How to Sell Courses Online: A Guide for People Who Don't Feel Like Experts

Let me be honest with you. Selling your knowledge online really just comes down to two things: solving a real problem for someone and building enough trust that they actually believe you can help them. It's got nothing to do with fancy degrees or a massive following. It's about sharing what you've learned in a way that helps someone who's just a few steps behind you.

Ditching the Expert Myth for Good

Can I tell you something? For years, I was convinced I needed to have everything perfectly figured out before I could teach anyone anything. I spent all my time lurking in the shadows, devouring every book and podcast, just waiting for the day I'd finally feel "ready."

That day never showed up.

Instead, I just felt more and more like an imposter. Every single time I thought about creating something, that little voice in my head would start whispering: 'Who are you to teach this? There are people out there who know way more than you.' Sound familiar?

That voice is the single biggest roadblock when you want to sell courses online. It's not the tech, the marketing, or even coming up with the idea. It's the "Expert Myth"—this deep-seated belief that you need to be some flawless, all-knowing guru before you're even allowed to share what you know.

The Realisation That Changed Everything

Here's the thing I've discovered—and something I have to remind myself of all the time: nobody is looking for a perfect guru on a mountaintop. They're looking for a guide. A real, relatable person who remembers exactly what it feels like to be stuck where they are right now.

Think about it for a second. Who would you rather learn from?

• The genius who was born brilliant and can't even remember what it's like to struggle?
• Or the person who was in your exact shoes six months ago, found a way through the mess, and can now show you the path?

I'd pick the second person every single time. Their struggles are still fresh, their solutions are practical, and their empathy is entirely genuine.

What if the very thing you think disqualifies you—your recent struggles, your imperfect journey—is actually your single greatest asset?

This is the entire philosophy behind what I call the "Anti-Expert" approach. It's all about permitting yourself to teach from the messy middle. It's about documenting your journey, sharing what you're learning as you learn it, and building an audience that trusts you because you're real, not because you're perfect.

Your Journey Is Your Superpower

Once you really embrace this mindset, the pressure just vanishes. You no longer have to pretend you have all the answers. You're not selling some flawless system; you're offering a map of the terrain you just managed to navigate. Honestly, it's a much more powerful—and truthful—way to connect with people.

Your in-progress perspective is what makes you uniquely qualified to help. It's the key to building a community that genuinely trusts you and actually wants to learn from you. If you're starting to piece this all together, our guide on how to create digital products might be a helpful next step.

So, let's make a deal. For the rest of this guide, I want you to put that "Who am I?" voice on mute. You are enough, right now, exactly as you are. You have valuable experience, even if it feels small. Let's start from there.

Finding Your First Course Idea in Your Own Journey

Alright, so you're on board with dropping the guru act. Fantastic. That's a huge first step. But it usually leads straight to the next big question, the one that freezes most people in their tracks: what on earth do I actually teach?

Here's the trap everyone falls into. They immediately try to brainstorm some massive, all-encompassing topic. They aim for the "ultimate guide to..." whatever field they're in. And that's a direct flight to feeling overwhelmed and like a total fraud all over again.

Let me be brutally honest with you... My best-selling ideas have never come from a place of expertise. Not once. They've come from looking at my own recent messes and asking one simple question: "What problem did I just solve for myself?"

Look for the 'Recent Win', Not the 'Lifetime Achievement'

Your first course idea isn't hiding on your CV or in your list of qualifications. It's buried in your browser history from three months ago. It's that nagging, frustrating problem you finally wrestled into submission after weeks of trial and error.

You need to think smaller. Much smaller.

Instead of creating "How to Build a Successful Online Business," what about "How I Set Up My First Simple Sales Page Without Wanting to Throw My Laptop Out the Window"?

Instead of "Mastering Social Media Marketing," what about "The 5-Post Content System I Used to Get My First 100 Followers"?

These are the golden nuggets. Why? Because they're specific, they're recent, and you remember exactly what it felt like to be on the other side of that problem. This raw, recent memory is where your most valuable, relatable, and authentic teaching comes from.

Your course doesn't need to cover A to Z. It just needs to get someone from A to B—from the exact problem you just had to the simple solution you just found. That's it. That's the entire product.

To truly grasp this mindset shift, it helps to view the two approaches side by side. We're moving away from the old, intimidating model of course creation and into something far more achievable and authentic.

Finding Your Course Idea: Expert Model vs Journey Model Aspect

See the difference? The 'Journey' model isn't about pretending to have reached the destination; it's about handing someone a map for the small part of the road you just navigated. It's lighter, more honest, and infinitely more doable.

Turn 'Market Research' into Honest Conversations

Traditional advice tells you to do 'market research,' a term that sounds cold, corporate, and frankly, terrifying. It brings up images of complex spreadsheets, surveys, and focus groups. I used to think I had to do all that, and it paralysed me.

