The online learning industry has been growing consistently for several years now, and the trend is not likely to slow down anytime soon.
According to Statista, online education revenue is expected to reach $203.81 billion in 2025 and $279.3 billion by 2029.
What is fueling this growth?
Well, the demand for new skills has increased tremendously, with folks looking to learn extra skills that can earn them additional income. Some learners are also looking to transition into more on-demand fields like AI, machine learning, and software development.
But does that mean that every course creator stands to make bank off this trend? The answer is no.
In fact, a good number of online courses barely break even. That means you must take several measures if you want to build a successful online course business. This article will take you through what exactly you need to do to increase your odds of creating and selling online courses successfully.
Why sell an online course?
One of the biggest reasons you want to sell an online course is the significant income potential it offers. A good, well-marketed online course can generate a lot of revenue passively.
According to Udemy’s 2020 IPO filing, paid instructors earned $161.4 million from their courses, with the average instructor earning $2,950.
That should give you an idea of the average earning potential. But you can also consider other extreme examples of online course creators making it big.
Take Andrea from Coding with Andrea as an example. In 2022, he earned $100k in six months from a single course!
But do you know what’s even crazier?
Andrea made $53K during the course presale (first two weeks), of which $21K came within the first 24 hours of launching the course!
Check this out.
This shows the importance of a great pre-launch strategy, which we’re going to share with you below.
Another reason you want to create and sell an online course is that this is a growing industry. Creating a great course that serves an existing need allows you to ride a growing wave. This doesn’t guarantee your success, but the tailwind increases your odds of success significantly.
The best part about some online courses is that they can generate passive income long after you’ve launched them. Some topics are evergreen, and very few things ever change.
Think about a course teaching languages, for example. Or one where you’re teaching art skills like how to play musical instruments. The fundamentals rarely change, so you can create the course once and sell it for a long time before you ever think about making any updates.
Finally, the barrier to entry is very low when dealing with online courses. The only thing you really need to worry about is content quality, which shouldn’t be an issue if you focus on an industry in which you’re already an expert.
If you already have those skills, then everything else is a breeze. The best online course platforms make it really easy for anyone (regardless of their technical skills) to create an online course. These platforms come with drag-and-drop editors as well as AI assistants, so you don’t need any coding skills to design or create online courses.
A step-by-step guide to selling online courses
This is how to sell online courses successfully.
1. Research and choose a profitable topic
This is one of the most crucial decisions you’ll make during your online course creation process. The topic you settle for will determine the total addressable market and, by extension, your revenue potential.
A topic that serves a bigger target market may have higher income potential than one with a smaller total addressable market.
But it’s not just about the size of the market.
The type of issue being addressed can also influence your course pricing. For example, if you choose a highly complex topic that requires advanced expertise, you can charge significantly higher than general courses.
That’s why AI, machine learning, cybersecurity, coding, and business investment & stocks courses generally cost more than productivity, baking, knitting, and other general courses.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean you should immediately start creating course content for complex topics. You have to pick something you’re skilled or an expert in.
The best online course idea falls somewhere between your skills, expertise, and the market demand. What that means is you should start by evaluating your skills, expertise, and passion. That should give you a few ideas of potential online courses.
Next, look at the market demand. Are there enough people willing to pay for the course content? This is where you validate your course idea.
You’ll need to conduct surveys among your target audience. You can do that on social media platforms and through your website and email list if you already have an existing audience.
Besides the surveys, you can also use free live webinars to gauge interest in your course idea. See if people will sign up for the webinar and the feedback you’ll get from the content. This can give you a good idea of how a course on the same topic may perform.
2. Create your course with engaging content
Online courses have extremely low completion rates, between 5 and 15%. Researchgate data shows that Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have even worse completion rates, at 3-6%.
While there are several reasons behind the low course completion rate, poor course design and engagement are common culprits.
Therefore, once you’ve identified and validated a profitable online course idea, the next step is figuring out how to create engaging content that’ll keep students interested.
Here are a few online course elements to focus on when creating an online course:
Course structure
Before you even start creating your course content, determine how the course needs to be organized. Ideally, you should break up the course into multiple modules, each building on the previous one. This structure makes it easier for students to follow along and master the course content.
Each module should have a compelling title telling the students what exactly the module is about. You may also want to include an introduction video at the beginning of each module explaining what the students will learn and why it’s vital.
Here’s a nice example of a good course structure from GetResponse’s free marketing automation course.
The good news here is that the top online course builders have AI tools that help with course structures.
For example, the GetResponse online course builder has an AI you can use to describe your course. The artificial intelligence assistant will analyze the description and generate a course outline optimized for student engagement.
You can customize this outline to include or delete some modules as needed.
Content type
The best online courses combine different types of content. You’ll have text, images, audio, videos, webinars, live Q&A sessions, resource sheets, and presentations/slides.
Combine these content types to build an interactive online course that keeps your students engaged.
Remember that different content types are good for different situations. For example, videos can be really good for introductions. They have a personal touch that most students will appreciate.
