Selar has over 438,000 creators, and recently, our data team found something interesting. A specific small group has been earning most of the payouts; the gap between the top earners and everyone else is very large.

So we went digging into numbers, categories, pricing, product types, buyer behaviour, all of it. What came back was surprising: the top creators didn’t win because of luck, talent, or a viral hit. They succeeded because they made certain choices while everyone else took a different approach.

For the sake of this article, we’ll call them ‘The 1%’.

They may not wear capes, but they stand out. While most creators are still learning, The 1% have already figured things out. They act, build, and think about their buyers differently. So what exactly are they doing? 

Let’s unfold it, one move at a time.

Move One: They chose problems people urgently want to solve

They are committed to solving the kinds of problems people lose sleep over or desperately dream about, such as Marketing & Sales, Business, Professional Services, Wealth & Finance, and Love & Relationships. Answering burning questions like “How do I earn more? Grow my business? Get out of debt? Find the right partner?”

They’re not selling curiosity; they’re selling transformation. Instead of a basic “how to write better” ebook, a top creator sells a program that helps freelancers double their monthly income. People pay very differently for results like that.

And the smartest 1% don’t stop at one product type; they build full ecosystems: a digital product to bring buyers in, a course for those who want to go deeper, and a premium service for people who want direct access. Each product feeds the next.

Move Two: They Refused to Be Cheap

This one might feel uncomfortable if you’ve been charging low prices, but it needs to be said.

The median product price on Selar is $3.82. At that price, you’d need to sell an almost unreasonable number of products every month to earn a real income.

The most interesting thing about ‘The 1%’ is that products in the $100–$499 price bracket generate the highest revenue for them, and the $500+ tier goes even further, with an average order value of $1,278 per transaction.

One sale at $1,278 is worth more than 300 sales at $3.82. They’re working smarter.

If all your products are under $10, your challenge might be pricing, not traffic. Show buyers the real results they can expect, not just the features, and add value through bonuses like a checklist, a template, or a live Q&A. Even a small increase, backed by clear value, can make a significant difference.

Move Three: They Built Catalogues While Everyone Else Built Products

This might be The 1%’s most overlooked move.

About 65.8% of Selar merchants have exactly one product. But merchants with 4–10 products drive 28.71% higher revenue. The real standouts, those with 11–50 products, are just 2.3% of all merchants, yet they bring in 40.62% revenue

A catalogue isn’t just more products, it’s a journey. Instead of buying once and leaving, someone could buy your $5 ebook, love it, return for your $30 course, and eventually book your $200 coaching session. Without a catalogue, you get one shot; with one, every customer becomes a potential long-term relationship.

Move Four: They Treat Their Existing Buyers Like Gold

Here’s a fact from the data that will either sting or unlock something for you: 

91.58% of customers buy from a creator exactly once and never come back. But ‘The 1%’ respond differently to this data, because buried inside it is an enormous opportunity most people are walking past. 

The 1% know the hardest sale is always the first one. After that, it’s relationship management. So they don’t launch and disappear, they build email lists, follow up, and create new products that solve the next problem for buyers who just solved the previous one. 

One practical move top earners make: after each sale, send a personalised thank-you and ask what the buyer struggled with before finding your product. That one question builds trust, opens a conversation, and almost always leads to the next sale.

The Advantage That Was Never Hidden Afterall …

The 1% aren’t always the most talented creators on the platform; they don’t always have the biggest audiences. What sets them apart is clarity and the discipline to follow through. They chose niches with real urgency, they built catalogues that walk buyers from a small first purchase to a premium offer, they charged what their expertise is worth, and they never stopped treating their existing buyers as their most valuable asset.

The playbook was always in the data. ‘The 1%’ just found it and used it.

So, Are You Ready to Make Your Move?

Here’s your challenge: pick one of these four moves and commit to trying it this week. Whether you refine your niche, adjust your pricing, add a new product, or send a follow-up to past buyers, take a real step, even if it’s small. 

‘The 1%’ didn’t build their advantages overnight. They made these moves consistently and deliberately over time while the rest of the platform was still figuring things out.

Now that you have the playbook, what will you do next?