How to Choose Where to Sell Online Courses for Maximum Profit
To maximize profit from selling online courses:
- Know your course topic and target audience
- Choose the right platform type:
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Consider key factors:
- Pricing and revenue sharing
- Platform tools and features
- Branding options
- Marketing tools
- Student management features
- Compare platform pros and cons
- Use platform-specific tools to increase profit
- Adjust pricing for different platforms
- Add extra products or services
- Sell on multiple platforms
- Track results and make changes
| Platform Type | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| All-in-one | Easy to use, built-in tools | Monthly fees + % of sales |
| Course marketplaces | Large audience | High % of sales taken |
| Self-hosted | Full control, keep all revenue | Requires tech skills |
Choose a platform that fits your goals, know your audience, price effectively, and continuously improve based on data.
Related video from YouTube
Know your course and audience
Choosing your course topic
To pick a good topic for your online course:
1. Check what students need: Find out what problems your students have and what they want to learn.
2. Fix problems: Make a course that solves real issues. For example, instead of a general "start a business" course, make one about "how to get more customers for your business".
3. Look at other courses: See what's missing in other courses and make yours different.
4. Think about money: Figure out how much students might pay and how many students you could get.
Understanding your target students
To make a good course, you need to know your students well:
1. Who are they?: Learn about online students. Here are some facts:
| Fact | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Women taking online courses | 50-52% |
| Men taking online courses | 48-49% |
| College students taking at least one online course | 75% |
| Public college students taking at least one online course | 77% |
2. Make student profiles: Create fake students that match your real students. This helps you understand what they want and how they learn.
3. Find out what they need: Ask what students want to learn and what problems they have.
4. Make your course fit them: Use what you know about your students to make a course they'll like. This will help them learn better and be happier with your course.
By knowing your topic and students well, you can make a course that people want to buy and that helps them learn.
| What to Know | Why It's Important |
|---|---|
| Your students | To make a course they'll like |
| Problems to solve | To make your course useful |
| Other courses | To make yours different |
| How much money you can make | To set a good price |
| Who takes online courses | To know who might buy your course |
| What students need | To teach the right things |
| How students learn best | To make your course easy to follow |
Types of course selling platforms
When picking where to sell your online courses, it's good to know about the different kinds of platforms. Each type has its own good points and things to think about.
All-in-one platforms
Platforms like Teachable and Thinkific give you everything you need in one place. They have tools for making courses, hosting them, selling them, and more.
What you get with all-in-one platforms:
- Tools to make courses with ready-to-use designs
- Ways to take payments
- Tools to send emails and sell your course
- Ways to manage your students
- Reports to see how you're doing
These platforms are easy to use, but they might not let you change everything about how your course looks or works.
Learning Management Systems (LMS)
LMS platforms are big systems made for schools and companies. They have lots of features for teaching and keeping track of students.
What LMS platforms usually have:
- Ways to organize courses well
- Detailed tracking of how students are doing
- Can work with other school software
- Follows rules for education
LMS platforms can be harder to set up and might cost more. They work best for big schools or companies.
Course marketplaces
Places like Udemy are popular because they connect teachers with lots of students who are already there.
Good things about course marketplaces:
- They help sell your course
- Lots of possible students
- People trust these sites
But these places often set the prices and take a big part of what you earn. You also can't control everything about how your course looks or get all the info about your students.
| What you can do | On a marketplace | On your own site |
|---|---|---|
| Selling | They help you | You do it yourself |
| Set prices | Not much control | Full control |
| How much you keep | They take a lot (up to 50%) | You keep most or all |
| Make it look how you want | Not much control | Full control |
| Get student info | Not much | All of it |
Self-hosted options
Self-hosted means you run everything yourself. You might use WordPress with special add-ons or build your own site.
Good things about self-hosted:
- You can make it look exactly how you want
- You own all the student info
- You keep all the money you make
- Works with your other websites
The hard parts are that you need to know how to set it up and fix problems. You also have to do all the selling yourself.
When choosing, think about what you're good at, how you'll sell your course, and what you want for your business in the future. Each type of platform gives you different amounts of control, ease of use, and ways to grow.
