Digitally She Does It Podcast

EPISODE 106: How to attract your first 100 students to your online course

• Karen Davies • Season 1 • Episode 106

Share episode

Send us a text

In this episode of Digitally She Does It, I’m sharing all the tips and strategies you need to attract your first 100 students to your online course! We’ll chat about how to lay a solid foundation and create an irresistible offer that feels like it was made just for your ideal audience.

I’ll also share how to tap into your network, make the most of social media, and team up with others to get your course in front of more people. It’s packed with helpful advice and real-world tips to help you stand out and start turning your dreams into reality.

If you’re ready to take that exciting next step in your online course journey, grab a cuppa and tune in for loads of inspiration and ideas to set yourself up for success!

FREE MASTERCLASS

How to Launch Your Online Course in 2025 on 28th January 2025 @ 2:30pm-3:30pm (UK time) - includes 60-mins live masterclass with a free workbook

Sign up here - https://bit.ly/3C2uKMW

THE DIGITAL CREATORS HUB

Access a treasure trove of freebies to help get you started on your digital journey. Click here for FREE access.

CREATE YOUR ONLINE COURSE

Join Sell Your Brilliance Online Membership - click here to get started!

GET IN TOUCH


JOIN MY COMMUNITY

Course Creators Hub for Beginners:
...

Karen Davies [00:00:01]:
Hello and welcome to the digitally she does it show. This is episode 106. And, in today's episode, I'm talking about how you can attract your first 100 students into your online course. So let's jump right in and let's get started. Welcome to the Digitally She Does It Show.

I am your host, Karen, and I'm here to lift the lid on what it actually takes to create a successful business. If you are an ambitious creative ready to build a business on your own terms and without compromise, then this podcast is perfect for you.

With my award winning approach to marketing, and expert knowledge in creating online courses, this show will leave you feeling inspired, energized, and ready to bring those big dreams to life.

Karen Davies [00:00:52]:
Join me each week for a dose of motivation and marketing know how along with actionable step by step strategies to help you accelerate your businesses grow. So let's dive in, and don't forget to subscribe to all my upcoming episodes which drop every Wednesday. Hello and welcome. Thank you for joining me today. I'm your host, Karen and I really do appreciate you hitting that play button to listen to today's episode.

So, today I am talking about how to attract students into your online course because this is something I get asked all the time. So many people have these amazing ideas but one of the things that stops them from taking action is the fact they don't really know how to bring people into their world and purchase their online course. So, today I'm going to break it down and I'm going to share with you the things that you could do in order to attract those students.

Karen Davies [00:01:56]:
But before I do, I just want to talk about the digital creators hub. This is your one stop shop for getting started online. If you are not in the hub, I highly encourage you to head on over to my website www.karen-davies.com/hub, and go and sign up for it. Because in the hub, I share lots of valuable resources to help you get started online, and it's completely free. I'm not charging. So head on over there, go and sign up, and go and start your online business today. Those resources are there to help and guide you because there's no better time to get started than now. So, go take action and get started.

Karen Davies [00:02:44]:
Okay, so let's get back to today's episode. Today I am talking about how to attract students into your online course. This is something that I think probably most course creators worry about at some point. It's such a big thing, isn't it? You create something, you put your heart and soul into it, and then you want to know that you're going to get those sales. So today, I just wanna talk about sort of, like, the essentials that you need to have in place and what you can do to make this happen. Now first and foremost, it has to start with laying the right foundations. It doesn't matter what you do, whether it's an online course, you're setting up your business, you're doing your marketing, whatever you're doing in your business, you're going to have to lay foundations. And those foundations then are what you then build on, and it's no different with your online course.

Karen Davies [00:03:45]:
And when I talk about laying the foundations, I'm talking about knowing what topic you're going to be teaching, knowing your ideal student, that person that you want to attract into your course, and, of course, knowing that the course that you're creating, the offer that you are developing, there is a need and a demand and that people are gonna buy it. So when we're looking at laying the foundations, it's all about understanding what it is we're creating, knowing who it's for, and then validating our idea so that when we put it out for students to come on board, we know that the thing that we have created is going to be the thing that they need. So we always need to lay these foundations first and foremost. You cannot create an effective online course if you don't have these foundations in place. So please don't skip over them. So as I said, 1st and foremost, get clear on your topic. What is it that you're creating? What does that look like in terms of the results that you're delivering? And what challenges is your course, going to be resolving? So get really clear on why your course is needed and how it's going to help. Once you have that figured out, then you can look at your ideal student.