Also, visuals such as infographics, videos, webinars, and presentations are excellent for complex discussions where students need to see what you’re explaining.
So, when creating your course content, always consider what type of content will best explain the concept. Text and slides could cover simple discussions, while video lessons may be required for more complex discussions.
Audience learning level
Is your online course targeting beginners, intermediates, or advanced students?
Your answer will directly impact the course content and even your pricing strategy.
If you’re creating an entry-level course, you’ll need to focus more on the basics and avoid advanced topics. You also can’t afford to use industry terminologies without explaining them as that can alienate your audience. Similarly, your price tag will need to be reasonable for the audience.
On the other hand, advanced students will not appreciate being taken through the basics they already know. So, you must skip to the advanced topics or concepts they’re interested in the most. You’ll need to spend more time coming up with this content, but the good thing is you can charge more for it.
Course exercises and certificates
Remember to include interactive quizzes and exercises throughout the course. Have short quizzes at the end of each module to examine your student’s understanding before they proceed to the next module. You can also have a final exercise at the end of the course.
Speaking of which, completion certificates and badges are essential incentives that encourage students to get through the course. So, make sure to choose an online course platform that supports completion certificates.
That brings us to the next vital point…
3. Choose the most suitable online course platform
The online course platform you go for influences how you can structure your course, the type of content you can include, how you promote and market the online course, how much you can charge for your course, and so on.
You’ll have three major platform types to choose from here.
First is online course marketplaces like Udemy and Coursera. These platforms already have an existing audience. They also run a ton of marketing campaigns to attract more potential students.
The drawback is that you don’t get much freedom or flexibility. They also operate on a revenue-sharing basis, where a platform like Udemy can take up to 63% of the revenue from each sale.
We’d recommend these online course marketplaces to beginners who are just starting and have no existing audiences. They can help you create your first online course and capitalize on their established brand trust and marketing campaigns.
The next option is WordPress Learning Management Systems (LMS) plugins like LearnDash. These plugins connect directly with your WordPress website, allowing you to create and sell courses on your site.
LMS plugins are a great option if you already have a WordPress website from which you want to sell your course. But keep in mind you’ll incur additional costs for the plugins, and they also require some technical expertise to implement correctly.
Finally, you have self-hosted online course platforms like Thinkific, Kajabi, Teachable, and GetResponse. These are the best options for most online course instructors. That’s because they provide maximum flexibility. They’re also highly scalable, so they’re perfect for anyone who hopes to build a successful online course business.
However, you’ll realize that different online course platforms have very different offerings. For example, Kajabi is one of the most popular online course builders. It has a ton of features, including a friendly builder, AI assistant, and marketing tools to help you build a scalable business.
But then it’s one of the most expensive options. The cheapest plan starts at $71 and supports just one product and one community.
Now compare Kajabi to GetResponse. GetResponse offers an AI course creator that supports different course material, including live webinars for audience building and sales. It also supports course commenting and ratings, instructor profiles, and completion certificates.
Our pricing starts at just $46.03 per month for 1000 contacts and 500 active students. This plan also gives you unlimited access to our suite of marketing tools (website and landing page builders, autoresponders, email marketing, push notifications, and SMS).
That should give you an idea of the value you can get (or miss out on) depending on your chosen platform.
Check out our guide on the best online course creators for a detailed review of the different options.
4. Price your course smartly
Online course pricing is a bit tricky. You don’t want to price your course so low that you’re leaving money on the table. On the other hand, you don’t want to charge too much that your target audience simply cannot afford it. You must find the delicate balance in between.
Generally speaking, only entry-level courses cost less than $100. For intermediate and advanced courses, you’re looking at much higher price tags with some going for more than $900.
Ultimately, the right pricing will depend on the value of your course. That’s why you might want to define your course’s value proposition and unique selling point beforehand.
What skills will the students learn? How much can they earn from the skills? Are there any additional perks like one-on-one coaching?
The more value you provide, the more you can charge for your course.
You can also use insights into your target audience’s income level and competitor pricing to understand how much to charge for your course.
Some experimentation may also be necessary. Try charging your course at different prices to see the optimal pricing your target students are willing to pay.
Another thing to consider here is the one-time lumpsum vs subscription-based pricing model.
- One-off lump sum pricing model – Students will pay only once and get lifetime access to the content. This is the ideal pricing model for online courses whose content doesn’t change much.
- Subscription-based pricing model – This is similar to the SaaS business model. Though it can generate predictable income for a long time, it requires you to be constantly involved in delivering value to ensure the students remain paying customers.
Whatever pricing model you choose, consider offering a payment plan, especially if you sell high-ticket courses. This will reduce the payment burden and lower the barrier to entry for your target market.
5. Test with a seed launch
A seed launch is a small, controlled mini-launch of your course. It helps you gauge the target market’s interest in your digital product and identify potential issues with the course before it officially launches.
The idea here is to identify a small group of people to whom you can sell the course. Also, it doesn’t have to be a fully completed online course. It can be an initial version of the course with some of the modules.
