You’ve devoted six months to crafting your online course: 47 video lessons, worksheets, and bonuses. 

You poured in your expertise, your time, and your energy. 

Heck…you probably even shed a few tears, too (I don’t blame you). 

Then you launched… and got, well, you know, no sales. 

Maybe a few pity sales from your mom and your best friend. Maybe zero. And now you’re quietly wondering if you should just delete the whole thing and pretend it never existed.

Here’s the part that stings a little: Your course probably isn’t selling, but not because your content is bad. I’ve seen brilliant, genuinely life-changing courses sit untouched. 

Meanwhile, others with average content and strong positioning pull 6-figures. 

The difference? It’s not your content. It’s everything that happens before someone ever sees your content. 

Let’s break it down. And more importantly, let’s fix it.

The “If I Build It, They Will Come” Myth

Ever think that just creating a killer course will have people rushing to buy it? 

Yeah, that’s not how it works. The biggest trap course creators fall into is believing that great content equals automatic sales. It’s like being a genius coder but assuming people will just randomly find your app and download it, without you ever putting up a website, running ads, or even telling anyone it exists. (Makes sense, right?)

Why Expertise Doesn’t Equal Sales

I see this all the time: Jeff’s a smart productivity coach. He’s helped dozens of clients transform their lives. His course is solid. The methods work. He launches to his email list of 47 people (mostly other coaches). But he only makes 3 sales. 

Then there’s Jake. He’s decent, but nowhere near Jeff’s level of expertise. Jake makes 200+ sales a month. 

The difference? Jake spent 18 months building an audience, learning how to write copy, and understanding buyer psychology while Jeff spent 18 months perfecting his content.

The gap between expertise and sales isn’t knowledge. It’s communication. And most experts assume that gap doesn’t exist.

The Content Creation Trap

When sales fall flat, most creators default to the same instinct: “I need to add more.” 

More modules. More bonuses. More worksheets. 

More everything. 

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: No one cares how comprehensive your course is if they don’t believe it will actually solve their problem. 

You could have 10 hours or 100 hours of content. If people don’t trust you to take them from where they are to where they want to be, they’re not buying. Module 48 won’t fix that lol

You’re Solving the Wrong Problem (Or No Problem at All)

This is where a lot of good creators quietly lose momentum: the “I Think People Need This” problem. 

I spoke with a course creator last month. He built an entire program on crypto basics for newbies. When I asked how he validated it, he said: “Well, I’m a crypto enthusiast. I needed this when I started.” 

Sample size of one isn’t validation. 

It wasn’t that newbies don’t need crypto help…they do. But when he actually asked them what they struggled with, their answers were: “Understanding blockchain.” “Figuring out how to trade without losing money.” 

Simple intros weren’t even on their radar.

The question most course creators never ask: “What do you complain about most to your friends?” That’s where buying intent lives, in the problems people actually voice. (And yes, this is where the magic happens.)

Generic Solutions Don’t Sell

“Learn Social Media Marketing” doesn’t make anyone pull out their credit card. Buuuuuut, “Get Your First 1,000 Instagram Followers in 30 Days Without Buying Ads” does. 

Specificity creates desire. Generic creates indifference. 

Two courses. Same week:

• Course A: “Master Email Marketing”
• Course B: “Write Emails That Get Opened, Read, and Clicked (Even If You Hate Writing)”

Course B outsells Course A without a doubt.

Features vs. Transformation

You have six modules on email marketing? Great. But here’s what your buyer really wants to know: “Will I finally stop staring at a blank screen, paralyzed by the blinking cursor?” 

Features are what your course has. Transformation is what your course does. People buy outcomes. Not bullet points.

Quick exercise: Take every “includes” or “you’ll learn” in your sales copy and rewrite it as “you’ll finally be able to…” or “so you never have to…” 

That shift alone can flip the buying switch.

You’re Launching to Ghosts

If a course launches to an audience of zero… does it make a sale? Nope.

The Launch-to-Nobody Problem

Building an audience isn’t optional. It’s math. 

Cold traffic converts at 0.5-1%. Warm traffic converts at 3-8%. If you want to sell 100 copies, you likely need 2,000-3,000 engaged subscribers. 

Even to sell 10 copies, you need 300–500 people who trust you. The math is brutal. But it’s real.

