Selling courses online is a great way to generate additional income while working from home. More and more entrepreneurs are dedicated to the sale of courses and with the growing explosion of e-learning platforms, there are more and more options that facilitate the sharing of knowledge through digital media.
If you want to learn how to sell online courses, you have come to the right place, because I will show you how and where to sell an online course without the need for programming knowledge, website creation and more. I recommend that you save this content in your favorites list so that you can consult it again or better yet, subscribe to our newsletter so that you receive new content every week in your email.
Where to sell online courses?
Knowing where to sell online courses is the first step to start on this path, because depending on the platform where you sell them, you can think about how to structure the course and even what materials you will need to do it. At the moment, there are two options to sell online courses:
Through an online training platform π
There are many online platforms enabled for e-learning that allow professionals and academics to upload their courses to them and make a profit with their digital product. They are quite functional and some even allow you to block content, keep track of students and schedule evaluations to check knowledge.
On your own website π»
This option is ideal for those who prefer to avoid the competition of other courses and professionals by having a single space to sell their course, also for those who want to have absolute control of their materials, as well as offer more services in addition to the course, such as classes. online, ebooks and other tools for learning.
What platforms exist to sell online courses?
Let’s get into the matter and talk about the particularities of the platforms to sell online courses, which, as we mentioned before, can help you, finally, find the answer to the question of I explain five options to host your online course and how do they work.
storecloud
It is one of the preferred by entrepreneurs in Latin America, bringing together more than 90 thousand brands to create their online stores. And it is that with its user friendly interface and its versatility, it allows you to create your website and market both tangible and intangible products, so that you can use it to sell online courses, workshops, online classes, ebooks, learning tools and much more. plus. The best news? With a unique plan of $99 MXN per month and its model WITHOUT commissions, you do not have to worry about those small expenses that eat your profits.
Teachable
to sell online courses. It has a free plan that allows you to sell all the courses you want and have all the students you want in exchange for $1 dollar and 10% commission per transaction. As the monthly cost goes up, the commission per transaction decreases, however you should consider the monthly investment for the cost of the platform. The interface is friendly and allows you to focus on the creation of your course, leaving the work of marketing and sales to them. If you are not fluent in English, this may be a problem.
Hotmart
Known for its great ease in selling digital products, it is a great platform that allows you to start selling your online course with zero investment. There is no cost for using the platform, but it has a 9.9% sales commission. In addition, there is a certain exclusivity on the content, so if you decide to sell with them, you will not be able to market that same content on another platform.
thinkific
At you can create a beautiful website to sell your online course and with support for uploading and downloading content such as videos, documents, presentations and more. Although it has a free plan, which is configured so that you get to know the platform, the plan to start selling starts at $39 per month, with no sales commission. It’s worth taking a look. Be careful, it is also in English, in case you do not master the language.
udemy
It is one of the most popular platforms for buying and selling online courses. It works like a marketplace where different types of courses are marketed, depending on your interests and skills. The interface is quite intuitive and allows you to start selling with almost zero investment, however at the time of sale, Udemy keeps 50% commission if they sell it or 3% if you sell it.
How to sell an online course?
Now that you know more about the options available for selling online courses, let’s talk about the sales process. From content creation and structure to social media promotion and more. Knowing this process will help you graduate with honors in selling digital products online.
1. Choose your audience and set the objectives
To sell online courses successfully, the first thing you need to know is who it will be aimed at. If you think that the topic you want to take the course on is of general interest, it is likely that you will not end up attracting a specific segment. To start off on the right foot, you must answer the following questions:
- Who is it for?
- How old is my audience on average?
- Where do my students live?
- Do they require prior knowledge or an advanced level in the field?
- What do my students want to achieve?
- What will they learn?
- What are my students worried about?
- What is the objective of my course?
- Who is my competition?
- Are there online courses similar to mine?
You can start by answering these questions by building a fictitious character of one of your students and with this “x-ray” start to build the contents of the course, from the objective, the approach and even the exercises that you will include. This character is called Buyer Persona, one of the key tools to start the entire sales process.
β¨ Tip: work content in relation to the , so it is likely that you will find an audience eager for knowledge regarding these disciplines.
Learn moreβ¦
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Don’t forget the price!
Perhaps you consider that this is one of the last things to be defined, but you are wrong. Placing the price helps a lot to know how much time to invest in the preparation of the pieces of your course or the complexity that you want in your content. For this you need to answer the following questions:
- Do I have competition?
- Can courses similar to mine be found online?
- What price do they have?
- Where are they housed?
- How many hours will I invest in doing my course?
- Is it an easy cost to cover for my audience?
In addition to the answers to these questions, you should consider the cost of the platform that you will use to host the course, as well as the budget that you will allocate for promotion and dissemination, so that it is profitable. If you have doubts on this point, I suggest a great article that we wrote about that can help you a lot. Take a look!
2. Create the materials
Once you have defined the essential parts of what your course will be, the next step is perhaps the most complex, as it requires your knowledge and digital skills to build the content you have planned for the course. Here I list some of the most common materials that you could create.
Materials to create an effective online course
- Podcast;
- Video classes or video tutorials;
- E-books;
- Digital bibliography;
- audio books;
- Webinars or live classes.
Once you have chosen the materials, make a checklist of those elements necessary for a course, to see that you are not missing anything. Here I share one that can help you shape it.
What elements should a good online course have?
π Course name;
π Name of the facilitator;
π Place and date;
π Overall goal;
π Skills to develop;
π Introduction or presentation;
π Methodology;
π Evaluation form;
π Table of Contents;
π Rubric for evaluation;
π Reference bibliography.
3. Host your course on a platform
With the materials already built, it’s time to host them on the platform of your choice. If you decide to use an LMS (Learning Management System) platform, the choice is already made. However, if you decide to go for having your own website for the sale of materials, you should think about a space in the cloud where you can host this content or the way in which you will deliver this digital product to your buyers and students.
How to choose the best platform to sell an online course?
To make the best decision, look at these aspects and make a comparative table of pros and cons.
- How much does the platform cost?
- Do you charge commission for sale?
- What additional expenses will I have to cover?
- Do you require any exclusivity of my content?
- Is it easy to use?
- Does it allow me to get closer to my clients?
Once you have answered these questions, the choice will be easy. You will only need to create your account and start setting up your course on the platform that has been the ideal one for your purpose.
β¨ Tip: If you have the opportunity to try the different options that are in your consideration set for free, take advantage of this resource, as it will allow you to get to know the platform from the inside, without the need to commit to a monthly or annual payment.
4. Set up your course on the platform of your choice
Once the decision is made, start assembling your content within the platform. For this you need to repair the following elements:
- Course name;
- Description of the content;
- Objectives;
- Table of contents to learn;
- Preview to chapters or modules;
- Cost;
Having all these elements in view of the user will help you to clear the largest number of questions regarding the course. You can even add your resume or some of your history to share with your potential students what your experience is and what makes you an expert in the subject you are developing.
If you feel that your course deserves it, you can build downloadable materials that encourage the user to buy your course, such as an information brochure, the complete syllabus with what you will teach, a downloadable infographic or an article that points out the importance of the topic you are teaching. try the course. That way, your potential buyers are likely to get excited and decide to buy your online course.
5. Promote it on social networks
Once you have everything set up, you can start the process of disseminating and promoting your course. There are so many learning options on the internet that it is important to think about how to show the world that our content is valuable and may be of interest. For this we can make use of certain resources such as social networks, both in its organic (or unpaid) and digital advertising aspects, promoting our content. Now I explain how to do it.
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