The minimum price that makes a launch worth repeating

You have sold a few copies of a digital product, but the launch left you with a familiar question: was the money worth the hours? The sales page, emails, reminders, support replies and delivery all took time. If you price only by looking at similar products, you can end up repeating a launch that quietly loses money.

Start with the return you need

First decide what “worth repeating” means for you. That might be a target hourly return, a fixed amount for the project, or enough profit to fund the next product. Write the figure down before thinking about the sales price. Otherwise, a launch can look successful simply because revenue arrived.

1. 1List the hours for creation, editing, page-building, promotion, fulfilment and support.
2. 2Choose the amount you want those hours to produce. If you want £2,000 for 40 hours, your required return is £50 per hour.
3. 3Add direct costs, such as software, contractors, advertising or other launch expenses.
4. 4Add a buffer for refunds, revisions and support that takes longer than expected.
5. 5Divide the total by the number of sales you can reasonably expect, rather than the number you hope for.

The minimum-price equation

Use this basic calculation: minimum net revenue per sale = (target return + direct costs + support allowance) ÷ realistic sales. If your target return is £2,000, direct costs are £200, and your support allowance is £100, the required net revenue is £2,300. At 50 sales, that is £46 per sale after payment fees. At 25 sales, it is £92.

The sales range matters more than false precision. Make a conservative case and a stronger case. If your floor only works at the stronger number, the launch is fragile. You can still run it, but you should name the condition: for example, the launch is worthwhile only if you have enough warm buyers, partners or email reach to support that sales count.

Add fees without hiding them

Your displayed price has to produce the required net amount after payment processing. With store.fan, sales go straight to your own Stripe account and store.fan takes 0% of sales; Stripe’s own processing fee still applies. Put Stripe’s actual fee into your calculation rather than treating it as a vague percentage. The payments feature can be part of the delivery setup, but it does not remove the processor’s fee.

Count repeatable work separately

A first launch often contains two different jobs. The first is production: writing the workbook, recording the lessons, making templates or setting up the checkout. The second is operation: answering questions, sending access, updating links and handling routine requests. Keep them separate in your notes.

• For the first launch, include the full production time if you need the launch to repay that work.
• For later launches, remove work that is genuinely finished. Do not remove recurring promotion, support or updates.
• Record the most common support questions and turn them into instructions, a welcome email or an improved product page.
• Choose delivery that reduces manual handling. Store.fan can sell digital downloads and, on Pro, host course video, so the format can match the amount of support you can provide.
• Recalculate after each launch using actual hours and sales, not memory.

Use the price to shape the offer

If your minimum price is higher than the price your audience will accept, you have several levers. Reduce the scope, remove a custom element, improve the sales route, or make the outcome more specific. You can also create a smaller product, but it should remove delivery work as well as content. A cheaper offer that still requires the same support is not a cheaper offer to run.

Discounts need the same discipline. A 20% reduction means the remaining buyers must cover the same required return, so you need more sales or lower costs. If you use store.fan’s Pro plan, discount codes and flash campaigns can give you control over when a lower price is available. The paid plans start with a 14-day trial, so test the workflow before committing; the free plan is link-in-bio only.