35 Proven Ways to Market Your Online Course in 2025
Online course creators are the backbone of the modern education system. Digital learning takes 60% less time than traditional learning. Online courses allow people from all walks of life to gain access to knowledge and skills that would otherwise be unavailable to them. But with great power comes great responsibility, and online course creators have a duty not only to create quality courses but also to find the best online course platform and learn how to market their online courses in a way that ensures their success.
Fortunately, there are many ways to do this. The following 35 methods have been proven to be effective in marketing online courses in 2025 and beyond. Use them wisely and you will see your courses soar in popularity.
This is an exhaustive list that will cover everything from social media to search engine optimization. So whether you are just starting out or have been creating courses for a while, read on to discover new and exciting marketing strategies that will help you reach your target audience.
Best Ways to Market Your Online Course
- Create a free course
- Publish a book
- Ask for a review from your existing customers
- Use a payment plan to drop the initial price
- Become a HARO source
- Start a Facebook Group
- Be part of relevant Facebook Groups
- Start a Pinterest account
- Answer questions about your course topic on Quora
- Create a Facebook Page
- Buy promotions on Instagram
- Guest blog
- Build an email list
- Use Google Ads
- Start a YouTube channel
- Get bloggers to review your course
- Sell new courses to your existing customers
- Buy YouTube ads
- Write a Press Release
- Add your course to your website
- Create a live webinar
- Use multi-language tools
- Publish other courses on online course marketplaces
- Promote your course on YouTube channels
- Start a podcast
- Combine your courses in one big bundle
- Collaborate with other course creators
- Start a LinkedIn Group
- Get featured on other podcasts
- Use Facebook Ads
- Buy banner ads
- Include a link to your online course in your email signature
- Add videos to social media
- Drop the price for a limited time
- Comment in Forums
How to Market Your Online Course
Create a free course
Creating a free course is a great way to market your online course. You can offer your course as a bonus for signing up for your email list, or you can give it away for free on your website.
Publish a book
One great way to do it is by publishing a book on Amazon or on your website. This will help you reach new audiences and promote your course to them. You will also become an expert in your field with a book. With a free book, you can collect emails by offering it in exchange of an email address.
Ask for a review from your existing customers
Request reviews from your customers – Once you have a few customers, reach out and ask them to review your course. Not only will this provide social proof for potential customers, but it can also help with SEO.
Use a payment plan to drop the initial price
One way to market an online course is to offer a payment plan. This will allow potential students to pay for the course in installments, which may make it more affordable for them. Additionally, it can help you generate more sales by making the course more accessible.
Apply to Become a HARO source
HARO is a service that connects journalists with sources for upcoming stories, and being a source for journalists can help you to get your online course in front of a wider audience.
Start a Facebook Group
Start a Facebook group for your course. This will help you build a community of students and can also be a great place to share tips and advice related to the course. Promote your group on your website, social media accounts, and other online channels.
Make sure your group is active and engaging by posting regular updates and engaging with members. Use the group to generate leads and promote your course.
Run contests, giveaways, and other promotions in the group to generate interest in your course. Encourage students to join your group and provide them with helpful information about how to get the most out of it.
Leverage the power of social media to promote your group and help you attract new members.8. Make sure your group is well-organized and easy to navigate for students. Use the group as a way to build relationships with potential students and generate interest in your course.
Continue to promote your group long after your course has launched to keep it top of mind for potential students.
Be part of relevant Facebook Groups
Join relevant Facebook Groups related to online courses. Share your online course with these groups, and answer any questions people may have about it. Monitor the discussions happening in these groups, and offer helpful advice and guidance where necessary. Promote your online course whenever you can, and encourage others to sign up for it.
Start a Pinterest account
Pinterest is a social media platform that can be used to market your online course. You can create boards for your course, and pin images and videos related to the course. You can also use Pinterest to create pins that drive traffic to your course landing page.
Answer questions about your course topic on Quora
Quora is a Q&A website where people can ask questions about anything and anyone can answer them. This makes it a great place to market your online course by answering people’s questions related to your course topic. You can even mention that your online course covers the topic in more depth.