The Trust Factor Missing Link

Strangers don’t buy $497 courses from strangers. 

On average, it takes 7-12 touch points before someone feels ready to buy. 

One Instagram post? Not enough. 

One email? Not enough. 

One webinar to cold leads? Definitely not enough. 

The creators who sell consistently start long before the launch. They’re building relationships, delivering value, and earning trust well in advance.

Your Sales Psychology Is Quietly Killing Your Sales

Time for the invisible mistakes.

You’re Being Too Nice

“I don’t want to be salesy.” That’s the battle cry of broke course creators. 

Here’s what most don’t realize: Avoiding persuasion isn’t virtuous, it’s selfish. 

If you truly believe your course helps people, staying silent means you’re letting them stay stuck. Ethical persuasion isn’t manipulation. It’s leadership.

The Objection Blind Spot

Every buyer wrestles with the same silent questions: Is this really for me? Will this work for my situation? What if I fail? What if I don’t have time? What if I’m not tech-savvy? Is this person legit? 

If you’re not answering these directly, you’re losing sales quietly. The best sales copy preempts objections before the buyer even articulates them: “You’re probably wondering if this will work even if you’ve failed before…”

Pricing Psychology Mistakes

Pricing low to “make it accessible” often signals: This probably isn’t very valuable. 

Low prices don’t remove objections, THEY TRIGGER NEW ONES. 

There’s a psychological sweet spot where price creates desire. It’s called anchoring. And many course creators accidentally price themselves into irrelevance. 

But…High prices with weak positioning won’t save you either. 

A $47 course with a clear, urgent transformation often outsells a $2,000 course that tries to be everything to everyone.

Your Sales Process Is Leaking Money

Even with great positioning, a weak process kills conversions.

The One-Touch Wonder Fallacy

You send one email. Crickets. You assume no one’s interested. Wrong. 

Most buyers need to see your offer 5-7 times before they feel ready. That means multiple emails. Multiple posts. Multiple reminders.

• Day 3: “In case you missed it…”
• Day 5: “Only 2 days left…”
• Day 7: “Final call…”

That’s not spam. That’s service. You’re giving them multiple chances to say yes to the help they need.

Your Sales Page Is Talking to Everyone (So It Converts No One)

“This course is perfect for anyone who wants to improve their life.” 

That line has killed more conversions than you can imagine. 

Your sales page should feel like a private conversation with one person. They should be thinking: Were they inside my head when they wrote this? 

The mirror test: Does your ideal buyer see themselves, their situation, their struggles, their desires … .do they see this reflected back when they read or watch your stuff? 

If your page could apply to anyone, it will resonate with no one.

The Mindset Shifts That Actually Sell

From Expert to Problem-Solver: Lead with what THEY need, not what you know. 

Ask: What’s keeping them up at night? 

From Course Creator to Trusted Guide: People don’t buy courses. They buy confidence that you can help them. 

Authority isn’t about credentials. It’s about empathy, clarity, and a clear path forward. Sometimes the most persuasive thing you can say is: I used to struggle with this too.

What To Do Right Now

Let’s get practical.

The 5-Minute Course Audit

Ask yourself:

• Does my course title make it instantly clear who this is for?
• Am I leading with features or transformation?
• Have I validated this problem with real conversations?
• Do I have a real audience, or am I launching to strangers?

Red flag: If you can’t name 20 real people who’d be genuinely excited to hear about your course, you’re not ready to launch. 

Start here: Get crystal clear on the exact problem you solve, and for whom.

The Pre-Launch Validation Test

Before you build or re-launch, ask your audience:

• What’s your biggest challenge with [your topic]?
• What have you tried before, and why didn’t it work?
• If a course solved this for you, what would it look like?

Their answers will tell you exactly what they’re ready to buy. 

The Bottom Line

Fixing a course that isn’t selling isn’t about adding more content or stacking more bonuses. It’s about understanding HOW people buy, and aligning everything you do with that reality. 

Most course creators are good teachers. They just haven’t learned how to translate expertise into clear, compelling offers. 

If you’re reading this thinking: I know my course can help people. I just don’t know how to make them see it. You’re not alone. And you’re not broken. 

Sometimes, the fastest way forward is getting someone who speaks fluent buyer psychology to help you find the words that connect. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start selling with clarity, let’s talk about how better words can finally get your course into the hands of the people who need it.