How to Attract Students to Your Course: 4 Powerful Tips for Any Course Creator

Field of Dreams was wrong. If you build it, they won’t necessarily come. You have to figure out how to attract students to your course if you’re going to make any sales.

Listen, if you don’t get that movie reference, all is well. I’m still going to tell you how to attract students to your course.

What qualifies me to do so? Well, I’m a course creator. I’ve had thousands of folks take my courses over the last few years.

But, it didn’t start out that way. In the beginning, I was fumbling my way through it trying to figure out how to get more people to sign up.

Along the way I’ve learned things that work and things that don’t really help to move the needle. But, before we dive in to deep, let’s have a bit of a reality check.

The Real Truth Behind How to Attract Students to Your Course

You’ve got to know what you’re in for if you’re going to try and be successful at selling courses online. No matter what you’ve heard, it’s not easy.

Passive income sounds awesome, right? And, there are certain parts of it that are great. But, you’ve got to know that it takes a lot of effort over a long period of time. It takes consistently showing up and being helpful for free in hopes that some day the people that you’ve helped will reciprocate that goodwill.

I’m not here to try and convince you to not build an online course or learn how to attract students to your course. I just want you to know what you’re in for.

In my experience, you’ve got more of a chance to actually stick with it if you have a good idea of what it is you’re signing up for.

There are folks out there that make their first online course and within a few months are making 6 figures off of it. But, that’s few and far between. Don’t go in with that expectation.

Instead, plan to grow and learn over a long period of time. Learn to love the process of educating people. Learn to enjoy different ways to market and sell your online course.

Do that long enough and you yourself might have a successful 6 figure course that serves you well for years to come.

An Overview of How to Attract Students to Your Course

There are two parts to selling your online course. There’s the course itself and then the marketing of that course. Both components need to be thought through and well executed.

First, we’ll talk about how to market your course and then we’ll get into how to make a course that people love and can’t help but tell other people about.

There’s going to be a lot of information in here about how to attract students to your course. Don’t let it overwhelm you.

Just take it step by step. Bookmark this article and come back to it over time. As you master one element move on to the next.

My encouragement would be to pick ONE THING that you’re going to focus on in this next little bit of time and grow in that area. Don’t try to be awesome at everything all at once.

Stack those skills and over time you’ll be an online course marketing guru. Alright? Here we go.

How to Attract Students to Your Course Tip 1: Define Your Target Audience

The first step to learn how to attract students to your course is to know who exactly those students are. This is sometimes called your target audience, your user persona, or your ideal customer avatar.

Whatever you call it, you’ve got to have a really good idea about who would be interested in what you’re making or trying to sell.

How do you figure that out? A little bit of user research.

User Research for Your Online Course

You probably have a general idea of who would be interested in your course. Some courses are going to tend to be a little more obvious than others.

It’s much easier to know the target audience for a course on curriculum building for pre-school classes than say a course on how to properly budget.

But, even if you’ve got a strong inkling on who your ideal customer avatar is, you should probably still dig a little deeper. We need to know as much as we can about them. Everything from

• Where they shop for clothes
• What music they listen to
• What kind of Netflix shows they binge

All of that will help us to know how to market to them super effectively AND how to make a course they love.

If you’re just getting started and you don’t really have an audience yet, start by reaching out to a few folks that you feel like fit the bill. Or if you’ve already established a following, send out a survey and do some one on one phone calls.

My First User Interviews

I started building my first paid course when I had an email list of a few hundred. Not a huge audience at all. But, I didn’t let that hold me back.

I reached out to everyone and offered a $20 gift card for 10 minutes of their time. I got like 10 people to have a conversation with me. It was great.

So, don’t feel like you’ve got to have some huge audience in order to really get an idea of who your user personas might be.

What Questions to Ask

Okay, so what questions do you ask people to learn how to attract students to your course?

The main thing you want to avoid are leading questions. Leading questions are those that kind of let the person know what you hope they’ll say.

For instance, don’t ask, “Would you buy a course like…” OR “What would make you buy this course?”

We want to get idea of what the answers to those questions without being so forthright. Why? Because as social creatures we tend to want to please folks that we’re interacting with especially if the conversation was coerced by some type of gift card 😂

So, try asking some questions like:

• What are the biggest problems you’re facing in…
• What do you feel like are your biggest motivations to accomplishing…
• If I could wave a magic wand and solve any problem with (name general problem your solving) what would it be?
• Who else do they follow in the space you’re in?

