So you’ve developed an amazing online course and now you’re wondering “How to sell my course through my blog?”
Well, you’re in the right place.
I’ve done this multiple times, with multiple courses.
Some are now defunct, some are launching soon, and others are ones I’m retiring due to changing technologies, but I successfully sold them all through my blog using proven strategies. 💰
In this post, we’ll cover everything from choosing the perfect platform to marketing strategies that will help you, too, sell your course like hotcakes. 🥞
We’ll discuss collaborating with niche experts, creating supplementary materials, the power of CTAs, using social media channels for promotion, and more on how to sell my course through my blog.
So buckle up and get ready to learn all about selling your online courses effectively!
Table of Contents: How to Sell Online Courses Through Your Blog
- How to Sell My Course Through My Blog? 8 Steps
- 1. Choose the Right Course Platform
- 2. Collaborate with Niche Experts
- 3. Boost Your Course Value with Supplementary Materials
- 4. Market Your Course Effectively
- 5. Integrate Your Course and Blog Content Seamlessly
- 6. List Your Course on Online Platforms
- 7. Use Paid Advertising to Sell Your Online Courses
- 8. Provide Exceptional Customer Service
- Sell Your Course Through Your Blog & Make Bank
How to Sell My Course Through My Blog? 8 Smart Steps
1. Choose the Right Course Platform
Choosing the right platform to host and sell your online courses is the first step if you want to be successful.
Let’s explore some popular options:
Leverage WordPress Plugins/Themes for Online Courses
The platform I recommend most for blogging, website-building, and everything that goes along with those? WordPress.
A few reasons why:
If you build on WordPress.org, the open-source version of the platform, your data belongs to you and you alone. That’s important because you don’t want to build your online presence or sell your courses on rented land.
Be smart and sell your course from your website, a.k.a. your content house:
WordPress is also endlessly customizable, with hundreds of plugins and themes you can apply to tweak your site’s look, feel, and utility.
For instance, plugins like LearnPress, LearnDash, and LifterLMS are great for creating and selling courses on your website.
You can also find themes like Eduma that integrate seamlessly with these plugins, providing a cohesive user experience.
Lastly, blogging is baked into the WordPress platform, so you can easily create one to start content marketing and selling your course through your blog.
Compare Popular Course Platforms Like Teachable, Thinkific, and Kajabi
If you prefer not to use WordPress, consider other popular platforms such as:
- Teachable – This all-in-one solution allows you to create, market, and sell courses without any technical skills required. Check out their features & pricing plans.
- Thinkific – Another user-friendly platform that provides course creators with a wide range of tools to build, market & sell their courses.
- Kajabi – A comprehensive solution for creating, marketing & selling online courses as well as other digital products.
Weigh the features and cost plans of each platform to pick an ideal one that suits your needs and budget.
2. Collaborate with Niche Experts
Want to create online courses that sell themselves? Collaborating with niche experts can help.
- Step #1: Research well-established educators within your industry who share similar values and goals as yours, including your target audience.
- Step #2: Reach out to them via email or social media platforms like LinkedIn, showcasing how collaboration could benefit both of you.
- Step #3: Create an original curriculum tailored explicitly towards your target audience – catering to the unique needs and challenges they face daily.
- Step #4: Invite your expert collaborator to create a specific lesson for your curriculum that focuses on their unique expertise.
- Step #5: Highlight the expert on your blog with an interview or guest post. Place a call-to-action (CTA) for your course that features the expert inside the blog. (More on CTAs later.)
For example, my Content Transformation System program includes a full course curriculum with featured experts, including an actual CPA for tips and guidance on business tax structure and recordkeeping.
Along with being a HUGE selling point, the benefits of collaborating with industry professionals are big:
- Better-quality content that resonates more effectively with your audience.
- A wider network of connections leads to increased exposure for your course.
- Potential cross-promotion opportunities between your audiences.
If you’re unsure where to start looking for potential partners, dive into relevant online communities or attend industry events.
