How can I market my course?

[LawrenceMMiller]

Some version of this question is one of the most common by instructors so I thought I would write this, which is a summary of advice from many experienced instructors.

I have compiled a list of things you can or should do to market your course. None of these are short term or an instant path to riches. But, they are things that work if you are serious about building an online business on Udemy. Think strategically, not short term. It often takes a few years of effort to begin to make a significant return on your efforts. 

1. First and most important BE an expert in your field of knowledge. Read, study, and demonstrate state of the art knowledge in your field. If you aren’t this… nothing else is likely to work.
2. Be sure that your course landing page communicates your expertise… “Why should I listen to you?” And, be sure that your course landing page communicates the “benefits” of your course, not merely the “features” of your course. Benefits are how this course will personally benefit me. Customers buy benefits, not features! 
3. Remember that most of your future students will be on Udemy searching for something. That “something” are key words that they will put into the search bar. Think carefully about the key words your future students may be searching for and be sure they are in your title and/or your subtitle. This is how students will find you.
4. Your promo video is what catches students after they land on your page. Spend ten times the amount of time perfecting your promo video as you do on any other lecture. State the benefits of your course, your qualifications, and invite them to join you. These are more important than outlining all the topics (features) of your course. Also, remember that buying decisions are not simply “rational” decisions; they are emotional decisions, and that is about how you make them feel! Personality sells. Do I want to spend hours with this person? Do I like them? I know it isn't "rational" but we buy from people we like.
5. Be your own “brand manager” and build your brand. Brands are built over time by building trust in your marketplace. Brand value is created by being trustworthy, creating consistent value for your customers, over time. The most successful instructors are focused on “marketing”, not just “selling.” Know the difference.
6. Identify Facebook and LinkedIn groups related to your subject matter. Join them. Participate in discussion.
7. Demonstrate expertise by publishing a blog/website with your biography, articles you have written, a page for your courses, and regular blog posts that are educational, value-adding posts. You can see mine at ManagementMeditations.com. It is only one possible model, but I am sure there are better ones. Google the names of some of the more successful instructors and you will find their personal websites.
8. Then, share these blog posts or articles with all relevant groups on LinkedIn or FB. Your LinkedIn page should have articles by you, on your area of expertise. Prove that you are a “thought leader” in your field.
9. Build your own email list be capturing visitors to your website. I use Sumo, but there are other WordPress plugins to do this… oh, use WordPress for your blog. You don’t have to be a web development expert to create a WordPress website.
10. Your Udemy students are your own mail list in that you can send both educational and promo announcements. As you build the number of students there is a multiplying effect when you share what you write.
11. Develop additional courses in your area of expertise. The more courses you have the easier it is to launch a new course by marketing to your current students.
12. Obviously, do a great job of developing your on-camera presence and your courses. Engage in continuous improvement. Alexa Fischer’s Confidence on Camera course is excellent for improving your on-camera presentation skills.
13. Develop a YouTube channel where you can upload the introductory lecture(s) to your courses and include a link, with a discount coupon, to your Udemy course.
14. Develop a Facebook discussion page for your students and to publish articles (the same ones as on your blog page and LinkedIn page.
15. Watch Scott Duffy’s course on Udemy SEO Marketing.
16. It is a consensus of experienced instructors that paid Facebook ads do not work.
17. Do not give away of free courses or thousands of free coupons. Those who take these coupons are not likely to go through the course and are likely to leave poor reviews. Give away a few free coupons to those on your personal FB page, those who know you, and may go through the course and may give a good review. This is something to do only at the first launch of a course.
18. Do not even think about purchasing reviews!!! They are now spotted and removed by Udemy’s Trust and Safety group.
19. Have patience… you are building a business and like starting any business, it is not a get rich quick thing. It takes patience and persistence. Udemy is not a path to quick riches and it is not “passive income.”
    
    

The above is only my advice, but informed by the experience of many other successful instructors,

Larry Miller

[MassimilianoAlf · Accepted solution]

This is a great list with a lot of value... every new instructor should take the time to study it, thanks for posting it!

[MasudRanaParvaz · Accepted solution]

Nice post. Thanks for sharing.

[Haytham · Accepted solution]

Hi Lawrence,

Nice and to the point post.

Regards,

Haytham | realarabic.com

[Bruce · Accepted solution]

Thanks Larry, I have had a very bad experience with free coupons. Never again.

Blessings for the advice.

[akashranglani · Accepted solution]

Super Awesome.

Adding few more points.

1) Answer the questions in quora related to your course and provide course link.

2) Apply same strategy in reddit.

[KennCrawford · Accepted solution]

Great advice, thanks for sharing. 

[Edmund_P · Accepted solution]

well written

[SupaBees · Accepted solution]

Good post Larry!

Agree with pretty much all your points; my takeaway: don't waste money on FB ads directly; also I appreciate the hindsight to only offer FREE coupons to those who have visited/liked our course-related Facebook page - great idea.

Thanks!

Susan

[FinanceED · Accepted solution]

nice; and, also, if I could add:  don't let One course determine the feasiblity of your teaching efforts.  Have a couple of courses on--before, you panic!

[RKArora · Accepted solution]

wonderful suggestions Dear Larry

i have just started 2 days back and was trying to send a message through announcements but could not find thw way.

