How to Make Money Online Selling Courses - BloggersBond
What You'll Learn: How to Make Money Online Selling Courses
Selling online courses is one of the most profitable ways to make money. Create a course once, sell it forever. No inventory. No shipping. Keep 70-100% profit. This guide gives you 9 proven ways to create and sell courses. Start with $0. Earn $500-50000+ monthly.
- 9 course selling methods (start with $0)
- Step-by-step instructions for beginners
- Free tools + realistic earnings (month 1: $100-500, year 2: $5000-50000+)
- 30-day action plan for course beginners
Udemy (Largest Course Marketplace) Best for Beginners
What it is: Upload your course to Udemy. Millions of students browse daily. Udemy handles marketing and payments. You earn 37-97% of revenue. Perfect for beginners.
Step-by-Step:
- Create free instructor account on Udemy.com
- Choose a topic you know well (Excel, photography, coding, marketing)
- Record 10-20 short videos using your phone (free)
- Edit videos using free software (DaVinci Resolve)
- Upload course with description, outline, and pricing
- Set price: $20-200 (Udemy often discounts)
- Promote to get first students
Teachable (Own Platform) Keep 100% Profit
What it is: Create your own course website on Teachable. You control pricing, branding, and marketing. Keep 100% of profit (minus payment fees). More work, higher reward.
Step-by-Step:
- Sign up for Teachable free plan
- Create course outline (10-20 lessons)
- Record videos using phone or OBS (free)
- Upload to Teachable, organize modules
- Set price: $50-500
- Create sales page with testimonials
- Drive your own traffic via email, social media, YouTube
Skillshare (Subscription Model) Passive Royalties
What it is: Upload courses to Skillshare. Students pay monthly subscription. You earn royalties based on minutes watched. Great for creative topics (design, photography, writing).
Step-by-Step:
- Apply to become Skillshare teacher (free)
- Create course (20-40 minutes of video content)
- Topics: graphic design, illustration, writing, photography, marketing
- Upload course with project for students
- Skillshare promotes your course to millions
- Earn royalties monthly
Gumroad Digital Courses Simple & Fast
What it is: Sell courses as digital products on Gumroad. Upload PDFs, videos, or templates. Keep 90% profit. No monthly fees. Perfect for mini-courses ($20-100).
Step-by-Step:
- Create free Gumroad account
- Create course content (videos, PDFs, worksheets)
- Package as digital product
- Set price: $20-200
- Create sales page with previews
- Share link on social media, email list, YouTube
- Gumroad handles payments and delivery
Kajabi (All-in-One Platform) Professional
What it is: All-in-one platform for courses, email marketing, and website. More expensive ($149/month) but powerful. Best for serious course creators.
Step-by-Step:
- Sign up for Kajabi free trial (14 days)
- Create course outline and content
- Build landing page using templates
- Set up email automation (free included)
- Launch course, drive traffic
- Kajabi handles hosting, payments, email
Thinkific (Free Plan Available) Budget Option
What it is: Thinkific has a generous free plan. Create unlimited courses. Keep 100% profit. No transaction fees. Perfect for beginners on a budget.
Step-by-Step:
- Sign up for Thinkific free plan
- Create course with videos, quizzes, downloads
- Customize your course website
- Set pricing (one-time or subscription)
- Connect Stripe or PayPal (free)
- Promote via social media and email
Cohort-Based Courses (Live) Higher Engagement
What it is: Teach live courses to a group of students (cohort). Charge $200-2000 per student. Limited seats = higher perceived value. Build community.
Step-by-Step:
- Choose topic and duration (4-8 weeks)
- Set price ($200-2000) and max students (10-50)
- Create curriculum and schedule
- Use Zoom for live sessions (free)
- Promote via email, social media, waitlist
- Run live sessions, provide feedback, build community
Affiliate Marketing for Courses Promote Others
What it is: Promote other people's courses. Earn commission (20-50%). No course creation needed. Join affiliate programs on Udemy, Teachable, or individual creators.
Step-by-Step:
- Join course affiliate programs (Udemy, Coursera, individual creators)
- Choose courses you genuinely recommend
- Create content: blog posts, YouTube reviews, email recommendations
- Add your affiliate link
- Drive traffic via SEO, social media, email
- Earn commission per sale ($10-200 per student)
Course Bundle & Resell Rights Passive Income
What it is: Buy resell rights to existing courses. Sell them as your own. Or bundle multiple courses together. Keep 100% profit. No creation needed.