Remember: Collaborations should be mutually beneficial. Be prepared to offer value in return by promoting their products/services on your blog or through other marketing channels.
Now go forth and forge powerful partnerships that will elevate the success of selling your online courses.
3. Boost Your Course Value with Supplementary Materials
Supplementary materials can level up your online course game AND make it more enticing for prospective students.
This, in turn, makes it easy to sell on your blog.
Ebooks, guides, and other resources provide extra insights into relevant topics while reinforcing key concepts your students learn throughout the coursework.
Ebooks in particular are perfect for delving deeper into specific subjects that may not fit within the main course content or require additional explanation.
You can also create guides with step-by-step instructions on how to apply certain techniques or strategies discussed in your course – perfect for hands-on learners.
To ensure these materials align with your core course content, identify areas where students might need more information or clarification.
- Analyze feedback from previous students who have taken similar courses.
- Determine common questions raised during discussions.
- Or simply brainstorm potential roadblocks learners may encounter along their journey through your curriculum.
This will help you pinpoint exactly what types of additional resources would best complement and enhance your existing content offerings.
4. Market Your Course Effectively
High-quality marketing content will help you showcase the benefits of your course and provide valuable information to your potential customers and students.
Promote on YouTube/Social Media Channels
Create engaging video content that highlights key aspects of your course, such as testimonials, success stories, or previews of lessons, and share them across various social media platforms to reach a wider audience interested in your niche topic.
Offer Free Incentives to Grow an Email List
There are big benefits to growing an email list, like having a direct line to your target customers so you can nurture their interest over time.
To grow yours, consider offering freebies and lead magnets that tie into your blog content and course content.
You could also consider offering other incentives like downloadable resources or exclusive access to webinars related to the subject matter covered in your course.
This will help establish trust with potential customers who may be more likely to invest in your full-fledged program after enjoying the value of your freebies.
5. Integrate Your Course and Blog Content Seamlessly
Next, think about how you can integrate your course with your blog content.
The magic word here is “call-to-action” or CTA. ✨
This is simply a text prompt + link that encourages the reader to take a specific action — like signing up for your course!
As you’re building trust with readers on your blog, you can point them to your courses where they can learn even more about the topics you write about. For example, if you’re a photographer that blogs about shooting great photos in nature, you could direct your readers to your course on nature photography in one of your related blogs.
Great example: Masterclass includes a CTA to their photography courses inside a blog guide about nature photography:
Source: Masterclass
So, how do you do this seamlessly?
First things first, identify the blog articles that resonate with your target audience and are relevant to your course material.
This ensures a smooth transition from reading valuable content to enrolling in an online course that dives deeper into the subject matter.
Now, let’s talk about strategically placing “buy now/enroll now” buttons within these blog posts.
The key is to find natural breaks or pauses where readers might be considering taking their learning journey further with you.
- TIP #1: Place a button after sharing an insightful tip or statistic – something that makes them hungry for more knowledge.
- TIP #2: Insert a call-to-action (CTA) near the end of each section or subheading – this reinforces the value they’ll gain by signing up for your course right away.
To make it even more enticing, consider offering limited-time discounts or bonuses exclusive to blog readers who enroll through these CTAs.
A well-crafted CTA can work wonders when paired with high-quality content – so don’t shy away from experimenting until you find what works best for your audience and courses.
For more on creating blogs and CTAs that help readers become customers, check out my guide on building a lead generation funnel.
Don’t yet know how you’ll create and publish content that will earn traffic, leads, and ultimately clicks on those blog CTAs? You need a process, and you’ll find it in my Content Process Blueprint.
6. List Your Course on Online Platforms
Expanding your course’s reach is a piece of cake when you list it on popular platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, Coursera, or LinkedIn Learning.
But don’t just jump in headfirst – conduct some market research and analyze the competition first.
These steps can help you identify what makes your course stand out from others in its niche, making it more appealing to potential students.
Popular Online Platforms for Selling Courses
Different platforms cater to various audiences and offer unique features, so choose wisely.
- Udemy: A massive marketplace with over 130,000 courses covering a wide range of topics. Great for reaching a broad audience but may have high competition.
