If you've ever been told that you should start an online course business, but you're not sure where to begin, this post is for you. In this article, we'll discuss the top five platforms that can help make your dream of creating and selling products online come true. We'll also cover some best practices for improving completion rates, customer retention rates and more so your business can grow and thrive!
Skillshare is a free membership platform that offers courses in all sorts of areas, from illustration to music production to knitting. The site has a wide range of instructors and classes, so there's something for everyone.
If you're looking to make money as an instructor on Skillshare, there are two ways you can do this: by charging students who enrol in your course or by earning revenue through advertising on your page. If you choose the latter option, keep in mind that Skillshare doesn't take any cut from ad revenue generated by your class page, you keep 100%!
CourseApp has swiftly emerged as one of the top platforms for selling online courses, and for good reasons. The platform stands out for its robust suite of features designed to facilitate the creation, management, and scaling of online education businesses.
With unlimited capacity for courses, lessons, and students, it enables educators to grow without constraints. Its unique features such as course bundles, events, milestones, and nudges enhance the learning experience, driving engagement and accountability among students.
Additionally, CourseApp offers opportunities for customisation and community-building, including the option to remove the CourseApp logo for a more personalised look and a weekly townhall feature to foster a sense of community. All these elements combine to make CourseApp an excellent choice for educators seeking a comprehensive and user-friendly platform to sell their online courses effectively.
After successfully launching your first online course, the next step is scaling your business for long-term success. CourseApp makes this process seamless by allowing you to expand your offerings. whether by creating entirely new courses, bundling complementary content, or launching live events to keep students coming back for more. By leveraging these tools, you can encourage your learners to continue their educational journey with you, increasing retention and fostering a loyal student base. This scalability ensures that as your audience grows, your platform grows with you, supporting everything from new ideas to recurring learning communities.
Additionally, CourseApp offers opportunities for customisation and community-building, including the option to remove the CourseApp logo for a more personalised look and a weekly townhall feature to foster a sense of community. To keep learners engaged and motivated, CourseApp enables you to make your courses interactive by incorporating assignments, live Q&A sessions, discussion boards, and peer collaboration activities. Gamification features like quizzes, badges, and completion certificates help encourage participation and reward progress. By nurturing a strong sense of belonging and providing avenues for students to share their progress and insights, CourseApp helps drive higher course completion rates and greater overall satisfaction.
One of the biggest game-changers for online course success is the sense of community you create around your content. A lively learning community isn’t just a ‘nice-to-have’, it’s a cornerstone that keeps students motivated, engaged, and coming back for more.
Here’s why community matters:
Simply put, building a strong learning community isn’t just about teaching, it’s about giving your students a place to connect, grow, and thrive together.
One of the keys to maintaining an active and engaged course community is through regular content updates and well-timed recognition. Simply put, if you want people to stick around, give them something worth returning for. Consider sharing conversation starters, behind-the-scenes insights, or even hosting interactive live sessions to keep your group vibrant and involved.
On top of fresh content, don’t underestimate the power of recognition. Publicly celebrating active contributors, whether through special mentions, digital badges, or exclusive perks, encourages others to join in. Think of it like the gold stars in elementary school or loyalty programs at your favorite coffee shop; a little acknowledgment often inspires ongoing participation and strengthens the sense of community. All these elements combine to make CourseApp an excellent choice for educators seeking a comprehensive and user-friendly platform to sell their online courses effectively.
Paying attention to community feedback is essential for any platform aiming to foster lasting engagement. Just as musicians fine-tune their set lists based on audience reactions, educators and course creators benefit from adapting their offerings to fit what their learners actually want and need.
Being responsive isn’t just about fixing what’s broken, it’s about actively creating an environment where everyone feels their input matters. Whether it’s adding fresh lessons, launching new events, or reworking course structures based on suggestions, the ability to pivot shows students that their voices are valued.
By staying flexible and encouraging open dialogue, you ensure your community keeps growing and evolving, making it more welcoming, supportive, and, ultimately, more likely to thrive.
Udemy is a great platform to sell an online course. It's a marketplace for online courses, so you won't be competing against other instructors to get your content in front of consumers. It also has a large audience and is well known. You can make sure that buyers will see your course by using the best keywords in its title, summary and description pages.
Udemy offers some powerful tools for instructors such as detailed analytics reports (including sales data), email marketing campaigns and affiliate programs where you can earn commissions when someone buys through links on your site or social media channels like Twitter or Facebook!
One standout feature is Udemy’s email marketing capabilities, which let you nurture your audience and convert prospects into paying students. With automated email sequences, you can:
Udemy streamlines this process so you can focus on teaching, while automated emails help nurture leads and drive conversions. Pair these tools with your social media or website efforts for even better results.
