Welcome to the online course launch checklist for 2025.
Launching an online course is a great opportunity to build a profitable business, but to be honest, it can be challenging and overwhelming.
Between planning your course idea, creating content, building your sales page, tech set up and marketing, it is easy to miss some real steps that can dilute the effectiveness of the launch.
If you want to launch an online course and scale to $100k fast, register for Jeff Walker’s Free Product Launch Masterclass workshop.
This will put you on the fast track when you combine what you learn with this launch checklist. And use the Kajabi Platform to host and sell your course with full marketing tools.
Whether you’re a beginner course creator or need to improve an old product launch, this ultimate checklist will guide you through every phase of a successful online course launch.
From validating ideas to post-launch optimisation.
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Online Course Launch Checklist 2025
The first launch checklist is pre-launch preparation.
1. Pre-Launch Preparation
Before starting to record or create a sales page, you need a solid foundation for your course.
This pre-launch phase is where many course creators get it right and with huge success or miss the road.
Follow these crucial pre-launch steps to validate your launch idea and build anticipation to save time later.
a: Define Your Course Goals
Your online course must have a clear purpose for you and your students.
Know who the course is for?
For busy moms, small business owners, beginner bloggers etc.
What problem does it solve?
Understand that your audiences have problems, and your course will offer a complete solution.
What transformation will students achieve at the end?
You need to be more specific so that it will be easier to market your course and attract the right audience.
b. Validate Your Course Idea
Forget about the assumption that people want your course.
You have to prove it.
Ask your audience about their biggest struggles.
Create a survey and mail your list.
Check Q&A websites like Reddit and Quora if people ask questions about your course.
Test interest by pre-selling your course
Perform a Google search and see if there are already products in your niche.
Tips: If no one has created an online course in your niche or market, that is a red flag, and it may not be profitable.
c: Choose Your Course Platform
You have already defined your course goals and validated your idea and ensured there is a market demand.
The next step on the online course checklist is choosing the course platform.
Choose a course platform that aligns with your goals and is not on budget.
Best online course platforms include the following:
- Kajabi Platform Best to sell your courses and partner with other creators
- Clickfunnels: All-in-one marketing platform with advanced features
- Systeme.io: Budget-friendly all-in-one marketing platform.
Tips: Make sure your course platform allows upsell, drip content, quizzes and integration with other tools.
You can check the list of the best online course platforms to sell your courses.
d: Outline Your course content
It is time to map out the course content from start to finish.
Break down the content into modules and lessons
Decide the course format such as videos, PDFs, audio, templates quizzes etc.
Identify types of bonuses to include to the course to increase value like cheat sheets, swipes etc
e. Production plan
You’re almost ready to create content. Map out how it will actually happen.
Set time for scripting, recording and editing
Make sure the equipment such as a microphone, phone, webcam, and lighting, are all available.
Decide whether to record yourself, your screen or both.
Set the time on your calendar for content creation.
Practical Example of Pre-Launch Planning
Course Topic: Blogging for beginners to generate passive income.
Define your blogging course goal .
Example: The online course teaches beginners how to start a profitable blog that makes money from scratch.
My ideal student is anyone who wants to make money online through blogging but have no experience.
Use survey or online polls to validate your idea
Practical example: Create a survey or poll on a Facebook group or other platform with a simple question.
Would you join my new course on how to launch a blog that makes money? Yes/No
Choose an online course platform
Example: Use Teachable for easy course design or Clickfunnels if you want an all-in-one tool for sales funnel, course design etc
Outline Your Blogging Course Module and format
Example:
Module 1: Choose a Blog Niche:
Module 2: Setting Up Your WordPress Blog
Module 3: Customize Your Blog With Premium Theme
Module 4: Tips To Write SEO Blog Posts That Ranks
Module 5: Monetise Your Blog
Module 6: Driving Traffic To Your New Blog
Module 7: On-page and Off-page SEO
The Production timeline
Example:
Week 1: Record Course Module 1 -3
Week 2: Record Module 4 -7
Week 3: Edit and Upload content to platform
Week 4: Design sales funnel and email automation
2. Content Creation Checklist
You’re about to bring content to life
This phase is about recording, designing, organising and uploading your course materials in such a way to make it clear, engaging and easy to digest.
a.Record and Edit Your Course Materials
Depending on your choice, videos is the best format for online courses.
Videos is the best format for your course.
Make sure to outline each lesson for easy recording
Use tools like Camtasia, ScreenFlow, and Loom to record your videos.
You can check the list of the best video editing tools to help you edit your course training.
Record in a quiet environment with sharp lighting and a microphone.
