Ever feel like your evergreen course should be selling…but it’s just not?
You’ve created something valuable.
You know it can help people.
And maybe you’ve even made a few sales here and there…
But it’s inconsistent.
Unpredictable.
And honestly – a little confusing.
Because from your perspective, everything looks “right.”
And when that happens, it’s really easy to start making it mean something about you.
Maybe your audience isn’t the right fit.
Maybe your topic isn’t strong enough.
Maybe evergreen just doesn’t work for your business…
But the truth is – if your evergreen course isn’t selling, there are specific reasons why.
And once you understand them, everything starts to make a lot more sense.
So today, I’m breaking down 3 reasons why your evergreen course isn’t selling right now and more importantly, what that actually means.
Let’s get into it.
My name is Caitlin Bacher, CEO of Scale With Success®, and I’m on a mission to help course creators all over the world grow their business in a way that is profitable and scalable. I’m sharing revealing insights about what it really takes to scale an online course business to millions of dollars per year. Join me here to discover the tough decisions I’ve had to make, the biggest failures I’ve had to bounce back from, and the learnings that emerged every step of the way. I’m so grateful that I have the chance to tell you everything right here on Scale With Success®: The Podcast. Let’s get started.
Alright, so before we jump into the first reason why your evergreen course isn’t selling right now, I want to set one expectation.
Just because it’s not selling now doesn’t mean it never will.
Because most of the time, when an evergreen course isn’t selling, it’s not an evergreen problem – it’s a clarity issue.
So as you listen to these three reasons, I want you to think about where things might feel a little unclear in your own business…
And we’ll start with the first reason your evergreen course isn’t selling right now.
1. Your evergreen course doesn’t solve a specific problem.
I’ve encountered loads of course creators who have grown their business to millions per year and there’s one thing they ALL have in common.
Their course teaches people how to solve a specific problem and obtain a tangible result.
Let me explain.
The reason why someone buys a course is because they want to solve a specific problem they are actively experiencing. Not a problem they might have at some point in the future, a problem they are struggling to solve right now.
Now, they may have been struggling with this problem for a day, a month, or a decade – but TODAY is the day they are ready to solve their problem for good.
So, these people are looking everywhere for a place where they can learn HOW to solve their problem – I mean they are literally thinking about their big problem day and night.
What kind of problems are people looking to solve? Well, there are four main categories of problems that people are actively looking to solve – which is why they’re super profitable course topics.
- Category 1: Relationships Problems
Examples include learning how to get your first date after a bad divorce, improving the relationship you have with your teenager, or even how to manifest your soulmate.
- Category 2: Health Problems
Examples include learning how to build strength and flexibility for your physical health, how to overcome anxiety for your mental health, or even how to improve the health of your skin.
- Category 3: Finance Problems
Examples include learning how to get your personal finances on track and grow your savings, learning how to grow your email list to grow your business, learning how to get a promotion at work, or even learning how to improve your money mindset so that you can attract more money.
- Category 4: Skill Problems
Examples include learning how to make visual reports from spreadsheets, how to speak a new language, how to paint a portrait of your pet with watercolors, how to clean your home in a timely manner, or even how to train your dog.
So you might be thinking to yourself, ok, well my course DEFINITELY solves a specific problem, but still – nobody’s buying it.
This takes me to Reason #2 why nobody’s buying your evergreen course.
2. Your evergreen course doesn’t solve a specific problem in a new way.
The best courses don’t solve new problems, they solve old problems in a new way.
Whether you know it or not, there are a lot of course creators selling a course that solves the same problem that your course helps people solve. Whether that problem is learning how to date after divorce or learning how to get a promotion at work. That’s because over the years, the online course industry has blossomed to billions of dollars in revenue generated each year – and it’s still growing.
This is good news for you because it means that people are buying online courses so they can learn how to solve their problems – even problems that YOUR COURSE can help them solve.
The issue is that if you are teaching the same thing in the same way as everyone else – you don’t stand out and people don’t notice you.
You might be thinking to yourself, but Caitlin, I DON’T teach the same thing in the same way. My method/process/formula for helping people solve their specific problem is completely different than what my competitors teach.
Well – if that’s true, then you need to highlight that inside your sales and marketing. When you’re different, you stand out. When you stand out, you get more attention from the right people…and when you do that – you sell more courses.
The first course I ever sold that made over a million dollars in one year was all about how to grow a free Facebook group. It was a topic I knew a lot about as I’d been able to grow my own very quickly.
At the time, A LOT of people were creating courses on the same topic BUT, I was able to stand out because my approach to helping people grow a free Facebook group was completely different from what everyone else was teaching.
I don’t sell that course anymore because I got really tired of talking about FB groups and was more interested in teaching people how to sell their evergreen course on autopilot, which they don’t even NEED a free Facebook group to do.
But, even though I had a course that solved a specific problem in a NEW way, it never would’ve crossed the million dollar mark IF I didn’t know how to build an audience of people who WANTED to solve their problem.
Which takes me to Reason #3 why nobody’s buying your evergreen course.
3. You’re not attracting people who are struggling with a problem that your course can solve.
You can have the best course in the world and it can help people solve their problems in a way that is completely new and different, but if you don’t have a system that attracts and builds an audience full of people experiencing the specific problem that your course solves – WHO are you going to sell it to?
Marketing your course, whether it’s on social media or a podcast or whatever will require you to build an audience of people actively experiencing problems your course can solve.
The reason why I LOVE teaching people how to sell their evergreen course is because you don’t need to wait until you build an audience BEFORE you start selling. My clients do BOTH at the same time. So, their audience is always growing and their course is always selling.
The content that you’re creating to drive traffic to your offers must be relevant to someone who is struggling with a specific problem. Whether you’re making content for ads, social, or even publishing a podcast, the whole point is to attract people who need your course.
They might not know about your course, yet – but they need it – and they need to know what makes your approach to solving their problem different from all the other stuff they’ve tried or heard about before.
So, the VERY first course I made taught creative business owners how to develop a social media marketing plan for their business. I did this because I used to be a social media manager for other people who owned creative businesses. I was teaching what I knew!
Now, when I first began selling that course I struggled a bit because I found myself attracting people who didn’t even know if they wanted their business to BE on social media. I wasted so much time and energy trying to convince them about WHY social media was great and HOW it could benefit their business.
…when I could have been focusing on building an audience of people who ALREADY KNEW they wanted to put their creative business on social media and they were just looking to learn how to make it happen.
If you find yourself attracting people who need to be “convinced” that they need the course you’re selling – that’s a losing battle. You need an audience of people who WANT to solve their problem, and they’re just looking for the best way to do it.
So, to recap – if your evergreen course isn’t selling right now, it usually comes down to one of three things:
First, your course isn’t solving a specific enough problem, which makes it hard for someone to recognize that it’s exactly what they need.
Second, you’re not clearly communicating what makes your approach different, so even if your method is unique, it’s getting lost in a sea of similar offers.
And third, you’re not attracting people who are actively trying to solve that problem right now, which means you’re spending time convincing instead of converting.
And when you zoom out, all three of these really point to the same thing:
Clarity.
Clarity around the problem.
Clarity around your method.
And clarity around who you’re speaking to.
Because when those three things are clear, selling your course becomes a whole lot simpler.
You’re not pushing people to buy.
You’re not wondering where your next sale is coming from.
You’re connecting with people who already want what you offer – and showing them why your way is the right way for them.
And that’s when evergreen starts to feel the way it’s supposed to feel…
Consistent.
Predictable.
And actually enjoyable to run.
I appreciate you being here and be sure to tune in next time for another episode of Scale With Success® – The Podcast.
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