#218: 7 Steps to Pre-Selling Your Course

As an entrepreneur, your business is constantly changing—that’s the beauty of being an entrepreneur.
And here’s the thing: YOU change too. You change your mind about things you used to be adamant about.
I’ve experienced this myself. For example, when it came to creating courses, five years ago I would have said: Concentrate on building your course, don’t worry about the selling.
But since then I have had a change of heart.
I’ve watched my students inside of my training program Courses That Convert, and I’ve seen a need that I did not see years ago. That need is around launching their course before they have 100% completed it.
Now I talk about the benefits of pre-selling your course, or selling it in advance of the course being done, then delivering your content each week via a LIVE workshop to a group of founding members who have already paid.
So this episode is going to walk you through the exact steps that go into pre-selling a course. I am going to walk you through the pieces you’ll need to make your offer, get your first students through the door, and deliver your content.
There are a few reasons I like this strategy:

#1: Pre-selling is a big validator of your course idea.
#2: Pre-selling helps you build confidence about your training. Nothing builds confidence more than getting a few PAYING students through the door. #3: Pre-selling helps with cash flow! I know that building a course and getting your online course up and running can sometimes be a bit of a pinch on your finances. That’s why pre-selling is great—to bring in a bit of money to help you pay for some of those expenses. #4: Pre-selling helps you build momentum and accountability. By selling before your content has been created, you have no choice but to deliver! This helps you avoid the “it’s been a year and my course is still languishing” syndrome! #5: Lastly, you get immediate feedback from actual students when you pre-sell. Since it’s more of a live interaction, you can tweak your content based on the feedback before you launch again. By the way, this episode was brought to you by Courses that Convert…I teach a much more robust version of this process in that course, with step-by-step plans and templates. Learn more by attending my free masterclass “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days.”
So if you’re as excited as I am about pre-selling your course, here are seven steps to get you started.
The 7 Steps to Pre-Selling Your Course Step 1: Determine Your Course Offer
First, you will determine your pricing and what kind of “course package” you’ll be offering.
Step 2: Set Up Your Early Interest Page
Once you figure out your offer, it’s time to set a page where you can capture interest about your course. You’ll need to create an opt-in to collect first names and email addresses, and include a teaser about what they can expect. You’ll also want to create a follow-up email for everyone who opted in.
Step 3: Create Your 30-Day Content Blitz
Come up with content ideas for your blog, podcast, Facebook Lives, etc., and then schedule your content so you’re releasing something new every week for 30 days. Remember to include a call to action at the end of your content, asking your audience to sign up for the course if they want to learn more. (All traffic from this content will go to your Early Interest Page.)
Step 4: Set Up Your Checkout Page
This page should include information about your course such as the benefits and the features.
Step 5: Set Up Your Live Workshop Components
In this step you will want to create the shell of your member’s site so when you start delivering your content you have a place to load it.
You’ll also need to determine the details of your training and decide on the platform you’ll be delivering it.
Set up all the components you’ll need to ultimately deliver your live content—links, welcome emails, a VA, etc.—so that you’re ready to go. As you deliver your live content, you will load up your recordings into your course platform for your paying members to access.
Step 6: Promote a 48-Hour Flash Sale Offer
Your 48-hour flash sale offer will include two emails:
The first is sent to your Early Interest list and informs them of your limited time offer, what’s included in the program, the number of spots available, and a link to your checkout page. Your second email gives them one more chance to sign up. In this step, you also have the option to include a webinar training as part of your pre-sell strategy.
Step 7: Deliver Your Content
You’re now done with the selling portion of your pre-sell offer. All that’s left is delivering your content!
Remember to create your slide decks, prepare any cheat sheets or other bonuses, remind your students before each new training, and then upload your content to your member’s site once you’re done delivering it.
Links mentioned in this episode:
SamCart 90-Day Trial LeadPages Pro Trial Kajabi Free Trial Course Creation Resources: Episode #49: How to Know if Your Idea is Profitable
Episode #107: How Do I Price My Online Course?
Episode #133: How to Get Unstuck in Your Course Creation Process
Episode #206: The Post-It Content Creation Mini Training
Webinar Resources: Episode #130: How to Sell on a Webinar (Without Being Overly Salesy)
Episode #145: 13 Questions to Nail Down Your Winning Webinar Topic and Title
Episode #211: 5 Things I Said Yes to In The Early Years (But Say No to Now)