CreativeLive is a great platform for online course creators. The platform offers a variety of tools that can help you create and promote your online course, including:
If you're looking for a new way to learn something, Udacity offers nanodegrees in many different disciplines. These are credentials that show you have mastered a subject, and they can be earned in just six months. The best part? They aren't free; but if you're willing to pay for your education, then this is one of the best platforms out there.
Coursera is a MOOC platform that offers over 1,000 courses from top universities around the world. Coursera has a free plan and paid plans. You can earn certificates of completion by passing quizzes, tests and exams offered by your course instructors.
The flexibility of the payment plan allows you to pay for your course in small increments throughout its duration (which may be weeks or months). This means you won't have to shell out hundreds of dollars up front if you don't want to!
You can use a course to market your business, build your brand, and get more clients. You'll be able to reach people you never imagined were interested in what you have to offer! The best part? Courses are easy for customers because they're self-contained learning experiences that don't require much time or effort from the student (unlike books).
Selling online courses is also great for getting more followers on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, people love being educated about new things!
Promoting your course goes beyond just listing it on a marketplace. Social media marketing on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram can help you engage your audience through interactive posts, live sessions, and sharing promotional content. Try organic methods like posting in groups, hosting live Q&As, or sharing helpful tips related to your course subject. These efforts not only drive interest but also help you build an engaged following.
A thriving learning community gives your course long-term value by fostering deeper relationships and encouraging peer-to-peer support. When your students feel connected to each other, and to you, they stay motivated and are more likely to finish your course (and even recommend it to others).
To keep your community active:
The more you nurture your course community, the more value everyone gets from the experience.
When it comes to selling your online course, picking the right pricing model is key to attracting students, and growing your business. Generally, you’ll come across three main options:
Every approach has its upsides, and the best fit really depends on your course content, how often you’ll update lessons, and what your audience values most. Don’t be afraid to experiment or combine models, many top creators do!
If you’re serious about scaling your online course business, limited-time offers and pre-selling can be secret weapons in your marketing toolkit.
Flash sales, seasonal discounts, or bonus bundles give potential students a nudge to enroll now rather than putting it off for “someday.” These short-term incentives turn browsers into buyers by leveraging FOMO (fear of missing out), especially if you pair them with a countdown timer or exclusive perks. It’s a classic move you’ll see with everything from Black Friday deals to early bird ticket sales for big events.
Instead of guessing what your audience wants, pre-selling your course means you can gauge genuine interest before pouring weeks (or months) into content creation. If people buy early, you’ve found a hot topic and generated cash flow upfront. Even better, your early students can offer feedback so you can refine the course as you create it.
In short, these strategies help you:
Combine both approaches, and you’ll be on your way to a buzzworthy launch, and a healthy bottom line.
Finding the right topic is the foundation of any successful online course, and it's a lot simpler than you might think.
Start with what you know best. Think about your talents, work experience, and the topics you’re genuinely passionate about. If you could talk for hours about it at a dinner party or your friends always come to you with questions, that's a good sign you're onto something teachable.
But knowing your stuff is just one part of the equation. Before you dive in, it’s crucial to see if people are actually interested in learning what you have to offer. Here’s a quick process to keep you on track:
When you combine your expertise with proven demand, you’re on your way to a course topic that sells, and makes a real impact.
Selecting the ideal platform to sell your online course is crucial. Our FAQ section provides a deeper dive into the top 5 platforms - CourseApp, LearnWorlds, Teachable, Thinkific, and Kajabi - covering aspects like user-friendliness, interactive videos, ease of use, comprehensive features, and all-in-one solutions. Get answers to your pressing questions and make an informed decision for your online course business.
Content marketing is one of the best ways to build trust with your target audience, get more social media followers and generate sales. It's also a great way to promote your online course business.
In fact, content marketing has become so popular that it's now one of the most effective ways for businesses to get new customers and generate revenue.
If you already have your own website, you might be considering WordPress learning management system (LMS) plugins like LearnDash or WPLMS to turn it into a fully-fledged course platform. These plugins offer a high degree of flexibility and customization, letting you tailor the look, feel, and functionality of your course pages to match your brand perfectly.
You get to control your content, set your own prices, and even integrate additional features as your business grows. For course creators who love tinkering and want a hands-on approach, this can be a huge plus.
However, there are some important challenges to keep in mind:
So, while WordPress LMS plugins can give you ultimate control and freedom to customize, they do demand a bit more effort behind the scenes. Choose this route if you’re comfortable managing a WordPress website, or have someone on your team who is!
In general, you don’t need a special license to start selling your online course. Most creators can dive right in and start sharing their expertise without jumping through legal hoops. However, if your course covers regulated fields, think finance, health, or law, you might need relevant certifications, or be required to provide specific disclaimers to stay compliant. Always double-check the rules if you’re teaching sensitive topics to avoid any bumps down the road.
