Why you should create a free online course

Not long ago, I was listening to a podcast for online content creators.  The host was talking about some of his successes and failures in online business, but overall, things have gone well for him.  He earns a healthy income from the work he's doing online, but he's had to change his approach over time.

One of the changes he made was to move away from teaching live to creating courses.  I kind of got the impression that he may have been burned out on working directly with people, and he was taking a different approach.

Personally, I like taking an all of the above strategy when it comes to offering online content, but it's interesting to hear the answers I get when I ask others, "If you could make 100% of your income from selling online courses, would that appeal to you?"  For various reasons, many people find that highly appealing.

Maybe that idea appeals to you as well, or maybe you're just looking to make courses a part of what you offer online.  Either way, whether you'd like to sell courses or not, I'd like to make a suggestion.  Consider creating a course that you offer to your audience for free.

At present, I offer free courses on both of my online platforms.  The core reason I'm doing that is because I believe in practicing generosity, but there are secondary reasons as well.  Let me walk you through some of them.

1.  Free courses demonstrate the value you offer.

One of my favorite secondary benefits of a free course is the fact that it can introduce new people to the kind of value you offer.  When people take your free courses, they will hear you teach, experience your personality in new ways, and experience the benefits of your wisdom.

When people start associating the content you create with genuine value, your authority in your particular space or subject matter will noticeably grow.

2.  Free courses are easier to share on social media.

One of the biggest mistakes I see people making via their personal social media accounts is the mistake of attempting to sell products and services to their friends and family.  For most people, their biggest social media audience is people who know them well, typically from other contexts in life.  It's possible that some of those people will become your clients, but most will not.  It's almost always a mistake to attempt to sell to that group of people.

If you have a free course, however, the people you're closest with aren't going to get highly annoyed when you occasionally share about it.  You'll probably also discover that some of them will be willing to share it with others.  This is where your friendships and the trust you've built with friends and family over the years can really become a huge help to the business you're also trying to build.

If someone doesn't know you well, a free course can help them get to know you.  Likewise, if they don't know you well, they aren't likely to buy a course from you without becoming familiar with what you do.  Offering a free course can help bridge that gap.

3.  Free courses are effective tools for building an email list.

Most successful online entrepreneurs will tell you that their email list is the profit center of their business.  If you take the time to grow a healthy and active list, you're very likely going to make more sales because you'll have direct access to the people who appreciate what you do and trust you enough to let you show up in their inbox each week.

One of the most effective ways I've been able to grow my email lists has been through free courses.  In fact, I think it's pretty accurate to say that may be the most effective way I've built my lists.  I give away free courses on both of my platforms, and in both cases, that results in regular, if not daily, email signups.

4.  Free courses can lead to more coaching opportunities.

Because courses build trust, authority, and familiarity, they also have the capacity to lead to additional coaching opportunities.  People want to hear from and be guided by voices they trust and have learned from in the past.

Coaching can become a huge part of your online business.  For many online entrepreneurs, it's their major source of revenue and the steadiest form of recurring income they earn.

5.  Free courses can lead to more speaking opportunities.

If speaking is something you enjoy, a free course can be a helpful thing to offer in your portfolio when establishing relationships with new clients and organizations.  It's a unique context where they can get a good glimpse of the work you do and determine if your content would be the right fit for their audience.

This can be particularly helpful if you're looking to do more interactive workshops.

6.  Free courses are great products to offer when you're doing interviews.

When I'm a guest on a podcast, radio show, or online summit, I like to have something ready that I can freely offer the listening audience at the end of the interview.  Inevitably, the host is going to give you an opportunity to share about your website or other ways people can connect with you once the interview concludes.  Wouldn't it be nice to make a permanent connection with those who are listening by inviting them into your online ecosystem?

The perceived value of a course is higher than many other digitally deliverable items.  Online courses often cost hundreds of dollars.  If you're willing to offer something like that for free, the likelihood of developing a long-term relationship with those who are listening to you speak will increase.

Wrapping up...

So, with all that in mind, let me encourage you to brainstorm a few ideas for free courses that you could offer your audience.  Offering something like that without charge might be a huge benefit for the clients you serve while also being a benefit to your platform as well.

© John Stange, 2025