Can you help me fix the issue. I am not sure its activated to me or not?

with best & Kind Regards

Oh one more question I could find price of Camptasia $100 at some page of Udemy How can I buy this software through Udemy 

God bless you Sir

[armalik]

If I compare Udemy with amazon w.r.t marketing. amazon provides buy box to sellers for specific time that a specific seller would sale its products. however this is educational platform, i understand the priceless knowledge would never has any price to buy. every instructor's content is unique and priceless. Many instructors would earn more and rest of all would get some pennies. this is the flaw in Udemy's marketing strategies. There are some possible solutions to handle these flaws
1: Udemy should announce a price for any student/free/paid separately. there's no policy if someone would be enrolled free of cost and you would get nothing even you worked hard to create content of this website and published after publishing of course : if you would give free coupons :you would get nothing even you are giving traffic to Udemy. This should be concerned
2: In course Page of instructor when an instructor would publish new courses and after publishing of courses; if your course would be related to tech/IT and professional, in course page, you would find the message / alert  like "Your course eligible for Udemy Business etc." it means your course can be selected for companies employees, the companies which are registered their employees for their career development. There's no policy of selection of your course even the content of course would be related to fully professional for employees. Udemy Business courses selection program has not any transparent policies. Udemy just select randomly when you would ask they would tell you; courses would be chosen randomly, rating etc. the question is that, if someone would publish course today then how an instructor can get the reviews and rating and even after reviews/rating what is the random policy of udemy for selection in udemy business. the help page related to Udemy Business doesn't provide any question/answer in this regards. According to Udemy Business; when subscribed company would refer a course for their employees for career development; your course would be promoted and you would get share in some percentage of subscription of companies. This should be transparent.

 3: There's no instructor oriented policies for marketing/promotion/sale of new courses.

4: Many instructors don't know how to promote their courses on social media because they only rely on Udemy's promotional team/Marketing team. if Udemy's team  think that they (instructors) should do it themselves  on social media to promote then why they use this platform. they should use social media or YouTube for teaching instead of Udemy or what is the benefit for instructors, they create contents, record and publish on Udemy and they need to promote also?. What is the role of Udemy Promotion? and why Udemy's team is not efficient to promote new courses and it has now become under discussion. does Udemy audit their promotional/marketing team. if yes then where is the report on monthly promotion on instructor's portal. Please provide transparency in this regards how Udemy is promoting; where; when; how many students etc.

Note: The above mentioned points are related to the experience and best of my knowledge. I hope Udemy would work on these points immediately and the discussion is not based on the negative perspective. it is only for the betterment of this platform/Udemy.  Thanks

[LawrenceMMiller]

@armalik As the author of the original post in this thread, let me point out that this discussion is about what YOU can do to market YOUR courses. There are many dozens of posts by instructors suggesting things that Udemy could/should do better. So your comments,  independent of their merit, belong somewhere else. 

[armalik]

@LawrenceMMiller thanks for your appreciation. i just explained the facts that every instructor is facing very hardly to promote courses even there's question mark on the marketing team of Udemy.

[Veasna21]

Thank for your great advices!

[armalik]

I think instructors community first resolve the matter of instructors benefit. they prepare ,record and publish unique contents. Moreover, they generate traffic for Udemy at 0 price. it seems to be a joke for instructors. i am just watching the traffic on my courses it's really low traffic because of the anti-instructor algorithm of promotion/marketing team of Udemy and Udemy's team should consider the above mentioned points for instructors. Furthermore, by participating in this community for new comers the experience instructors should be rewarded too.

[Veasna21]

Can you give me an advice ?

Should I use English or my native language in social media and blog post?

Most of my students on Udemy are English speaking. But most of followers in my social media are my native language speaking. 

In term of course marketing, I don't know what language should I use. 

Best regards,

[armalik]

@Veasna21 it is better to use both languages separately to promote but focus on English only. well, what is your native language? 

[Veasna21]

Do I need to create separate FB/YouTube?

[SarmishthaP901]

Hi

I read your post. It is very helpful. Could you provide me some pointers on how to market the course so we get fee paying students. Since this was my first course I created 1 free coupon but am hesitant to do any more. Work and time are of value and I would not like to take anything for free in this world.

https://www.udemy.com/course/how-to-ace-a-performance-appraisal/learn/lecture/36232416#overview

Thanks in advance

Sarmi

[LawrenceMMiller]

@SarmishthaP901  The original post in this thread is an answer to your question. In the forum search "marketing" and you will find helpful posts from other experienced instructors as well. 

The short answer is that there are no easy answers. 

[SarmishthaP901]

thanks

[LuciaGrosaru]

I didn't realize we could promote courses in the Instructor Club. New policy?

[pradnyankur]

Thanks Larry, It's a well organized and to the point list of things for every instructor. 👍

[bdaaave]

super helpful even in 2023

[AkınDemir]

Great info

[PV Drug Safety Academy]

Thank you so much. This will be helpful to me.

[AishaAdeelZafar]

Thank you. That's great advice.

[ConorNeill]

This is excellent. Thank you for taking the time to share.

[rvelu]

Thanks Larry. It is very useful for someone like me who launched the first course and learning the ropes to market it.

[AITCD]

Thank you @LawrenceMMiller for such a great post!

[AkınDemir]

Thank you for this sharing.