15 Ways to Promote Your Course on Social Media | Template

Article by Nelli Gevorgyan / Updated at .28 Jan 2025
17 min read
15 Ways to Promote Your Course on Social Media | Template

Promoting your online course on social media can be a game changer in terms of opportunities for reaching your target audience and driving enrollment. However, with billions of users across social media platforms, there is also a lot of competition. 

In this guide, we will delve deeper into the ways and strategies of effectively promoting your course on social media. Through extensive research, which also included interviewing industry experts on the matter, we are ready to present strategies that work. 

Also, we included a template for a social media content plan for one week. You can follow the example in the template, which will help you promote your course offer and give more ideas. Download your Social Media Content Plan to Promote an Online Course,” and let’s get started. 

 

Pre-launch strategies from experts to promote your course 

I just know that you can’t wait to dive into the practical section. So, without further ado, let’s get into it. 

#1 Share teaser videos 

Teaser videos are an excellent option to promote your courses on social media. These help to create anticipation and build curiosity by giving your audience a sneak peek of what they can potentially expect. 

Here are a few ideas for teaser videos you can leverage: 

  • Highlight key lessons or transformations your course provides, such as “How I grew my email list to 10,000 subscribers in 3 months.”
  • Use storytelling to show how your course solves a problem or helps achieve a goal.
  • Do a before-after teaser video showcasing what a person had before versus after taking a course, focusing on the person becoming more successful. For instance, if it’s an investing course, you can show your bank account balance’s growth after taking the course. 

Ali Abdaal, who is a productivity expert and one of the best course creators in the current market, frequently shares this type of content on his social media pages. Ali is particularly active on Instagram. He published reels on productivity, sharing not only tips but also teasers. These videos highlight the benefits in under a minute, creating buzz among his audience. 

#2 Go live to present what is to come  

Leverage the power of live functionality on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to scale your business. Live sessions not only help you connect with your audience but also allow you to promote your pages to new users on social media, expanding your reach. 

Real-time interactions are also a great way to create immediate engagement and provide a platform for the users to connect with you as a creator on a deeper level. This directly impacts customer relationships, allowing you to build long-term and trustworthy relationships. 

Here are a few live session ideas you can use: 

  • Use the live session to present your course syllabus. 
  • Host a Q&A live session.
  • Host a short educational and free live session about a topic the audience is most interested in. In a sense, this will be a more compact version of a webinar. 
  • Connect with your audience via live sessions, answering more personal questions about career development and asking your audience questions. 
  • Interact with the students, occasionally hosting a live session by joining one of them for 1:1 interaction in front of the audience. Instagram, for instance, offers this feature, allowing two or more creators to host one live. 
  • Host a duet live with another creator to promote your courses among their audience. 
  • Include a special live-only discount or bonus for early sign-ups.

Vanessa Lau, a social media strategist, frequently goes live on Instagram to preview her upcoming courses. She uses this time to share success stories and provide actionable tips, creating excitement around her launch. 

#3 Jump on trends and make it about your topic 

Trending content is one of the best ways to drive high levels of visibility awareness, and “go viral,” as people like to say. By making trending content relevant to your course, you can capture the attention of your target audience while showcasing your expertise. 

For instance, you can: 

  • Use trending audio on Instagram reels and TikTok, and pair them with relevant videos and captions for your course topics or area of expertise. 
  • Participate in viral challenges by tailoring them to your niche. For instance, shoot a “a day in the life” video but focus on your life as a course creator. 
  • Share memes or relatable content tied to your course to create sharable posts. 

Erin On Demand, a business coach, frequently uses trending TikTok sounds to create a reel showcasing the benefits of her online course in an entertaining and informative way.

#4 Use meme marketing as shareable content 

Make use of memes and relevant content in general. You can make every topic of your course sharable with the right choice of memes. Plus, they will help to encourage audience interaction and organic growth. 

Helen Hicks, a parenting coach, emphasized the importance of relatable marketing, stating, “It’s not about oversharing personal stories, but rather making the content relatable in ways that make people feel seen.” 