Karen Davies [00:05:12]:
Who is your ideal student? Who do you want to teach? Who do you want to support? Get really clear on who they are. The clearer you are about who you want to support, the easier it will be to attract them into your course. Because the more you know about them, the more tailored you can be about the content that you create. And the more you know about what they're struggling with, of course, the better your course is going to be because you can make it so tailored to resolving the problems that they are experiencing. And then, of course, when it comes to validating your course idea, you just need to know that there is a need and a demand for what it is that you have to offer. So this is about doing research, speaking to people, understanding people's pain points, and why they might buy your online course. Is your online course the right avenue that somebody is going to take to get a solution? Who are you going to be serving? Is it going to be more of a DIY audience? In which case, how do you know that those that audience is going to bite your course? So you need to do some due diligence here and make sure that what you're creating, there's going to be a need for. Don't assume that you know what people need.

Karen Davies [00:06:33]:
Ask them. When I first created my online course, crafting your brand, I initially had a very different course planned out, And I decided that I was gonna pop into a couple of Facebook groups, and I was going to put my idea out there. I didn't share everything, but I put enough to ask some questions. And I ran a poll, and I just asked if you were thinking about investing in a course in relation to helping you brand your business, what would you be looking for? And it was really interesting the responses that I got back because the course that I was intending on creating and the responses that I got back from my audience was very different. And, actually, the course that I then went on to create came off the back of that research because the insights and the comments and the validation that people gave me was was really powerful, and it really made me look at my own idea and then develop it further because, actually, the course that I was going to create was going to be different, but they were telling me what they wanted. And so I ended up creating that type of course. So where possible, always validate your course idea, and it doesn't have to be complicated. You could just ask in a Facebook group with your ideal audience and gauge their responses to your thoughts about what it is you're creating because they're going to be the people that gonna tell you exactly what it is they need.

Karen Davies [00:08:13]:
So you do need to listen. Okay. So once you have laid down the foundations, we want to then be really looking at the offer that we're going to be delivering. Now your online course is not the offer. It is simply the vehicle to the transformation. So it's going to be part of the offer. So you really need to be thinking about, right, what can I offer that is going to compel my audience to buy? So it could be the fact that you want to add other things into the course. It may be that you want to add bonuses, time limited options as well, the exclusive offers that that come along with the course.

Karen Davies [00:09:03]:
Think about how you can add value. It could be that you create some kind of resource that goes along with the course, and for a period of time, they can get that resource with the course if they purchase within a time frame. So it's about presenting an offer that's really compelling, that's going to make somebody want to take action. Now the other thing I just want to mention with this, it's really vital that you have a clear value proposition with this. Now what I mean by that is when you put something out to market for somebody to buy, you want to make sure that your messaging is really tight. Think about why should why somebody is going to buy your course over somebody else's. So you need to be thinking about the transformation that you deliver and what they're going to achieve by the end of the course. So that will play into the value proposition that you're then going to be delivering.

Karen Davies [00:10:10]:
So, for example, you could kind of if you if you were doing a course that prevents overwhelm and helps people to get organised, you could say go from overwhelmed to organised in just 4 weeks. Now what that does, it lays the, the understanding about what that proposition is. So you're going to be going from a place of overwhelm to a state of being organised within a set time period. This makes it really clear to the potential students on what they're going to get. The other thing to think about is your pricing as well. You want to be pricing strategically. Now what I mean by that is when you put something out for the very first time, it's worth thinking about including a beta price or a founding member offer because this is going to lower the barrier to entry, and it's also going to help build that trust. The other thing is that it's gonna be bring people on board, and you're going to be able to get hold of those testimonials and case studies that you can then leverage in your marketing in order to pull in more people.