Key factors for choosing a platform
When picking a platform to sell your online courses, think about these important things:
Pricing and revenue sharing
Different platforms charge different fees:
| Platform Type | Fees |
|---|---|
| All-in-one (e.g., Teachable, Thinkific) | Monthly fee + % of sales |
| Course marketplaces (e.g., Udemy) | Up to 50% of course sales |
| Self-hosted | You keep all money, but pay for hosting |
Think about how much you'll charge for your course and how many you might sell when looking at platform costs.
Platform tools and features
Look for platforms that offer:
- Easy course creation tools
- Ways to change how your course pages look
- Video hosting
- Quizzes and tests
- Certificates for students
- Mobile app
Some platforms have extra features like drip content, memberships, and student forums.
Branding options
Your brand helps you stand out:
- All-in-one platforms let you change some things about how your course looks
- Course marketplaces don't let you change much, but people know and trust them
- Self-hosted options let you control everything, but you have to build trust yourself
Pick a platform that fits how you want your brand to look.
Marketing and promotion tools
Good marketing helps sell your course. Look for platforms with:
- Email marketing tools
- Ways to run an affiliate program
- Coupons and discounts
- Help with search engines
- Social media connections
- Reports on how you're doing
Some platforms, like Thinkific, have tools to help you sell more courses.
Student management features
Taking care of your students well can make them happier:
- Look for good ways to manage students
- Find features that track progress and remind students
- Check if you can talk to students directly
- See if it works with help desk tools
Good student management can lead to happy students who leave good reviews and buy more courses.
| Feature | All-in-One Platforms | Course Marketplaces | Self-Hosted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Monthly fee + % of sales | High % of sales | Hosting costs only |
| Branding | Some changes allowed | Few changes allowed | You control everything |
| Marketing | Built-in tools | They promote for you | You do it yourself |
| Student Management | Many features | Basic features | Depends on what you set up |
| Tech Skills Needed | Low | Low | High |
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Comparing platform pros and cons
Let's look at the good and bad points of different places to sell your online courses. This will help you pick the best one for you.
Platform comparison table
| Feature | All-in-One Platforms (e.g., Thinkific, Teachable) | Course Marketplaces (e.g., Udemy) | Self-Hosted Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Monthly fee + % of sales | Up to 50% of sales | Only hosting costs |
| Easy to use | Very easy | Very easy | Hard (need tech skills) |
| Help with selling | Built-in tools | They help sell for you | You do it yourself |
| Control over look | Some changes allowed | Few changes allowed | Full control |
| Student tools | Many features | Basic features | Depends on what you set up |
| Who owns the content | You do | Platform might have some rights | You do |
| Finding students | Build your own group | Use their existing users | Start from zero |
All-in-one platforms:
- Good mix of easy to use and control
- Have tools to help you sell and manage students
- Let you change some things about how your course looks
- You pay monthly and give them some of your sales
Course marketplaces:
- Lots of people already use them, so it's easier to find students
- Take a big part of what you earn (up to half)
- Don't let you change much about your course's look or price
Self-hosted options:
- You control everything
- Keep all the money you make
- Need to know how to set up and run a website
- Have to do all the selling yourself
When picking a platform, think about:
- How good you are with tech
- How well you can sell your course
- How much control you want
If you're new, an all-in-one platform might be best. If you have your own audience or want your course to look a certain way, try self-hosting. Course marketplaces are good if you want to find students quickly, but you'll have less control and make less money per sale.
Increasing profit through platform choice
Picking the right place to sell your online courses can help you make more money. Here's how to earn more by choosing and using platforms wisely.
Using platform-specific tools
Each platform has special features to help you make more money:
- All-in-one platforms: Use their built-in tools for marketing, emails, and tracking to sell more courses and keep students happy.
- Course marketplaces: Use their search system and promotion tools to help more people find and buy your course.
- Self-hosted options: Make your course look exactly how you want and use any marketing tools you like.
Pricing for different platforms
Change your prices based on where you sell:
| Platform Type | How to Price | Things to Think About |
|---|---|---|
| All-in-one | Medium to high prices | Think about platform fees and how much value your course gives |
| Course marketplaces | Prices that match others | Remember there are lots of buyers, but also lots of other courses |
| Self-hosted | Any price you want | Set prices based on what your course is worth and who you're selling to |
Price your course based on how much it helps people, not just how long it is or how much it cost to make. Think about offering different prices or payment plans to help more people buy.