For instance, personally, I don’t pay attention to paid ads, but I do pay attention to memes. If I see a course creator promoting a relevant course via a meme, I would appreciate the creativity even more and actually check out the offering. 

So, here are a few ideas on what to do with memes and shareable content: 

  • Create memes that reflect the struggles in your niche in a creative way. E.g., “what everyone thinks digital marketers do versus reality.” 
  • Pair each meme with a subtle CTA like “Tired of this? I can help…” 

Vanessa Lau is one of the creators who frequently creates humorous and relatable content, whether memes or reels, on Instagram to connect with her audience. She also subtly promotes her courses. Her memes generally tend to highlight common struggles in growing a personal brand. 

#5 Create countdown posts 

Countdown posts are an excellent way to leverage the power of social media in building anticipation. You can use these to remind followers about the upcoming course or other product’s launch date. 

For instance, almost every time, it works for me. Every time I see a countdown post on something, I am excited to stay tuned to see the final result. Secondly, if I see an offer alongside it, I may consider an early signup. These posts create urgency and have huge potential to drive conversions, especially if they are paired with the right offers. 

Uwe Jens Gemba, an educational entrepreneur, explained, “It’s about creating a connection between the content and the person. You build anticipation when people know something valuable is coming.”

  • Instagram offers a countdown sticker in the stories option. Use the sticker to announce about an upcoming webinar, e.g., “5 Days Left Reserve Your Spot Now.”
  • Shate “X Days to Go” Posts with behind-the-scenes content to promote your upcoming course and make sure the audience anticipates the upcoming launch. 
  • Promote offers for early sign-ups to encourage enrollment. For instance, offer a 20% discount to people who enroll within 24 hours of the post's publication. 

Amy Porterfield uses countdown posts to create some buzz about her new courses or the Academy launch. She paid them with engaging behind-the-scenes content and course teasers. So, there is definitely a thing or two you can learn from checking out her social media accounts in terms of building anticipation. 

#6 Use polls for engagement 

If you plan on engaging the audience on social media, polls are your good partner. Before the course launch, you can use polls to build anticipation and gain feedback about the course. This may even help you add or remove unnecessary content from the course, perfecting the event further. 

But polls do not necessarily have to be about feedback. You can make many kinds, such as: 

  • Feedback Polls, e.g., rest course ideas by asking, “Which bonus would you find more useful: templates or live Q&As?”
  • Fun Q&A Polls, e.g., “Your favorite productivity hack.” 
  • Personal Preference Polls (e.g., coffee or tea to get to know the audience better)

Helen Hicks reflected on community-driven insights, saying, “If I get feedback from people where they’re really struggling with a specific area, I’ll create another lesson and add that to the course.”

Let’s once more reflect on Vanessa’s example as she utilizes social media quite well when it comes to building engagement with the audience. She frequently creates polls to gather insights about her audience’s preferences, tailor courses to their needs, and also to host fun experiences for her viewers. 

#7 Start a challenge 

A creative way to increase social media engagement and drive sales is to start a challenge. Challenges are great for encouraging participation and creating a sense of community. Plus, challenges are one of the proven ways of generating extra buzz, leading to sign-ups. 

Uwe Jens Gemba emphasized action and engagement, stating, “It’s your engagement with the world that will allow you to become an entrepreneur.”

For instance, let’s say you are a fitness creator. You can start a 75 Hard Challenge and encourage sign-ups. In order to be part of the challenge, the audience simply has to become part of the community. During the challenge period, you can build close relationships with members and turn them into clients down the road to sign up for personal consultations or programs. 

Here are a few other ideas for you as a course creator who decided to host challenges: 

  • Launch a challenge like “Create Your First E-Book,” offering small tasks to the audience each day. 
  • Share daily prompts to encourage participants of the challenge to stay tuned and complete tasks. 
  • Provide participants with worksheets and downloadable templates if you are hosting a challenge that potentially requires it, like “saving challenges” (great for finance coaches) or “healthy eating/exercise habits” challenges (great for fitness and wellness coaches). 

