What you need before you start
- A finished PDF that answers one clear question, such as a 4 day Goa plan or a 30 day home workout.
- A UPI ID. You can find it in the profile section of GPay, PhonePe, Paytm or your bank app. It looks like name@okaxis.
- A price in rupees.
- One link in your Instagram bio that leads to a page where people can pay and get the file.
Make a PDF people will pay for
People pay for a PDF when it saves them time or saves them from a mistake. Your free reels and posts show what you know. The PDF should be the version someone can follow without having to ask you anything.
- Solve one problem per file. "Goa in 4 days" is easier to decide on than "Everything about Goa", because the buyer knows what they are getting.
- Put the useful part first. A buyer who opens the file on a phone should see the plan on page one, not your life story.
- Write for a phone screen. One column, large text, short paragraphs. Most buyers will read it on the same phone they found you on.
- Keep the file small. Compress photos before you export so the file opens on a slow connection. Under 10 MB is a good target.
- Put a date on the cover, for example "Updated October 2026". When prices or timings change, update the file and the date.
- Check it on your own phone before you sell it. Tap every link in it.
Pick a price in rupees
There is no correct price, but these questions help.
- What would the buyer spend without it? A trip plan saves hours of searching. A meal plan can save a paid consultation.
- How long is it, and how much of it did you have to work out yourself?
- Would you be happy to sell it at this price to a hundred people? If the price feels too low to answer questions about it, raise it.
Short guides from creators are often priced between ₹99 and ₹499. Start with one clear price. Price the file you have today, not the one you plan to make, and raise it for new buyers when you add more.
Nikhil sells "Goa in 4 days" for ₹199 and a longer "Ladakh road trip plan" for ₹299. The Ladakh plan covers more days, permits and fuel stops, so it costs more.
Choose how people pay
You have two ways to take money for a PDF.
| Way | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| By hand in DMs | Someone messages you, you send your UPI ID, they pay and send the UTR, you check your bank and send the file. | Your first few sales, to see if people want it. |
| A page that sells it | The buyer taps the item in your bio link, pays by UPI and gets the file by email. | When orders come in faster than you can reply. |
Global link in bio tools such as Linktree let sellers take payment for files, courses and bookings only in a list of supported countries, and India is not on that list today. So most sellers in India either take UPI by hand or use a page built for UPI.
Doing it by hand costs nothing and is fine to start with. It gets hard when one reel works and fifty people message you on the same night. You also have to check every payment yourself before you send the file.
Ask for the UTR, not only a screenshot. The UTR is the 12 digit reference number every UPI payment gets. You can search for it in your bank statement or UPI app. Screenshots can be edited.
Set it up on Tapyoka
Here is the same thing on a Tapyoka page. Making the page is free.
- Go to the login page, sign in and pick the name after the slash. Your page lives at staging.tapyoka.com/yourname.
- Open Getting paid and add your UPI ID and the name buyers see. Buyers pay this UPI ID directly.
- Open Products, choose New product, add a title, a price and a cover, choose Add files to upload the PDF, then Save and activate.
- On your Page, choose Add product, pick the PDF and press Publish.
- Copy your page link and add it to your Instagram bio.
When someone buys, they pay you by UPI and tell you their UTR. You check your bank, press Mark as paid in Orders, and the file goes to the buyer by email. How buyers pay shows each step.
The full steps with screenshots are in Add a product.
Put the link in your Instagram bio
- Open your profile and tap Edit profile.
- Tap Links, then Add external link.
- Paste your page link, give it a title such as "Goa plan PDF" and save.
Instagram lets you add up to five links, but only the first one shows on your profile without an extra tap. Put the link that earns first.
Then tell people it is there. Say it at the end of the reel, add a link sticker to a story, and pin a comment on the post that brought the questions. When someone asks in DMs, send the same link instead of typing the answer again.
After someone buys
- Answer questions about the file within a day if you can.
- Write your refund rule on the page before you sell. Many sellers do not refund a file once it is downloaded, but fix mistakes for free. Whatever you choose, say it plainly.
- When facts in the file change, upload the new version and change the date on the cover.
- Anyone can forward a PDF. On the Pro plan, Tapyoka can print the buyer email and order ID on every page of their copy. That makes people think before forwarding it, but it cannot stop copying.
Tax and paperwork
Money from selling PDFs is income. How you report it depends on your total income and on whether you are registered for GST. Check with a CA once sales start, not at the end of the year.
Linktree is a trademark of its owner. Tapyoka is not affiliated with it. Facts about Linktree last checked 26 October 2026.