26 Ways to Promote Your Online Course [Update for 2025]

You just put the finishing touches on your latest online course – now you just need customers!

If only it were so easy as publishing a blog post or social media update and letting the internet work its magic. Unfortunately, the World Wide Web is crowded, but that doesn’t mean promoting and selling your course is a lost cause. 

Even the most seasoned of course-sellers get a bit nervous at the thought of starting a new launch. Fortunately, there are a variety of course promotion tactics at your disposal to make promoting, launching, and selling your course a snap. 

In this article, we will examine the best ways to promote your online course. Many of them are free, and all should be accessible - even if this is your first course launch.

What to Do Before Promoting Your Online Course

Promoting an online course can be easy… if you have a plan. 

First things first, you need an ideal customer profile/buyer persona. Knowing who you are trying to reach makes it infinitely easier to build an effective launch plan for your course. 

Then, pick one of the channels I outlined later on in this guide, and get to work on creating content/messages/offers for those channels. I find it’s helpful to brainstorm a series of hooks and topics that draw your ideal customer into your funnel. Some examples of a good, newsworthy topic that would get visibility for your online course are:

• A step-by-step solution that's laser-targeted to the other person's audience (and related to your course, naturally)

• Something unique that you're doing to help students get results

• A free seminar you're giving that will address a hot button for their audience

• A new local meetup for people who would be most interested in your course

• A challenge you're running for people who want some quick wins

The Benefits of Promoting Your Online Course

Okay, beyond the obvious (more promotion = more sales), is it really worth it to put in all this work and prep just for a course launch? After all, could you just get right to selling (regardless of the size of your audience)?

Believe me, all this strategic thinking is worth the effort. Here are a few ways that promoting your course can dramatically improve its performance and sales.

• Reach a wider audience: Promoting your course can help you reach a wider audience beyond your existing network. By using digital marketing channels like social media, email marketing, and paid advertising, you can get your course in front of potential customers who may not have otherwise known about it.

• Increase enrollments: Effective promotion can lead to an increase in course enrollments. The more people who are aware of your course and its benefits, the more likely they are to enroll.

• Build credibility: Promoting your course can help you establish yourself as an expert in your field. As people enroll in your course and see the value it provides, they may be more likely to trust you and seek out other products or services that you offer.

• Generate passive income: Effective promotion can lead to more enrollments and more revenue from your course. This can help you generate a passive income stream that can provide financial stability and flexibility.

In short, promotion  = more course sales = more profit from your course. Now that we’re all convinced that promoting your course is a smart move, when do you start?

When Should You Start Promoting Your Online Course?

It's best to start promoting your course as early as possible. 

This can help you generate interest and excitement around your course before it's even launched. You can use a pre-launch strategy to build an email list, create buzz on social media, and offer early-bird discounts to incentivize people to enroll. Once your course is launched, you can continue to promote it through ongoing marketing efforts to ensure a steady stream of enrollments over time.

So, how are you going to promote your course? We have 26 tactics for you to try.

26 Proven Ways to Promote Your Online Course

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these 26 ways to promote an online course will give you a crash course (pun intended) in drumming up interest, broadening your reach, and constructing a funnel for your course. 

19 Free Ways to Promote Your Online Course

Let’s start with the free ways to promote your online course. The benefit of these being free is that they cost no (or little) money – but they do cost time. That’s the tradeoff for free marketing: what you don’t spend on someone doing it for you, you spend with your own time. 

One downside to these free marketing channels is that you are relying on the algorithms to look favorably on your content and distribute it to your audience. Earning that free promotion takes time to build authority and brand recognition, so bear that in mind as another tradeoff. If you have loads of time, then it may be worth spending six months to build a social audience or boost your website’s domain authority and SEO. 

If you need customers right now, paid may be the better route. 

Get Cited as an Expert Source with HARO or HAB2BW

HARO (Help a Reporter Out) and HAB2BW (Help a B2B Writer) allow experts (like you) to be a source for reporters and journalists. This can give you press coverage and help boost your brand recognition and authority. 

All you need to do is register and look for source requests relevant to your industry. Once you've found some relevant source requests, send them a ‘pitch'. Don't forget to include answers to the journalist’s questions, any specified requirements requested, and a bio with your contact information. If you are a good fit for them, they will contact you back with more info.

Tip: You can also search on Twitter/X with the hashtag #HARO or #journorequest to find reporters looking for stories on specific topics.

Network at Local Seminars or Meetups

Check out what’s going on in your area. Look for local small business associations, communities, or meetup groups. Join and get involved with their calendar of events.