For instance, Lena Lifts is a creator who also sells her wellness journals. She hosts a free community, the “Day by Day Club,” where she frequently does challenges with the members of the audience. The last challenge was a 14-day journaling challenge where participants were supposed to journal every day during 14 14-day time period to build a habit. 

Post-launch strategies from experts to promote your course 

As far as we are clear on the pre-launch strategies, let’s not forget to explore some of the post-launch ones as well. They are also quite good. 

#8 Post students’ success stories 

One of the most efficient ways to sell a course is to build trust around it by showing results previous students have achieved. So, share the success stories of your students on social media. By doing so, you will be able to build trust, credibility, and powerful social proof driving more sales. 


 How does this work? Well, think about it: the success stories act as real-world proof of return on investment. Would you rather pay $100 for a course with reviews or pay the same amount for a course showcasing that students actually achieve X results afterward? 

Here are a few ideas on how to share students success stories: 

  • Ask previous students to create video testimonials, which you can share in reels or short formats, either as standalone reviews or as one video showcasing the results of multiple students. 
  • Publish a carousel post with one review/story on each graphic. 
  • Dedicate a whole post to one success story and elaborate on the results in a short interview format with the student. 
  • Share short quotes or success snippets in your Instagram Stories or as website testimonials. 

Marie Forleo regularly shares the success stories of her students on her website and social media pages. The alumni of her B-School helped her greatly in promoting her school and programs and building trust. 

#9 Use social media retargeting campaigns 

Another efficiency post-launch strategy is using campaign re-targeting to re-engage warm leads. For example, if the leads engaged with the content but did not enroll, then there is a chance that they will do so with the second engagement. 

 “It’s about reaching people where they already are and showing them how to take the next step. Sometimes, they just need a nudge.” 

 

Helen Hicks, parenting coach

A few campaign retargeting ideas are: 

  • Use FB or Instagram ads to target people who have already visited your course page but have not signed up. 
  • Create an ad that features a success story or client testimonial with a limited-time discount. 

Amy Porterfield, a digital marketing expert, utilizes Facebook retargeting ads to engage potential students who have shown interest in her courses but haven't enrolled. She crafts personalized ads highlighting course benefits and limited-time offers. 

#10 Host Ask-Me-Anything sessions 

Ask Me Anything sessions foster trust and transparency, allowing your audience to get immediate responses to their questions. Also, these sessions are great as they allow you to position yourself as an expert on the subject matter, highlight your expertise, and address potential doubts. 

Here are a few ideas for Ask-Me-Anything sessions: 

  • Host a Live Q&A session on Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn, focusing on your course’s benefits.
  • Use the Instagram Q&A sticker to gather questions in advance and answer them during your session.
  • Record the session and repurpose key moments as short clips for social media.

Pat Flynn regularly hosts “Ask Pat” sessions, which answer the audience's questions about online business and course creation. These interactive sessions help him build trust and directly engage with the members of his audience, increasing the likelihood of them making a purchase. 

#11 Share how you got there in carousels 

Telling your personal story is a great way to be “relevant,” which is very important for success on social media. Why do you think influencers have higher engagement rates than celebrities? Their secret is relevancy. 

Sharing your personal journey in carousel posts makes you authentic. It also provides more opportunities for the audience to connect with you on a deeper level. They may not connect to someone who achieved X level of success but connect to the version of you that just got started on their journey. 

So make sure to: 

  • Create a “My Journey” carousel outlining key steps in your story.
  • Include stats or milestones, such as “From earning $500/month to $5K/month.”
  • End the carousel with a CTA like, “I’ll teach you how I did it in my course—link in bio!”

Jasmine Star, a business strategist, shares Instagram carousel posts detailing her journey from photographer to business coach. These posts offer insights and lessons, inspiring her audience and promoting her educational programs.