Pretty soon you’ll start to notice some patterns in what people are saying. From there you’ll start to form a really good idea for how to attract students to your course.

How to Attract Students to Your Course Tip 2: Build an Audience

The best and most effective ways to sell an online course is to build an audience. How do you do that? It’s all about content.

You’ve got to make helpful resources that answers all of the questions they have around the topic of your course.

The good news is there are so many ways to create content these days. Everything from 280 character snippets on X to long form videos on YouTube. So, you get to pick which form of content works best for you.

The main thing you’ve got to do is show up consistently over a long period of time. And, that’s no easy task.

Audience building is no joke. Prepare to to be in the throws of creating and editing, day in and day out. BUT, it’s worth it.

Think of audience building as a long game. It takes a lot of effort up front. But, as time goes on, it gets easier and easier. And, you’ll start to gain more and more followers.

Let’s chat a little bit about the different forms of content and some best practices about each.

Blogging to Build an Audience

The first one a lot of folks go to is blogging. It’s the easiest to start from scratch. You don’t need any special equipment and you don’t have make sure your hair looks good for the camera. But, there’s a lot of competition out there.

You need to get good at writing AND SEO otherwise known as search engine optimization. Now, you don’t need to be the next literary phenom OR an expert in SEO. But, you need to know your way around both topics.

I encourage people who are just getting started to make a goal to write a little bit every day. Pick a topic and just go for it.

As you develop the habit of writing consistently start to try and improve a little bit. Learn a bit about keyword research. Instead of writing 500 word articles, write 1,000 word articles.

Do that consistently overtime and you’ll start to get more and more traffic to your website.

Running a Podcast to Build an Audience

Next on the list of audience building tools is running a podcast. Now, podcasting isn’t as easy as writing a blog BUT it’s not as difficult as creating videos.

There are some pretty great mics out there that aren’t super expensive. And, you don’t have to worry about washing your face before you start recording.

The cool thing about podcasting is that you can take the transcript from your audio and turn it into a blog! So, you get two forms of content for the price of one.

You can go pretty deep down the rabbit hole between what kind of audio editing software you use to getting that perfect NPR sound with the right kinds of plugins. But, the main thing I’d encourage you to focus on is making sure you’ve got a new episode every week.

I’ve been running a podcast since 2020. Some of the episodes were great and many of them were bad. 😂 But, the main thing I learned is it’s all about consistency.

Keep publishing even if it’s not perfect and you’ll learn how to attract students to your course.

Creating Videos to Build an Audience

Another option for building an audience is growing a YouTube account. And, we just keep scaling up the complexity on our forms of content. Don’t we? 😂

Unlike a podcast, you’ve got to be on camera for this one. Now, you could just do voice overs BUT people like seeing other people on videos. It helps folks stay interested AND after all you are trying to get people to follow you.

You could buy a nice DSLR camera and have a sick lighting set up. But, you don’t necessarily need that. I’ve seen some great videos shot on an iPhone alone.

The point is much more about showing up than it is about showing up super fancy. Make sure to publish every week AND over time think about things like lighting, title and thumbnail.

As you get the hang of it and dial in a system, it won’t be as overwhelming and it’ll be a super effective tool to build an audience for your course.

OH…you also get the benefit of being able to turn the video into a podcast and ALSO a blog. So, this is a 3 for 1 kind of deal. So, yeah, it takes more effort. BUT, you get much more out of it.

Building Your Social Media Presence to Grow an Audience

The last thing I’d encourage you to do to build an audience is to think about social media. I know plenty of folks who blew up on social and turned their followers on to a course they created.

There’s a lot of competition here AND what you do and how you do it is really all about your ideal customer avatar. But, the main thing to know is you have to show up every single day.

You need to be posting 365 days a year without fail. That may sound intimidating BUT remember the content is short form. It can be a 60 second video or a few images.

I know a lot of people that will just knock out a weeks worth of content every Friday and have it ready to go for the following week.

Some Advice on Audience Building

Here’s a bit of advice on how to do all of this because as you’re reading you’re likely picturing yourself spinning multiple plates at the same time trying to keep them all from crashing down.

Pick ONE FORM OF CONTENT and focus on that at first. Don’t worry about creating a video and then writing a blog and then making a few reels. That’s impossible to stay consistent and a quick way to get burnt out.

Instead, do just one. Get really good at it. Eventually, think about adding a second. But, only after you get really good at knocking that first one out quickly OR you can hire someone to help you.