Step-by-Step:
- Find PLR (Private Label Rights) courses on sites like PLR.me
- Purchase resell rights ($20-200)
- Rebrand with your name and logo (Canva free)
- Bundle 3-5 courses together
- List on Gumroad or Etsy
- Price bundle at $50-200
- Promote to your audience
Course Selling Methods - Monthly Earnings Comparison
| Method | Startup Cost | Month 1-3 | Month 6 | Year 2+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Udemy | $0 | $0-200 | $200-2000 | $2000-20000 |
| Teachable | $0 | $100-500 | $500-5000 | $5000-50000 |
| Skillshare | $0 | $0-100 | $100-1000 | $1000-10000 |
| Gumroad | $0 | $50-500 | $500-3000 | $3000-20000 |
| Kajabi | $0 (trial) | $500-2000 | $2000-10000 | $10000-100000 |
| Thinkific | $0 | $100-500 | $500-3000 | $3000-20000 |
| Cohort-Based | $0 | $1000-5000 | $5000-20000 | $20000-100000 |
| Affiliate Marketing | $0 | $0-100 | $100-1000 | $1000-10000 |
| Resell Rights | $20-200 | $50-500 | $500-3000 | $3000-15000 |
Course Earnings Calculator
Estimate your course income:
30-Day Course Creation Action Plan
- Week 1 (Plan): Choose topic you know well. Research what students want (search Udemy, Reddit). Outline 10-20 lessons. Write script for each lesson.
- Week 2 (Record): Record videos using phone or OBS (free). Aim for 5-15 minutes per lesson. Edit using free DaVinci Resolve or CapCut.
- Week 3 (Upload): Create Udemy or Teachable account. Upload videos, add descriptions, quizzes, and resources. Create course image using Canva.
- Week 4 (Launch): Set launch price ($20-50 introductory). Share on social media, email list, Facebook groups. Aim for first 10-20 students.
Course tip: Launch at lower price ($20-50) to get first 50 reviews. Then raise price to $100-500. Reviews = social proof = more sales.
Record screen and webcam
Video editing software
Course Income Tracker (Use Spreadsheet)
| Course Name | Price | Students | Revenue | Platform | Royalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track every course – each one is a passive income stream!-- |
Course Troubleshooting - "Why Aren't My Courses Selling?"
- No sales after 1 month? Lower price temporarily ($20-50). Get first 10 reviews. Improve course thumbnail (Canva). Add more lessons.
- Low Udemy ranking? Ask students to leave reviews. More reviews = higher search ranking. Respond to questions quickly.
- Poor video quality? Use natural light. Clean background. Use phone on tripod. Add captions (free in YouTube).
- No traffic to Teachable? Build email list first. Create free lead magnet. Post on YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook groups.
- Feeling stuck? Check top courses in your niche. See what they cover, how they price, how they market. Adapt strategies.
Course Success Roadmap (Realistic Timeline)
Create first course. Get 50 reviews. Learn platform. Earnings: $0-500
Create second course. Raise prices. Add email list. Earnings: $500-5000
Create 3-5 courses. Add affiliate program. Launch cohort. Earnings: $5000-20000
Courses sell automatically. Multiple platforms. Passive income. Earnings: $20000-100000+
This Week's Course Challenge
Challenge: Outline your first course (10 lessons). Write script for first 3 lessons. Record 1 lesson today using your phone. By Sunday, you'll have 5 lessons recorded and ready to edit.
🔥 Extra credit: Create course thumbnail and sales page using Canva.
Frequently Asked Questions About Selling Courses
Do I need to be an expert to sell courses?
No. You just need to know more than your students. "Intermediate" level is enough. Many successful course creators are just 1 step ahead of their students.
How much can a beginner earn selling courses?
Month 1-3: $100-500. Month 6: $500-5000. Year 1: $5000-20000. Year 2: $20000-100000+. Scales with more courses and students.
What topics sell best?
Business, marketing, coding, design, photography, fitness, music, language, personal development. Solve a specific problem or teach a desired skill.
Do I need expensive equipment?
No. Your phone is enough. Good lighting (natural light by window) and clear audio matter more than camera quality. Use free editing software.
What's the fastest platform to start?
Udemy has built-in traffic – students find you. Gumroad is fastest to set up (minutes). Teachable takes more work but higher profit.
Your Course Selling Action Plan - Start Today
- Choose one topic you know well (Excel, photography, cooking, fitness)
- Outline 10 lessons (what will students learn?)
- Record first lesson using your phone (5-10 minutes)
- Create free Udemy or Gumroad account
- Upload your first lesson and set price ($20-50)
Remember for course beginners: Every successful course creator started with zero students. The only difference is they recorded their first lesson. Don't worry about perfect. Launch with "good enough." Improve based on feedback. Your first student will prove it works. Courses are passive income – they sell while you sleep. Start today – your future course income depends on first lesson you record now.