Chapter 1: The Struggles of a Failed Course

If you’ve followed my writings on Medium, you’re likely aware of my strong enthusiasm for Udemy. I often liken Udemy to the Amazon of online courses, presenting an excellent opportunity for passive income if navigated wisely.

I have amassed over 13,000 students across my courses and even have two included in Udemy Business, which gives me confidence in my understanding of the platform. However, not every course achieves success.

One particular course I invested significant effort into, which launched a few months ago, was a considerable disappointment. To say it flopped would be an understatement; just take a look at my Udemy dashboard for that course.

I was on the verge of dismissing it as a complete failure until I came across a new feature announced by Gumroad.

Gumroad is a platform that allows creators to upload their own digital products. Unlike Udemy, it lacks a vast marketplace, which means driving traffic is essential. The recent announcement from Gumroad about supporting upsells caught my attention. This feature allows users to bundle products together, which is quite innovative.

It's remarkably simple to connect one product to another, and customers are presented with the bundled offer at checkout.

In my case, I have a free eBook that typically sells one or two copies daily and receives a lot of positive feedback. Recently, I created an upsell by linking this eBook to my previously struggling course.

To my delight, the strategy worked! Now, whenever someone downloads the eBook, they’re offered my course at a discounted price.

The results were impressive, with several new purchases and positive responses flowing in.

This experience has taught me that just because a course underperforms on one platform, it doesn’t mean it’s destined for failure. It can thrive again on a different platform, so don’t hesitate to experiment! Create an appealing freebie that resonates with your audience and link it to another product.

Best of luck on your journey with digital products!

Taimur Ijlal is a renowned information security expert with over twenty years of global experience in cybersecurity and IT risk management within the fintech sector. Connect with Taimur on LinkedIn or check out his YouTube channel, "Cloud Security Guy," where he shares insights on Cloud Security, Artificial Intelligence, and career advice in cybersecurity.

For more tips on increasing your earnings in cybersecurity, don't miss my free eBook.

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