QUESTION 14
How Do I Launch an Online Course So People Actually Buy It?
In order. People buy in a sequence: they know you, they like you, they trust you, and only then do they buy. Most course launches skip to the last step with a link, and then the teacher decides the course was the problem.
It was not the course. It was the order.
I have been teaching since 1990, and I have helped thousands of people build and launch their courses. I am not going to lay the whole plan out here. I am going to tell you what the plan is built on, because if you understand that, you will stop making the one mistake that kills most launches.
Know Me. Like Me. Trust Me. Buy Me.
That is the sequence. It never changes, for anyone.
A stranger who has never heard your name will not buy your course because you posted a link. They have not met you. They have no reason to like you. They have nothing to trust. You asked for the fourth thing before you earned the first three.
So here is the rule my own team posts by: do NOT jump directly to the "buy me" stage with a link.
To Be Known, You Must First Know Them
In order to get people to know you, you must first KNOW THEM.
That sounds backward to most experts. They want to open with their story, their credentials, their method. The student does not care yet. The student cares about their own problem, in their own words.
Before a launch earns anyone's attention, you need to be able to say who your student is, exactly. What do they get at the end? What must happen for them to get it? If you cannot answer that, no amount of posting will fix it.
Give Them Half the Solution
This is where most teachers get nervous. They are afraid that if they give anything away, nobody will pay for the rest.
It works the other way. Give people half of the solution they are looking for, and they will ask how you can help them with the rest. Give them nothing, and they have no reason to believe you can.
Trust is not built by telling people you are good. It is built by being useful before you ask for anything.
People Do Not Care What You Have Done
Here is one that stings. People are not interested in what you have done. They are interested in what you can do for THEM.
Read your own bio with that in mind. If it opens with your history, turn it around. Lead with results. Lead with the student.
I was hired in 1990 as Educational Director of Nexxus of NY, Paramount Beauty, and I built a multi-million dollar business through teaching. None of that matters to a student until they can see what it means for them. That is as true for me as it is for you.
A Launch Is a System, and Systems Bear Fruit
Every business needs a plan, and an online course is exactly that, a business.
A launch is not one big day. It is a sequence you work, then score, then run again. Some of it will not work the first time. Do not panic. Systems bear fruit, and as long as you are working the system, the averages will always kick in.
One launch is a test. The ones after it are where a course becomes a business.
Keep It Simple, Fun and Memorable
Every piece of a launch, every post, every email, every handout, has to pass three words: simple, fun and memorable. If it is not all three, it is not finished.
And start simple. You can always make it better later. You cannot improve what does not exist.
Questions People Ask
Why is nobody buying my online course? Usually because the launch asked people to buy before they knew, liked or trusted the teacher. The course may be excellent. The order was wrong.
How long should an online course launch take? Long enough to earn each stage in order. I run mine as a four-week cycle and repeat it every 90 days, but the length matters less than the sequence.
Should I give away content before I sell my course? Yes. Give half of the solution. People who get real value from you for free are the ones who ask how you can help with the rest.
I teach this live, to owners who are building something real. If you want to see how the sequence works with your own business in front of you, take a seat at the next session.
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