How to sell an online course?

The online course market has seen significant growth in recent years and is expected to continue growing in the near future. According to a market research report, the global online education market size is expected to grow from $191.17 Billion in 2020 to $325.51 Billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 11.5% during the forecast period. This indicates that the online course market is a lucrative opportunity for businesses and individuals looking to enter the market.

Who can create online courses?

Anyone can create an online course; for example an educator, a retired teacher, a student, or absolutely anyone who has the right skills. You can create a course on a topic you are knowledgeable in and share it with others through various platforms, such as Udemy, Coursera, and LinkedIn Learning. Additionally, many universities and educational institutions also offer the ability to create and share online courses.

Is creating an online course right for you?

If you wonder if creating an online course is the right decision, it depends on the individual’s goals, resources, and expertise. Creating an online course requires a significant investment of time and effort to plan, develop, and promote the course. It also requires a level of expertise in the subject matter and the ability to communicate that knowledge to others effectively.

If someone has the resources and expertise to create a high-quality course and the desire to share their knowledge with others, then creating an online course may be a good fit.

Do you need any qualifications to sell online courses?

No, you do not need any specific qualifications to sell online courses. However, having expertise or experience in the topic you are teaching can help to establish credibility and attract students. Additionally, knowledge of instructional design and online course creation can be beneficial.

How to create and sell online courses

Creating an online course is an elaborate task that requires careful planning and a business plan. Without a plan, you will be able to create online courses, but to sell them, you need to think beyond.

Now that you are eligible to create online courses; let’s get into the steps to follow:

Find your niche and target audience

Determine what topic or skillset you want to teach and who would be interested in learning it. But how to find your target audience?

Create surveys where you filter between the types of learners who actually suit your course subject. Also, check if the learners are interested in your course because of the value of the course or just for certificates.

You can also make use of analytics to find the target audience and build your course content. When creating the courseware, use SEO techniques to receive organic traffic for your courses.

Create course content

Use a variety of methods, such as video lectures, quizzes, and written materials, to create engaging and informative content for your course. It is recommended to use more than a variety of course materials as it helps students to learn the concepts effectively and quickly.

Choose a platform to host your course

There are many online course platforms, such as Udemy, Coursera, and Teachable, that allow you to upload and sell your course. One of the best platforms to host your online courses is to set up your own website.

To create an online course, you can use the best online tutoring software, like Pinlearn, to develop and launch your online course-selling website. Being a whitelabel software that allows you to customize your website to suit your unique business requirements, you can own the branding and scale the business effortlessly.

Promote your course

Use social media, email marketing, and other forms of digital marketing to let people know about your course and attract potential students. Establish an active social presence on popular social platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also invest in paid advertising to broaden your marketing efforts.

Sell your course

Once your course is live, you can start promoting and selling it to your target audience. You can set your own price for the course and keep a percentage of the revenue. To gauge the demand for your online course in the market, you can also conduct pre-sales to know whether there is a valid audience out there. You will also get to know whether the pricing of your online course is acceptable among your target audience.

Continuously improve and update your course

Keep your course fresh and up-to-date with new content and best practices. You must understand that the process and steps may vary depending on the platform you choose to host your course.

Business models to adopt when selling online courses

The business model is the most significant aspect of selling online courses as it decides the success and scalability of your online courses. From selling your online course for an upfront fee to selling memberships, you can adapt the revenue model that suits your business needs and goals.

Ultimately, the business model you choose will depend on your target audience, the type of course you’re offering, and your overall business goals.

There are several business models that can be adopted when selling online courses, including:

Subscription-based model: A business model where customers pay a recurring fee to access the course content.

Freemium model: A business model where a portion of the course content is available for free, and customers pay to access the full course or additional features.

Pay-per-course model: A business model where customers pay a one-time fee to access a specific course.

Affiliate marketing: A business model where you partner with other businesses or individuals to promote your course and receive a commission for each sale made through their unique referral link.

Bundle or package deal: A business model where multiple courses are sold together at a discounted price.

Upsell and cross-sell: A business model where you offer related courses or additional resources to customers after they have purchased a course.

Conclusion

Invest in a business plan and a good marketing strategy when you want to sell online courses. To sell profitable online courses, find areas of expertise and the target audience who can benefit from it. Build an online course that solves the audience’s pain points. You must also promote your course with the right marketing techniques and support it with a professional online course website. Now you can sell online courses and start making money.