Everything I wish I knew before trying to sell online courses

PodcastOnline BusinessDigital CoursesOnline Courses
Written By Gillian Perkins

WORK LESS, EARN MORE PODCAST EPISODE #349

I put all my effort into building an amazing course and thought that alone would be enough. Well, it wasn't- and it cost me a year or two of spinning my wheels before anything sold.

In this episode, I'm breaking down everything I wish I knew before I ever tried to sell an online course. After almost ten years of doing this (eight of them actually profitable), I've learned the hard way what makes some courses actually sell while others just sit there. This one's for anyone who has an online course idea, is building one right now, or already has one that isn't converting the way they hoped.

Want early access to some of my newest trainings, workshops, and business resources before they’re released publicly?

You’ll get behind-the-scenes updates, first access to new opportunities, and exclusive invitations to upcoming programs and events.

click here to get access!

Show notes + links:

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:

  • Why a great course is almost never enough to make it sell on its own

  • The real reason people buy a course (and it's NOT the content inside it)

  • Why cramming in more modules and bonuses usually backfires

  • Why pricing based on your hours of video is quietly costing you money

  • The uncomfortable truth about giving away your best material for free

  • Why your first launch is guaranteed to teach you more than it earns you

  • The one thing that can quietly wipe out your course business's profit margins

Work with Gillian Perkins: 

👉 Startup Society membership: https://gillianperkins.com/join-startup-society

$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

FREE Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

Connect with Gillian: 

 

SUBSCRIBE TO WORK LESS EARN MORE

 

RECENT EPISODES

Blog
Everything I wish I knew before trying to sell online courses
Everything I wish I knew before trying to sell online courses 
After nearly a decade selling online courses, I can tell you the biggest lesson isn't a marketing hack or a pricing trick — it's this: a great course has never once been enough on its own. I learned that the hard way, spending a year or two building something I was proud of and watching it go nowhere. Here's everything I wish someone had told me before I started, broken into what it actually takes to create an offer people want, get them to buy it, and turn that course into a real, sustainable business.
Read more →
We Really Simplified Our Businesses! Here's How & Why (with Stefanie Gass)
We Really Simplified Our Businesses! Here's How & Why (with Stefanie Gass)

Stefanie Gass and I sat down for a raw, no-notes conversation about what's actually working in our businesses right now - and she's giving my listeners free access to her 5-Day Profitable Podcast Bootcamp to say thanks.


In this episode, podcast coach and God-Led Business host Stefanie Gass joins me for an honest, unscripted conversation about the changes we've each made in our businesses over the last year - new platforms, overhauled teams, and product lines we simplified (or didn't). If you're running an online business and wondering whether it's time to shake something up, this one is for you.

Read more →
3 Files That Make Your AI 10x Smarter (with Kimberly Ann Jimenez)
3 Files That Make Your AI 10x Smarter (with Kimberly Ann Jimenez) 
Most people use AI to make more content. Here's how Kimberly Ann Jimenez uses AI agents to run her whole business - plus 3 files that make any AI tool far more capable.
Read more →
The 3 Questions That Make Delegation Finally Work (with Gina Cotner)
The 3 Questions That Make Delegation Finally Work (with Gina Cotner)

Hiring help doesn't always save time — sometimes it just adds a new job called "managing them." Here's the delegation framework that actually works.

Read more →
Why Your Launches Aren't Converting (and What's Actually Working in 2026) with Shannon Matson
Why Your Launches Aren't Converting (and What's Actually Working in 2026) with Shannon Matson

If your launches are underperforming, the strategy — not the offer — is probably to blame. Here's what's really changed in online marketing and the modern launch framework that's actually working in 2026.

Read more →
Why Hiring an Assistant DIDN'T WORK (But Hiring an OBM Did) with Sarah Noked
Why Hiring an Assistant DIDN'T WORK (But Hiring an OBM Did) with Sarah Noked

When are you really ready to hire an OBM? Gillian shares the client side of an 8-year OBM partnership: VA vs. OBM, what to look for, and what not to expect.

Read more →
Gillian Perkins
Next

We Really Simplified Our Businesses! Here's How & Why (with Stefanie Gass)