Checklist
Marketing checklist for online course creators
9 tasks to fill your next cohort or launch, ranked by return.
- 9 tasks
- First win in week 1
- Free to read
Marketing checklist for online course creators: what goes on the list?
An online course marketing checklist has 9 tasks: build a free lead magnet that proves your teaching style, set up an email nurture sequence before launch, and open enrollment with a real deadline instead of evergreen access. Creators who run a 5-7 day launch window with a countdown typically see 60-70% of total sales land in the last 48 hours.
Last updated 3 August 2026
| Factor | Detail |
|---|---|
| Best first channel | Email list + free lead magnet |
| Typical monthly cost | £30-£100 in tools |
| Time to first result | 2-3 weeks (one launch cycle) |
| Biggest leak | No urgency — evergreen access with no deadline |
Course creators often assume they have a traffic problem when they actually have a trust and timing problem. People need to see proof the course works and a real reason to buy now, not eventually — and most course pages give them neither.
This checklist is for solo creators and small teams selling a course priced between £100 and £2,000, whether hosted on Teachable, Kajabi, or a custom site. Every task can be done without a dev team or paid ads budget.
The checklist
Work down the list, top to bottom.
Ordered by return. Each task names the first step and how you know it's done.
- 01
Create a free lead magnet that mirrors your teaching style
A free mini-lesson or checklist that shows exactly how you teach lets people self-select into your list because they already like your approach, not just your topic.
First step: Turn one module or lesson from your course into a free 10-15 minute video or PDF, gated behind an email signup.
- Done when
- Lead magnet is live and has collected at least 20 email signups.
- Effort
- 1 day
- Cost
- £0-£25/mo (landing page/email tool)
- 02
Build a 5-email nurture sequence before you ever launch
Cold traffic rarely buys a course on the first visit; a sequence that teaches one useful thing per email builds enough trust that by email 5 they're ready to consider buying.
First step: Write 5 emails: a welcome, 3 teaching emails with real value, and one soft pitch for the course.
- Done when
- All 5 emails are loaded into your email tool and firing automatically for new subscribers.
- Effort
- 1 day
- Cost
- £0-£30/mo (email tool)
- 03
Run launches with a real, enforced deadline
Evergreen 'buy anytime' courses remove the only reason to act today; a genuine close date (cart actually closes) drives most of a launch's total revenue into the final 48 hours.
First step: Pick a 5-7 day launch window, announce the close date in every email, and actually close the cart on time.
- Done when
- Cart has closed on schedule at least once and you can see the sales spike in the final 2 days.
- Effort
- 3 hours planning
- Cost
- £0
- 04
Collect 5 specific outcome-based testimonials
A testimonial saying 'I finally launched my podcast after module 3' sells better than 'great course' because it shows a concrete result a hesitant buyer can picture for themselves.
First step: Email your last 10 students asking one specific question: 'what result did you get from this course?'
- Done when
- You have 5 testimonials naming a specific outcome, published on your sales page.
- Effort
- 2 hours
- Cost
- £0
- 05
Add a live Q&A or office hours call during the launch window
Buyers hesitating on price or fit often just need a chance to ask a question directly; a scheduled live call converts a meaningful share of on-the-fence prospects.
First step: Schedule one 45-minute Zoom Q&A during your launch week and invite your whole email list.
- Done when
- Call has happened with at least 10 attendees and one recorded sale traced back to it.
- Effort
- 1 hour prep + 1 hour call
- Cost
- £0
- 06
Publish one free, genuinely useful piece of content per week
Regular free teaching content (a newsletter, short video, or post) keeps your audience warm between launches and brings in new subscribers who'll be ready for the next one.
First step: Pick one platform (email, YouTube, or LinkedIn) and commit to one piece of teaching content weekly.
- Done when
- You've published 4 consecutive weeks and can point to at least one new signup from that content.
- Effort
- 2-3 hours/week
- Cost
- £0
- 07
Set up an affiliate or referral option for past students
Past students are your most credible promoters since they've actually taken the course; a simple commission gives them a reason to actively recommend it instead of staying quiet.
First step: Set up a unique referral link per student offering 20-30% commission on sales they bring in.
- Done when
- At least 3 past students have their referral link and one sale has come through a link.
- Effort
- 3 hours setup
- Cost
- £0-£20/mo (affiliate tool)
- 08
Add a payment plan option at checkout
A £600 course split into 3 payments of £220 removes a real budget objection for buyers who'd otherwise need to wait for payday or save up.
First step: Turn on a 2- or 3-installment payment plan in your course platform's checkout settings.
- Done when
- Payment plan option is live and at least one sale has used it.
- Effort
- 1 hour
- Cost
- £0 (usually built into course platform)
- 09
Track cost per enrollment and email-to-sale conversion by launch
Without comparing conversion rate launch over launch, you can't tell if changes to your sales page, price, or emails are actually helping or just coincidental.
First step: After each launch, record subscribers reached, sales page visits, and total sales in one spreadsheet.
- Done when
- You have data from at least 2 launches to compare conversion rates against.
- Effort
- 1 hour per launch
- Cost
- £0
Mistakes
What goes wrong most often.
Selling evergreen with no deadline at all
Without a real close date, most subscribers file the course away as 'someday' and never buy. Even a strict evergreen model benefits from a personal deadline like a 7-day window from signup.
Launching to a cold list with no nurture sequence
Pitching a course to subscribers who joined yesterday converts far worse than pitching to a list that's had 5 emails of real value first. Build the sequence before you launch, not during.
Using vague testimonials instead of specific outcomes
'This course was great' does nothing for a buyer weighing whether to spend £400. Ask past students for the specific result they got, and use their exact words.
Questions
The things people ask about this list.
What's the first marketing task for a new course creator?
Build a free lead magnet that mirrors your actual teaching style, gated behind an email signup. It costs little to nothing, takes about a day, and gives you a list to nurture before your first launch.
Should I sell my course evergreen or in launches?
Launches with a real, enforced close date typically outperform evergreen access on total revenue per subscriber, because urgency drives 60-70% of sales into the final 48 hours. Evergreen can work later once you have consistent traffic and want passive sales.
How big does my email list need to be before launching?
There's no fixed number, but most creators see a workable first launch with 200-500 engaged subscribers who've been through a nurture sequence. Quality of engagement matters more than raw list size.
Do payment plans hurt total revenue?
Rarely. Payment plans usually increase total sales volume more than they cost in processing or a few defaulted installments, because they remove a real budget objection for buyers who want the course but can't pay in full upfront.
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