Adding extra products or services
Make more money by giving students more:
1. Make course bundles: Put related courses together and sell them for less than buying them separately.
2. Offer extra stuff: Give students special resources, one-on-one help, or live question sessions for an extra cost.
3. Start a membership: Make a group about your course topic that people pay to join every month.
Selling on multiple platforms
Selling your online courses on more than one platform can help you reach more people and make more money. Let's look at why this is good and how to change your course for different platforms.
Good things about using several platforms
- Reach more people: Each platform has its own users, so you can find new students.
- Spread out risk: If one platform has problems, you still have others.
- Make money in different ways: Each platform pays differently, so you might earn more overall.
- Try different things: You can test different prices and ways to sell on each platform.
- Get your name out there: Being on many platforms can make people trust you more as a teacher.
Changing your course for each platform
To do well on different platforms, you need to change your course a bit:
- Fix the format: Make your course fit how each platform likes things. For example, Udemy wants short videos, but your own website can have different types of content.
- Change the price: Set different prices for each platform. Here's a guide:
| Platform Type | How to Price |
|---|---|
| Big course websites | Lower prices to match others |
| Your own website | Higher prices based on value |
| All-in-one platforms | Medium to high prices |
- Change how you sell: Write different course descriptions and ads for each platform's users.
- Make your course easy to find: Use words in your course title and description that people search for on each platform.
- Use special features: Each platform has different tools like forums or quizzes. Use these to make your course better on each site.
Tracking results and making changes
Keeping an eye on how your online courses are doing is key to making more money and doing well over time. Let's look at how to check your results and use what you learn to make your courses better.
Important numbers to watch
When checking how well your online courses are doing, look at these key numbers:
| Metric | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
| How many finish the course | If students find the course useful |
| Test scores | How well students are learning |
| Student progress | How far along students are in the course |
| How much students take part | If students are interested in the course |
| How many students come back | If students like your courses enough to take more |
| Reviews | What students think about your course |
| Money made vs. money spent | If your course is making a profit |
These numbers help you see what's working and what needs to get better.
Ways to collect and look at data
To get useful information about your online courses, try these methods:
- See who finishes: Use your course website's tools to see how many students complete your courses.
- Use real-life examples: Give students practical tasks to see if they can use what they've learned.
- Check how much students take part: Keep track of how often students join in talks, use forums, and do course activities.
- Ask for feedback: Get students to fill out a survey when they finish the course to learn what they thought.
- Look at the numbers: Use tools like Google Analytics or your course website's dashboard to see things like how many people sign up, how much money you make, and what students do on your site.
Changing your approach based on results
After you've gathered and looked at your data, use what you've learned to make your courses better and earn more:
| What to Change | How to Do It |
|---|---|
| Course content | Fix any weak spots students point out |
| Pricing | Change prices based on what students think the course is worth |
| Marketing | Use what you know about your students to make better ads |
| How the course works | Make the course easier to use based on what students say |
| What you offer | Make new courses or add-ons that students want |
Conclusion
Review of main points
Picking the right place to sell your online courses can help you make more money. Here are the key things to think about:
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Easy to use | Saves time and effort |
| Cost | Affects your profits |
| Tools for teaching | Helps students learn better |
| Ways to sell | Helps you find more students |
| How you split money | Affects how much you earn |
| How it looks | Makes your course stand out |
Choosing a platform that fits your goals
When picking a platform, focus on:
1. Make your course worth it: Give students their money's worth
2. Know your students: Understand what they need and can pay
3. Sell well: Use emails, social media, and helpful content
4. Set good prices: Try different prices or package deals
5. Check how you're doing: Use tools to see what's working and fix what's not
| Goal | What to do |
|---|---|
| Make students happy | Give them a good learning experience |
| Find the right students | Know who wants to learn from you |
| Sell more courses | Use different ways to tell people about your course |
| Make more money | Try different prices and deals |
| Keep getting better | Look at how your course is doing and make changes |