

The Art of Selling Online Courses
John Ainsworth
The Art of Selling Online Courses is all about online courses. The goal of this podcast is to share winning strategies and secret hacks from top performers in the online course industry. We are interviewing successful business owners, asking them questions on how they got to the point where they are right now, and checking how their ideas can help you improve your online course!
Episodes
Mentioned books

21 snips
Dec 23, 2025 • 53min
216 How I Hit 7 Figures in 7 Months (Caleb Ulku interview)
Caleb Ulku, an entrepreneur and SEO/AI expert, skyrocketed his online course revenue from $5K to seven figures in just seven months. He shares his unconventional strategy of using YouTube as a direct funnel, bypassing traditional email marketing entirely. Caleb reveals how ChatGPT 3.5 prompted a pivotal shift in his business model towards local SEO. He discusses his unique two-tier membership setup, AI-driven content creation, and insights on effective YouTube strategies that dramatically increased his engagement and growth.

12 snips
Dec 19, 2025 • 43min
215 How Her AI Launch 3x'd Her Best Course Launch
Lýdia Hric Machová, a polyglot and TED speaker, shares her innovative pivot from traditional courses to an AI mentor, Almi, that revolutionized her business. After a steep decline in course sales, she decided to cancel them in favor of personalized AI learning, leading to her biggest launch yet. Lýdia discusses how AI tailors language learning, increases completion rates, and enhances the student experience. She details her pricing strategy and the unique ecosystem built around Almi and Geppetto, showcasing the future of online education with AI.

17 snips
Dec 16, 2025 • 46min
214 1-2 Hours a Day to a Six-Figure Side Business
Michael Kilkelly, founder of Arch Smarter and a senior BIM developer, shares how he turned his course business into a six-figure success while working a full-time job. He discusses his unique journey, revealing how a day job enhances his course content. Michael also explains his innovative approach to cutting course setup time to just 10 minutes, leveraging AI for efficiency. With a focus on simplifying course formats, he emphasizes a 'less is more' philosophy, aiming to streamline processes and boost student engagement.

23 snips
Dec 12, 2025 • 47min
213 What's the Right Price for Your Course?
Phillip Henry, an award-winning slide guitar player with 20+ years of teaching experience, shares his journey transitioning to online education. He reveals his strategies for building a Facebook group and the importance of niche marketing. The discussion dives into pricing concerns, emphasizing the need to align course prices with delivered value. Phillip also considers innovative lead magnet ideas and methods to enhance student engagement. Tune in for insights on creating a thriving community and effectively monetizing your expertise.

7 snips
Dec 9, 2025 • 41min
212 1.5M Sub YouTuber Exposes How She Grew Her Social Media
Laura Spaulding, a former police officer and founder of Spalding Decon, shares her journey to 1.5 million YouTube subscribers and successful online courses in crime scene cleaning. She reveals the stark revenue differences between YouTube and TikTok, highlighting her viral video strategies. Laura discusses her high-ticket coaching programs and automated email funnels, while also addressing gaps in her lead generation. With insights on optimizing social media for sales, this conversation is a goldmine for aspiring course creators.

38 snips
Dec 5, 2025 • 48min
212 How I Made $1M Selling Courses on YouTube
Asiya Miart is a YouTube consultant and educator who built the Fast Track IELTS channel to 1.9 million subscribers while generating over $1 million in course sales. She shares her insights on why high-view videos may not equate to sales and teaches the importance of strategic video sequencing to boost conversions. Asiya discusses her rigorous scripting process, the role of lead magnets, and the impact of effective sales pages. Plus, a live review of her sales page reveals actionable tips for enhancing conversions.

15 snips
Dec 2, 2025 • 51min
211 How I Built My Course Business at 18 (And You Can Too)
Stefano Chiara Monte, an Italian language teacher and course creator, shares his journey of building a thriving business at just 18. He highlights that authenticity and passion were crucial to his success. Unlike many, he prioritizes YouTube and long-form content over short platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which he believes underperform for course sales. Stefano discusses effective lead magnet strategies that doubled his leads and emphasizes dedicating 60% of his efforts to free content to engage and convert potential students.

20 snips
Nov 27, 2025 • 33min
210 How I Built an 8-Figure Business (Heath Adams interview)
Heath Adams, known as The Cyber Mentor, built a successful eight-figure cybersecurity training business from scratch. He shares insights on the importance of authenticity over algorithm tricks, emphasizing his organic content strategy that avoided ad spending. Heath discusses scaling from a solo venture to a 30-employee team, the evolution of his pricing model, and the significance of focusing on one marketing channel at a time. His advice for aspiring course creators centers on perfecting one product, staying genuine, and embracing feedback from the community.

22 snips
Nov 25, 2025 • 48min
209 The Secret to Finding Your True Audience
In this engaging discussion, Nate Terepka, a music educator and founder of Piano with Nate, shares how he discovered that his true audience consists of retired adults seeking casual piano skills, rather than the teens he initially targeted. Nate reveals the surprising insight that 90% of his sales stemmed from just 10% of his content, particularly tutorials on the Beatles and David Bowie. He details how analyzing buyer data transformed his business strategy and led to effective marketing tactics, including high engagement through his email campaigns.

Nov 21, 2025 • 37min
208 Zero Competition: How She Picked Her Niche
Tami Macala, a professional mosaic artist and founder of the Santa Barbara School of Mosaic Art, shares her journey in a niche market. She reveals how she became a leader in online mosaic education, serving over 10,000 students. Tami dives into her 10-day course launch strategy, pricing tactics, and the importance of quality control in course production. She candidly discusses areas for improvement in her marketing funnels and emphasizes the challenges and benefits of managing a small but dedicated community. Her insights on collaboration and adapting to the pandemic are particularly inspiring.