Even better, start your own meetup on a topic related to your course and invite people in your current network to attend to get it going. You can run these as a recurring series of events or a one-time occasion, depending on what your schedule allows.

Join (or start) a Group on Facebook or LinkedIn

I’ve covered how Facebook groups can be used to run a course, but don’t forget their primary purpose: to connect like-minded people around a topic or niche.

Become an active member in online learning groups or groups related to your course subject. Then you can share your course when it gets close to launch time or after you launch, so long as it's ok with the community leader.

Remember that even if you can't post directly about your course, people will check you out when they see you add valuable answers to questions. So make sure you have a link to your course on your site and social media platforms!

Join a Slack Group or a Similar Platform

Facebook and LinkedIn don’t have a monopoly on online socialization. Slack, Discord, Circle, and other popular community platforms provide a great way to rub elbows with your target audience and (subtly) promote your online course once it launches. 

I recommend running a Google search for “{niche} Slack communities” and testing out different target markets to see what comes up. Some Slack groups may be paid, but the price is usually low enough that it’s worth the investment. 

Write a Guest Blog Post for Websites in Your Niche

Want a bigger audience? Tap into a bigger site in your niche. 

Guest blogging is a great way to expand your reach and give your own website a little SEO boost. I recommend you start by looking for blogs relevant to your courses’ subject area and then read through their content to see if they have any guest bloggers. Once you have a good feel for their audience, offer to write them an exclusive guest post. Make sure you add a bio with a link to your course or lead magnet. Be prepared to send them a ‘media kit' with info about you, your business, any standard logos and headshots, and other key info they'd want to see that establishes your credibility.

Start a Podcast, Or Join One as a Guest

Chances are, your target audience is listening to a podcast on their way to work, while running errands, or even hustling on the elliptical. So use this as an opportunity to get into their ears!

Like a blog, a podcast can take a lot of effort to get going, but once you do, you will have an audience of fans tuning into your words every time you post an update. If that seems like too much work (and I don’t blame you one bit), then joining podcasts as a guest may be the right way to go. This allows you to get in front of an established audience without the legwork of building it: it’s a win-win!

Run a Webinar, or Join One as a Guest

Webinars are fantastic ways to offer a glimpse of the value that you provide, while also giving you a way to attract, educate, and convert new leads. Choose a topic related to your course (it could even be a module) and run a campaign directing people to register for the webinar for your exclusive insights. Then, during the webinar, make your pitch for the course as the complete solution to the topic you discuss. 

If you don’t have time to set up a webinar by yourself, you could join one as a guest or invite a guest to share the workload for yours.

Start a YouTube channel

Written content not your thing? Try out YouTube, the second biggest search engine on the web. 

If you’re already comfortable being on video, then YouTube can be a great way to provide and distribute content for free to build a following that you feed into your course. One of the benefits of YouTube is that it can be a monetization channel as well; as you build your audience, you can make money from the ads that run on your videos. This probably won’t outpace your course sales, but it’s a nice bonus. 

Try Live Streaming Video

YouTube is great, but the pre-recorded nature of it lacks a bit of timeliness and punch. 

If you want to build a stronger connection with your audience, then live video may be the way to go. There are lots of free live streaming platforms such as Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and LinkedIn Live. Do a series of live videos on specific challenges your target students have and run them online wherever your audience is. For example, you can run a live stream on your Facebook Page and then offer to do the same topic for the audience of a Group you belong to and have been active in.

Build Your Following on Social Media

Social media is hardly new, but it still works wonders by allowing you to build a personal connection with your audience. Plus, nothing beats word-of-mouth marketing when it comes to establishing your credibility and building trust. 

Post frequently on the social platform of your choice and engage with your audience to build a following. Like SEO, organic social will take some time to get going but the momentum it builds can carry you far. It also helps to place social sharing buttons on your sales pages and website so that the content you publish on your website can reach more viewers.

Launch a Freebie or Mini-Course

Launching a freebie or mini-course can be an effective way to promote your main online course. Here are some ways that a freebie or mini-course can help with promotion:

When creating a freebie or mini-course, make sure that it's focused on a specific topic that's related to your main course. This can help you attract potential customers who are interested in that topic and may be more likely to enroll in your paid course. You can also use your freebie or mini-course to promote your paid course through calls to action at the end of each lesson or module.

Build Your Audience Faster With a Lead Magnet

If building an email list has you breaking into a sweat, attract subscribers (and customers) with a lead magnet.

