A Complete Guide: How To Create A Successful Sales Page For Your Online Course

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Are you looking for ways to increase your online course sales?

An effective sales page is specifically designed to increase conversions and boost sales.

In this post, we've outlined a proven formula to create persuasive, informative, and high-converting online course sales pages.

Let’s take a look!

1. What is an online course sales page?

A sales page has only one purpose — to secure sales for your online course.

All the elements you choose to include in your online course sales page contribute to the effectiveness thereof — thus, you need to ensure that every word, image, or video points to that goal.

2. 3 types of online course sales pages

Before you can start creating your course’s sales page, you need to decide on the structure.

Let’s have a look at the 3 types of course sales pages:

2.1. Text sales letter

A text sales letter mainly consists of writing — this means the use of visuals is kept to a minimum.

There are 2 types of text sales letters:

1. Short-form sales letter

Short forms are concise and direct in their communication with the customer.

You should use short-form sales pages if:

The online course you’re promoting is straightforward and doesn’t need a lot of information to sell
You’re marketing a low-cost online course

Short-form sales pages are mostly used by popular businesses as their target audience is already familiar with the product and doesn’t need further explanation.

Source: MistyBlackAuthor.com

This sales page is a perfect example of a short sales letter because it’s pretty straightforward about what you’re getting and you can get it for free.

2. Long-form sales letter

Long forms are more elaborate, containing more detail that greatly informs the page visitor about your online course.

The best times to use a long-form sales letter are:

If you’re promoting your first online course — Explain the specific reasons why customers should purchase your online course
If your online course comes with additional offers — Show the additional “goodies” the customer will receive when purchasing your course
When introducing your prices — Cover all information to show your potential customers what they are buying

Source: MistyBlackAuthor.com

Here, Misty again uses a text-only sales letter, except this time, it’s a long-form sales letter.

It descriptively introduces the online course, what you’ll learn, who it will be taught by, and even includes testimonials to increase credibility.

2.2. Video sales letter

A video sales letter is a video that sells a prospect your product or service, much like a traditional sales letter.

Your video should:

Catch your reader's attention
Highlight their pain points
Offer your product as a solution
Motivate them to take action

Source: YouTube.com

A video sales letter is effective as it can either be put on your sales page to watch and/or can upload to YouTube — this way it reaches a broader audience.

It generally includes everything that a text-only sales letter contains, however, instead of using the actual text, you include a video of you or others essentially pitching your online course or products on camera.

2.3. Hybrid sales letter

A hybrid sales letter is a combination of the two sales letters mentioned above.

This gives the reader a choice between reading the text or watching the video or both.

You need to remember that if you decide to use both text and video, you should use less text than usual.

Source: The67Steps.com

Tai Lopez's sales page is a hybrid that has features similar to both text and video sales letters.

Here’s how Tai Lopez utilized a video and text sales letter:

It provides an introduction video as well as page content that the viewers can read
It strikes a perfect balance between high-quality visuals and text
You can fade out the background and text to completely focus on the video

Any one of the 3 types of sales page structures can be effective — it all depends on what you choose to include on it.

In the next section, we explain 14 elements that are usually included on an effective online course sales page and provide examples of how Bolivar Muniz implemented them on his sales page.

3. 14 elements of high-converting sales pages

As the name implies, a sales landing page is a tool for driving sales — therefore, it must be specifically created to entice leads to act.

There are a few essential notes to hit whether you're constructing a new course sales page or seeking to optimize an existing one.

So, how do you create a sales landing page that converts?

Let’s have a look!

3.1. A unique value proposition

Your online course’s value proposition must be clearly defined on your sales page.

You can achieve this by utilizing the PAS framework:

Problem — Identify and write down the problems your target audience are facing
Agitate — Emphasize negative effects that will continue to happen if the problem isn’t resolved
Solution — Introduce your online course and its benefits as a solution to their problem(s)

Once you’ve got this sorted, it’s time to start putting your online course sales page together.

3.2. A compelling headline

Your headline is a name for your page, and most likely the first thing your page’s visitors see when landing on your website — therefore it should be catchy and relevant.

A captivating headline should:

Catch your readers’ attention
Convey your online course’s purpose
Hook your reader into wanting more

A few ways to accomplish the above are to:

Establish how your readers will be identified in your community — Let your headline be a call to your target audience. For example, famous singer Taylor Swift’s fanbase being referred to as the “Swifties”
Be brief, targeted, and direct — Speak to only your targeted audience, don’t try to sell your course to everyone
Emphasize your course’s benefits — Tell your readers how your online course will make their lives better
Be patient — Write down and rewrite multiple ideas for headlines; good things take time

Source: FunnelVibe.com

What Bolivar did right with the headline:

It’s big and bolded — In other words, eye-catching
It tells you exactly what his online course is about
It’s directly targeted at viewers who want to learn how to design high-converting funnels on systeme.io
It makes it clear what you’ll gain by enrolling

3.3. A descriptive subtitle

Your subtitle is essentially a second headline, however, it tends to be a little longer and more explanatory than the actual headline.

