If you’ve got a course idea floating around your head or a live course that just isn’t selling, this post lays out the exact roadmap I use to reach $100,000 in online course sales. I’m sharing what’s working right now — from dialed-in positioning to a high-converting launch plan, smart pricing, and the evergreen funnels that keep sales coming in on repeat.
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Step 1: Create a course people are excited to buy — then make the value obvious
The fastest way to a six-figure course is a product people can’t wait to get their hands on. That starts with well-researched messaging and airtight positioning. Get specific about the outcome, make the logistics crystal clear, and answer every question your buyer is already thinking about: What’s inside? What transformation will I see? Do I get instant access? Is it lifetime access? Is there a bonus or incentive for buying now?
This is where many creators stumble. They market a dream, but the course itself doesn’t deliver the same clarity or depth as the free content. Flip that. Your paid course should be your clearest, most streamlined roadmap — the “juicy stuff” that helps students move from where they are to the promised transformation as quickly as possible. That doesn’t require studio-quality production. Some of the most valuable programs are filmed on a webcam or Loom. What matters is structure, flow, and execution: short, purposeful lessons; a mix of formats like videos, tutorials, templates, and downloads; and a curriculum designed for momentum and completion.
If you’re still pre-creation, build your messaging as you map modules so the promise you’re making in your marketing aligns perfectly with what you deliver. If your course is already live, revisit your positioning and update lessons to match the outcomes you’re promising. Either way, your course should feel like the easiest path to results — the kind of resource that turns students into evangelists who send more buyers your way.
Psssst, find out if you have a profitable course idea by taking this free quiz!
And… if you want to know how to structure your course so people will WANT to buy, download this for free.
Step 2: Launch to your warm audience like it’s an event — and use beta testing to prove the offer
Before you worry about cold traffic or complicated funnels, run a strong launch to your warm audience. These are your highest-intent buyers. If you can’t convert people who already know you, you’ve got a messaging or offer gap to fix before scaling.
Start with a simple beta test. Invite 5–10 ideal-fit students to go through the course over two to three weeks in exchange for honest feedback and permission to share their testimonials. This tight feedback loop reveals missing lessons, confusing steps, or opportunities to simplify — and it gives you the kind of detailed, outcome-rich testimonials that move the needle. Today’s buyers are skeptical, and nothing builds trust like genuine student results from the exact course you’re selling.
Next, plan a live event to kick off your launch. A webinar is a favorite because it gets people “in the room” with you, lets them experience your teaching style, and creates the perfect transition to your offer. A live challenge can work too if a full webinar feels intimidating. Back up that event with a priming period of four to six weeks. Share stories, insights, and mini-wins related to your course topic on social and via email so your audience is already thinking about the problem and possibility you’ll present.
When launch week hits, open doors on Monday and run through Friday at midnight with a clear incentive — a meaningful bonus or a real discount they won’t see every day. Don’t bury the details. Strike through the full price, show the exact sale price, list the bonus, and repeat those specifics on your sales page, emails, and during the webinar. As a baseline check, look for at least a 3–5% conversion of your hottest segment. For example, if 1,000 people are on your email list and well-aligned to the offer, you’re aiming for 30–50 buyers. If you’re using a webinar, watch the 3–5% conversion of registrants. These numbers tell you if your offer is resonating — and if the course is ready to scale.
Step 3: Price for profit and momentum — with a bonus stack that creates real urgency
There’s no single “right” price for an online course, but there are dependable ranges. Most independent courses sit between $200 and $2,000. The difference typically comes down to scope, positioning, and support. A niche skill or outcome tends to live at the lower end; a full business transformation with more breadth — or meaningful access to you — sits higher. Just be sure your time is priced appropriately. Don’t sell a $200 course with weekly coaching baked in forever. That crushes margins and makes scaling painful.
Use a clear pricing “ladder” to align expectations and create urgency without gimmicks:
First, establish a real full price on your site. If your course is evergreen, people should be able to purchase anytime at that price. Then, when you run a launch or promotion, offer a meaningful discount window — 20–40% is common for launches and promos, with deeper discounts reserved for big seasonal events like Black Friday. Finally, add smart incentives at peak action points. For example, registrants who buy during the live webinar might receive a highly desirable bonus that’s not available at any other time. The key is consistency and integrity. If you say a webinar-only bonus won’t return, keep that promise.
Don’t sleep on your checkout optimization either. Order bumps, upsells, and downsells can dramatically lift average order value without extra ad spend. Whether you build on Kajabi or another platform, map a simple path: a relevant order bump on the checkout page, a one-click upsell for the next logical step, and a downsell if they decline. Over time, this ecosystem compounds your course revenue and supports your path to $100K and beyond.
Step 4: Deliver a transformation that outshines your free content
Great marketing gets the first sale. Great delivery gets every sale after that. Make your course the most focused, actionable version of your method. Remove fluff, increase clarity, and obsess over student momentum. If a step consistently trips people up, refilm it. If a resource would help them move faster, create it. When students finish your course feeling empowered and equipped, they leave the kind of outcome-based testimonials that convert future buyers, and they’re far more likely to purchase additional offers.
Think long game here. A course that truly delivers increases lifetime value. Happy students share your work, return for related products, and say yes to your next launch. That virtuous cycle is one of the quietest but strongest growth levers in a course business.
Step 5: Scale with one great funnel — then expand traffic and touchpoints
Once you’ve validated your offer with a strong warm launch, decide how you want to sell long term. For many creators, the “base stack” looks like this: one high-converting funnel paired with one primary platform for consistent audience growth. A classic combo is an evergreen webinar funnel plus weekly short-form content that drives to an email opt-in. From there, add a simple automated email sequence that educates, nurtures, and invites a purchase with a clear, time-bound incentive.
After your foundational funnel is converting, you can expand. Layer in live promos a couple of times per year to warm your list. Add a second funnel or a low-ticket product that gives people a quick win and moves them closer to the flagship course. Experiment with collaborations that tap into similar audiences — guest workshops in communities, Instagram collabs, podcast interviews. If you’re ready, test paid traffic to accelerate list growth and webinar registrations. The goal is to create multiple pathways into your world while keeping your core conversion engine simple and reliable.
Over time, this blend of evergreen systems and periodic live energy can carry a single course well past six figures. A steady, passive funnel might bring in a significant chunk of revenue, while annual webinars, seasonal promos, and strategic cross-sells lift the total far beyond the first $100K. The common thread is clarity: clear promise, clear funnel, clear next step.
What to do next
If you’re ready to lock in the kind of positioning and structure that makes a course sell, start by:
1. Grabbing the free download that breaks down exactly what goes into a high-converting online course
2. Take the quick quiz to validate and refine your idea.
Then map your beta test, schedule your priming content, and pick the live event you’ll use to kick off your first (or next) launch. From there, set your full price, choose a compelling incentive for launch week, and outline your first evergreen funnel so momentum doesn’t stop when the cart closes. Finally, remember the simplest rule of the course game: deliver so well that students can’t help but tell other people about you. Your $100K plan gets much easier when your results do the heavy lifting.
