Sell an online course
How to sell an online course: 6 reasons nobody is signing up
You’ve finished recording your course and put it online. But the signups aren’t coming. Before buying, visitors need to understand what they’ll learn and trust you to teach it. Here are 6 things that hold them back, with an action for each.
4 min read
In this article
1Too few people see it
Even a great course needs to be discovered before it can sell. If you keep promoting it to the same people, you’re missing other potential students.
What to do: reach beyond your own followers. A collaboration with a complementary business that already reaches your future students is worth weeks of posting.
2The promise is vague
“Master Instagram” doesn’t tell students what they’ll be able to do after the course. “Post 3 times a week without giving up your evenings—in 4 weeks” gives them a concrete goal.
What to do: write one sentence explaining who the course is for, what it helps them do, and how long it takes. If you can’t explain it clearly, visitors won’t figure it out in three seconds.
3Visitors don’t know you yet
Nobody pays a stranger for a course. Before buying, future students want to have seen you explain, answer questions, and help.
What to do: offer a free live workshop, short course, or guide that introduces your work. The people who show up are your future students.
4There’s no proof it works
Without testimonials or examples of students’ work, you’re asking visitors to take your word for it.
What to do: run a first session with a small group and give them close support. Afterward, ask for their feedback and what they’ve been able to do thanks to the course.
5Signing up is complicated
A long form or a payment that fails on mobile is enough to lose a signup. Every unnecessary step gives someone another reason to leave.
What to do: test the whole process on your phone, from the link in your bio through payment. Count the taps and remove unnecessary steps.
6You only promote it at launch
Your course can keep selling after launch day. Keep talking about it to reach people who missed the announcement.
What to do: share a different example each week. Answer a student’s question or post a lesson excerpt. You can also show a concrete before-and-after example.
What to remember about selling an online course
To sell your course, you need people to see it and trust you. Give them a free look at how you teach and show what your students have achieved. Then ask complementary businesses to introduce you to their audiences.
Frequently asked questions about selling online courses
Where can I sell my online course?
On a course platform or your own website. Choose the option that makes signing up and paying easiest on a phone.
Do I need a large audience to sell a course?
Trust matters more than follower count. A small audience that knows you well, together with a complementary business’s audience, can be enough to fill a session.
How do I find my first students?
Start with people who have used your free content. Then ask a complementary business to introduce your course to their audience.
Where should I start?
Make the outcome you promise clear, then offer a free workshop. Create your Partn page, too, and put its link in your bio to showcase your course.