A lead magnet is a valuable piece of content that you offer to potential customers in exchange for their email addresses or other contact information. By offering a lead magnet, you can attract potential customers who are interested in your course topic and may be more likely to enroll in your course in the future. A lead magnet can take many forms, such as an ebook, a checklist, a video series, or a free trial of your course. 

Make sure that your lead magnet is focused on a specific problem or pain point that your target audience is experiencing. This will help you attract the right people and ensure that they're interested in your course topic.

Build an Email List

You hopefully have an email list for your business, even if it’s small, this can be a great way to get the word out about your course. 

You can use your email list to promote your course, offer early-bird discounts, and provide helpful resources that are related to your course topic. By consistently providing value to your email list subscribers, you can build trust and credibility with them, which can lead to more course enrollments over time. Additionally, your email list can serve as a valuable asset for future promotions, as you can continue to promote your course to your list even after it has launched. Check out my guide to the emails you will need to send to launch your course.

Build a Community

Building a community around your online course can be a powerful way to promote it. By creating a Facebook group, Slack community, or Discord server, you can bring together people who are interested in your course topic and create a space for them to share knowledge, ask questions, and support one another. This can help you build relationships with potential customers and establish yourself as an authority in your niche. You can also use your community to promote your course, offer early-bird discounts, and provide helpful resources that are related to your course topic.

Building a community can be a monumental task in and of itself. Check out our complete guide for a primer on how to build a community for your course.

Offer the Course to Industry Experts for Endorsement

Want a voice of confidence in your course (and access to a bigger audience)?

Find an expert/influencer in your niche who you can consult. They may charge you, but if you have an established relationship with them, many people will be happy to review your course for free as long as the material is relevant and of value to them. This can be a great way to earn an endorsement to build social proof for your course before its official launch.

Give a Talk at a Local Event

Local Rotary clubs, meetups, or other organizations are always looking for knowledgeable speakers to present their insights to a broader audience. Tap into your local business and community organizations to see if there are opportunities to present. This can be a great way to build your brand recognition as an expert and funnel potential customers into your audience. 

Sell to Your Existing Customers

If you already have a business with customers, why not start by reaching out to them? 

These people already know and trust you, so they may be more likely to enroll in your course than people who are completely new to your brand. You can also offer exclusive discounts or early-bird enrollment opportunities to incentivize them to enroll in your course. By leveraging your existing customer base, you can drive more enrollments to your course and generate passive income from people who are already fans of your brand.

Ask for Referrals

There is nothing more powerful than the recommendation of someone you trust. You absolutely should leverage referrals in promoting your course and building your network. 

There are a few ways to encourage referrals from your existing customers and past students:

• Encourage word-of-mouth: Encourage your existing customers to spread the word about your course to their networks. This can be as simple as asking them to share your course on social media or with their friends and colleagues.

• Offer a referral program: Consider offering a referral program that rewards existing customers for referring new customers to your course. This can be in the form of a discount or other incentive for each new customer they refer.

• Leverage affiliates: Consider partnering with affiliates who have a similar audience to yours and can promote your course to their network. This can help you reach a wider audience and generate more enrollments over time.

Rank Your Website and Course With SEO

SEO is a long game, but optimizing your website for Google (and other search engines) can pay dividends for years to come. Why? Well, chances are your customers are on Google right now looking for answers to problems that your course can solve for them. 

SEO is a massive topic, but I like to break it down into the following:

• Optimize your website for technical SEO: Make sure your website loads quickly and that Google is indexing the content.

• Create authoritative content that answers questions: Focus on the questions your customers are asking and create in-depth and authoritative content that answers those questions.

• Organize content in topic clusters: Level up your content by organizing it into topic clusters. These help to build the authority of your website and organize content for your readers (and Google).

Check out my complete guide to using SEO to promote your online course for an in-depth walkthrough of this.

Paid ways to promote your online course

As you can see, there are many free ways to promote a course… but they take time to build momentum. If you have the budget for ads, then there are plenty of paid ways to bring people to your website:

Advertise on Google

If you have the budget for it (even $50 - $100 per month can help) then Google Ads is an excellent channel to start with. 

With Google Ads, you can create targeted ads that appear when people search for specific keywords related to your course. This can help you reach a wider audience and attract potential customers who are actively searching for solutions to the problems your course solves. Additionally, you can use Google Ads to retarget people who have already visited your website but didn't enroll in your course. This can help you stay top-of-mind and remind them of the benefits of your course. 

When creating Google Ads, make sure that your ad copy and landing page are clear, concise, and focused on the specific benefits of your course. You can also use Google Ads to test different messaging, offers, and targeting strategies to optimize your campaigns over time.

