Should you get that Notion template?
I've only bought two paid templates in my life.
Both of them are templates by specialists in their industry, particularly branding and marketing.
The layout wasn't as advanced as I wanted it to be. There were a lot of things that I’ve optimized myself, but it wasn’t a deal breaker. I still think I got my money’s work because it had information strategically positioned by someone immersed in the craft I’m interested in.
If I had to purchase a template again for any specific purpose, these are the 3 main things I'd consider before making a purchase:
1/ Value
What's the outcome this template helps you with?
Templates are tools. They may not be the only reason you reach a goal, but having them can be like finally turning the lights on in a dark room.
The template you're purchasing must have a clear benefit to your life, work, business, career — or whatever area of your existence you want to use it for.
If you’re getting a Notion template for a portfolio, the underlying intent is that you want to summarize your specialized career into a dashboard.
If you’re in the market for a template to manage your study efforts, what you’re looking for is a structure to serve as scaffolding to your learning efforts.
Keep your eye out for this underlying intent. Usually, you’re not in the market for just a beautifully arranged dashboard — you’re looking for a productivity or management co-pilot that will get you out of your rut. Here, you can ask the following questions:
Is there proof that this template is useful?
Is there a guide to bring you from where you are to where you want to be?
Will you actually get useful help from this creator once you get the template?
These are cornerstone questions I would generally ask myself before considering buying a template.
I personally wouldn’t purchase a second brain / productivity template because I know I don’t adapt well to other people’s productivity systems after being so familiar with my own already, but someone who needs that headstart will probably want that ready-made system.
Not all solutions solve all problems. Not all systems fit everyone.
2/ Complexity
Can you really use this template with your current Notion skills?
The templates I purchased weren't the most complex, but they had a lot of useful information that would help me build something that fits my preferences better.
That was enough to consider it a valuable purchase albeit imperfect.
Once again, you need to ask the right questions:
If a template is complex and you're more of a beginner → Is there a guide to operate this template?
If a template is simpler and you prefer a complex setup → Is there enough documentation to expand the template beyond its build?
Just like in business where we qualify product-market fit, so should we with our systems and personal context.
3/ Specialization
How qualified is the creator to prescribe a system or template?
This is where I think most templates fall flat.
A lot of templates, at least a lot of those that I see do well in marketing, are aesthetic first and utility second.
It’s hard to trust a goal tracker when the creator doesn’t have any history of achieving goals beyond a ChatGPT-generated product description.
It’s hard to trust a content planner template when the creator doesn't even have an active social media account or maybe doesn’t even work in marketing
When you’re in the market for a certain template, look for creators who use their own templates, have proven to help others through those templates, or specialize in the industry/field of interest you’re exploring.
The last of these three may not be the most technically skilled when it comes to Notion, but even access to someone like that person through a purchase of their template is value.
Need a content planner? Look for a creator who works in social media.
Need a client portal? Look for a creator who runs their business on Notion.
Need a travel planner? Look for a creator who's tested their own template on real itineraries.
Overall, if you're in the market for a template — always think value and context.