Create a Facebook Page
- Create a Facebook Page for your online course.
- Add a cover photo that promotes your course.
- Add a description of your course and its benefits.
- Add a link to your course landing page.
- Upload photos and videos of your course in action.
- Engage with followers and answer their questions.
- Share helpful tips and articles related to your course topic.
- Run contests and giveaways related to your course.
- Promote your Facebook Page on your website and other social media platforms.
- Monitor the performance of your Facebook Page and make adjustments as needed
Buy shoutouts on Instagram
Invest in Instagram shoutouts. If you want to dramatically increase your online course sales, you need to invest in Instagram shoutouts. Paid shoutouts from popular Instagram accounts can help you reach a new, engaged audience that’s likely to be interested in your course.
Guest blog
Guest blogging can help you reach a new audience, build relationships with other bloggers, and get backlinks to your website. Here are 35 ways to market your online course using guest blogging:
- Find blogs in your niche that accept guest posts.
- Research the blog’s audience and make sure your post will be relevant to them.
- Write a high-quality post that provides value to the reader.
- Make sure your post is well-researched and fact-checked.
- Include original images, graphs, or infographics in your post.
- Promote your post on social media and encourage readers to share it.
- Reach out to bloggers who have written about similar topics and ask if they would be interested in featuring your post.
- Send pitches to popular blogs that accept submissions from guest authors.
- Connect with bloggers who have large audiences and offer to do a guest post for their blog.
- Reply to comments and engage with readers who have left feedback on your post.
- Thank bloggers who have featured your guest post on their blog or social media channels.
- Reach out to bloggers who have featured posts by other guest authors and offer them a chance to feature your post as well.”
Build an email list
- Use social media to drive traffic to a landing page where potential students can sign up for your email list.
- Include a CTA (call-to-action) in all of your online course content, urging students to sign up for your email list in order to receive updates about new courses, discounts, and other valuable information.
- Create a lead magnet specifically for your email list subscribers, such as a free e-book or video series on the topic of your online course.
- Run webinars or live Q&A sessions and offer access to the recordings exclusively to email list subscribers.
- Incentivize people to subscribe by offering a discount code or special deal for those who join your email list.
- Leverage social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram Stories to tease upcoming course content or discounts available only to email list subscribers.
- Share blog posts and other content related to your online course on social media, and include a CTA at the end of each post directing readers to sign up for your email list so they don’t miss out on future updates.
- Add an opt-in form prominently on your website’s homepage that encourages visitors
Use Google Ads
Google Ads can be used to target potential students who are interested in taking online courses. You can create ad campaigns that target people based on their interests, where they are, and what type of device they are using. For example, you can create an ad campaign that targets people who live in the United States and are interested in online courses.
Start a YouTube channel
Start a YouTube channel. This is a great way to reach a large audience and share your content with the world. You can create helpful videos that teach people about your course, or simply promote your course on a regular basis. Be sure to use effective marketing techniques to get the most out of your YouTube channel.
Get bloggers to review your course
One great way to market your online course is to get bloggers to review it. If you can get a few influential bloggers to write about your course, it can help to attract the attention of other potential students.
Sell your new courses to your existing customers
So you’ve already done the hard work of getting those first customers. Now it’s time to create another course and sell it to them. If you’ve done well with your previous course, they are most likely to buy again from you. And with zero marketing cost to you!
Use YouTube Ads
YouTube Ads allows you to reach a large number of potential students who are interested in learning new things. Additionally, YouTube Ads are a cost-effective way to market your online course, and it is also very effective in terms of generating leads.
Write a Press Release
Press releases are a great way to market your online course and get the word out to potential students. They can be used to announce new courses, promotions, or any other newsworthy information about your online program. When writing a press release, be sure to include all the relevant information, such as the course name, description, dates, and location. You should also include a brief overview of the course and what makes it unique. A contact person should also be listed so that reporters or potential students can get more information.
Add your course to your website
It’s a no-brainer, but make sure to add your course to your existing website(s) so that potential students can find it and sign up! Also good for backlinks and your overall authority in the topic you’re creating courses on.
