How To Pre-sell Your Online Course & Start Making Money Now

Most people who want to launch an online course fear that no one will buy it. One of the best ways around it is to pre-sell your online course!

Every online course creator wants to create a class that sells. That’s why you need to start promoting your online class before it’s even launched.

Having the right strategy and choosing the proper marketing channels should come with the preparation stage of your online course. That way, you won’t wake up one day and discover no one wants to enroll in your online class.

This article tells you more about promoting and pre-selling online courses to make your course creation process even easier.

If you want to know how to pre-sell a course, keep reading!

What is pre-selling?

Pre-selling is a way to market and sell a product before its official launch or even before it’s finished.

It’s a marketing tactic popular in many industries like music and books where the launch date is known beforehand.

You can, for example, buy a book from your favorite author before the official launch date and get it on the premiere day.

In these campaigns, an exclusive bonus is often included that encourages people to buy products before they start selling.

In the case of online classes, if you want to sell your online course, you can use pre-selling to get a customer list with their emails and send them exclusive materials that aren’t in the course. That way, they will be inclined to recommend your online course.

Why should you pre-sell online courses?

Pre-selling is not a new concept at all. It came to be because of crowdfunding when people who wanted to create an outstanding product didn’t have the money to make their dreams come true.

This way, they could raise the money by asking people to buy the product yet to be made.

Suppose they fail to meet their fundraising goals. In that case, many projects will usually improve or enhance their concept, marketing, or end the project entirely.

The ultimate form of market validation happens when real customers buy your product. So, for example, if no one is willing to pay you for your online course, it hasn’t been validated if demand for it doesn’t exist.

Pre-selling allows validating the demand upfront before you commit to investing time and resources.

With pre-selling, you will not only receive enough cash to get started with recording an online course, but you’ll also be able to attract your first clients.

Remember, when you bring in those early customers, give them an amazing experience, even if they’re a small group.

You avoid wasting your valuable time, money, and resources on a potentially ineffective concept. The most likely reason that your online course isn’t selling is that you didn’t validate your concept first.

Tips on how to pre-sell an online course

Now that we’ve answered the question “what is pre-selling?” and explained why you should use it for your online courses, it’s time to give you some tips on how to pre-sell a course.

Here are some of our top tips:

Find your target audience

As we’ve said before, one of the main reasons people don’t buy online courses is that they don’t know they exist.

You can solve this problem by targeting your content to the right audience and ensuring they see it. That way, you will get potential students for your online course interested in what you have to say.

To do this, you must first find out who your target audience is and what social media platforms they use.

You can also use Google AdWords to place ads specifically targeting people interested in what you have to say.

Identify the selling points of your course

What sets your course apart from others? To discover the most likely answers, dig as deeply as possible and reduce them to bullet points.

The goal is to mention everything that encourages your target learners to feel confident in your course.

You may also include information about your career, prior successful courses, unique teaching approach, and anything else that distinguishes you from others.

Create a sales page

For a new online course, a sales page is key. The goal of this page is to convert visitors into customers. Therefore, it should have multiple sections to guide your leads through the sales funnel.

Several platforms will help you design landing pages for your online course pre-orders and sales.

On your sales page, you should include:

A course overview

Think of your page as a sales pitch – you have just a few seconds to grab customers’ attention and persuade them to buy your product.

You should provide a brief overview of your course that includes the benefits of your class. It should be full of action verbs and language that your customers will appreciate.

In your course overview include what the students will learn, titles of lessons or modules, or a curriculum for your online course.

Ideally, your overview should be no longer than a few paragraphs. Then, you could complement the description with images or a video to persuade your consumers to purchase immediately.

Don’t forget to utilize your voice and tone to engage with your target audience. Boring, dry words won’t sell your online course. Instead, write in your natural style, expressing your personality.

A compelling call to action

A call to action is the wow factor that will persuade site visitors to click through and pre-order your course.

To profit on logic and emotion, leverage urgency and exclusivity in your call to action. According to common sense, customers are more likely to convert if they believe they have a short time to act on an offer.

Create a pre-sale and get people to “act now.” First, remind them that the offer “expires.” Then, make sure your pre-sale customers get something from it, like a discount or additional materials. This way, you’re creating a win-win proposition for them. You will also secure cash flow from the get-go.

If you are pre-selling an online course, your call to action can look like one of this:

Don’t miss out on your chance to pre-order [Course Name] and be one of the first to get these amazing materials.

You may also modify the call to action (CTA) depending on what you think would appeal more to your visitors. The ultimate goal is to highlight pre-order’s advantages and provide a little nudge of urgency into your writing.

Testimonials

Using social proof in marketing can boost your conversions faster than any branded marketing message. In addition, consumers place more trust in other customers than companies, so take advantage of this by including testimonials on your sales page.

I know what you’re thinking – how do I get testimonials for a course that hasn’t even been launched yet?

However, even if you’ve never launched an online course, you can use testimonials that refer to you and your field of expertise.

