Promote Your Online Course in 5 Quick Steps

Where would we be today if Plato taught philosophy to an empty classroom? What if Einstein wrote theories in his journal and never tried to publish them? Having an amazing course on Udemy simply isn’t enough if nobody enrolls and nobody wants to be first to a party, even if that party has some really good cake. Here are five simple tips to help you promote your online course to the world and give that snowball its first push.

Promotion: It’s a Family (and Friend) Affair:

What better way to be successful than to enlist the help of people who care about your success? Try to write at least 50 personal e-mails to friends and family. Ask them to subscribe to your course and provide an honest review (always better than hot air). Be sure to include heaps of thanks and personal praise, and a reminder of how they owe you from that one time (they’ll know what you mean). Include a coupon to let them join for free, or at least at a discount. If you have some movers and shakers in your network as well, you can use the coupon tool to create a special link for them to share with their network. Add some sales urgency by setting the coupon to be good for a limited time (good for 30 days), and limited quantity (for the first 100 people). You can make as many coupons as you like and track the sales individually, so make one for each of your friends and have them compete for the ‘who loves you the most’ award. With a bit of effort and a personal touch, you’ll end up with a solid base of students who will provide the social proof to reel in other potential students.

Post to the World:

You’re trying to get the word out, and if this were 1980, that may mean an ad in the paper or a commercial on late night TV. Today reaching the masses is much easier. Write an article or post about how awesome your course is on your blog or website, and if you don’t have much of an online presence, find someone that does. It will give folks a digital touchpoint that they can share with other potential students. Don’t forget to include the discount coupon so people feel looked after. For the more ambitious instructors out there, see if you can really activate the space. Make a lists of trade organizations, companies, associations, and popular blogs in your vertical. Think about who would be passionate about your content and which organization’s members would make passionate students. Then offer to write an article for them in exchange for including your course in their newsletter or on their website. If they are financially motivated, you can use our Affiliate program to help them get a cut of the action.

Socialize It:

Even if you don’t have a huge following, posting to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc. is a great way to try to kick-start some viral marketing because it’s easy for people to share. Try something humble like: “If You Take My Course, You Will (Maybe) Be a Hero”. Be sure to include a discount coupon with the same urgency triggers as before (limited time/quantity). Be sure not to forget about LinkedIn either, especially if your course could apply to the professional world in some way. There thousands of groups and associations on LinkedIn for every area of expertise. If you’re a member, you can post your course to group discussion forums.

Capture Freeloading YouTubers:

Lots of people who haven’t yet heard of Udemy’s wonderful course experience are hunting for scraps on YouTube. Post a small part of your course, if you haven’t already, to your Youtube channel. Include a link in the video description back to your full course on Udemy and you can start to capture all those poor lost souls, frustratingly searching through crummy videos trying to find the wonderful knowledge that you’ve so neatly packaged in your course.

Spread the Word with every e-mail:

Now that you’ve got this amazing course you’re so proud of, why not replace that quote from Nick Nolte at the bottom of your e-mail signature with a discount coupon link. Now every time you send an e-mail, whether to your friends, colleagues, or Comcast Cable, you are advertising your course in a tasteful, but powerful way.

** For more tips, check out this FREE course on How to Promote Your Udemy Course. **