Karen Davies [00:11:24]:
So think about what you could offer at the beginning that's going to compel somebody to buy, what you can include in that offer, how you can present that offer, and then how you're then going to price that offer. Because all of these components are going to help you to create something that's really compelling to your ideal person. So you just need to work out what I what is it they're struggling with? What am I helping with? What does that transformation look like? And what can I give them that is going to compel them to purchase as soon as that offer is presented to them? And it could just be that you offer your online course, but maybe you have, like, a 30 minute coaching session, or maybe you have some video tutorials or some bonuses, some resources, other things that are going to make them think, you know what? I really want that. That's a really good offer, and I want to buy that now. And it's priced in a really great way. So, yeah, it's an absolute yes from me. So really take your time and think about that. The offer that you present to your audience is going to make or break whether you'll get a sale.

Karen Davies [00:12:43]:
Because if you can make it compelling enough, then the last thing they're gonna want to do is miss out on exactly what it is you're offering. So by creating a really good offer, you're going to bring people into your world and they will purchase your online course. The other thing that you need to be thinking about is your visibility. Now with an online business, visibility is key. You could have the best online course that delivers the most fantastic transformation, but if nobody knows that you exist, then what's it gonna be for? Nobody's gonna buy something they don't know exists. So you have to make people know that you exist. So start by, I think, leveraging your network. Who in your network could you ask to support you? So you could talk to friends, to families, to colleagues, to business associates, to people that maybe you've collaborated with, and just talk to them about your course.

Karen Davies [00:13:49]:
And don't be afraid to ask for referrals because people do actually like to help other people. So if you say I'm looking for this type of person because I can help him with this problem, and I've got a course that is ready to go, that's going to help them solve the challenges they're experiencing, then you will bring people on board and they will want to help you. The other thing to think about is, of course, social media, but it is about using it in the right way. So choose 1 to 2 platforms where your ideal person hangs out, and then share really great value content. You can share behind the scenes content. You can share testimonials, tips, case studies, things that ultimately are going to resonate with your audience. You want them to feel compelled to listen to you, to buy into what you're saying. You're the expert.

Karen Davies [00:14:49]:
You know you're the expert. You've created an online course. So take some of that, I'm not talking about your teaching, but you could take topics that you talk about within your course and you could create content around it for social media. And then you can do things like you can go live on Facebook or Instagram or run free challenges or even deliver master classes. Master classes are a great way to really showcase what it is you know, add value, teach something, and then bring people into your course as well. So that's a great way to, sort of, really expand on your audience. And then the other thing to think about is about collaboration. Who could you collaborate with? Who shares your audience? Who in your circle can you ask to help and support you so that you can do maybe joint lives or something but you're you're expanding into their audience and likewise with them as well.

Karen Davies [00:15:56]:
So think about how you can collaborate with others. Could somebody come into your online course and deliver a bonus workshop maybe and could you do it for them? And if so, could you then be promoting on to each other's audience? By cross promoting with other people, it means that you can leverage their audience, they can leverage your audience, and you can expand on who you get in front of. I mean, think about podcasts you can appear on or YouTube channels, other people's audiences that may be interested. Collaborating with other professionals and other people in your space just widens your audience and then and therefore brings more eyeballs onto your online course. Now the other thing that you could be doing that's going to really help you to generate those sales is build an email list. I was talking about this in my membership yesterday, actually, because I was delivering a workshop on how to get started. Building your email list is really powerful because you ultimately own that list. The thing is, and something that a lot of people do, is they spend so much time focusing on building out their social media platforms, and they concentrate more on getting those likes and those shares and the numbers and all of that on social media platforms.

Karen Davies [00:17:25]:
But the problem is you don't own those platforms. Now very recently, there was a whole thing in the media about how the US has banned TikTok. If you're a content creator trying to, get in front of the US market because maybe that's your customer base, then your business pretty much overnight has most likely disappeared because you are relying on TikTok to be available in order to be able to get in front of those people. The fact that TikTok has been banned in the US, and now that Trump has has become president and he said that he's going to reinstate it, as a content creator or somebody that is running my business on TikTok, that usually affects me because I've I'm relying solely on that platform in order to be able to get those sales. So what I would highly recommend you to do is number 1, never put all your eggs in 1 basket. Never rely on one single platform. Always spread the risk. But number 2 is start to build your email list because you can attract your audience who are interested in exactly what it is you've got to say, and you could bring them into your world, and then you can nurture and convert them into purchasing your online course.