Have you ever received a positive review from someone or worked for a boss who has praised you? Include it. If possible, use complete names, photographs, and video testimonials.

Launch an email campaign

Now that your website is ready, you can start navigating people to your landing page. The best way to do it – is through email marketing.

Sending out an email campaign will get your subscribers interested in your course and help you build a client base for your new product.

Pre-launch email

Your pre-sale marketing starts with a pre-launch email. First, it will inform pre-sale customers about your online course. Then, provide a deadline for the pre-order price and inform your subscribers that they have a limited time to act.

In this email, don’t forget to mention the benefits of your online course.

Get right to the heart of your course. Talk about how it benefits the end-user and why someone who has never worked with you signs up.

Finally, use the same call to action as you did on your sales page. But, again, you don’t want to leave any uncertainty about what the customer should do next.

Reminder email

Your reminder email should look similar to your pre-sale message, but you’ll want to ramp up the urgency.

Remind your recruiters that the deadline for enrolling in your online course is rapidly approaching. To convey your message, use short, punchy phrases and action verbs.

Make your call to action as obvious as feasible in the email. Include FAQs at the end to answer any questions your prospects may have about purchasing your course.

Last-chance email

At this stage, the opportunity window for pre-sale customers is closing because your prospects have limited time to enroll in your program. Provide them with a final-minute appeal explaining the situation.

Suggest that you don’t know when the course will be held again and that interested customers should take advantage of the opportunity right now.

You might even include a coupon or discount code to give a little nudge to the undecided.

Share your course idea on social media

To make people interested in your product and start pre-selling your online course, you should take full advantage of social media.

Social media sites, especially YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, are wonderful for connecting with more people in a short amount of time. In addition, it provides you with instant feedback so you can make your online course more engaging for your audience.

For example, you can make short videos for Instagram reels and articles on LinkedIn connected to your course topic. You could also include offers on Twitter or even do a live webinar on Facebook.

In short, use every channel that can drive users to your landing page.

Moreover, social media are a great way to create a community around your product. For example, creating a LinkedIn or Facebook group will help you stay connected with your audience.

Social media can bring you a lit of brand recognition within your niche and spark interest in other experts in your industry.

Craft a content marketing strategy

Creating content aligned with your course topic is one of the best ways to find your target audience and pre-sell your online course. There are several types of content you can choose from:

Write a blog post

Creating a blog post about your pre-sale can generate buzz and help convert people who haven’t signed up to join your email list. You can describe your course in more detail than on your landing page or in a short email. Describe the benefits of the course and include a big call to action with a link to your landing page at the end.

Create an eBook

If you provide high-quality educational content, people will see your authority over the topic and your expertise in your niche. An e-book works perfectly for this purpose. Make it available for free or use it as a lead magnet to increase email signups.

Post a video on YouTube

You can take content creation to the next level and create a YouTube channel. If you want to grow your audience, produce YouTube videos. For example, you might make several shorter films that address a specific issue connected to your course topic. Include a call to action with a link to your landing page in each video’s description.

Create a podcast

Another way to use content marketing is podcasting. It’s not as demanding as making YouTube videos, but it can be as effective. You can be interviewed on other people’s podcasts or start your own.

Start a webinar series

Webinars are an excellent way to generate interest and pre-sell your online course. You can use a webinar to provide value-packed content and then include a call to action for your landing page at the end. Alternatively, you could host a live Q&A session where people can ask questions about your course.

Launch a pilot course

If you want to pre-sell an online course, another approach is to create a minimum viable course (MVC). It’s sometimes referred to as a pilot course and would be the first of many courses you’d like to improve on in the future.

An MVC is a version of your course stripped down to the bare essentials. It’s designed to give you feedback so you can make improvements before launching the real thing.

You can use an existing platform, such as Udemy, or create your system for delivering the content.

The key to selling an MVC is to market it as an early bird special. Then, you can offer it at a discounted price or for free in exchange for feedback.

Promote your course on other channels

Now that you know how to pre-sell your class, it’s time to start promoting your online course on other channels. Here are a few ideas:

• Pitch it to other bloggers in your niche
• Submit it to online directories
• Create a video course trailer
• Promote it on social media
• Write a press release

With the right promotion, you can generate interest in your course and start making money.

Conclusion

Pre-selling your online course is a great way to increase interest and get people excited about your offering. Use the tips above to create a pre-sale strategy that works for you. 

Preselling an online course can be a great way to generate buzz and interest in your product. In this article, we’ve provided tips on how to create content that will help you pre-sell your course. We also shared how to use social media to drive traffic to your landing page and increase signups.

We also talked about how to launch a pilot course and promote your course on other channels. Following these tips, you can pre-sell an online course and start making money from your online courses today.

Don’t forget to include a call-to-action (CTA) at the end of each piece of content, leading users back to your landing page, where they can sign up for your course. And if you want more tips on selling online courses, check out our blog post on the topic. Finally, don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments below!

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start pre-selling your online course today!