Create a live webinar
Create a free live webinar. You will need to first create a landing page to promote the event. This landing page should be designed to capture leads by encouraging people to sign up for the webinar. You can then use email marketing to promote the webinar and drive registrations. In addition, you can use social media to promote the event and reach a larger audience.
Offer your course in multiple languages
Offering your course in multiple languages can help you reach a wider audience and sell more courses. You can translate your course content into other languages or work with a translator to create localized versions of your course. You can also create audio or video versions of your course in different languages.
Publish smaller courses on online course marketplaces
There are many online course marketplaces that you can publish your courses on. Some of these marketplaces include Udemy, Coursera, and Skillshare. You can use these to become an expert in your field and later create your own online business. When publishing on these marketplaces, make sure to follow their guidelines for creating and publishing courses.
Promote your course on other YouTube channels
One great way to market your online course is by promoting it on other YouTube channels. Find popular channels in your niche and reach out to them to see if they would be interested in featuring your course. You can also offer them a discount if they decide to promote it.
Start a podcast
Start a podcast. Already being familiar with your own voice, it’s easy to start a podcast. This will allow you to share your knowledge with a large audience and help you build a following of people who are interested in what you have to say.
Combine your courses in one big bundle
Combine your courses into one big bundle. This will make it easier for potential students to find and purchase, and it can also be a more cost-effective option for them. You can offer different bundle options with different pricing structures to appeal to different types of students.
Collaborate with other course creators
Collaborating with other course creators is a great way to market your online course. You can work together to create a joint landing page, promote each other’s courses, and even co-host a webinar or summit.
Start a LinkedIn Group
LinkedIn Groups are a great way to connect with potential students and market your online course. You can share information about your course, answer questions from potential students, and promote special offers.
Get featured on other podcasts
Reach out to other podcasters and offer to be a guest on their show. You get to mention your course on their podcast.
Use Facebook ads
Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms for promoting online courses. Here are some tips for using Facebook Ads to promote your online course:
- Make sure your ad is eye-catching and relevant to your target audience.
- Use images and videos that capture the essence of your course.
- Create a clear call to action, and make sure your website is easy to navigate.
- Use targeting options to reach the right people with your message.
- Monitor your results and make adjustments as needed.
Use banner ads
Banner ads are a very effective way to reach your target audience and can be very affordable. There are a few things you need to keep in mind when creating a banner ad for your online course.
First, make sure the banner is eye-catching and catches the viewer’s attention. You want to make sure it stands out from the other ads on the page. The banner should also be relevant to your online course and the target audience you are trying to reach.
Second, make sure the copy is clear and concise. You only have a few seconds to capture the viewer’s attention, so you need to make sure your message is clear.
Finally, test different versions of the banner ad and track the results. You want to see which version generates the most clicks and conversions.
Include a link to your online course in your email signature
Include a link to your online course in your email signature to promote it to your contacts. It’s not pushy and will let people know that you’re an expert in your field.
Add videos to social media
Add videos to social media. Videos are a great way to market your online course because that’s what you’re selling! Free videos help you attract new students. Make sure to create videos that are interesting and engaging, and that showcase the benefits of your course.
Make a limited-time promotion
Open your course for a limited time only or give a limited-time promotion. This will create buzz around your course. The more limited it is, the more people are considering it a great value.
Comment in Forums
Comment on forums related to the topic of your course. This will help you build credibility as an expert and help potential students learn more about your course.
How to Market Your Online Course (Conclusion)
Marketing an online course can be a daunting task, but it’s not impossible.
These 35 tips should give you a good starting point for your marketing efforts. Remember to experiment and find what works best for you and your audience.
The most important thing is to pick a few from the list and stay consistent with your marketing efforts and keep pushing forward. Don’t try to do everything at first.
Do you know other ways to market online courses? Please comment below and I’ll add the best ones to the list 🙂
Mats-Peter Forss
Mats-Peter Forss is a full-time website tycoon and digital product creator with years of experience in different software products. Along with writing to forssinc.com, Mats-Peter is running multiple different websites and selling digital products (vectors, fonts, and logo templates).