But what if the best way to validate your idea is to… just talk about what you're learning, right now?

You don't need a formal launch plan or a slick sales page to see if your idea has legs. Just start sharing the journey publicly.

• Document your solution: Write a quick social media post or a short blog entry about the specific problem you solved. Share the frustrating 'before' and the relieved 'after.'
• Share a single, quick tip: What was the one tiny insight that finally made things click? Share just that.
• Be vulnerable: Talk openly about how frustrating the problem was. People connect with the struggle far more than they do with a perfect, polished solution.

When someone replies with, "Oh my god, I'm stuck on that right now!"—that's it. That's your validation. That's not a sales lead; it's a real person you can genuinely help. Your 'market research' suddenly becomes a series of simple, honest, human conversations.

It all comes together in a beautifully simple loop of learning, sharing, and connecting with the people who will eventually become your students.

This image perfectly captures the essence of what we're doing here: transforming our own journey into a story that helps others, and creating a simple yet powerful way to sell courses online.

And don't for a second think these "small" skills aren't in demand. The Australian Training Market, which includes online courses, is projected to rocket from USD 1.50 billion in 2025 to USD 2.71 billion by 2032. This isn't just a fleeting trend; it's a massive economic shift driven by real skill shortages. People are actively looking for guides to help them bridge those gaps. You can read more about the incredible growth in the Australian training sector to see the opportunity for yourself.

Your small, recent win might just be the exact skill someone else is desperately searching for right now. Never, ever underestimate its value.

Packaging Your Course Without the Overwhelm

Here's the thing. This is the exact spot where most people give up. It's where the buzz from finding your idea meets the terrifying reality of actually making the thing.

I used to think creating a course meant I needed a professional camera, fancy editing software, and a studio that didn't look suspiciously like my spare bedroom.

This terrified me. The tech felt like a huge, insurmountable wall between my idea and helping someone. Let me be honest with you: that's complete and utter rubbish. Your first course shouldn't be a Hollywood-level production. It should be simple, raw, and real.

The focus is on the transformation you provide, not the slickness of your videos.

The Magic of the Minimum Viable Course

What if I told you that your first course doesn't even need to be a course in the traditional sense? I want you to get familiar with a concept I call the "Minimum Viable Course" or MVC.

The question behind the MVC is simple: What's the absolute simplest, fastest way you can deliver the promised result to your student?

Forget what you think a course should look like. Your first version could be any of these:

• A simple PDF guide: A straightforward, step-by-step document with instructions and screenshots.
• A series of unedited screen recordings: Just you, talking through a process on your computer using a tool like Loom.
• A collection of voice notes: Recorded on your phone, walking someone through a concept as if you were leaving them a message.
• A small, live workshop: A 90-minute Zoom call where you teach the concept and answer questions in real-time.

See how the pressure drops away? You're not building a massive video library; you're just creating the most direct path to a solution. My first-ever product was basically a glorified Google Doc. And you know what? It worked. It solved the problem.

Your goal isn't to create a perfect product. It's to make a valuable transformation. How you package that transformation is far less important than the result it delivers.

Embrace "Good Enough" With Simple Tools

When I first started, I made a promise to myself: I wouldn't let technology be the reason I didn't help someone. I committed to using the simplest tools available. And honestly? I still use many of them today.

Here's what my "good enough" toolkit looked like:

• For video: The camera on my smartphone and a free screen recorder called Loom.
• For audio: The standard microphone on my Apple earphones.
• For editing: I didn't. I just hit record, said what I needed to say, and hit stop.
• For hosting: A private, unlisted YouTube video or a simple Google Drive folder.

The reality is, your audience doesn't care about your production value. They care about your ability to solve their problem. A shaky, imperfect video that gives them the exact answer they need is 100 times more valuable than a polished, cinematic masterpiece that doesn't.

"Good enough" is your new best friend. It's the permission you need to get out of your own way and actually get your course into the hands of people who need it.

Simple Pricing That Feels Right

Okay, let's talk about the other scary part: putting a price on it. This used to tie me up in knots. How do you price something when you're not an 'expert'?

You stop thinking about pricing based on your authority and start pricing based on the value of the outcome.

What is it worth to someone to finally solve this problem? What's the value of the time, frustration, and money you're saving them? That's your starting point.

For your first 'Minimum Viable Course,' keep it simple and accessible. Courses often fall within a $50 to $200 range for an initial offering. This price point is low enough to reduce buyer risk but high enough to signal that what you're offering has real value.

Remember, you're not a guru charging guru prices. You're a guide, offering a practical shortcut for a fair exchange. Pick a number that feels good, that honours the work you've put in, and that respects the result you're delivering. You can always change it later.

