How to Launch a Course for Your Online Coaching Business

You’ve been thinking about it for months (maybe even years), but it’s finally time: you’re launching a course for your online coaching business! You’ve seen other coaches do it, you know you have the expertise, the problem is… you don’t know where to start.

The good news is that coaches (like you) are perfectly positioned to create a course your audience will obsess over because you already have the frameworks, the client results, and the proven transformations — you just need to know how to package it all up and launch it successfully.

Why Course Might Be Exactly What You Need as a Coach

Before I get into the how, let’s talk about the why.

Creating a course for your coaching business is more than adding another revenue stream — although that is one benefit. It’s about scaling your impact without scaling your hours. In fact, time-freedom is probably the biggest reason you’re considering creating a course.

You’re ready to get out of the time-for-money model that caps your income at the number of hours in your week. A course also helps you scale without burning out. Instead of taking more 1:1 calls to increase your income, you can serve MORE people through your course.

And it’s not like you’re saying goodbye to high-proximity coaching (unless you want to), you’re providing another opportunity for clients to work with you when you’re booked out — or simply OOO.

But, Before You Launch a Course — Here Are The Must-Haves

You can’t just wake up one day and decide to launch a course next week. Successful course launches require preparation, and there are a few non-negotiables you need to have in place first:

• Validate your course idea before you spend months creating something no one wants. Just because you think your audience needs to learn about X doesn’t mean they’re willing to pay for it. 
• Build your curriculum by turning your coaching framework into teachable content. This is where most coaches get stuck — they know how to coach someone through a transformation, but they don’t know how to structure that knowledge into a course. Your curriculum should focus on what your students absolutely need to know to achieve the transformation, not everything you know about the topic — and if you need help, a 1:1 intensive is exactly what you need!
• Choose your course format based on your goals and your audience’s needs. A signature course works well as an alternative to your 1:1 coaching, while a mini-course or masterclass might be better for attracting new leads or addressing a specific problem your audience faces.

How to Launch a Course for Your Online Coaching Business

I’ll let you in on a secret: you already have so much ready to make your course (and launch) amazing. You have the results, the transformations, the client testimonials, the proven method — now it’s time to sell it!!

Here are some of my top tips for launching your course as a coach:

#1. Leverage Your Existing Clients

Your current and former clients are your secret weapon for a successful course launch. They’ve experienced your coaching firsthand and can speak to the transformation you’re promising!

Reach out to past clients for testimonials and case studies if you haven’t already. Social proof is extremely helpful and impactful when launching your course (people love buying something that others loved, too).

Consider offering your course to a small group of current clients as a beta test. This gives you feedback on your content while providing additional value to your coaching relationship. 

Pssst… if they love the course, they become your first round of student testimonials.

#3. Give a Little TLC to Your Email List

Your email list is where the magic happens during a course launch. Start nurturing your subscribers weeks before your launch with valuable insights and course-related content — try not to suddenly leap into launch emails.

Share the story behind why you created the course, give sneak peeks of the curriculum, and provide free mini-lessons that demonstrate your teaching style. By the time you open cart, your subscribers should already be excited about what you’re offering!!

Don’t forget to segment your list based on engagement and interest. Your most engaged subscribers might be ready for early-bird pricing, while newer subscribers might need more nurturing first.

#3. Plan Your Launch Sequence Ahead of Time

Plan your launch sequence at least 6-8 weeks in advance. Your timeline should include content creation, email sequences, social media promotion, and any live elements like webinars or Q&A sessions.

A typical launch sequence might include: announcement (4 weeks out), value-driven content (3-2 weeks out), pre-launch sequence (1 week out), cart open (launch week), and cart close with urgency (end of launch week).

I highly recommend Reveal Studio Co’s Digital Seller’s Kit for this!! It covers all the “selling” of a course launch — from when to start priming your audience to post-launch clean-up!

From Coaching to Course Creation

Your course isn’t replacing you — it’s supporting you. You won’t lose the personalized touch you’ve had with your past clients just because you’re offering a course. But, on the same hand, simply copy and pasting your coaching workflow into a course isn’t going to deliver that same transformation.

If you want to create a course your students can’t help but shout from the rooftops, you have to get really strategic about what’s included, who it’s for, and the transformation it creates.

Build your concept, create your curriculum, then officially launch.

Not sure where to get started? Join Coaching to Curriculum, my self-paced course teaching coaches (like you) how to create a course your students love.