Your course is ready. The content is polished. The lessons are recorded. But here’s the problem: you need students, and without an email list, you’re essentially shouting into the void hoping someone might hear you.
The online course market is projected to hit over $1 billion by 2032—which means competition is fierce. The course creators who succeed aren’t necessarily the ones with the best content. They’re the ones who built an engaged audience before launch day.
If you’re launching a course without an email list, you’re making it 10 times harder than it needs to be. Here’s how to build a list of people who actually want to learn from you.
Why Your Email List Determines Course Success
Social media followers are great for vanity metrics. Email subscribers are great for revenue.
Think about it: when you post on Instagram or TikTok, you’re at the mercy of an algorithm that shows your content to maybe 5-10% of your followers. When you email your list, you land directly in their inbox with a 100% delivery rate to people who’ve already raised their hand and said “yes, I want to hear from you.”
70% of e-learning professionals earning more than $100,000 per year identified online courses as their primary revenue source. And nearly all of them built that success on the foundation of a strong email list.
Here’s the reality of course sales: you can expect roughly 1-2% of your email list to convert into paying students during a launch. That means if you want 100 students for a course, you need an email list of at least 5,000-10,000 people. If that number seems overwhelming, don’t worry—the strategies below will help you get there faster than you think.
Lead Magnets That Actually Work for Course Creators
The fastest way to grow your list is by offering something valuable in exchange for an email address. But not just any freebie—you need lead magnets specifically designed to attract your ideal students.
Mini-Courses and Email Challenges
A mini-course or 5-7 day email challenge is hands-down the most effective lead magnet for course creators. Why? Because it lets potential students experience your teaching style before they commit to buying.
Here’s how it works: create a simplified version of your main course topic delivered over 5-7 days via email. Each email contains one actionable lesson. By day 7, subscribers have solved a small version of the problem your full course addresses—and they’re primed to go deeper with your paid offering.
For example, if you’re selling a $997 course on freelance writing, your free mini-course might be “7 Days to Your First Freelance Client.” Each day covers one essential step. By the end, they’ve landed a small gig and proven your method works. Now they’re ready to invest in the advanced strategies your full course teaches.
We’ve seen course creators use our automation features to set up these mini-courses, and the results speak for themselves. One of our customers teaching bushcraft skills grew his list from a few hundred subscribers to thousands by offering a free 5-part video series on fire-building techniques.
Downloadable Resources Your Students Actually Need
Templates, worksheets, and checklists work because they provide immediate value. But the key is making them specific to your course topic.
If you’re teaching social media marketing, don’t offer a generic “content calendar template.” Offer a “30-Day Instagram Reels Content Calendar with Proven Hook Formulas.” That specificity tells people exactly what they’re getting and attracts the right audience.
Other high-converting downloadable lead magnets for course creators:
- Starter kits: A bundle of 3-5 resources that help beginners take their first steps
- Swipe files: Examples they can model (email templates, script frameworks, design examples)
- Assessments or quizzes: Help them identify their starting point or biggest challenge
- Resource lists: Your curated list of tools, books, or resources in your niche
Our AI Writing Assistant makes creating these lead magnets faster than ever. You can generate compelling copy for your free resources in minutes instead of staring at a blank page for hours.
Learn more about creating lead magnets that convert →
Build Landing Pages That Actually Convert Visitors
You need somewhere to send people when they want your lead magnet. A dedicated landing page converts way better than a generic signup form buried in your website footer.
Here’s what makes a landing page convert for course creators:
A clear, benefit-driven headline: Don’t say “Free Guide.” Say “Learn How to Get Your First 3 Clients in 30 Days (Even If You’re Starting From Zero).”
Social proof: Include testimonials, subscriber counts, or results from people who’ve used your free resource. Even if you’re just starting out, you can include your own results or case studies.
One single goal: The only action people should be able to take is signing up for your lead magnet. Remove navigation menus, sidebars, and other distractions. Our landing page builder makes this easy—you get clean, focused pages that guide visitors toward one action.
Mobile optimization: Over 50% of your traffic will come from phones. We automatically optimize every landing page for mobile, so you don’t lose conversions from smartphone users.
You can create a professional landing page in under 30 minutes using our drag-and-drop builder. We give you 100+ templates specifically designed for course creators, coaches, and educators. Just add your copy, customize the colors to match your brand, and you’re live.
Content Marketing Strategies That Fill Your List While You Sleep
Publishing valuable content is the long-game strategy that compounds over time. Every blog post, video, or podcast episode you create becomes a 24/7 salesperson working to grow your list.
Blog Posts That Target Student Pain Points
Write content that answers the exact questions your ideal students are typing into Google. Use keyword research to find topics with search volume, then create genuinely helpful content that solves their problem.
At the end of every post, offer your lead magnet as the next logical step. If someone just read your 2,000-word guide on “How to Structure Your First Online Course,” they’re primed to download your “Course Planning Template.”
YouTube Videos with Strategic CTAs
Video content builds trust faster than text because people see your face, hear your voice, and get a sense of your teaching style. Create tutorials, Q&A videos, or case study breakdowns relevant to your course topic.
In every video:
- Mention your free lead magnet multiple times
- Pin a comment with the link to your landing page
- Include the link in your video description
- Add a clickable card during the video
Guest Content on Established Platforms
Write guest posts for popular blogs in your niche. Contribute to newsletters with established audiences. Appear on relevant podcasts as a guest expert.
The key is providing massive value in the guest content, then mentioning your lead magnet at the end as a resource for people who want to go deeper. You’re borrowing someone else’s audience credibility to grow your own list.
Turn Social Media Followers Into Email Subscribers
Your social media following is valuable—but only if you convert those followers into email subscribers.