The folks that are uploading multiple YouTube videos a day with dozens of reels a week probably have a team of folks helping them. You don’t have to be them. You just have to be you. So, pick one and get good at it.

How to Attract Students to Your Course Tip 3: Market the Heck Out of It

Okay, we’ve defined our target audience and we’ve started to try and build an audience. NOW, we market the heck out of it.

There’s a lot of different things you COULD be doing. So, again, this is one of those start small and add on over time.

Here are a few strategies that I’ve seen work really well.

Email Marketing for Your Online Course

There’s nothing quite like email marketing when it comes to trying to sell something online. You don’t own the other channels quite as much you own your own email list.

Social media and organic traffic is subject to constant algorithm changes. You’ll have to keep feeding the paid ads monster to get any kind of traction. BUT, once someone gives you there email, you’ve got a much better chance of being seen.

So, step one is getting those emails. A lot of that will come from your audience building. But, you want to make sure you’ve got something to offer in return for someone’s precious inbox.

The thing you give away for free in exchange for an email address is called a lead magnet. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy. Just make sure it’s something that another person would find valuable enough to part with their email address for.

Think of something that relates to what you’re selling and give them a small taste of what you offer. You don’t have to give it all away. But, think about it from your own perspective.

What kinds of things would you be willing to trade for email? Start going down that path and you’ll come up with some good ideas.

What to Do With Your Email List

Once you’ve got those emails, you need to try and reach out consistently. Every week is good. But, if that’s too much, try every other week.

But, here’s the thing. You can’t just email about the stuff you’re trying to sell. Give away value much more than you ask for a value exchange.

Now, when the times right, yes email them about your course. In fact, email them a lot. I typically send out 12 emails over a 2 week period whenever I’m opening up enrollment for a course.

Sure a lot of people will unsubscribe. But, the whole point of the email list is to try to figure out how to attract students to your course! So, when it’s time, don’t apologize.

Go back to your regular “free advice” emails after the marketing period is done. But, by all means let market the heck out of your course.

Using Webinars to Sell Your Course

Another option to market your online course is through webinars. This is a bit more technically demanding. BUT, it’s still doable even if you use your laptops camera and microphone.

You can obviously do whatever kind of webinar you want. But, it’s probably a good idea to try and stick close to the topic of your course.

You don’t have to give away the content of your course in the webinar. In fact, you more want to show people what’s possible for them if THEY DO SIGN UP for the course.

But, it does need to have some intrinsic value as well. The idea is that hopefully people walk away feeling like they got something good out of the webinar even if they didn’t sign up for your course. But, at some point in the webinar you’ve got to start talking about what they can do to sign up.

I like to save it toward the end or until about half way into my presentation. That way, I’ve given a lot of value but I haven’t exhausted people with too much information.

Creating a Landing Page for Your Course

Another essential aspect of figuring out how to attract students to your course is to create a landing page. Now a landing page isn’t just another page on your website with a link to buy.

It needs to be a pretty big page that goes in-depth on WHY people should buy, WHAT they’re buying and all of the fine print with things like money-back guarantees.

Your landing page doesn’t have to be a completely different website. But, it doesn’t need to have the external links that a normal page on your website would have.

It’s called a landing page. Not a landing and take off page. The only thing we want people to do when they hit the landing page is sign up for the course. So, don’t make it easy for folks to do something else.

Using Paid Ads to Market Your Course

Another option for marketing your online course is through paid ads. Thankfully, there is no shortage of companies that will take your money in exchange for a little visibility on their platform.

You could do paid ads on social media like Instagram or Reddit. You could do PPC ads on Google. The main thing to think about it is finding a platform that your target audience is already engaged with.

Don’t advertise on Instagram if your audience is more of a Reddit vibe. It’s tough enough to stand out on the paid ads gamut. So, once you do, you want to make sure you’re reaching the right people.

Pricing Your Online Course to Sell

Another form of marketing your online course is through your pricing. It’s a bit weird to think about pricing as a form of marketing BUT getting your pricing right can be a game changer for your course.

Typically there are a few ranges of prices:

• $50 to $200
• $200 to $500
• $500 to $1,000
• $1,000+

The range you pick should be dependent upon your target audience and your marketing strategy. So, think about what your ideal customer avatar is at. Now, don’t sell yourself short. But, be practical about your pricing.

The best way to figure out the right price for your course is to test out some prices. But, if I can offer some advice, if you’re going to test start lower and then move up.