#12 Use your existing network of colleagues

Helen Hicks stated, “Sometimes, the people you’ve already worked with become your biggest advocates. They know the value you bring.”


So, make sure to use your professional network to amplify your reach. You can ask your colleagues and acquaintances to share your posts on their socials or simply follow your pages. Trusted colleagues in the right niches will help you introduce your offerings to a wider market. 

For instance, as a course creator, you can collaborate with one of your fellow course curator colleagues. More specifically, here are a few ideas you can utilize: 

  • Collaborate with colleagues to host a webinar or co-create content.
  • Offer referral bonuses or affiliate commissions to incentivize promotion.
  • Ask for testimonials from colleagues who’ve benefited from your expertise.

You can learn how to do this from Michael Hyatt. He is a leadership mentor who collaborates with peers like Amy Porterfield and Pat Flynn for joint webinars and podcasts.

#13 Repurpose content for different platforms 

Repurposing content allows you to maximize the use of existing materials, reaching wider audiences while saving time. So, make sure to adapt content pieces to each platform to maximize lifespan and impact. 

Here are a few ideas on how to go around it: 

  • Turn a YouTube tutorial into shorter Instagram Reels or TikToks.
  • Extract quotes from a blog and create shareable graphics for Pinterest or LinkedIn.
  • Compile Instagram Stories into a highlight reel showcasing your course.

If there is one person from whom you can learn content repurposing (besides our team), it is Marie Forleo. She repurposes her content across various platforms to maximize reach. For instance, she transforms her YouTube videos into blog posts, social media snippets, and podcast episode

#14 Post in relevant communities 

Posting in niche communities allows you to position yourself as an expert and connect with potential students. 

For instance, you can share: 

  • Helpful tips and free resources in Facebook groups related to your course 
  • Answer questions on Reddit and Quora that are connected to your industry 
  • Partner with community admins and host webinars. 

 Gillian Perkins, an online business strategist, actively participates in Facebook groups related to entrepreneurship. She shares valuable insights and links to her courses. This strategy helps Gillian to establish herself as an authority and attract potential students. 

#15 Encourage social media mentions 

Finally, let’s elaborate a bit more on the last tip on today’s list. Do not forget to encourage social media mentions. Social media mentions are great. Think about a common situation. You asked your friend to mention you in their story, and then, all of a sudden, some new people ended up checking your profile. A similar thing happens when others mention your business pages in their posts or stories. 

For instance, you can: 

  • Ask students to share their progress using a hashtag applicable to your school or brand. 
  • Offer small incentives, like free resources, for tagging your course on social media. 

Also, a pro tip is to highlight mentions in YOUR STORIES to show appreciation. However, do not overload the audience with mention reposts either. If there is an overwhelming amount of mentions you do not wish to share, simply do a story appreciating students who mentioned your pages. 

Rachel promotes the use of the hashtag #Next90Challenge during her courses and challenges, inspiring participants to post their progress. She reshared user posts during live events to foster community engagement. 

Promote with your own platform and website.

If you are ready to get started, then there is no better place… Uteach is your ultimate partner in kickstarting your course creation business, driving sales, and monetizing your knowledge like a pro. 

The platform offers everything from website and course builder to robust analytics and built-in marketing tools. Schedule a free demo with our team to find out more about what we have to offer and how we can help you expand your business. 

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TL;DR
  ? Too Long; Didn't Read

To effectively promote a course on social media, you need to focus on creating engaging and informative content that highlights the value of your course. Make sure to share sneak peeks and success stories, hop on social media trends, and create sharable content to build excitement. Overall, on social media, use eye-catching visuals, host Q&As, and maintain a consistent publishing schedule to build audience trust.


Do not forget to promote your courses through social media by using paid ads. These will help expand your reach and target specific user demographics.


Selling a course on social media involves creating a sense of urgency and value for potential buyers. Craft compelling posts that emphasize the outcomes and benefits of your course, include calls to action, and use limited-time offers. Also, share students' success stories, host live sessions, and share teaser videos on your courses.