Many content creators are selling online courses to share their passion and grow their income. They use their expertise, skills, and content they already have to build engaging and profitable courses. 

However, creating engaging content is only the first step. Promotion is the key to selling online courses – especially as a new course creator. 

Although course promotion can be intimidating, there are some methods you can try. From leveraging your email list to hosting a webinar, we’ll show you how to promote your first online course. 

Create a course landing page

Before you start promoting your first course, you need to have a place where potential learners can learn more and sign up for your course. The most straightforward method is to have a landing page on your website. 

A landing page, or sales page, is an opportunity to describe the value of your course and turn visitors into learners. 

Let’s explore the elements of a winning course landing page:

• Headline and subtitle. These should be concise and action-oriented to convey the goal of the course, yet grab the visitor’s attention and lead them to a desired action. 
• Course description. Explain what the course is about and how learners will benefit from it. You can list modules, lesson plans, and course materials. 
• Imagery and video. Include high-quality images and videos to break up copy, show mockups of lesson plans or the main page, and introduce yourself. 
• Social proof. This may be more tricky for your first course, but think about including positive comments or DMs from your audience, or credible mentions about you in your industry.
• Pricing. Be transparent about pricing and explain what the cost includes. You can also offer alternative payment methods, like full or monthly payments, or risk reversal, such as a money-back guarantee. 
• FAQs. Ease learners’ minds by answering questions they might have. Share up to ten questions and clearly display your contact information in case they have a question you didn’t list. 
• CTAs. The call-to-action is critical to a landing page. You want to make it as easy as possible for visitors to take the next step, so provide multiple opportunities to take action. Make your CTA buttons stand out from the rest of the page, placing them frequently between sections. 

Now that you’re familiar with what to include on your course landing page, get started with a page builder like Kadence. You’ll have access to a vast library of templates to create a professional landing page even if you’re not familiar with design. 

Once your landing page starts to get traffic, keep monitoring your enrollments to discover optimization opportunities. For example, if you’re getting a lot of visitors, but not many signups, you may be missing essential elements for a high-converting landing page. 

Leverage your email list 

As a content creator, you most likely have a personal brand with email subscribers already. Leveraging that email list is an effective and easy way to promote your first online course. It’s cost-effective and has potential for a strong return on investment. 

If you don’t have an email list, or want to build yours, we’ve put together some list-building strategies. For new course creators, we recommend focusing on creating a free video course, giving away a useful downloadable, and offering an exclusive discount. 

Now, let’s dive into some ways to promote your first course effectively through email. 

Segment your audience

Consider segmenting your audience into different lists, with one list consisting of people who would most likely sign up for your course. This allows you to deliver more targeted messages that increase conversions. 

For example, if you create content about personal finance, your advanced audience most likely won’t be as interested in your new beginner course. 

Write good emails

Unfortunately, there’s no secret formula to the perfect email. But there are some things you can do to create an effective email:

• Use a clear, eye-catching subject line. 
• Provide meaningful content, like free resources, how-tos, and industry insights. 
• Be personal and address your subscribers. 
• Include a concise call-to-action (CTA).
• Practice style and writing consistency. 

You can apply these tips to an announcement or email campaign for your new course or any other emails you send. 

Publish an email newsletter 

Delivering valuable content consistently builds trust and credibility, which leads to easier promotion of your online course. If you have an email newsletter already, or want to start one, try these best practices:

• Clearly tell subscribers what they are signing up for.
• Make emails mobile-friendly.
• Avoid spam-like or repetitive subject lines. 
• Provide informational and valuable content.

Keep these tips in mind and you’ll have a loyal subscriber base that recognizes your credibility. They’ll be more likely to sign up for your new course. 

Don’t spam

Since you have a new course, you can send out additional emails in addition to your existing campaigns, but keep them to a reasonable amount. You don’t want to bombard your subscribers. 

Make sure your emails don’t end up in spam folders, either. Here’s how:

• Set a “from” field. 
• Don’t use aggressive sales language. 
• Ask subscribers to double-opt into your list. 
• Make it easy to unsubscribe. 

Avoid spamming and keep your emails out of spam folders so your audience sees your message. 

Engage on social media 

We all know it: Social media is everywhere. 

Content creators in every niche have discovered the power of social media. And for good reason. It’s low-cost yet offers strong opportunities to reach and engage with your audience. 

However, now that you’re a course creator, there are a few things to consider. Let’s take a quick look at how you can promote your course by building community on the most popular social media platforms.

Facebook 

Facebook is a great place to connect with potential learners from across the globe or in a particular niche. And there are many ways to promote your online course on Facebook.

For course creators, we recommend starting a Facebook group. Members will be able to discuss related topics, what they’ve learned from your content and course, ask questions, and more. Groups open the door for user-generated content which you can use in other places, too. 

While you can have a public (open) group, a private group may be better. For example, you can limit members to only your email list or those currently enrolled in your course. 

YouTube

YouTube is one of the best places to promote your course. There are a multiple ways to use it to complement your online course, but new course creators should focus on these steps: 

• Use free content. This familiarizes your audience with your teaching style and proves you can provide value to them. Plus, it’s a smooth way to sell your online course at the end of the video.
• Create a channel trailer. Take this opportunity to market yourself, your content, and your new course. Be sure to include a strong CTA.  
• Try other features. YouTube offers non-video features as well. Build a community through posts, polls, shorts, and stories. 
• Cross-share. Share the videos you create on other social media channels or email to promote your course. You can even embed them on your website, blog, or landing page. 

