Bit of a click-baity title. 🙂
I've been on Udemy now 5 years, and sold more than $1 million in courses in that time. This is my advice. Take it or leave it. Up to you.
If this is your first year on Udemy, you might be interested to know how the rest of the year will go, so that you can plan your work.
July, bit of a quiet month. People are on holidays in the Northern Hemisphere of the world. But surprisingly, this is not the slowest time of year. I'd rate this in the middle. An "average" month in expected sales.
August, back to school season starts again. As we get to the end of August, people start getting their heads out of beaches and summer, and start thinking of school again. Course sales pick up near the end of August. Udemy runs a "back to school" sale then, and August is perhaps the "third best month" of the whole year.
September, a bit slower. Students hopefully stacked up on courses in August and so September is a bit of a "pull back" in terms of sales. Back to July levels. No major promotions this month.
October, picking up. As we get to the end of October, sales start to pick up a little. Above average month. Udemy sometimes runs a "course creation" contest or incentives around this time. Last year, they paid a cash bonus for launching a course during this period.
November is the big month. Thanksgiving. Black Friday, Cyber Monday. This is the start of Udemy's sale season. November is often the #1 month in terms of sales or very close to #1. If you have a course you're planning to launch, launch it before November.
December, again right after a big sale is the hangover. December is one of the slowest months of the year. Christmas season, and people have other things on their mind.
January, new year's resolutions means New Year's Sale. This is the #2 month of the year, or for some people #1. If you missed Black Friday, launching your course well before Jan 1 is recommended.
General Suggestions:
- July is a great month to course creators (us) to be course creating. August is often the #3 sales period of the year.
- If you've got a new course in the pipeline, launch it by the end of October. That's less than 4 months from today. Move heaven and Earth to get it done. Work weekends and tell the kids to talk to your spouse for a week or two. Missing Black Friday with a new course is like the ultimate Udemy instructor sin.
- If you miss Black Friday, don't miss New Years sale.
