Create a (free) course

Why Free Courses Work

A free course flips the traditional marketing model. Instead of pushing a sales message, you're offering genuine value upfront. This builds reciprocity and trust--your potential customers learn something useful from you, making them far more likely to consider your paid product when the time is right. It positions you as an expert and the go-to solution in your niche.

Courses are a systematic way to educate your target market on the problem your product solves. This is crucial in SaaS, where users might not even be aware of the 'better way' your software enables. By teaching the 'why' and the 'how', you're not just generating leads; you're creating educated, high-intent prospects who already understand the value of your solution before they even sign up for a trial.

Three real examples

Email-based courses often have higher completion rates than video courses because they arrive in a space people already check daily and feel less intimidating.

The step-by-step playbook

1. 1

   Find the 'Teachable' Pain Point

   What's a problem your target customers have that your product helps solve, and that you can teach them to solve in a course? Use customer interviews and support tickets for ideas.

2. 2

   Define the Transformation

   What specific outcome or skill will the student have after completing your course? 'Learn to create a content calendar' is better than 'Learn about content marketing'. Be specific.

3. 3

   Outline Your Curriculum

   Break down the transformation into 5-9 logical modules. Each module should cover one key concept. Structure it like: 'The Why', 'The What', 'The How', and 'Advanced Tips'.

4. 4

   Choose Your Format

   Video is engaging, but text-based email courses are faster to produce and consume. Start with an email course if you're resource-constrained. You can always upgrade to video later.

5. 5

   Create the Content

   Write your scripts or lessons. Keep it concise, practical, and full of actionable advice. Reference your own product naturally where it fits into the workflow you're teaching.

6. 6

   Build Your Course Hub

   Use a simple landing page builder or course platform. You don't need a complex LMS. A password-protected page built with Softr or a simple email sequence from Email Octopus works perfectly to start.

7. 7

   Gate It with a Form

   Use a simple form from a tool like Tally.so to capture names and email addresses. This is the whole point--turning viewers into leads.

8. 8

   Promote Your Course

   Launch it to your email list, share it on social media, post it in relevant communities, and run targeted ads. The course is now your primary call-to-action.

Copy-Paste: The 'New Course' Launch Email

Send this to your existing email list or to targeted prospects to announce your new free course and drive sign-ups.

Subject: New & Free: The {Course Topic} Course for {Audience}

Hi {FirstName},

Ever struggled with {Pain Point}?

It's one of the most common challenges we see for {Audience}. That's why we decided to distill everything we've learned about {Topic} into a free, actionable course: {Course Name}.

In it, you'll learn how to:
- {Benefit 1}
- {Benefit 2}
- {Benefit 3}

It's 100% free and designed to help you achieve {Transformation/Outcome} in just {Timeframe, e.g., 7 days}.

Enroll for free here: {Course Landing Page URL}

Cheers,
{Your Name}

What to Ask Yourself Before Building

• What specific, painful problem can I teach my customers to solve?
• Is my target audience online and receptive to learning via a course?
• What is the single, clear transformation my course will provide?
• Does my product naturally fit into the solution I am teaching?
• Do I have the resources (time, basic equipment) to create quality content, even if it's simple?

The first and last questions are the most critical. A course without a clear problem to solve will get no students, and a course without a path to conversion is just a hobby.

Recommended tools

Prices are indicative and change - check the vendor before buying.

Do it faster with AI Prompts

Mistakes that kill this play

• ×Making it too broad. A course on 'Marketing' is useless. A course on 'How to get your first 10 podcast interviews' is a winner.
• ×Making it too long. People are busy. A short, impactful course is better than a 20-hour epic that no one finishes.
• ×Focusing on theory, not action. Every lesson should end with a clear 'what to do next' step. Show, don't just tell.
• ×Hiding your product. Don't be shy. If your tool helps with a step you're teaching, show it. The course is a product demo in disguise.
• ×Forgetting the follow-up. The course is the start, not the end. What happens after they finish? Plan your lead nurture sequence.
• ×Demanding too much information on sign-up. Name and email are enough. Don't kill your conversion rate with 10 fields.
• ×Building a Hollywood production. Your phone's camera and a decent mic are enough to start. Content quality > production quality.

Your First 7 Days

• Day 1: Interview 3 target customers. Ask them 'What's the most frustrating part about X?' where X is the problem your product solves. Identify a teachable pain point.
• Day 2: Write a one-sentence 'transformation' statement for your course. E.g., 'This course helps SaaS founders go from 0 to a fully-planned content marketing strategy'.
• Day 3: Use the AI prompt to generate a course outline. Refine it into 5-7 clear modules.
• Day 4: Write the script or text for Module 1. Keep it short, actionable, and under 500 words or 5 minutes of video.
• Day 5: Set up a free landing page and form with Tally.so. Write the headline and a short description of your upcoming course to create a waitlist.
• Day 6: Share the waitlist page with 10 people in your target audience and ask for feedback. Does the promise resonate?
• Day 7: Based on feedback, finalize your course title and outline. Start creating the rest of the content.

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