Marketing That Feels Like Sharing, Not Selling

Let me be honest with you. The word 'marketing' used to make my skin crawl. It brought up images of sleazy salespeople, aggressive pop-up ads, and complicated funnels designed to trick people into buying things.

I hated the idea of becoming that person. Maybe you feel the same way?

Here's what changed everything for me. I realised that when you've been learning in public and documenting your journey, your 'marketing' isn't really marketing at all. It's just the next chapter of the story you're already sharing. It becomes a natural, honest invitation to the people who have been following along.

You don't have to become a salesperson. In fact, please don't. The whole point of this approach is that you get to sell your course by simply being yourself—the helpful, relatable guide your audience already knows and trusts.

The No-Fuss Launch Strategy

For my first course, I had zero budget for ads. I didn't have a complicated email sequence with timers and tripwires. All I had was a small group of people who had been reading my posts and watching me figure things out.

That was it. That was my entire "launch strategy."

My marketing plan was incredibly simple: I just told them what I had made and who it was for. It felt less like a 'launch' and more like a 'Hey, I built this thing to help with that problem we were all talking about last month. Want to check it out?'

This is the beauty of building in public. By the time you're ready to sell, the trust is already baked in. The conversation is already happening. Your offer isn't an interruption; it's the solution they've been waiting for.

Your launch isn't about creating hype. It's about providing a clear next step for the people who have raised their hands and said, "I have that problem too."

Writing Emails and Posts That Actually Connect

The key is to make every piece of communication feel like a personal note to a friend, not a broadcast to a faceless crowd. Ditch the corporate jargon and the over-the-top marketing speak. Just write like you talk.

Here are a few prompts to get you started on crafting your "sales" content without sounding salesy:

• Start with the struggle. Remind your audience of the problem you were all facing. "Remember how frustrating it was trying to figure out X? I spent weeks stuck on it."
• Share the breakthrough. Briefly explain the small win or realisation that led to your solution. "And then I discovered this one simple trick that changed everything..."
• Introduce your course as the shortcut. Position your course as the map you created after navigating the messy terrain. "So, I put together a short guide that walks you through the exact steps I took, so you don't have to make all the same mistakes."
• Be clear about who it's for (and who it's not for). This builds incredible trust. "This is perfect if you're at stage A, but if you're already at stage C, this probably isn't for you."

This method removes all the pressure and sleaze. You're simply sharing, helping, and offering a resource. That's a world away from aggressive selling. For a deeper dive, I've shared more on my approach to authentic online marketing that you might find helpful.

Don't Underestimate the Power of Your Small Audience

You might be thinking, "This is great, Rafa, but I only have 100 people on my email list."

Listen, I'd take an engaged list of 100 people over a disengaged audience of 10,000 any day of the week. Those 100 people chose to be there. They trust you. They are the perfect foundation for your first course.

The goal here isn't a massive, six-figure launch. The goal is to help your first handful of students get a real transformation. Those first happy students will become your most powerful marketing asset through their testimonials and word-of-mouth referrals.

And the opportunity is only growing. The online education market here in Australia is exploding—it was valued at around USD 1.37 billion in 2024 and is expected to hit a massive USD 15.15 billion by 2033. This shows a clear and rising demand for specialised knowledge from relatable guides like you. You can discover more insights about the booming Australian online education market to see the potential for yourself.

Your small, authentic offer is exactly what people are looking for. Your job is to simply make the invitation feel as genuine and helpful as the rest of your journey has been.

Nurturing Your First Students and Building Community

Can I let you in on a secret? The feeling of making that very first sale is something you'll never, ever forget. It's not about the money, not really. It's that electric jolt you get knowing someone out there genuinely trusts you. It's the first real, tangible proof that your journey, your struggles, and the solutions you've pieced together actually have value to someone else.

It's a huge moment. Please, celebrate it.

But here's what nobody really talks about: what happens the day after? What do you do when you have a handful of real, paying students looking to you for guidance? The panic can set in incredibly fast. You might feel this sudden, immense pressure to morph into a perfect, professional teacher overnight.

I'll be honest with you—this part used to terrify me. I thought I needed a huge support team or some perfectly organised, automated system from day one. The reality? For your first group of students, the absolute best thing you can do is show up and continue the journey right alongside them.

From a Transaction to a Community

Your goal isn't just to deliver some videos and then walk away. It's to turn that one-time transaction into the seed of a genuine community. And this doesn't need to be complicated or overwhelming. It's simply about creating a small, safe space where your first students feel seen, heard, and supported.

Think less like a university lecturer and more like a study group leader.