Check out my full guide to selling courses with Google Ads for a deeper dive into this!

Advertise on YouTube

Remember that YouTube is the second-biggest search engine on the web, making it a fantastic place to advertise as well as build organic reach. Targeted YouTube ads, either as ads that play before a video begins or by sponsoring channels that your target audience watches, can be an effective way to build your reach quickly.

One word of warning about YouTube ads: many people go to YouTube for entertainment and may find the interruption frustrating and skip past it, or install an ad blocker to prevent ads from appearing. That is to say, depending on the topic and channels you advertise on, tread carefully with YouTube ads and watch your budget.

Advertise on Social Media

Once you’ve mastered Google Ads, social media ads (either Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn) present another excellent channel as well. 

With social media ads, you can create targeted ads that appear in users' social media feeds. This can help you reach a wider audience and attract potential customers who may not have otherwise known about your course. 

You can also use social media ads to retarget people who have already visited your website but didn't enroll in your course. This is one of the most powerful ways to leverage social advertising as it will show your ads to people who have visited your website or performed specific actions.

Pay for an Endorsement

If an industry expert isn’t willing to endorse your course for free (or for access to the course itself), you could always pay for a review and testimonial. Depending on your niche and their brand recognition, this could be a pricey way to advertise your course, but it can also be well worth the investment for the right audience. 

Start an Affiliate Program

This tactic is certainly more advanced, but for savvy course sellers, we recommend starting an affiliate program. 

An affiliate program allows other people (affiliates) to promote your course on their own website or social media channels. When someone clicks on an affiliate's link and purchases your course, the affiliate earns a commission. This can be a win-win situation for both you and the affiliate since you can generate more enrollments, and the affiliate can earn a commission for promoting your course. Here are some tips for leveraging affiliate sales:

• Find the right affiliates: Look for affiliates who have a similar audience to yours and can promote your course effectively. This might include bloggers, influencers, or other course creators who have a following in your niche.
• Set a competitive commission rate: Offer a competitive commission rate that will incentivize affiliates to promote your course. This can be in the form of a percentage of each sale or a flat fee per sale.
• Provide marketing materials: Make it easy for affiliates to promote your course by providing them with marketing materials such as banners, social media posts, and email templates that they can use to promote your course.
• Track and manage affiliates: Use an affiliate management tool to track affiliate sales and manage payouts. This will help you stay organized and ensure that affiliates are compensated fairly.

When leveraging affiliate sales, make sure to establish clear guidelines and expectations for your affiliates. This might include rules around how they can promote your course and what types of content they can use.

Attend and Network at a Conference

Even if you're not speaking at a conference, they're a terrific place to get some free publicity simply by networking with your audience in a place that's designed for meeting others. Just be sure to always be prepared with printed information about yourself and your course at in-person networking sessions.

Get Mentioned in a Press Release

Another advanced option is to get the word out with a press release. When you have a press release to send out, you can pay for a distribution service such as PRWeb, Brand24, or BuzzStream. It costs money, but it will save you valuable time.

Which of these tactics will you try to promote your online course?

Those are just a few ideas for promoting your course and building interest. You don't have to go overboard and try every single one at once. Spreading yourself too thin will result in none of the tactics working at all!

Try focusing on one or two to start with, particularly ones that will give you free publicity rather than having to invest in paid ads and a lot of tech tools.

For example, join two active Facebook Groups and start engaging in the discussions, including posting your own questions. You'll attract the notice of the group leaders surprisingly quickly since most groups are constantly struggling to keep up engagement. That's your cue to contact them about doing a Facebook Live or free webinar for their group.

While you're busy networking and interacting, create your ‘media kit' by pulling together some summary information about you and your course. Include a brief bio that highlights your relevant experience, some testimonials if you have them, social media stats if they look impressive, a headshot, high-level details about your course, and anything else that someone might want before they tell their followers about you. Make it as push-button as possible for someone to promote you.

Finally, don't be afraid they'll say no. That's to be expected. But you won't know where the best places are for free publicity, or what the best approach is until you start asking!

Then you can start expanding your efforts by testing out another course promotion tactic, and another, and another. If you're consistent and give each a decent amount of time to work, you'll soon have your own secret recipe for promoting your online course and reaping the benefits.

Download This List of Course Promotion Tactics

You didn’t think I was going to leave you with the blog post, did you?

Click the button below to have the full list of course promotion tactics sent to your inbox. Try out a few and compare the results between launches. You’ll be a course launch expert in no time!

Enjoy!