• YouTube
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• TikTok

If you’re looking for a side hustle or even a full-time income stream, Canva is one of the easiest and most accessible tools out there. You don’t need to be a pro designer—just a bit of creativity, a free Canva account, and the right idea. Whether you’re freelancing, selling templates, or creating content, here are 20 ways you can use Canva to make money starting today.

1. Sell Canva Templates on Etsy

Etsy is a massive marketplace for digital downloads. Use Canva to design templates like:

• Instagram post packs
• Business card templates
• Wedding invitation suites
• Media kits
• Resume templates

Pro tip: Include a link to an editable Canva template (with Canva’s “Share a Template” feature) and bundle multiple templates to increase perceived value.

2. Design and Sell Digital Planners

The digital planner niche is booming. From daily planners to goal-setting journals and budget trackers, there’s a planner for nearly every lifestyle or niche. Canva makes it incredibly easy to design aesthetic and functional planners that you can sell on platforms like Etsy, Gumroad, or even your own website. Once your planner is made, it can generate income around the clock with no shipping or inventory to worry about.

Digital planners are a hit with productivity lovers and digital note-takers, you can appeal to this audience and create:

• Daily, weekly, or monthly planners
• Goal-setting or budgeting planners
• Niche-specific planners (e.g., fitness, business, content creation)

Sell them on platforms like Gumroad, Payhip, Etsy, or your own site. Don’t forget to include instructions on how buyers can use them with apps like GoodNotes or Notability.

3. Offer Social Media Design Services

Thousands of small businesses, especially new ones, don’t have the time or design know-how to create polished social media content. That’s where you come in, you can offer packages or monthly services and market them on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, or your own website.

Using Canva, you can offer services like:

• Instagram carousels
• Pinterest pin templates
• Facebook banners
• YouTube thumbnails

You can charge per project, by template pack, or on a monthly retainer.

Bonus: Offer add-ons like caption writing or scheduling.

4. Create and Sell eBooks or Workbooks

If you’re an expert in anything—from meal planning to budgeting or business strategy—you can turn your knowledge into a beautifully designed eBook or workbook using Canva. Once created, these can be sold on your site, promoted through email marketing, or bundled with courses and coaching packages.

Use Canva’s document templates to create polished eBooks and workbooks. These are perfect for:

• Coaches and educators
• Bloggers with lead magnets
• Digital courses

You can monetize through direct sales, affiliate products inside your eBook, or bundle with a course.

5. Print-on-Demand Products

Canva is perfect for creating simple, fun designs. If your designs resonate with a niche audience, you can build a steady stream of income with little ongoing effort. Some of these designs that you can create and sell are:

• T-shirts
• Tote bags
• Mugs
• Posters

Use POD platforms like Printful, Teespring, Redbubble, or Society6, you upload your design, and they handle everything else—from printing to shipping to customer service..

Canva is also very useful for POD products, as makes it easy to size graphics for POD requirements.

6. Freelance as a Canva Designer

Set up a profile on Fiverr, Upwork, or Freelancer.com and list services like:

• Logo design using Canva
• Presentation slide decks
• Lead magnet design
• Template customization

As your portfolio grows, you can raise your prices and get recurring clients.

7. Create Branded Content Kits

Many new businesses don’t have the budget for a full design agency but still want a polished look. You can use Canva to create complete branding kits that include logos, color palettes, font pairings, and editable social media templates. These kits are especially popular among new bloggers, influencers, and small business owners who want to launch quickly and look professional right out of the gate, these kits can include:

• Logos
• Brand color palettes
• Social media post templates
• Instagram story highlights

This is especially popular among online coaches, solopreneurs, and Etsy sellers.

8. Design Lead Magnets for Online Coaches

Lead magnets—free downloads like checklists, cheat sheets, and workbooks—are essential tools for anyone building an email list. Canva is ideal for designing these freebies. If you can create branded, visually appealing PDFs, you can offer your services to coaches, consultants, and creators who want to grow their audience. It’s a service that’s always in demand.

9. Build and Sell Online Courses

If you’ve become confident using Canva, why not teach others how to do the same? You can create an online course that covers everything from Canva basics to how to build templates or design for social media. There are people out there who are just getting started, and they’d gladly pay to fast-track their learning.

Use platforms like Teachable, Thinkific, or Skillshare.

10. Sell Presentation Templates

From pitch decks to online workshop slides, there’s a big demand for sleek, editable Canva presentations. Many entrepreneurs, educators, and marketers need slides that are functional and beautiful, but they don’t want to build them from scratch. You can create and sell presentation templates that customers can easily plug their content into, saving them time and elevating their brand.

