Your step-by-step guide to launching as quickly and low cost as possible + free resources!
Launching an online course doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or time-consuming…despite the fact that you’re probably overwhelmed from the 1,000+ instagram ads that have hit your feed lately where everyone is pitching you a different method of launching.
The truth is, you can get your course up and running quickly and at a low cost while focusing on delivering real results for your audience. Adding a course, templates vault, digital membership or similar offer is a smart choice for any business owner who wants to add an additional revenue stream to their business in 2025.
Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!
Step 1: BUILD – Create Your Course as Quickly & Low Cost as Possible
The key to launching fast is simplicity. Instead of trying to create an all-encompassing course that takes months to develop, prioritize an A-to-B learning outcome—meaning your course should take people from point A (their problem) to point B (the result they want).
Focus on delivering a tangible, clear outcome that helps your audience achieve a specific goal quickly. As I’ve mentioned in this blog post about 2025 Online Course predictions, micro-learning is the direction the industry is headed. Shorter courses will outperform long ones in 2025.
To build your course without breaking the bank, here are some low-cost tools to help you get started. And by the way – there is no one size-fits-all for course platforms. There are about 1,000 different ones out there, and many of them are very good. The key is finding the one that you like, you find easy to use, and that fits your goals and your budget.
Stan.Store
Stan.Store is perfect if you’re looking for a visually appealing, mobile-friendly solution to host your course. This is probably my favorite platform for most creators, especially if you are either 1) new to digital offers and need a low cost solution or 2) you have a large social media audience to send to your online course.
Reasons I recommend Stan.Store
- Aesthetic link-in-bio sales page – Create a beautiful sales page that’s optimized for mobile.
- 14-Day Free Trial – Get started with no upfront cost.
- $29/month – Host your course affordably after the trial.
- Easy drag-and-drop course builder – Build your course quickly, even if you have zero tech skills.
Stan.Store is great for creators who want an easy, visually appealing solution and don’t need tons of complicated features. It’s very easy to build courses on Stan, plus you can host your freebies, coaching, memberships, communities, and subscriptions in Stan. You can also host your email list in the PRO subscription ($99/mo).
Skool
If community is important to your course, Skool is a fantastic option.
- The best for growing community – Think of it as a mix between Facebook groups and an online classroom, but 100 times better.
- 14-Day Free Trial – Test it out for free before committing.
- $99/month – Host your course and grow your community in one place.
- Drag-and-drop course builder – Just like Stan.Store, Skool makes it super easy to build your course.
Skool is perfect if you plan to build a community around your course or offer group coaching. However, if your course is more content-based and doesn’t need community features, it might not be necessary for you.
Kit
If you’re already using Kit (formerly ConvertKit) for your email marketing, you can also host your digital products here—for free if you don’t need advanced hosting features.
- Host digital products – You can use Kit’s built-in tools to sell your course and deliver it through email.
- No hosting fees – Just pay transaction fees (3.5% + $0.30 per sale).
- Simple delivery – Use daily or weekly email sequences to drip content out to your audience.
As simple as this sounds though…it’s really only ideal for a very simple product like a PDF or a link to a single video workshop. You can’t host multiple lessons and there is no community option.
I think using Kit is a great option if you want to test a digital product offer before investing in a platform like Stan.Store or Skool. It’s also useful if you’re already familiar with the platform and prefer to keep everything in one place.
Google Workspace
For those looking to keep things really simple and low-cost, Google Workspace is a great way to get your course out there.
- Host video calls in Google Meet – Perfect for live coaching sessions or Q&As.
- Create all course assets in Google – Use Google Docs for written notes, Google Sheets for checklists, and Google Slides for presentations.
- $9.99/month – Use Google Workspace to manage your email, files, and calendar in one place.
Google Workspace is the ultimate DIY option for someone who wants to test an idea or offer without committing to a course-hosting platform right away.
Other options worth looking into: Teachable, Teachery, Thinkific, Kajabi, Podia. These are some of the “big players” in course platforms, but in my experience, they aren’t always the best for several reasons. The platform are massive, which means you end up paying for a lot of features you don’t need or won’t ever use. Tech support can also be a challenge and I’ve even had clients with payout delays from their own courses because customer service was so slow. (Side note: a little personal story – Teachable got my W2 wrong one year and never corrected it, which turned out to be a huge accounting headache for my CPA).
Step 2: PLAN – Everything You Need to Launch a Digital Offer
Launching an online course isn’t just about building the course itself—it’s about planning and validating your idea before you get too far down the road.
Here’s what you need to do to ensure a successful launch:
1. Validate Your Idea
Before you build anything, make sure there’s demand for your course. Conduct market research by looking at your competition, gathering insights from your audience, and analyzing what’s working in your niche. Ask yourself:
- What problem does your course solve?
- Is this something your audience would pay for?
- How is your course different from others on the market?
Doing this upfront will save you time and money, ensuring that you’re creating something people actually want. I have also found ways to speed up this entire process by using AI.
2. Outline Your Offer & Choose Your Launch Plan
Once you’ve validated your idea, it’s time to outline your course. Keep it simple—what are the main modules or lessons your audience needs to achieve the A-to-B outcome? Don’t overcomplicate it.
Then, decide how you’ll launch. Do you want to start with a pre-sale to gauge interest? Or will you do a full launch with pre-launch marketing? Both options can work, but pre-sales can help you confirm that there’s interest before you spend too much time creating content.
3. Choose Your Platform
Based on your course’s needs and your audience, pick the platform that works best for you.
4. Build Your Offer + Pre-Launch Marketing
Now, it’s time to build your course. With a simple drag-and-drop course builder like the platforms I mentioned above (primarily Skool & Stan.Store) or a straightforward email sequence, you can get everything up and running quickly.
I recommend that you outline your entire course and make a list of every asset you need (slides, videos, pictures, etc) before you begin. It will help you stay organized and break up your long to do list into shorter, easier to finish tasks.
While you’re building, start warming up your audience with pre-launch marketing. Share behind-the-scenes content, tease your course, and get your audience excited about what’s coming.
Step 3: LAUNCH – Execute Your Marketing Plan
You’ve built your course, validated your idea, and created buzz around your offer. Now it’s time to launch! Here’s how to make it a success:
- Use urgency and scarcity – Let your audience know that your course is only available for a limited time or that there are limited spots to create urgency.
- Offer early-bird pricing – Reward those who join early with a special discount.
- Engage with your audience – Answer questions, host live Q&As, and provide additional content during the launch period to drive sales.
Remember, the goal of a successful launch is to get as many eyes on your course as possible, so make sure to use a variety of marketing channels (email, social media, etc.) to reach your audience.
Free Resources to Help You Get Started
Here are some free tools to help you with your course launch:
- My 2025 Trend Predictions + list of digital course & offer ideas
- My insane AI prompts to help you generate your offer idea
Conclusion
Launching an online course in 2025 doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. By focusing on simple, actionable steps and using affordable tools, you can get your course up and running quickly without a huge investment. Whether you’re creating your course from scratch or testing out a new idea, this guide will help you launch with confidence.
Ready to take the plunge? Start building your course today and launch your digital offer before the year ends. I’ve got 10 insanely good Chatgpt prompts that will generate your online course idea for you in seconds!