Use this seed launch to determine if your target audience is willing to pay for it, how much they’re willing to pay, and what items they think are necessary to improve the course.
You can do the seed launch to your email list and on social media and online forums.
6. Start marketing to your target audience
An excellent course is nice and all, but it won’t mean much if no one knows about it.
You must develop an effective marketing strategy for your online course to have the impact you want and generate the income you desire.
Here are a few marketing techniques to get you started:
Generate leads with a waitlist
This is one of the strategies that Andrea from Coding with Andrea used to generate $21K within the first 24 hours of launching his online course.
The idea here is very simple. Before launching your course, create a waiting list of interested students. You can capture the email addresses of these potential customers through a landing page, which we’ll discuss next.
Once you have their email addresses, create an email campaign series providing updates about the course and explaining what the students can expect.
You can also use social media to generate traction about your online course before its launch.
One way to capture leads during this time is to provide an exclusive perk. For example, everyone on your waitlist could get a 15% discount when the course launches. Or, they can get an exclusive coaching session or hangout with you.
Design a compelling landing page
A compelling landing page is necessary for optimal conversion rates. Start by designing a landing page for your waitlist. Use this landing page to tease the online course and capture email addresses.
Once your course goes live, you can transition the page into an online course landing page. This landing page will need a compelling headline describing your course and its value. It must also have a subheadline to support the heading and body text to describe what the course is about, what’s covered in the course, and the outcomes students can expect after taking it.
Besides the text that requires exceptional copywriting, you’ll also need some visuals. You can include a video explaining the course. You could also include a short video from one of your modules to give website visitors a sneak peek into the course.
Check this out:
This landing page of Ali Abdaal’s Part-Time YouTube Academy course starts with a video overview covering why the course is essential for aspiring Youtubers.
Additionally, the landing page shares video testimonials with screenshots of how other students have grown their YouTube channels after taking the course.
Remember that all your marketing efforts will end up on this course sales page. This is where your students will buy your course from, so make sure it is super optimized both for SEO and conversions. It needs to load fast and must have social proof, like student testimonials, to optimize conversion rates.
Use email marketing
Email marketing is vital for successful online course marketing. From engaging with potential students on the waitlist to interacting with students and potential customers, you’ll need a robust email marketing strategy to sell courses online.
It’s also one of the most preferred marketing channels by course creators according to our online learning research.
We understand that all too well, so we’ve included our popular email marketing suite of tools into the GetResponse online course creator plan at no extra fee. Use our email builder, templates, and autoresponder to design beautiful emails and automate your campaigns.
You’ll also have access to our popup builders to help you capture email addresses. Plus, you can segment your email list with GetResponse to ensure you’re running personalized email campaigns that resonate with everyone on your list.
Run paid ads
Paid advertising can also be really valuable when promoting an online course. This is especially true when you want to target website visitors who come to your online course landing page and abandon it without converting.
Install the Meta Pixel on your website to track these visitors. Then, run remarketing campaigns to convince them of the value of your online course. You can also offer these potential students discounts to help them across the line.
Speaking of discounts, take advantage of special dates like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other similar events to run special promotional campaigns. As you saw in the graph from Coding with Andrea, special promotions can result in huge bumps in course sales.
You can learn more about promoting and marketing online courses here.
In closing
Selling online courses can be extremely lucrative, but you need the right online course idea, engaging course content, and a solid marketing strategy.
Therefore, take your time to come up with a good and validated course idea. Do both market and competitor research to understand your target audience and what they’re willing to pay for.
Next, create an engaging course using different content types. From there, price your course, do a seed launch, and then adjust the course based on user feedback before launching it to the wider market.
Don’t forget the importance of building and hosting your course on the right platform. Choose a scalable online course creator that can bring your vision to life without breaking the bank.
How to sell online courses FAQs
1. How to sell e-learning courses online?
To sell e-learning courses online, start by identifying a profitable online course idea and create engaging content. Then, build your online course on a platform like GetResponse and promote it through email marketing, SEO, paid ads, and social media.
2. Is selling online courses profitable?
Yes, selling online courses can be profitable, but you have to choose a good course idea in a market with a strong demand. Upfront costs of building an online course are low, yet earning potential is high, especially if you price and market it correctly.
3. What is the best platform to sell courses?
The best platform to sell courses will depend on your specific needs and budget. GetResponse is a budget-friendly platform with intuitive course-building tools and advanced marketing solutions. Meanwhile, Kajabi is a well-tested online course platform but with a significantly higher price tag.
4. How to make money selling courses online?
To make money selling online courses, come up with an on-demand course idea and create valuable content that solves your target audience’s pain points. You’ll also need effective marketing and pricing strategies to scale your earnings.
5. How do I create a website to sell my courses?
You can create a website to sell courses using the GetResponse website and landing page builder. Our platform has various website templates to pick from and an intuitive drag-and-drop builder to help you customize the website with your unique branding style.