- Skillshare: Focused on creative skills such as design, photography, and writing. Offers subscription-based access to all courses instead of individual pricing.
- Coursera: An education platform partnering with top universities and organizations worldwide. Ideal if you’re looking for academic credibility.
Analyzing Competitors and Differentiating Your Offering
To stand out among the sea of similar offerings, take note of what other successful creators are doing right (and wrong).
Incorporate their best practices into your course, while avoiding their mistakes.
Then, identify unique selling points that make your course truly one-of-a-kind and showcase them in your marketing materials.
With the right platform and a well-differentiated offering, you’ll be on track to sell courses online like candy. 🍬
7. Use Paid Advertising to Sell Your Online Courses
Paid advertising can be a game-changer for selling your online courses, especially when you target the right audience with Facebook Ads and Google Ads.
- Step #1: Identify your ideal customer profile to create highly targeted ads that resonate with them.
- Step #2: Craft compelling ad copy and visuals that showcase the benefits of enrolling in your course.
- Step #3: Select high-performing keywords relevant to popular topics like web development, digital marketing, or graphic design.
- Step #4: Analyze the performance of your campaigns regularly using tools like Google Analytics.
Bonus Tip: Start small with a limited budget before scaling up as you gain experience and confidence in managing successful campaigns.
How to Succeed with Facebook & Google Ads
- Create eye-catching images or videos showcasing real-life success stories from students who have completed your course.
- Leverage retargeting techniques on both platforms to re-engage potential customers who may have shown interest but haven’t yet made a purchase decision.
- A/B test different ad variations to determine which ones perform best and optimize your campaigns accordingly.
By mastering paid advertising channels, you’ll reach a broader audience and sell more online courses through your blog.
8. Provide Exceptional Customer Service
Happy students are more likely to recommend your courses, and that starts with top-notch support.
Exceptional customer service sets you apart from competitors while increasing student satisfaction rates.
Bonus: Satisfied students are more likely to give you testimonials and case studies you can leverage across your site, including blog posts with CTAs to your course.
Email Support: A Tried-and-True Method
Email is still a favored approach for offering aid because of its convenience and usability.
Create a dedicated email address specifically for course-related inquiries, ensuring timely responses to any questions or concerns.
The Power of Live Chat: Instant Help When It’s Most Needed
Incorporating live chat on your course platform offers real-time assistance, making it an invaluable tool in the digital age.
Services like Intercom, tawk.to, or Drift can be easily integrated into most platforms, allowing seamless communication between you and your students.
Tips for providing stellar support:
- Friendly tone: Keep interactions personable yet professional – remember, these are paying customers.
- Promptness is key: Respond as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality; nobody likes waiting around for answers.
Above all else: Be proactive.
Analyze common issues faced by past students and address them preemptively within your course materials.
By being proactive, you’ll reduce the need for support requests while improving overall student satisfaction – a win-win.
Sell Your Course Through Your Blog & Make Bank
As you can see, selling your course through your blog or website isn’t straightforward. Instead, it’s a many-layered process that will require a good overarching strategy if you want to succeed.
Here’s your checklist to make it happen:
- Choose the right course platform to host your content.
- Build relationships with niche experts to create high-quality educational content.
- Supplement your course with materials like workbooks and quizzes.
- Use effective marketing strategies to drive sales.
- Blog about content topics related to your expertise and your course curriculum. Include CTAs to sign up for your course to learn more and go deeper.
- Focus on niche-specific topics to stand out from competitors.
- Provide exceptional customer service to keep your students happy.
By following these tips, you can turn your blog into a profitable course-selling machine!
And if you need more help setting up your business so your blog and course are hooked up seamlessly for more sales…. 🆘
Listen up.
That’s what my Content Transformation System is for.
This 12-month mentorship program will help you build your business — including skills, strategies, and systems — so you can grow for years to come.
Mentorship, community, a full curriculum, and live monthly coaching calls are all inside.
Ready to dive in? Apply today to become a member.