Keep each of the lessons short for easy digestion. (7 to 15 minutes is better)
Pro Tips: Don’t aim for perfection. Only aim for value
b. Create Supporting Materials
Want to ensure that your audience accesses your course using different formats?
So you can supplement your videos with other materials such as downloadable assets to help students assimilate and take action.
Examples of supporting materials are:
- PDF worksheets and checklists
- Swipe files, templates, printable or scripts
- Quizzes to support learning
Offer bonuses like free workshops, active community, eBooks and extra tutorials.
Adding these extras can increase your course value.
c. Upload Content to Platform
One the content is ready, upload it to the platform.
Label the modules and lesions.
Add the descriptions, thumbnails and downloadable files.
Make sure all the videos are mobile-optimised and easy to stream.
Enrol yourself and test your course to make sure everything goes smoothly with no errors.
Test the platform navigation, such as the registration page and login page, for easy access by students.
Check the lesion section, the lesson progress and other downloadable material before the launch day.
3. Course Funnel And Sales Page
Now your online course is ready to go live. It is time to launch a sales funnel to generate leads and convert them into paying customers.
A course without a marketing strategy to promote and sell it will not be profitable.
a.Build Your Sales Funnel
A sales funnel is a path that visitors will take from discovering your course to purchasing it.
It makes it easy to introduce your offer and other upsell and increase conversions.
Some Key elements of the course funnels
Lead magnet: It is a freebie to offer your audience in exchange of their contact like name and email address.
Opt-in page: This is a page designed to present your lead magnet and allow the audience to enter their contact
Thank You Page: Is a page the visitor sees after opting in to the lead magnet, to inform them what is coming next.
Email sequence: Send emails to the leads to discourse about their problems, and then position your course as a solution.
Sales page: It is a page that describes your course and provides a link for visitors to buy your course.
Check the One Funnel Away Challenge to learn how to create a lead magnet to generate leads.
Sales Funnel tools to use
Clickfunnels: All-in-one marketing platform. You can start Clickfunnels free trial today.
Systeme.io: an affordable marketing platform. Read Systeme.io review to learn more.
Kit Tool: An email marketing platform and course builder to create and sell online courses.
b.Write a Converting Sales Page
Your sales page is a virtual storefront of your course.
Design it and make it persuasive and benefit-driven to convince the audience.
Add these essential sections to your sales page.
Headline: A strong headline drives more results. Let the headline speak to your audience’s pain point and expected results.
Who is it for: Clarify and let them know your target customer.
What they will learn: Briefly explain the benefits of the course and what they should expect at the end of the training.
Why you: Share your story, experience and credibility
Testimonies: Share the real results or social proof on the sales page.
Bonuses: Add bonuses to increase the value and conversions.
Guarantee: Offer a money-back guarantee.
Call to action: Include clear buttons to enrol now
Pro Tips: Use scarcity and urgency to encourage visitors to take action.
c.Payment and Pricing
Now it is time to set up payment and pricing for your course to make it easy for students to buy.
- Choose a pricing model: One-time or subscription
- Integrate payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe and Google Pay.
- Offer a discount code or a limited-time.
- Test the checkout page and process to ensure no errors.
Pro Tips: To get your course price right, make sure to check related courses in the same niche online and compare the prices.
Section 2: Offers and Sale Funnel Creation Examples
List your course promise and transformation
Example: By the end of this course, student will have a running blog and a monetization strategy, even if they have never written any blog post before.
Add your bonuses: Example
Bonus 1: Blog niche selection ideas for beginners
Bonus 2: High Paying Affiliate Programs Cheat Sheet
Bonus 3: Profitable Blog Launch Checklist
Draft your sales page copy
Example: How To Start a Money-Making Blog Within 30 Days Even With No Experience.
Add testimonies or feedback from beta testers.
Example: Ask 2 to 3 beta testers, how the course has helped them and display their answers with their photos on your sales page.
Design your checkout page or funnel.
Example: Use Teachable or Systeme.io to design a checkout page with guarantee and pricing options.
4. Marketing and Promotional Plan Checklists
You have designed a well-organised course; now it is time to make sure people know it exists.
Top 5 Passive Income Ideas to Make $5000 a Month
Having a strong marketing and promotional plan can make a significant difference in sales and conversions.
We want to take a look at what to do before and during your launch to create buzz and awareness to grow your audience and maximise results.
a.Create a launch Plan
Outline your promotional methods with a timeline. A launch has 3 stages:
Pre-Launch ( 2-4 weeks): Create awareness, anticipation, and generate leads.
Launch week; Provide daily content, introduce your course and push for sales.
Post Launch: Follow up, offer support and gather feedback.
NOTE: Create a content calendar for consistency across the platforms
b.Grow Your Email List
Your email list is your launch asset.