It’s tougher to price high and then come down if you get people to sign up at that higher price point. It sucks to lower a price after a student paid more just a short time ago.

So, be cautious BUT test out the waters.

You also need to think about whether or not you should allow people to make multiple payments over a given amount of time. This can open up the pool of folks who are actually able to sign up especially if it’s a more expensive course.

Using Deals, Promos and Special Offers to Sell Your Online Course

And, of course, an article about how to attract students to your course wouldn’t be complete without a section devoted to deals, promos, special offers and bonuses.

You’re trying to really lay on the FOMO here. Some people might struggle with this because if you’re not careful it can start to get really manipulative.

But, I like to think about it this way. It’s just human nature to need multiple forms of motivation to do a thing. Helping someone make a decision with some of those different forms can actually serve them.

Otherwise, some folks might sit on their hands for forever never making a decision.

AND, when it comes to getting people to sign up for your online course, you want either a yes or a no. You don’t want to forever be caught in the limbo realm of “maybe.”

Okay, so what kind of things can you do?

Deals and Discounts

Use deals to offer discounts within a certain time frame. I know some course creators that make 75% of their sales for the entire year on Black Friday.

Bonuses

Add some different bonuses that are exclusive for a specific type of action. Say for instance if someone pays in full verses pays in installments.

Throw in another min-course every once in a while. Just figure out a way to sweeten the deal.

Countdown Timers

There’s not much else that has the impact of seeing a large countdown timer in an email or on a landing page. It sparks anxiety in the hearts of every type A personality 😂 and everyone else.

There are great free resources to add your own countdown timer. Or you could just ask Chat GPT to spin one up for you.

Choosing a Cart Model to Sell Your Course

Lastly, if you want to learn how to attract students to your course you’ve got to think about HOW the course will be sold. Will it be available all the time? Or will it only be available at certain times a year? There are benefits and draw backs to both.

With an open and close cart model you can create what’s known as scarcity to your course. People will begin to understand that you won’t always have it available to purchase.

So, when you do open up the cart you’ll have students waiting in line.

BUT, at the same time, you’ll need to constantly be thinking about when you’re going to open up the cart and how you’re going to promote it. That’s not a super passive way to make money.

Evergreen, on the other hand, is always available for purchase. You don’t have to put nearly as much work around getting sales BUT your sales, on average might be lower than if you were to open and close enrollment.

I’ve seen both options work well in different environments. I would say, the higher the price of the course the more you’ll want to have an open and closed cart model. But, it really all depends on the course, how big your audience is and a number of different factors.

How to Attract Students to Your Course Tip 4: Keep Improving Your Course Over Time

The biggest way you’re going to learn how to attract students to your course is by making more and more improvements over time.

Guess who what your biggest marketing asset is. Previous students.

If they love your course, they’re going to talk about it to their friends. So, you need to take a hard look at the quality of the content your putting out there.

How do you know if it’s any good? You ask your current students.

Using Student Feedback to Improve Your Course

Having feedback forms on your course is the best way to get quick insight on what works and what doesn’t. Now, be careful here. You don’t just want to ask things like, “Did you like this course.”

That won’t get you a lot of information you can use. Instead, ask things like:

• What were the biggest takeaways from this course?
• Was there anything that was confusing?
• Are you walking away with everything you hoped to learn?

That will help you uncover things you missed or maybe didn’t communicate clearly.

But, your course in general needs to be a living and breathing thing. Making updates consistently will let students know that you’re committed to improving it.

Wrapping Up on How to Attract Students to Your Course

So many people start to create online courses because they want to develop different channels of passive income. And, I get the allure. BUT, as you truly learn how to attract students to your course, you’ll quickly realize that courses aren’t SUPER passive.

Yes, they can make you money without you having to hand over AS MUCH TIME as say an in-depth project for a single client. BUT, you can’t just make it once and then forget about it while you continue to make money from it.

It’s going to take time to develop and sometimes re-develop it. And, then you’ve got to think about how you’re going to promote it.

I built a course based on a third-party platform. But, right after I finished the course, the platform changed. So, much of my content had to be redone.

Should you create a course? Yes

Should you learn how to attract students to your course? Absolutely.

But, don’t get discouraged if it takes you time to see the kind of results you’re hoping to see. Think of it like one big experiment. Try some things out. Make adjustments and keep improving.

Eventually, you’ll be the expert on how to attract students to your course.