How to sell an online course: from idea to first 100 students

This guide is for creators and experts with an audience (even a small one) who want to sell a first course or fix one that isn't selling. Full disclosure: we make Eden, a creator workspace with courses built in. The steps work on any platform.

Step 1: Promise one outcome

A course sells a change, not information. Write the promise as a before and after:

• Weak: "A course about newsletters."
• Strong: "Go from zero to your first 1,000 newsletter subscribers in 30 days."

Good course topics come from what people already ask you, what you've done yourself, and what you've helped others do. If you've gotten the result for yourself and at least a few other people, you can teach it.

Step 2: Pre-sell before you build

Don't spend three months building a course nobody buys. Sell it first:

1. Write a one-page outline: the promise, who it's for, the modules, and the date it opens.
2. Offer an early price to your audience, 30% to 50% off the future price.
3. Set a target, like 10 buyers in a week.
4. If you hit it, build the course with those buyers as your first students. If you don't, refund them, and you've learned what not to build.

Pre-selling also answers the biggest question for free: would people pay?

Step 3: Build the smallest course that works

Most courses are too long. Students want the result, not hours of video. (Starting small? See how to create a mini course.)

• One module per step in your method. Five to eight is plenty.
• Short lessons. One idea each, 5 to 15 minutes, or a page of text.
• An action per lesson. Every lesson ends with something to do.
• Templates and examples. Worksheets, checklists, and real examples do more than extra video.

Text lessons are fine. Many students prefer reading to watching, and text is faster to update.

Step 4: Plan for completion

Most online courses go unfinished. In a large study of MIT and Harvard's free online courses, only about 3% of learners completed them in 2017-18, though paying learners did far better, at 46% (MIT Teaching Systems Lab). A student who doesn't finish doesn't get results, doesn't leave a review, and doesn't buy again.

Ways to raise completion:

• Live sessions or a cohort. Dates and a group create deadlines. See how to run a cohort-based course.
• Quick wins early. Get students a small result in the first lesson.
• Check-ins. Email students who stall.
• A way to ask for help. Stuck students quit. A place to get answers keeps them going.

That last one is where an AI tutor helps. On Eden, a course can come with an AI that knows your material and which lesson each student has open. It explains, gives examples for the student's own situation, runs the exercise, and checks their work, at any hour, without you. See how to sell a custom AI.

Step 5: Choose a platform

What matters most: a good sales page, a checkout, low fees at your size, and tools that help students finish.

• You sell from social media: a creator platform with a link-in-bio page, like Eden or Stan.
• You want a classic course site: Thinkific or Teachable.
• You want everything in one suite: Kajabi, if the price fits.
• You have no audience yet: a marketplace like Udemy or Maven.

We compared ten in the best online course platforms.

Step 6: Price it

• Price by the outcome. A course that gets someone their first client is worth more than an hour of your time.
• Check what similar courses in your niche cost. Start where your audience can say yes, and raise it as reviews come in.
• Offer a payment choice for higher prices, or a monthly membership for ongoing material.
• Add a higher tier. The course plus a group call or a review of their work. Some buyers always want more.
• Use launch prices honestly. A real early price, crossed out against the regular one, works. A fake one hurts trust.

Step 7: Write the sales page

Answer these in order:

1. The promise. The before and after.
2. Who it's for, and who it's not for.
3. What's inside. The modules, as outcomes.
4. Proof. Your result, student results, and testimonials.
5. The price and what's included.
6. Questions. Time needed, refunds, and access.

Step 8: Launch, then keep selling

A launch gets the first wave. Most sales come after, from steady content.

• Launch to your list first. Email buyers from your pre-sale for testimonials.
• Talk about the problem every week. Your content should make people want the result your course gets.
• Link the course from matching posts. On Eden, content links open your page with the right product on top.
• Add an order bump or upsell. A template pack at checkout, or coaching after purchase.
• Let buyers sell it. An affiliate program turns happy students into your sales team.

How to sell a course on Eden

See the full tour on the Eden courses page.

1. Go to Your store → Products → New product → Course. Or pick Custom AI for a course with an AI tutor.
2. Set the name, tagline, and price on the Offer step. One-time or monthly both work.
3. Add lessons on the Lessons step, grouped into sections. Paste a YouTube, Loom, or Vimeo link, or upload video.
4. Write a welcome page. Students see it first.
5. Write the sales page, or click Write the page for me, then publish.

Students get lessons in order with checkmarks, a notebook for their own notes, and the same course on the Eden iPhone and Android apps. You see each student's progress in Customers. Selling needs the $29 Starter plan, and Eden takes 5% per sale.

Frequently asked questions

How long should an online course be?

As short as it can be while still getting the result. Five to eight modules of short lessons is plenty for most topics.

Do I need an audience to sell a course?

It helps a lot. Without one, sell on a marketplace like Udemy, or build a small audience first by posting about the topic for a few months.

Should I use video or text?

Either works. Video builds connection. Text is faster to make, easier to update, and many students prefer it. Mix them.

How do I get students to finish my course?

Keep it short, give an early win, add live sessions or deadlines, and give students a way to get unstuck, like office hours or an AI tutor.

Ready to build your course? Start Eden free and draft it before you pay anything.