Create a lead magnet that solves the problem of your audience.
Create a landing page to collect contacts. Use Convertkit or systeme.io.
Drive traffic to the landing page through blog posts, social media, YouTube and also paid ads.
Nurture new leads with value-packed email sequences and recommend your launch.
Tips: Stats show that email converts better than any other promotional channel. Start growing your email list today.
c.Promote the launch on Social Media
You can build trust and create excitement.
Share valuable content and problem-solving tips.
Create buzz with reels and lives to generate buzz around the course.
Share case studies and testimonies or student transformations.
d.Leverage JV and Influential marketing
JV is another great way to promote your course and increase sales.
You can recruit affiliates to promote your course.
Offer affiliate high commissions like 40% to 50% per sale.
Create swipe files and promotional resources such as emails, graphics, and videos to make it easy for affiliates to promote.
JV partner can quickly expand your reach and 10x sales.
Section 3: Audience Building and Pre-Launch Content Example
Create an email waitlist
Example: Join the Blogging waitlist to get early access to my blogging course.
Create your pre-launch content
Example
Blog post: How I Made $2000 from My Tiny Blog in my first 3 Months.
Email:
How new blogger can monetize their blog effectively to double their income.
YouTube Video: Watch me set up a profitable blog in 3 minutes.
Create a lead magnet to build your list
Example: Free Book. Beginner guide to blogging
You can also share your course on social media by drafting powerful headlines.
Example:
Thinking of starting money making blog? Get access to my free training on ‘how to make your first $1k in 30 days.’
5. Launch Week Checklist
Now is launch time.
This is the time to go all in as the launch goes live.
During the course launch week, stay focused on driven urgency, engaging with your audience and closing sales.
a.Announce Your Course is Live
Start with the traffic you own.
Send an email to your list to let them jbow that your course is LIVE.
Share it on social media with launch graphics.
Add a link to your bio, stories etc.
Don’t forget to include urgency and scarcity.
b.Send an email to Your List
Here is the launch email flow.
Day 1: Launch is open
Day 2: Inside the course (modules and bonuses)
Day 3: Social proof and case studies or testimonies
Day 4: Provide the best answer to some common objections such as result, time and price.
Day 5: Send a reminder email to enrol
Day 6: Why now is the best time to invest?
Day 7: Urgency. Cart closes tonight
Always give a reason to buy your course.
c.Host a webinar/Workshop or go live
- Hosting live interaction can easily build trust and increase conversions.
- Host live question-and-answer
- Answer the common questions and address an objection
At the end, ask attendees to enrol with special bonuses.
Tools like Damio, Livestom and Zoom are the best tools for hosting webinars.
You can check the list of the best webinar tools in the market to get more ideas on the webinar software.
d.Create Urgency and Scarcity
People like to wait until the last minute before taking action. You can use scarcity and urgency to help them.
Offer limited bonuses such 1-on-1 call, and group coaching.
Add a countdown timer on your sales or landing page.
Both scarcity and urgency are proven sales boosters. Utilise them.
e.Engage With Your Audience
This is very important during the launch.
- Reply to any comment or DMs
- Share results and testimonies in the posts
- Create FAQs and provide unique answers
Don’t just stop; keep the momentum going to encourage your lists.
Section 4: Launch Checklist Practical example
1. Announce your course open to the entire platform.
Example:
Email subject: Blogging for beginner’s course is live. Enroll now
YouTube: Create a video tutorial on blogging and introduce your course
2. Send daily email to your list with value.
Add urgency and scarcity for fast action.
Example
Day 1: Here’s what you will learn in the course. You can break down the modules plus bonuses.
Day 2: Why now is the time to launch your blog. Explain the earning potential and some common misconceptions about blogging.
Day 3: Blogging FAQs. Answer most of the questions about making money from blogs.
Day 4: Share students success stories.
Day 5: Create urgency. For example:
Last chance to join my blogging course or Enrollment closes soon.
3. Host a live workshop
Webinars can easily boost conversions and sales.
Example:
Live webinar Title: How To Build a Blog That Makes $5000 per month In 30 Days.
Share 25 minutes of blogging training. Then go into Q&A and introduce your course.
Tools like Damio, Live Storm or Zoom work well.
4. Introduce Urgency and Scarcity
For example:
Enroll before Thursday and get all my bonuses worth $5k
Only 10 spots left with private coaching with me.
You may also add countdown time on the sales page to motivate action.
6. Post Launch Checklist
Congrats, your course is live, and people have started enrolling.
But your work has not been done yet.
The post-launch phase is crucial for retaining students, collecting feedback, and testimonies and getting ready for the next bigger launch.
a.Support Your Students
Make sure to welcome your students and make them feel excited to take action.