Here are a few simple, manageable ways to make that happen:

• A Private Pop-Up Group: Spin up a simple, temporary group on a platform like Facebook, Slack, or even WhatsApp. This becomes your little clubhouse—a place where people can ask questions, share their wins, and feel like they're in it together.
• Host One Live Q&A Call: Schedule a single Zoom call a week or two after they've started. This isn't for teaching new content; it's just for them. Answering their questions live shows you care and creates a powerful sense of connection that pre-recorded videos just can't match.
• Check In Personally: Send a personal email to each student after a week. Just a simple, "Hey, how's it going? Found any sticky spots yet?" This takes maybe 15 minutes of your time, but makes a world of difference. It shows a level of care they'll never get from a massive, faceless course.

The point isn't to be on call 24/7. It's about demonstrating that you're still the same relatable guide they bought from in the first place. You're still in the trenches with them.

Your First Students Are Your Co-Creators

Now for the plot twist: your first students aren't just customers. They are your co-creators. They hold the secrets to making your course ten times better, but you have to be willing to drop your ego and actually listen.

I made a huge mistake with one of my early products. I was so scared of getting negative feedback that I simply didn't ask for any. Big mistake. The next version was just a slightly more polished version of my own assumptions.

Now, I treat feedback as the most valuable asset I have.

The feedback from your first 10 students is worth more than the assumptions of 10,000 potential ones. They will show you exactly where the gaps are, what's confusing, and what the real 'aha!' moments are.

After my students have had some time with the material, I ask them three simple questions:

1. What was the single most helpful part of the course?
2. Was there any point where you felt confused or stuck?
3. If you were me, what's the one thing you would add or change to make this even better?

Their answers are pure gold. They give you a clear roadmap for iteration. Your goal isn't to launch a perfect course. It's to launch version 1.0, then use real-world feedback to create a slightly better version 1.1. That's how you build something truly valuable over time.

This approach is how you turn your initial buyers into your most passionate advocates. They feel a sense of ownership because they genuinely helped shape it.

The online education space is growing at an incredible pace. In Australia alone, the market was valued at AUD 11.7 billion in 2024 and is expected to climb even higher. This growth shows there's a massive and expanding customer base looking for real solutions online. You can learn more about these trends in the Australian online education market and see the opportunity for yourself.

Your small, tight-knit community is your unique advantage in this growing market. While big players focus on scale, you can focus on connection and build an audience from scratch that truly trusts you. For more on this, check out my thoughts on the best way to build an audience from scratch by focusing on genuine connection. It's about iteration, not perfection. Always.

Got Questions About Selling Your First Course?

I get it. Even after laying out a whole roadmap, a hundred new questions probably start bubbling to the surface. One minute it feels exciting, the next, completely terrifying. That's totally normal.

So, let's just tackle a few of the big ones head-on. These are the questions that land in my inbox all the time.

What if Someone Knows More Than I?

Let's be honest: someone will always know more than you. That's a fact of life. If you wait until you're the undisputed number one expert in the world, you'll be waiting forever.

But here's the thing that took me way too long to realise: they aren't you.

They don't have your unique perspective, your specific story, or your way of explaining things that might click for someone when the "expert's" version never could. Your course isn't for the people who know more than you; it's for the people who are exactly where you were last week, last month, or last year.

You're not selling yourself as the world's leading authority. You're offering a shortcut based on your own recent experience. Your relatability isn't a weakness; it's your superpower.

Do I Need a Big Social Media Following to Sell a Course?

This is one of the biggest myths holding people back, so let me be crystal clear: absolutely not.

I would take a small, engaged group of 50 people who genuinely trust me over a disengaged audience of 50,000 any day of the week. No contest.

The whole 'learn in public' approach is built on creating deep, authentic trust with a small community first. Your first course launch might only be to a handful of people on your email list or a few folks you've connected with in an online forum. That's not just okay—it's ideal.

Your initial goal isn't some massive, six-figure launch. It's to help a few people get a real result, prove your idea works, and build from there. The following grows from the trust you build, not the other way around.

How Much Content Should I Put in My First Course?

Less. Way, way less than you think.

Seriously. The biggest mistake I see people make—and one I've made myself more than once—is trying to create a massive, encyclopaedic course that covers everything they know. All this does is lead to overwhelm for you during creation and, even worse, for your students when they try to learn.

Instead, I want you to focus on the 'Minimum Viable Transformation.'

What is the absolute smallest amount of information your student needs to achieve one specific outcome? Your goal isn't to teach them everything; it's to solve one specific, painful problem for them. A brilliant first course might be four or five short videos and a single worksheet.

Focus on results, not volume. Always.

If you're reading this and feeling that spark—that little voice saying, "Maybe I can do this"—then I'd love to help you take the next step. At Rafael Abellan, we're all about turning your messy, in-progress journey into your greatest asset. Check out my programs and see how we can build this together.

Find out more at https://www.rafaelabellan.com.