hosting set up, it‘s time to install and configure Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) to create your online video store.
EDD is a WordPress plugin purpose-built for selling digital downloads. It‘s trusted by over 13,000 sites and handles everything you need:
✅ Shopping cart
✅ Payment processing
✅ File protection
✅ Download delivery
✅ Coupons
✅ Taxes
✅ Affiliate programs
✅ Analytics
And since it‘s a WordPress plugin, you get access to thousands of themes and customization options.
Installing EDD
If you‘re using SiteGround hosting, EDD is pre-installed. Just log into WordPress and activate it.
Otherwise, you can quickly install EDD manually:
- In your WP dashboard go to Plugins » Add New
- Search for "Easy Digital Downloads"
- Install and activate the plugin.
Configuring EDD
After activation, you‘ll step through the EDD setup wizard:
- Enter your business info
- Set up payments (connect Stripe to collect credit cards)
- Customize purchase receipts
- Install recommended extensions
And just like that, your online store is ready to add video products!
Now the fun part…adding your own video downloads!
To create a new product:
- Go to Downloads » Add New in your WP dashboard.
- Enter a title and description.
- Set a price (or free).
- Upload your video file(s).
- Add a product image.
- Configure refund policy.
Pro tips:
- Compress videos into ZIP files before uploading to save space.
- Offer both high-res and mobile formats for optimal playback.
- Consider variable pricing for different resolutions.
- Test purchases before launch to confirm functionality.
Once your products look good, it‘s go time! EDD will securely deliver video files to customers, send purchase notifications, and make you money while you sleep. 🙂
One of the best things about using WordPress is having thousands of themes to choose from.
The theme controls the design, layout, style, and overall look and feel of your online video store.
Here are some great themes to consider:
- Astra – Popular free theme with tight EDD integration. Looks great out of the box and is fully customizable.
- Shoptimizer – Another free theme focused on conversions and sales. Works great for digital shops.
- Vendd – Free EDD-specific theme with the features you need to sell downloads.
- Divi – My personal favorite premium theme thanks to the excellent visual builder.
Whatever you choose, WordPress themes give you 100% control to make your store match your brand. Don‘t be afraid to test different options.
You‘ve put in the work to create amazing videos. Now it‘s time to get them in front of customers!
Here are 8 proven marketing tactics:
1. SEO
Optimize your site and content to rank high when people search for related videos on Google and YouTube. compelling meta titles and descriptions are key.
2. Social Media
Promote your videos and site on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Quora, and any other social platforms popular with your target audience. Run some ads too!
3. Email Marketing
Build an email subscriber list. Offer an incentive like a coupon or free video for signups. Send regular sales and promos.
4. Affiliate Marketing
Let others promote your videos for a commission on referred sales. This is a great way to scale growth quickly.
5. Influencer Marketing
Partner with influencers in your niche to have them share and promote your videos to their engaged audience.
6. Guest Posting
Reach out to industry blogs and websites. Offer to create relevant guest posts that link back to your store.
7. YouTube Partnerships
Partner with YouTubers to share your videos or pay to promote them as ads on YouTube.
8. Pinterest Marketing
Share your videos on Pinterest and tailor compelling pins to get discovered. Include links back to purchase.
The key is tapping into communities passionate about the type of videos you offer. Provide value and build relationships over time.
Selling your own videos through a WordPress + EDD store puts you fully in control.
We covered how to:
- Get your hosting, domain, SSL in place
- Install and configure Easy Digital Downloads
- Add your videos as digital download products
- Choose a theme to match your brand
- Market your online video store effectively
The rest comes down to creating amazing video content and providing exceptional service.
I hope you found this guide useful! Selling videos online is an exciting business. With the right hustle, you can build a lucrative asset that keeps paying you again and again.
If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out! I‘m always happy to chat WordPress, videos, and online business.
To your success!