Send a welcome message with login details, instructions and other resources.
Send them an introduction video to guide them.
Create an active community like Facebook, Skool, and Circle.
Tips: Happy students are ready to share testimonies and refer friends.
b. Analyse Your Funnel and Metrics
It is crucial to review your funnels and check the conversion rates.
Review the following:
- Opt-in page
- Sales page
- Email open and click rates
- Webinar/workshop show-up rates
- Check where students dropped off in course content.
- These data will provide insight to tweak your next launch and double your conversions.
c.Plan Your Next Launch
Now that you have successfully built your online course, keep selling it.
What is your next step?
Evergreen launch: Keep selling around the year
Run flash sales: Re-open the course for a limited time.
Your first-course launch is just the beginning.
Your next launch gets better and easier.
d.Refine and Reinvest
Use your revenue to improve and scale your course business.
- Upgrade your marketing tools.
- Invest more in course design.
- Scale with paid ads
- Invite JV partner to promote your launch
Pro Tips: Reinvesting 40% of your profit can lead to more successful launches.
Section 5: Post-Launch Checklist Examples
Course name: Blogging for Beginners Course
Welcome New Students
It is important to ensure your students feel excited, get support and are ready to take action.
Examples:Welcome Email:
Congrats, you’re in. Welcome to the Blogging for Beginners course.
Begin your journey with:
Module 1:.Pick your profitable Niche
And if you need support, quickly reply to this email anytime.
Create Active Community
Create a Facebook group or Skool community
Post: Welcome week: Drop your niche ideas and let's share the experience.
2. Collect testimonials and feedback
Ask the students to share their experiences, insights or social proof.
Examples: Mid-course survey
Have you launched your first blog?
Which course modules are your favourites?
Any suggestions to improve the blogging course?
Testimonial after completion of the course.
Would you be willing to share a testimonial about your breakthrough or result?
3. Review launch metrics
It is crucial to review the course metrics for improvement.
Track what worked, mistakes and which areas need to improve.
Metric to analyses:
Number of enrolment
Conversion rate
Email performance
4. Relaunch or Evergreen
Here is where you can decide to keep the course available (evergreen) or relaunch it.
Evergreen Strategy
Create a free training:
How to start a blog that makes $1k in 30 days
Connect the autoresponder and write 7 days email sequence. Day 1 to day 7.
Introduce your course on days 5-7
Use pad ads like Google, Facebook or Instagram to drive traffic to your free training.
Live launch strategy
Run the launch again in 4 months
Use testimonials on the sales page to boost conversions
Create a launch waitlist
5 Reinvest and scale your business
Use the profits to scale your launch.
Examples
Hire a VA to manage social media, email and student support.
Invest in ads to grow your email lists with high-quality lead magnets.
Prepare to launch the new online course
Celebrate Wins
It doesn’t matter whether you have 10 or 1000 students; celebrate what you have created and archived.
That is it.
The online course checklist covers every aspect of online course.
You can now feel confidence to launch your first online course with absolute results.
Conclusion On Online Course Launch Checklist
Launching a profitable online course can be challenging at the beginning, but with the right blueprint and roadmap, it becomes an easy step-by-step system.
This ultimate online course launch checklist has walked you through each step to a successful launch.
Starting from validating an idea and pre-launch preparation to launch implementation and post-launch scale.
Whether you’re launching an online course on Blogging for Beginners like a Pro or any other transformation topic, the process remains the same.
Start the journey with the real problem your audience wants to solve.
Warm up your audience with quality content that provides value before introducing your course.
Use scarcity or urgency during launch
Learn from each of your launches to offer better content and scale to 6 figures.
Points To Note: Done is better than perfect.
You don’t need a flawless launch; you want to take action.
You online course has the power to change lives, and there is no better time than now.
You have the course launch checklist and templates to follow. All that remains is to launch
Are you ready to launch like a pro?
Launching your first online course should not take you months.
With this online course launch checklist, you have a complete road map to go from just an idea to a profitable live course.
This checklist is your ultimate guide, whether you’re launching your first course or next offer.
Follow it and your course launch will be profitable.
Tools and stack list
Here are some of our recommended tools for a successful launch.
Online course platforms: Clickfunnels and Kajabi
Email marketing: Kit, Moosend and Constant Contact
Funnel builders: Kajabi software
Design software: Canva and Loom
Recording: Damio, Livestorm and Zoom
You can read my blog post on how to create a digital product that sells online.
Want to use an AI agent for your business? Try UgenticIQ AI agent.
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Oyundoyin Anthony is a blogger and an affiliate marketer that offers helpful contents to people who are looking for different products for their needs. He enjoys helping people to achieve success in their business.