Why Marketing Your Class Matters

At Skillshare, we believe that everyone can teach and that everyone should have the same chance to succeed. That's why we created an inherently meritocratic platform.

A meritocracy is a system where someone advances based on their ability, effort and talent, not by their wealth or social rank. So when we say that Skillshare is meritocratic, we mean that the more effort you put into your class, the more you'll get out of it.

Of course, the first place where your effort shines through is in your class itself. Publishing an engaging, insightful class is your first step towards success.

But that's not where it ends. Once your class is live, you have the power to drastically increase your earnings by marketing your class to your own networks.

You may be wondering why you need to spend the time and effort marketing your class if there are over one million students on Skillshare.

Consider this: New York City is home to more than 8 million people, but just because it’s a city of millions doesn’t mean that every new business that opens will have a line out the door. The businesses that drum up initial excitement for their launch and continue to promote after opening are the ones that rise to Cronuts status.

While Skillshare has over one million students eager to learn new things everyday, there are thousands of teachers creating thousands of classes competing for students’ attention.

This is where marketing comes in. Marketing your class to find your initial students will help more students on Skillshare will discover it. The more students who sign up and watch your class, the more money you'll earn in your teacher royalties. The icing on the cake? You'll also be paid an extra $10 bonus for each new person you bring to Skillshare who signs up for a Membership.

You don’t need to rent a blimp to promote your class. You don’t even need to purchase Google ads. Promoting your class is as easy as asking your community – your friends, family, coworkers, and social media followers – to support you by watching your class.

When you tap into your own community of friends and followers, you build initial momentum and social proof. When you continue to promote to your networks, you supply a steady stream of traffic to your class, helping to keep your class discoverable and your revenue growing.

There are endless ways to market your class and countless tactics to try. Here’s a roundup of some of our favorite tips and tricks for marketing your class:

1. How Teela Cunningham Launched a Successful Marketing Campaign
2. 12 Creative Ways to Market Your Skillshare Class
3. How to Market Your Class and Grow Your Following

For more insight on why marketing matters and other tools and tactics to try, head to the Teacher Handbook.