Partnering with influencers and industry experts is a fantastic way to broaden your audience and boost enrollments for your online course. When you work with influencers or well-known bloggers in your niche, their recommendations serve as trusted endorsements, giving your course instant credibility. Happy students can also become powerful advocates, helping spread the word within their own networks.
Appearing as a guest on popular podcasts or webinars is another smart strategy. These platforms let you share your expertise, answer questions, and connect with potential learners in a more personal way. By providing insightful tips or behind-the-scenes stories, you position yourself as an authority, which encourages listeners to check out your course.
Don't underestimate the power of these partnerships:
Together, these efforts make it easier to generate buzz around your course and attract learners who are eager to sign up.
Looking for even more ways to put your course in the spotlight? Affiliate marketing, guest blogging, and podcasting are dynamic avenues for boosting your reach and attracting new students, without having to reinvent the wheel!
Mixing these strategies into your marketing efforts can dramatically expand your reach, build credibility, and, most importantly, draw in a thriving community of enthusiastic students.
A high-converting sales page is your online course’s secret weapon. Think of it as your digital storefront, you want it to be inviting, informative, and persuasive without being overwhelming. Here are some tried-and-true tips for designing a landing page that turns casual browsers into eager students:
By blending these elements, you’ll create a course sales page that welcomes visitors, answers their questions, and smoothly guides them toward hitting that enroll button.
Validating your online course idea is a smart move, think of it as making sure your plane has wings before you start selling tickets. Before diving into full-scale course creation, it's a good idea to gauge interest and ensure there's genuine demand for what you plan to offer (and not just from your mum).
Here are some reliable strategies:
If you see strong engagement, sign-ups, insightful replies, people asking for more, it’s a good signal you’re onto something. If not? It’s better to tweak your idea now than after months of work.
Cold outreach can be a powerful tool for getting your online course in front of new eyes. By directly contacting potential students via email or social platforms like LinkedIn, you can introduce your course to audiences who may not have discovered it otherwise. This approach allows you to personalize your message and highlight the specific value your course offers, making it more appealing than a generic advertisement.
When done thoughtfully, cold outreach can:
Of course, always ensure your outreach is respectful and provides real value. The goal is to start genuine conversations, not just fill inboxes with unsolicited spam!
Getting eyes on your lead magnets is all about spreading the word in the right places and meeting your audience where they hang out. Here are some creative and effective ways you can start attracting more people to your sign-up offers:
By mixing a few of these approaches, you'll quickly boost your visibility, funnel more leads to your course offerings, and create lasting momentum for your online course business.
Promoting lead magnets is a smart, actionable way to grow your email list with engaged prospects. Here are a few effective methods:
By consistently promoting your lead magnets through these channels, you'll quickly build a robust email list filled with people genuinely interested in your expertise.
If you want to attract more students to your online course, offering enticing lead magnets is a tried-and-true strategy. A lead magnet is simply something valuable you give away (usually for free) in exchange for a potential student's email address or contact info. The goal? Build your email list with people who are genuinely interested in what you have to teach!
Some popular, and effective, types of lead magnets you can create include:
Share these lead magnets across your website, social channels, and in your email campaigns to grow your list with warm, interested leads. Make sure your offer is directly related to your course material so that your new subscribers are a perfect fit for your main offering!
As your business grows, you'll want to make sure that you are maximising revenue and reducing costs. Here are some tips for how to scale your online course business:
There are many ways you can improve completion rates for your online courses, but these steps will help ensure that students stay engaged throughout their time with you as an instructor!
Creating compelling video lessons is essential to keeping students motivated and invested in your course. Here are some simple strategies to make your videos both memorable and professional:
These simple tweaks can make your course videos far more engaging, practical, and professional, no Hollywood budget required!
As an online course business, you need to make sure that all of these things are in place. If any one of them is missing, it could cost you customers and money.
The first step is to have a great product. You can't have an excellent customer service team if your product isn't worth buying in the first place! So make sure your course content is high quality and relevant for people who want to learn about it, if it isn't, then no amount of marketing will help increase sales because there won't be enough interest from potential students for them to buy into what you're selling.
Next up: customer service! Once someone has signed up for one of our courses (or any other online course), we always try our best not only deliver great content but also provide excellent support throughout their entire experience with us, whether that means answering questions via email or phone call/video call sessions where possible depending on how much time each student wants me spend working with them personally versus just providing materials through email updates etcetera). This way everyone gets exactly what they need without feeling overwhelmed by having too many options available at once.
The best way to start selling your online course is by creating a website and promoting it on social media. You can also promote your business through paid ads on Facebook and Google, but this might not be necessary if your content is good enough. Once you have enrolled some students, try sending them personalised emails every week with new lessons or assignments that help them progress at their own pace.
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