Karen Davies [00:18:53]:
And you can build relationships with them. You can build relationships with these people that actually subscribe to being in your world. So email lists are extremely powerful. Now in order to do this you just need to come up with a freebie that you can offer that is going to compel them to want to come into your world. So really think about what it is that you can offer someone that is going to help them with a problem or maybe it's shifting their perspective or maybe it's offering them something that is just going to help them to do something, help them to move forward. Once you've got that freebie, then you can set up a landing page or something similar in in a platform like System or Bayliolite, and you can actually put it out and and promote it on social media and bring people back into your world. And once you've done that, you can then nurture your audience by sending regular emails, but sharing things like tips and stories and value that is going to be of interest to them. This is going to help you when it comes to promoting your course and and getting those sales because you are focusing then on building relationships with the people that are coming into your email list.

Karen Davies [00:20:16]:
So just to to really recap on this, I think the thing that is currently going on at the moment with the US and TikTok, I think that is a really big red flag as to what not to do. Don't rely solely on a social media platform. By all means, leverage social media and use them, but don't rely on building your audience solely on these platforms. Because if the powers that be decide that they're going to change the algorithms or, you know, that it's gonna close down in a country, or it's gonna go offline, or or it's gonna shut down completely altogether, then that's going to prove to be that's going to create a lot of problems, and you don't wanna be in that place of having your business wiped out overnight. So start to build your email list. And then when you've got that, it's just about engaging with your audience and just offering them things that they're going to want to need. Now things that you can do that is going to help compel people to buy are things like sharing testimonials and stories about successes that you are experiencing in your business. You can offer payment plans, and you can actually One of a really good strategy that you could use is offer time limited bonuses or discounts that encourage people to take action.

Karen Davies [00:21:57]:
So when you nurture your audience and you build that relationship and you build that know, like, and trust, then you can present offers that they're going to be interested in, and then you can convert them into paying customers by keeping that relationship going. Now I know it can feel quite challenging. Selling an online course at the beginning can feel really, really daunting, especially when you're new to creating courses and putting them out for people to buy. But it gets easier, and you soon learn the habits and the expectations of your audience. You have to stay motivated. You have to keep going. You are building a brand new income stream in your business that can be life changing. So this is not a 5 minute job.

Karen Davies [00:23:03]:
This takes time. You have to learn what your ideal people need, and then you need to keep showing up. Consistency is key. You have to stay visible even when you feel like the results that you're getting are really slow. And always remember why you're doing it. Reflect on why you started this journey, and you need to stay focused on the impact that you're wanting to create, not just for your students, other people that buy your course, but also for you as well. Creating an online course and selling them to to students over and over again is what's going to bring in that financial freedom and that and give you that time back. So it's worth staying the course, showing up, staying consistent, and doing the work.

Karen Davies [00:23:55]:
Because attracting your first 100 students is a journey. But with the right strategies in place and with persistence, you will get there. And every course creator has to start somewhere. This doesn't just happen overnight. You just have to keep showing up, doing the work, stay consistent and you'll get the results. Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. I hope you found this episode of value and, of course, please do feel free to share it with others who you may think will also benefit from today's episode. If today's discussion has sparked some inspiration and you're eager to dive deeper into creating your online presence, then be sure to visit my website www.karynhyphendavies.com because you'll find a whole load of resources that you can download to help you kick start your online journey.

Karen Davies [00:24:52]:
And if you're ready to take the next step and create your very first online course, then join my membership, sell your brilliance online, which is designed to guide you through the simple process of creating your very first online course. Head over to my website www.karen-davies.com/membership. I will be back next week with another episode, but until then, have a great week. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the digitally she does it show. 

Don't forget to check out the show notes for all the links and resources mentioned in today's episode. New episodes drop every week on a Wednesday. So, why not rate and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Thank you for tuning in today and I will see you next time.