To have a good subtitle, it has to be concise, clear, and descriptive all at once.

Here are 5 factors you should consider when creating your subtitle:

1. Choose your words carefully — Use power words (like “ultimate” or “uplifting”) and keep your subtitle focused and simple

2. Address the reader directly — Acknowledge your reader by using the pronoun “you”

3. Understand your readers’ key desires — Speak to your readers by identifying what it is that they desire

4. Build curiosity — Make your readers want to read more by using words or phrases that trigger curiosity, such as “secret” or “have you heard”

5. Don’t worry too much about length — Focus on clarity and simplicity, rather than obsessing about how many words you’ve written

Source: FunnelVibe.com

What Bolivar did right with the subtitle:

Bolivar uses the power word “needing” and “ultimate” to convince potential customers that they don’t need to be a pro to design funnels on systeme.io
He also identifies his target audience’s desire to become a funnel designer and be able to design high-converting funnels without any expertise
He manages to build curiosity with his subtitle since most people are under the impression that you need to be a pro to design effective funnels — Bolivar is going to prove the contrary with his online course
This subtitle proves that it doesn’t have to be long to be effective

What Bolivar could do to improve:

Use the pronoun “you” to address his readers directly and make it more personal

3.4. An opening story

Every single person has a story, a mission, a passion, something that separates them from everyone else — what makes them special.

Your opening story can be your own story or a client’s story that shows how your online course was used to overcome the problems they were facing.

When writing your opening story you should:

Define the pain point — Identify your reader’s problem
Emphasize negative side effects — Tell your readers what would happen if the problem isn’t addressed
Relate to your readers — Build trust with your readers with a shared experience
Show the solution — Indicate how you and your online course can help your potential customers change their lives

Source: FunnelVibe.com

What Bolivar did right with the opening story:

Bolivar addresses the readers’ pain point — Finding it difficult to design funnels that amplify visitors’ experience
He relates to his readers — Uses the word “we” and shares that everybody, including him, needs a helping hand to reach their full potential
He provides a solution — Tells his readers that he is going to help them achieve their goals

What Bolivar could do to improve:

Tell his readers what would happen if the problem isn’t addressed

3.5. Course description

Simply put, a course description is a list of all the relevant information about your online course.

Its purpose is to inform your prospective students of exactly what they should expect to learn and receive from your online course.

An adequate description will be:

Engaging and intriguing
Definite and accurate
Informative

The following should be included in your course description:

The purpose or rationale — Why should potential students enroll in your online course?
The main course content — What will they be learning?
The types of learning activities — How will the modules be taught?

Source: FunnelVibe.com

What Bolivar did right with the course description:

Uses a short video to personally tell you what you should expect to learn from his online course
Mentions the purpose of his online course, which is to help his students design high-converting sales funnels
Shows a quick overview of the course materials of the online course
Provides a brief overview of how the modules will be presented with visual pre-designed landing page templates and text
Displays a visual with all materials that are included in his online course

Source: FunnelVibe.com

3.6. Benefits

In addition to telling your potential students what the course entails, you want to give them a few bullet point benefits that they’ll gain by enrolling in your course.

Using bullet point benefits:

Adds to the value of your online course
Shows your potential students how your online course can better their lives
Bullet points make your sales copy easier to read, and it emphasizes the most important information you want your audience to see

You can do this by:

Listing the topics you’ll cover
Telling them which questions you’ll answer
Listing the solutions for the target audience’s challenges

Source: FunnelVibe.com

What Bolivar did right with the benefits:

Uses reverse psychology to convince his readers to better their skills in funnel design
The main benefit is to make their life better by making funnel building easier

What Bolivar could do to improve:

Make the benefits even clearer by mentioning the solutions to their problems
Use bullet points

3.7. Social proof

Social proof can be defined as a concept where people assume that the actions of others are correct.