Like with any social media platform, don’t be sales-oriented. However, use YouTube to show off your teaching skills and course value. 

LinkedIn

If you’re in B2B or want to connect with other industry professionals, promoting your course on LinkedIn is your best bet. You can share knowledge with other course creators and follow relevant industry groups, publications, and thought leaders. 

LinkedIn is the ideal platform if you provide courses related to professional qualifications. You can ask learners to share their progress or completion to build trust with other potential learners. 

Having a strong network on LinkedIn allows you to share your course to reach decision-makers. Or, they may want to join you on your next webinar, which we discuss more later on. 

TikTok

Similar to YouTube, TikTok focuses on video content, but record time is much shorter. Many videos rely on sounds, music, and voiceovers. 

Here are a few things you can try to promote your course on TikTok:

• Show short snippets of your course, YouTube videos, or other content.
• Answer common questions from your audience.
• Give short, relevant tips to your audience.
• Talk about recent events and industry news.

TikTok also offers plenty of opportunities to reach a broader and larger audience, so use popular sounds and try out trends. 

X (formerly known as Twitter)

In addition to longer content on other platforms, you should also try short-form, real-time content. Formerly known as Twitter, X allows creators to quickly post updates, videos, links, and other content. 

The platform focuses on engagement and discussion, so it’s easy to start and join conversations. Jump on a thread and give your unique point of view, share or repost valuable content, and stay on top of trends. 

It’s a great opportunity to speak directly to your audience and draw attention to your new course. Staying consistent and conversational is an easy strategy for new creators trying to promote their course. 

Instagram

Historically, Instagram was known for their image feed. Now, course creators can take advantage of other features like stories and Reels to promote their course on Instagram. 

To start, use the same strategies for other video platforms, like sharing short course snippets and other valuable content. You can also update your bio with relevant links, like your course landing page, and pin stories on your profile that talk about your course.

Once people start using or completing your course, encourage them to share their experience and what they’ve learned as an Instagram post. Then, share it on your profile. 

Social media marketing tips 

As you dive into social media marketing as a new course creator, here are a few tips to make you successful: 

• Engage. Respond to comments, DMs, and mentions. It takes time, but it’s critical to address any questions or concerns about your course. 
• Create good content. Remember what content works best for each platform, whether it’s slideshows, videos, or images, and optimize for those sizes. 
• Don’t be sales-oriented. It’s exciting to talk about your new course, but your audience follows you for a reason. Don’t drive them away by always promoting your course. 

Social media is a powerful tool, but focus on what your audience wants or needs. Use it to build relationships and credibility and you’ll have people inquiring about your course. 

Host a webinar

Webinars are a powerful way to build trust and relationships with your potential learners and other industry professionals. Compared to in-person events, they’re more cost-effective and enable you to reach a larger audience. 

As a new course creator, you can use webinars to showcase your expertise, connect with your audience, and promote your first course. We’re going to explain the elements of a webinar, how to increase registrations, and provide additional tips. 

Topics and speakers 

If you’re wondering what you should talk about, consider your new course. Focus on that topic or something closely related to it. It doesn’t need to be extremely detailed, but it needs to be valuable to your audience. 

This will make course promotion easier at the end and warms up your attendees so they’ll be more likely to enroll. 

Choosing the right guest speaker is important, too. You want to choose someone that is a good speaker to connect with your attendees, so vet them first. They also need subject matter expertise in case there are questions that require deeper knowledge. 

Over time, webinars put you in touch with popular guest speakers that want to help you add value to your community. 

Increase registrations 

The more webinar participants you have, the more course enrollments you’re likely to receive. There are a few ways to increase attendee registrations for your webinar:

• Ask your guest speaker to promote the webinar through their channels.
• Create an email campaign. 
• Post on social media–especially leading up to the webinar. 
• Create a landing page so people can learn more about the topic, guest speaker, and easily register. 

The earlier you are able to start marketing your webinar, the better. You’ll have enough time to carry out campaigns and pivot if needed. 

Format and features  

Generally, webinars follow this format:

• Introduction. This is where you introduce yourself, the topic, and any guest speakers. Include a slide to show your agenda for reference. 
• Body. This is the bulk of a webinar, with videos, interviews, materials, Q&A sessions, and other content. 
• Outro. Towards the end, you can request user response, request contact information, and do the pitch for your new online course. Be sure to include a link to your landing page. 

Besides this format, there are some features that you should include, such as slides, chat, polls or surveys, and questions. When asking questions, include a variety and fine-tune them. You should have a defined, prediable path for your guest speaker. 

Additional tips 

To get the most out of webinars, consider recording it for easy re-distribution later on, or script portions, like the introduction. You don’t have to strictly follow your script, but a script helps make you look more professional, knowledgeable, and established. 

Immediately after your webinar is the perfect time to send limited-time offers for your course. In addition, send out a recording to attendees along with a link to your course or landing page. 

Keep in mind that webinars should not be sales-oriented. You should focus on providing value to your attendees and connecting with your guest speaker. 

Take your courses further 

Now that you’re familiar with how to promote your first course, test them out and see what works best for you. Remember, promotion is the key to a successful course. 

As you build out your online courses, you can engage learners and grow revenue with a learning management system (LMS) like LearnDash. You can implement a membership site, manage assignments, customize your courses, and much more. 

Explore our free demo to take your courses further.