Reading has always been a hobby of mine since I was a kid. Getting lost in a good book is a feeling that excites me. That’s why when thinking of a digital product to create, I wanted to find something that would bridge my professional background in digital marketing and my love for reading together. As a website designer with five years of experience, I’ve spent a lot of time helping businesses communicate effectively online. But as an avid reader, I know the challenges that come when trying to organize and track my reading experience. My goal is simple – come up with a digital product idea that both solves a real problem many people face while also building something I feel personally excited about.

Exploring the Landscape

I began by looking at three different types of popular digital reading products: digital reading journals, audiobook companion notes, and bool club toolkits. Each of these connects to how people engage with books whether it’s individually, on the go, or in groups. I discovered that while each of these types of products are popular, they each have a clear pain point:

• Digital reading journals are by far the most saturated. There’s tons of them on Etsy as well as Notion templates. However, readers on Reddit have said that they feel overwhelmed by so many choices and often find it hard to track multiple books at once.
• Audiobook companion notes did stand out to me immediately. The audiobook market is projected to grow to $13 billion by 2030 so there’s definitely demand. However, most companion tools are too limited or overlook the way that listeners want to capture and retain insights.
• Book club toolkits sell relatively well on Etsy, buy many potential buyers feel they are geared too much towards schools or are too basic. They are looking for something more polished, grown up, and ready for social media.

Learning from Competitors

To narrow my focus, I looked at a few top selling products:

• A printable audiobook journal that was simple and inexpensive, but lacked space for more in depth note taking and had to be physically carried everywhere.
• A Notion reading journal template offered users a lot of different functions and a clean design, but felt overwhelming to the more casual reader.
• A PDF digital reading journal allowed for extensive reviews and tracking, but required a tablet to use and, again, felt less appealing to the beginner reader.

From this research, I noticed that the market is full of products that do a lot of things well, but each has areas where they can be improved.

Meeting the Customer

I also built out two customer avatars to understand who would be interested in digital reading products. One of them, Sarah Lopez, a 38-year old marketing director, resonated with me. She listens to audiobooks during her commute and while going about her daily tasks, but finds it hard to remember some of the key points she’s heard. She values efficiency and is looking for tools to help her retain what she’s learned. Sarah, and many others, need a solution that’s built specifically for audiobook listeners. They don’t want another generic reading journal that doesn’t work for them.

The Clear Opportunity

After looking at the competition, customer pain points, and market size, it became clear to me that the product I should develop are audiobook companion notes. This tools would be designed for the unique needs of listeners by capturing timestamps, quotes, insights, and reflections in a simple, but structured way. I’m thinking it will either be a Notion template or a printable PDF.

While digital reading journals are popular and book club kits have potential, both spaces are much more crowded. Audiobook notes remain and underserved market with strong growth potential.

Next Steps

My next step is validation. I need to test which format resonates most with readers. I plan to use both Reddit and Instagram to share my ideas and measure engagement. This will help me to decide what I prioritize for my MVP.

After my research, I learned the best way forward is to serve the rapidly growing audience of audiobook listeners who want to get more from what they listen to. By keeping my focus here, I’m confident that I can create a product that is both useful and marketable.