11. Start a Canva Template Membership

This is great for long-term income. Create a monthly subscription where members get access to:

• Fresh templates every month
• Design tutorials
• Exclusive bonus content

You can host your membership on Stan Store, Kajabi, or Podia.

Canva Provides you with free templates, such as this one!

12. Create and Monetize Pinterest Pins

Pinterest is a powerful search engine, and Canva is perfect for creating stunning, scroll-stopping pins. You can use it to design Pinterest graphics that link to blog posts, affiliate products, or digital downloads. With a solid Pinterest strategy, these pins can drive long-term traffic and passive income from affiliate sales.

Design eye-catching Pinterest pins that lead to:

• Blog posts with affiliate links
• Etsy shops
• Free lead magnets (to grow your email list)
• Digital products

Canva’s pin templates make it easy to create viral designs. Use Pinterest SEO strategies for the best results.

13. Make YouTube Thumbnails and Channel Art

YouTube creators need cohesive branding—from thumbnails to banners to end screens. Many creators are willing to pay for custom-designed assets that help them stand out and grow their audience.

YouTubers want visually consistent and click-worthy branding. Offer services like:

• Thumbnail packs
• Channel banners
• End screen templates
• Animated intro screens

You can create bundles or monthly thumbnail packages for growing creators.

14. Design Media Kits for Influencers

If you’ve ever seen an influencer pitch to a brand, you know media kits are a big deal. A media kit is like a visual resume, showing off an influencer’s stats, audience demographics, brand partnerships, and pricing. With Canva, you can design polished, easy-to-edit media kits that influencers can use to land paid deals.

15. License Your Templates to Other Businesses

Instead of selling individual templates, consider licensing them to other business owners. For example, you could sell access to a “template vault” that a coach or virtual assistant agency can use with their own clients. This can be a high-ticket offer because it provides ongoing value.

Charge a one-time or monthly licensing fee.

16. Create Editable Client Welcome Packets

Canva is a lifesaver for service providers who want to improve their client experience. You can design beautiful welcome packets, onboarding documents, pricing guides, and goodbye kits. Then, you can sell them as templates or offer them as part of a client branding package.

This is perfect for service-based businesses like VAs, coaches, or social media managers. Design editable Canva templates that include:

• Welcome letters
• Service overviews
• FAQ documents

This helps businesses look polished and professional from day one.

Here’s an example of a client welcome packet you can buy off etsy.

17. Offer Canva Training as a Service

Sometimes, people don’t want a course—they want someone to walk them through the process. You can offer personal coaching or “design with me” sessions via Zoom where you teach people how to use Canva for their unique goals. This can be a great high-touch service for solopreneurs or business owners.

Start offering 1-on-1 coaching, webinars, or digital courses teaching others how to use Canva. You can teach:

• Canva basics
• How to design for social media
• How to create products to sell

This is great for virtual assistants or creators with an audience.

18. Create Facebook Ad Graphics

Even though Facebook Ads are everywhere, many small businesses still don’t know how to create good ad creatives. With Canva, you can offer to design engaging Facebook ad graphics that convert. Bonus points if you pair this with copywriting or ad strategy skills.

Many small businesses struggle with ad design. Offer packages of Canva-created:

• Static ad graphics
• Carousel images
• Story ads

Keep them optimized for various placements (Instagram Stories, Facebook Feed, etc.).

19. Design Job Resume Templates

The job market is competitive, and presentation matters. Canva makes it easy to design clean, modern resume templates that job seekers can customize themselves. Sell resume and cover letter bundles and include instructions for editing so your buyers feel confident using them.

Modern resumes stand out. Use Canva to make:

• ATS-friendly resume templates
• Creative layouts for designers or marketers
• Coordinated cover letter templates

Bundle them and sell on Etsy or Shopify.

20. Start a Canva-Focused Niche Blog or YouTube Channel

If you love teaching, create a content platform around Canva tips. Share tutorials like:

• “How to create eBooks in Canva”
• “Best fonts for social media posts”
• “How to make passive income with Canva templates”

Monetize through affiliate links, digital product sales, or ad revenue.

Final Thoughts

Canva has completely changed the game for creatives, entrepreneurs, and side hustlers. You don’t need to be a graphic designer or invest thousands into tools—just creativity, consistency, and the willingness to learn.

Whether you’re building a personal brand or launching a digital product empire, these 20 ideas are just the beginning. Pick one to start with, test it out, and expand as you grow your income streams.

Ready to turn your Canva skills into cash? Pick one of these ideas and get started today!