Here are 6 ways of utilizing social proof on your online course sales page:

1. Expert testimonials — Add expert testimonials where an expert in your industry recommends your online course

2. Celebrity/influencer endorsements — Allow celebrities and influencers to promote your online course on social media or in public

3. User testimonials/reviews — Quote a few testimonials or reviews that your past students and current customers left on their experience

4. Collective knowledge — Indicate the number of people who’ve enrolled in your online course

5. Certification — Establish credibility by getting your online course approved and verified by an authoritative figure

6. Social media — Boast with the number of followers, and shares on social media, or try to get media coverage in magazines or newspapers

There’s no such thing as too many testimonials — so make sure to add a few on different sections of your online course sales page.

There are loads of different ways to use testimonials on your sales page:

Quote testimonials that have been left by users
Social media testimonials that users post on other social media platforms
Audio and video testimonials made by past and/or current users
Image or visual testimonials of real-life transformations by past clients

And more!

If this is your first online course, you can create a beta or pre-sale release and ask for testimonials from the students who enrolled.

Source: FunnelVibe.com

What Bolivar did right with social proof:

Added some user testimonials and ratings to establish credibility

What Bolivar could do to improve:

Add a few more social proof on different sections of his online course sales page
Try to add a different variety of social proof such as video or audio testimonials

3.8. Instructor bio

The instructor bio is the first introduction your prospective students will have of their course instructor or educator — a good first impression is key!

The purpose of a bio is to ensure potential students that you have the needed experience and knowledge to present your online course.

General things that are included in a brief bio:

Name and surname
Credentials
Accomplishments
Professional goals

Source: FunnelVibe.com

What Bolivar did right with the instructor introduction:

Mentions his full name and surname
Provides that he has experience of 5 years in web design and development
Tells his readers what his goal is with his online course — To give them a helping hand on their funnel design journey

3.9. FAQ section

The well-known acronym “FAQ” stands for “frequently asked questions”, and this section’s purpose is to provide answers to common questions that your viewers and/or users might have.

FAQ sections offer a few benefits, including:

Better customer experience
Less time spent on answering the same questions from multiple users
Users don’t have to wait to be assisted by a customer service agent
Increases visibility on Google and other search engines
Boost sales as customers have an immediate response to a query that could influence their purchase

Source: FunnelVibe.com

What Bolivar did right with the FAQ section:

Added a FAQ section on his sales page to answer the most common questions his readers have about his online course
Placed this section near a CTA, so that if readers found the answer to their question, they can easily take an action

What Bolivar could do to improve:

Offer a method of communication that viewers can contact if they have any other unanswered questions

3.10. Pricing details

The price of your online course is a big deciding factor in whether the potential customer will end up purchasing your online course or not.

To avoid causing confusion and lost sales, this section needs to be clear and straightforward.

By offering multiple pricing options, you provide the potential student with a choice — you can achieve this by utilizing pricing tiers.

Why you should use a tier pricing strategy:

Caters a broader audience
Boosts sales with the option to upgrade to a higher tier

Remember to specifically list what each pricing option includes and make sure that your CTA is ready to be clicked.

Source: FunnelVibe.com

What Bolivar did right with the pricing:

Pricing is clear and straightforward
Offers a good deal

What Bolivar could do to improve:

Add a CTA button for an easy purchase
Before offering a major discount, Bolivar could try tiered pricing

3.11. Bonus materials

You can make your offer more attractive by including bonus course material which can be accessed with the purchase of your online course.

You can offer bonuses such as:

Coaching calls
Discounts
Physical or digital products
Certification after completion of the course

By adding these bonuses to your page, you’re adding value to your course and exciting the customer to enroll.

Source: FunnelVibe.com

What Bolivar did right with the bonus materials:

Offers 2 bonuses at no extra cost — Free bonuses help increase the perceived value of your online course
Adds 2 extra exclusive bonuses in addition to the above bonuses
Provides the dollar value of the bonuses
Offers a discount on the usual price

3.12. Satisfaction guarantee

Satisfaction guarantees get rid of the risk element in shopping — you don’t want your customers to regret their purchase, do you?

Here are 3 common risk reversal methods to choose from:

1. Money-back guarantee — Offer your customers a refund policy if they aren’t satisfied with your online course

2. Best price guarantee — Research competitor prices and make sure yours is the better price

3. Lifetime guarantee — Provide extras, like 1-on-1 coaching calls, to higher-paying customers

Source: FunnelVibe.com

What Bolivar did right with the satisfaction guarantee:

Provides a risk reversal option
Briefly explains the guarantee in the FAQ section
As a bonus, he adds a “secure checkout” block to ensure potential customers that their payment information is safe and secure — Offering a risk-free purchase helps ease purchase anxiety

Source: FunnelVibe.com

What Bolivar could do to improve:

Add “30-day money-back guarantee” near the satisfaction guarantee icon

3.13. The postscript section

This is the final section of your online course sales page — it also serves as your final opportunity to convince the readers to take action.

