I am new to Udemy - my courses have been uploaded for about 3-4 weeks. I have had one enrollment and that's it. Very disappointing but am I being unrealistic with too high expectations?
Just to reassure you—you’re not alone. Many instructors who have launched new courses over the past few months are seeing enrollments in the single digits. There are many threads on this discussion and every thread, I hope, brings the issue nearer to Udemy decision makers.
It has become increasingly difficult for new courses to gain traction, largely due to the visibility given to top-performing courses. I hope Udemy continues to recognize the effort instructors invest in creating fresh, high-quality content. Greater exposure for new courses can help keep the marketplace diverse, innovative, and valuable for learners.
I came to Udemy with very low expectations since I knew there is quite a lot of competition. It really depends on your course topic, how good your course is and on whether you are in the marketplace, Udemy for Business or the personal plan. From what I understand Udemy for Business is currently the best option but you can’t choose to be there. The marketplace seems to be in a serious decline. The personal plan seems to be the worst option and again one cannot really choose to be there. I do hope things will turn around. Only time will tell. Good luck!
I agree that competition is high. It would be great to hear from instructors who recently launched a course and what strategies helped them gain their first students.
What i know about starting anything worthwhile is that , the beginning may not be easy but the END WORTH IT. Thanks for sharing.
Here is one useful tip. Make sure your course covers the newest version of your topic. You need to offer something no one else has to offer. For example my first and best course was on iOS development. My course came out with iOS 16. So I created a lot of content focusing on the newest APIs of iOS 16. Immediately students started buying the course because even the top ranking instructors only covered up to iOS 15. Sales increased month after month since my course was by far the most up-to-date and I continued to add new content every month after publishing. However my editing skills were poor and in a sudden two week period I received horrible reviews (at some point my course went down to a 3.8 which is very bad). I had few sales for several months. However I addressed all of the complaints and personally and politely contacted every student who left constructive criticism. Several students even updated their reviews since they saw I cared - while some ignored my messages. Eventually my course went back up to a 4.8, is ranked number one and is a best seller for several months now.
Bottom line:
Note that one problem with my suggestion is that you have to update your course every year. For example in iOS development Apple adds new APIs every year, they slightly change the developer environment and even deprecate APIs. This is a real pain to maintain. However if you put in the work students appreciate that you keep your course up-to-date
At this point my course is known for being up-to-date and I respond to every question and review promptly and respectfully.
Good luck and you might be able to get better feedback if you share your course name. That way people can comment on your course topic, on your promotional video, etc.
Oh, and here is another tip. Make sure your first three videos are amazing. By the third video the student needs to accomplish or learn something meaningful, otherwise they won’t persist. For example by my third video students already easily build their first iOS app - albeit it simple. This is done at a beginner friendly pace.
My first video is a very short course intro. Ideally less than a minute or no more than a minute and a half. Second video is downloading Xcode because that is a necessity which cannot be avoided. Third video we create our first app just to get a taste of what can be done in a matter of minutes. Afterwards the course goes on to a more systematic treatment of iOS development. I’m just saying you need to offer something at the beginning of your course to attract students’ attention, especially since most students rarely complete the course. Ever since I improved the first few videos of my course I almost always receive 5 star reviews. For example in the download Xcode video I update this video regularly everytime Apple changes an Xcode version so that the student feels like the course is up-to-date.
Good luck!
What is your course and subject area?
Yes, a pointer to your course would make it easier to comment.
Thanks Chris - the course is on Leadership, entitled Leadership from the Inside Out.
The course is on Leadership Brian, entitled Leadership from the Inside Out.
The subscription system is unfair to instructors. Only Coursera makes money from the subscription system. No students actually enroll; they all just subscribe. Say no to subscriptions. Everyone should speak out against this situation.
