Pre-sell Your Online Course in 4 Proven Steps

Pre-selling is an effective strategy to build excitement, create buzz, and generate leads for your online course. By launching your course before the actual launch date, you get to validate your course idea, gauge interest, and even build a waiting list of eager buyers.

Pre-selling online courses also helps you generate an early source of income while you work on your course and refine your marketing strategies.

In this guide, we'll cover the steps on how to pre-sell your online course and make a great impression on your target audience.

​4 Proven Steps to Pre-Sell Your Course

1. Define your course content

Your course outline will serve as the roadmap for the topics you cover and the goals you want to achieve with the course. Elaborate on the problem your audience is facing and how you can serve the solution.

Use this information to create a comprehensive course outline, including main topics and subtopics and any key skills or knowledge areas you will address. This will serve as the blueprint for your course and help you create an effective sales page.

Remember, your course outline should be detailed to guide your planning and teaching. At the same time, it should be flexible enough to allow for adjustments as needed during the course.

2. Highlight your course USPs

List what sets your course apart from the competition. These USPs will serve as your "sales pitch" on your pre-sales landing page.

To identify your course's USPs, consider the following questions:

1. What specific problems or challenges will your course help students overcome?
   
2. What skills or knowledge will learners gain from taking the course?
   
3. How will the course transform the students' personal or professional lives?
   
4. What outcomes or results can students expect to achieve after completing the course?

Through these questions, you will be able to identify the key benefits of your course and how it will help your students achieve their goals. These benefits can then be used to highlight the value of your course and make it more appealing to potential customers.

When highlighting USPs, focus on the practical results and outcomes students can expect rather than simply listing course content or topics.

3. Craft an Engaging Pre-Sales Landing Page

Your pre-sales landing page is where potential students will learn about your course and make their first impression. It's essential to create a strong and positive impact. This is also your chance to generate interest and build anticipation before you launch your online course.

To create a pre-sales page, you can use the following components:

1. Compelling Headline: A great headline will grab attention and clearly communicate the main benefit or outcome of taking your course. It will make the audience realize and visualize the transformation they will go through after taking your course.
   Ensure it accurately reflects the content of your course and appeals to your target audience.
   
2. Course Description: Clearly describe your course offering, including the benefits, topics covered, and teaching format. Additionally, include any special features that your course offers, as this can help to demonstrate the value of your course and draw in potential customers.
   Keep the overview clear and concise. You may add a video description to supplement your written overview.
   
3. Positive Testimonials: Social proof in the form of testimonials from past students or beta testers will build trust and establish you as an authority in your niche. Choose testimonials that highlight the key benefits and outcomes of the course and include the name and photo of the person providing the testimonial.
   
4. Powerful CTA (Call to Action): Encourage potential students to take action by including a persuasive CTA. Create a sense of urgency and "fear of missing out" to drive conversions. Consider offering an incentive, such as a discount or bonus content, to further motivate potential students.

4. Leverage a Multi-Channel Distribution Strategy

Now that you have your pre-sales page ready, it’s time to bring visitors to your page. Generate buzz before the actual launch and lay the foundation for the success of your course.

Now, it’s vital to exploit a multi-channel distribution strategy. By doing this, you can connect with your target audience no matter where they are.

• Email marketing - If you possess an existing email list, launch an email campaign. Your subscribers, given they already follow you, will be excited to know about your course and will create an initial base of potential buyers.
  Use a clear and compelling subject line, and a visually appealing design, and include a strong call to action in each email. Mention the benefit of your course and highlight what your audience may miss out on if they skip the course.
  Know that you’ll have to send reminder emails and ‘last chance’ emails to drive up the urgency to sign up for your course.
  
• Free downloads - Offer free educational resources such as ebooks, cheat sheets, or guides to attract attention. It also places you as an authority on the subject and builds trust in you. Collect email IDs in exchange for the downloads to build your email list and target these prospects through email marketing.
  
• Create a Youtube video - If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a thousand stories. A video is an incredible way to get your word across and provide them with all the benefits of your course in the simplest consumable medium.
  The video also lets you add the flare of your personality and provides you access to a wider audience.
  
• Post on Social Media - Market your course on social media. Engage with people of your niche and contribute to every meaningful discussion.
  Facebook and Reddit allow communities and they are great platforms to spread the word about your course in the same domain.
  Use Twitter and Instagram for more informal marketing. But be valuable nonetheless. People value those who contribute and give selflessly.
  
• Write a blog - Write an article on a subtopic from your course, and hook it to your pre-sales page with a powerful CTA. You can share the blog post itself on social media and let people sign up.
  Alternatively, let users find you organically and sign up for your courses.
  
• Use ads - Lastly, if you have the budget, consider running ads. Running targeted ads on platforms such as Google AdWords, Facebook, or LinkedIn can help you reach a large and relevant audience. Ads can be used to drive traffic to your pre-sales page, increase brand awareness, and boost your online course sales.

Next Steps

By pre-selling effectively, you can reach your potential customers, gather leads, build excitement for your course, and successfully sell your course online.

Remember, pre-selling is not just about generating revenue; it's also about creating a relationship with your potential students and building trust. This is a chance for you to create a loyal community of students who will support your course and help you spread the word.

Wondering if there’s a platform that helps you do all that? Try Miho. Miho is a platform designed exclusively for online course creators. Miho allows you to create and sell online courses all in one place, setting you up for the win. You can get a 14-day free trial when you signup today.