The P.S. section generally includes:

Personal note — Add a brief closer, such as the main benefit of your online course to remind students why they should make the purchase
Contact details — Allow potential students to contact you at any time, or specified times
Invitation to reach out — Invite prospective customers to reach out to you if they have any further questions about your online course

Source: FunnelVibe.com

What Bolivar did right with the P.S. section:

Closing the page with a question — “Are you ready?”
Repeating the main purpose of his online course — “Become an instant funnel designer on Systeme.io”
Added a CTA button to enroll in his online course

What Bolivar could do to improve:

Provide his contact details or email address — This way readers can easily reach him if they have any more questions
Invite prospective customers to reach out to him

3.14. A clear call to action

CTA buttons are the buttons you’ll use on your sales page to convert visitors into customers.

A few tips to keep in mind when creating your CTAs:

Make it big, bold, and self-explanatory
Place your buttons at the beginning, middle, and end of your sales page
Use bright colors
The text on the CTA button should be catchy and simple

Here are some of Bolivar’s CTA buttons that he used:

What Bolivar did right with his CTA buttons:

Cleverly placed 6 clear CTA buttons on his entire sales page
Made sure to use bright colors, such as the orange and blue
Repeats the same buttons to make them extra catchy
The text tells the readers exactly what to do

Bolivar did an exceptional job at implementing every single element that we’ve discussed, and we do not doubt that his sales page will increase his conversion rates and course sales.

Click here to see Bolivar Muniz’s online course sales page in action!

By now, you should have a good understanding of a tried-and-true formula that professional writers use to create, proofread, and polish their sales page copy to perfection.

We do, however, know that creating an online course sales page from scratch can be time-consuming and difficult — so we took the initiative to build a template you can use as an inspiration to create your own!

4. The only sales page template you’ll ever need for your online courses

Bonus!

We’ve designed our own online course sales page template in order to help you visualize what your online course sales page could look like.

Note that this template is an example that demonstrates the main components that should be included on an online course sales page:

The only sales page template you’ll ever need for your online courses

Click here to see the whole course sales page template.

5. Sales page FAQs

Here we’ve added 5 frequently asked questions and answered them for you:

1. How do you write a great sales page?

It's not easy to write effective sales copy.

It might be challenging to strike a balance between engaging and instructive content. The most crucial consideration when writing is the interests of the customers.

Write a sales copy they can relate to, something that will pique their attention and something that will keep them interested.

2. Are sales pages effective?

Yes. Sales pages allow you to pitch your online course to a broad online audience.

Depending on how strictly you implement the necessary elements, you’ll see more conversions and sales.

3. How long should an online course sales page be?

There’s no definitive answer as to how long a sales page should be, however, there are a lot of good sales page examples out there to give you a good idea of how long (or short) a sales page can be.

4. Can you make money by selling a course online?

You create your online courses once and after launching them, you’ll have a recurring passive income — so yes, you can definitely make good money by selling your online courses.

5. What is the best way to increase online course sales?

Building a sales funnel is a surefire way to increase your course sales.

Systeme.io offers a forever-free plan to create your own sales funnel and boost your sales.

6. How to create a sales page in 3 easy steps with systeme.io

systeme.io logo

Systeme.io is an affordable and intuitive all-in-one email marketing platform that is for anyone wishing to expand their online business.

Let’s see how systeme.io can help you create an online course sales page:

Step 1: Create a step

Step 2: Choose the sales page option

Step 3: Pick a template

After you’ve chosen the template, you can edit your page as you wish by clicking on the “magic wand” button.

Additionally, with systeme.io you can:

Create your course site landing pages with our simple drag-and-drop editor
Integrate your course access with payments from your sales funnels and websites
Give timed access to your course via our drip feature
Create, market, and sell your course all in the same place

And so much more!

6.1. Systeme.io pricing

systeme.io pricing

All of our core features are available with our 4 pricing plans:

Free — $0/month
Startup — $27/month
Webinar — $47/month
Unlimited — $97/month

Naturally, our Unlimited plan is the best option, as it offers unlimited access to all our features.

Our Free plan is free forever and you can upgrade to a more premium plan whenever you want to.

7. Conclusion

Now that you know all the elements of a great sales page, you’re ready to design and build your own.

If you need some inspiration, have a look at the example sales page, which shows how the various parts listed above might be used to sell your course.

One last piece of advice: Always test your results!

A/B testing can be used to improve a given experience over time or to increase a particular goal like conversion rate.

Luckily, systeme.io allows you to perform A/B tests on all your landing pages.

Create and test your online course sales page with systeme.io for free today!