How Do I Get Paid For Online Courses?

Social media creators have historically given their content away for free. However, many creators are now choosing to monetize their content as online courses. So, how can you get paid for your online classes? The e-commerce experts at SamCart are here to provide some insight.

YouTube for Online Courses

As you probably know, you can upload instructional videos onto YouTube with the hopes of making ad revenue. However, there are a few significant considerations that are causing creators to turn away from this outlet:

• Low and inconsistent ad revenue: The average YouTuber only makes between $0.01 and $0.03 per ad view. As such, creators consistently need hundreds of thousands of viewers to make money.
• Ad choices: Currently, creators cannot control which ads are displayed on their YouTube videos—meaning you could be promoting a product that goes against your brand.
• Controlled Content: YouTube is subject to change its rules, guidelines, and ad policies at any time. If a change affects your channel, it could uproot your business at a moment’s notice.
• Room for error: Sometimes, YouTube can ban or limit a channel's ads mistakenly. While you can submit an appeal, this process can be time-consuming and leave you without income in the meantime.

Creators are better off choosing a reliable source of monetization that puts the control in their hands. With these considerations in mind, creators are turning to online course platforms instead.

Online Course Platforms

Do you need a suitable home for your online classes? Online course platforms offer an alternative to YouTube for hosting instructional videos. These platforms have the tools, features, and capabilities you need to create and sell your online courses. However, not all platforms are created equally. So how do you find which online course builder is right for your business? Let’s take a closer look at some of your options.

Which Online Course Builder is Right for Me?

Several online course platforms can help you make money from your online class content—including SamCart, Teachable, Kajabi, and Thinkific, to name a few. SamCart, in particular, is designed to help creators monetize their work. Our platform offers unique advantages for course creators, including:

• A seamless one-click checkout process to boost conversions.
• Cart Abandonment integration to help you turn uncertain shoppers into lifelong customers.
• Support for digital product sales, physical product sales, memberships, and subscriptions alongside your online classes—helping you boost your revenue with upsells and add-ons.
• No transaction fees or listing fees at any membership level.
• Help along the way from our industry-leading customer support, free training, knowledge base, and CreatorU.

If you need help getting started, here is our 6-step guide to creating your online courses. Now that your classes are ready to sell, how do you unlock your hard-earned income?

Getting Paid for Online Courses

You have put in the work for your online courses, now how do you get paid? For online course platforms like SamCart that do not middleman your money or take a commission, your payments will come directly from your chosen payment processor. After your student’s payment clears in SamPay, PayPal, Stripe, Braintree, or whichever payment option you have chosen, simply follow the platform's guidance to transfer the money to your account. You can read our guide to connecting payment processors here.

SamCart: Your Online Course Platform

When you are ready to start selling courses online, SamCart is here to help. Our Courses App has the tools you need to build and scale your online course business. View our demo for more information, or try SamCart for free to get started today!