Optimize Your Bio for List Growth
Your social media bio should do one thing: drive people to your lead magnet landing page. Update your link-in-bio to point directly to your highest-converting lead magnet.
Use clear language like:
- “Get my free 5-day email course →”
- “Download the exact template I use →”
- “Join 10,000+ students learning [your topic] →”
Create Teaser Content That Drives Clicks
Share valuable tips on social media, but hold back the complete solution. Your posts should demonstrate your expertise while creating curiosity about the full resource.
For example: “Here are 3 ways I grew my Instagram following to 50K. Want the other 7 strategies that did the heavy lifting? Grab my free guide—link in bio.”
Run Challenges or Workshops
Host a free 5-day challenge on Instagram Stories or in a Facebook Group. Require participants to sign up with their email to receive daily tasks and resources. This strategy combines social media engagement with list building—and participants get to experience your teaching approach before your course launches.
We’ve seen creators add thousands of subscribers in a single week using this method. Our automation features make it easy to deliver daily challenge emails without manual work.
Strategic Partnerships and Collaborations
You don’t have to build your list alone. Partner with other creators who serve the same audience but aren’t direct competitors.
Bundle Giveaways
Team up with 5-10 other course creators in complementary niches. Each person contributes their best lead magnet or a free mini-course. Promote the bundle together, and everyone who enters gives their email address to all participants.
A fitness course creator might partner with a meal prep expert, a mindfulness coach, a sleep optimization specialist, and a habit-building instructor. Their combined audiences grow everyone’s list faster than going solo.
Guest Teaching and Webinars
Offer to teach a free workshop for someone else’s audience. They get valuable content for their community, and you get exposure to qualified potential students. At the end of your presentation, offer your lead magnet as the next step.
Podcast and YouTube Collaboration Swaps
Appear as a guest on podcasts and YouTube channels in your niche. Then invite those creators to appear on your platform. Cross-promotion like this introduces you to new audiences who already trust the person recommending you.
Student Referral Programs That Leverage Your Best Advocates
Your happiest students are your best marketers. Create a system that rewards them for spreading the word.
Offer Incentives for Referrals
Give current students an exclusive resource, discount on your next course, or access to a private community when they refer friends who sign up for your email list.
Make it easy by providing pre-written social media posts and email templates they can share. Include a unique referral link for each student so you can track who’s driving the most signups.
Create Shareable Student Success Stories
Document student wins and transformations. Turn these into case studies or testimonial graphics that students can share on social media. When their network sees real results, they’ll want to join your list to learn more.
Explore more list-building strategies →
Webinar Funnels That Convert Curious Visitors Into Eager Students
Webinars remain one of the highest-converting tools for course creators. A well-executed webinar can add hundreds of subscribers to your list and convert 10-30% of attendees into paying students.
The Registration Page Is Your List Builder
When someone registers for your webinar, you capture their email. Even if they don’t attend live or buy your course, they’re now on your list and you can nurture them over time.
Promote your webinar everywhere—social media, guest blog posts, YouTube videos, paid ads. Each registration grows your list with people who’ve demonstrated strong interest in your topic.
Deliver Massive Value During the Webinar
Your webinar should teach something actionable, not just tease your course. Give attendees a quick win they can implement immediately. This builds trust and demonstrates your teaching ability.
After you’ve delivered value, make an offer for your course with clear next steps. Include a time-sensitive bonus or discount for people who enroll during or immediately after the webinar.
Automated Replay Sequences
Not everyone can attend live. Set up an automated email sequence that sends the replay to registrants who didn’t show up. This sequence should include:
- Email 1: Replay link with key takeaways
- Email 2: Student success story relevant to the webinar topic
- Email 3: Course offer with FAQs addressed
- Email 4: Last chance reminder before replay expires
Our automation builder makes setting up these sequences visual and simple. You can see the entire customer journey mapped out and make adjustments as needed.
Use AWeber’s Tools to Automate Your List Building
Everything we’ve talked about works better when you have the right email marketing platform backing you up.
Landing Page Builder: Create unlimited high-converting landing pages for every lead magnet without needing a web developer. Our templates are specifically designed for list growth.
Sign Up Forms: Embed forms anywhere on your website—blog posts, sidebar, footer, even as pop-ups. Test different placements to see what converts best for your audience.
Automation (Campaigns): Set up your welcome sequence, mini-course delivery, or challenge emails once, and they run automatically for every new subscriber. No manual sending required.
AI Writing Assistant: Overcome writer’s block and create compelling email copy faster. Generate subject lines, email body content, and calls-to-action that actually work.
Tagging and Segmentation: Organize subscribers based on which lead magnet they signed up for, what content they’ve engaged with, or where they are in your course funnel. Send targeted emails that match each person’s interests and stage in the buyer journey.
We built our platform to be simple enough for non-technical course creators while powerful enough to scale as your list grows. You can have your first landing page, signup form, and welcome email sequence running in under an hour.
Create your AWeber account today →
Start Building Your List Today
You don’t need thousands of subscribers to launch your course—but you do need to start building now. Every week you wait is another week your ideal students are looking for solutions elsewhere.
Start with one strategy from this guide. Create your first lead magnet. Build a simple landing page. Set up your welcome email sequence. Then add the next strategy, and the next.
Your course deserves an audience that’s excited to learn from you. The email list you build today becomes the foundation for every successful launch, every student testimonial, and every transformation your course creates.
Ready to start growing your list? Our landing page builder, signup forms, and automation tools make it easy to implement every strategy in this guide. Create professional landing pages, capture subscribers, and deliver your lead magnets automatically—all from one platform designed specifically for creators like you.