The Art of Selling Online Courses

231 Meet the Man With 980,000,000+ YouTube Views

10 snips
Feb 13, 2026
Mark Smith, award-winning wildlife photographer and filmmaker known for ultra-slow videos of birds of prey. He built nearly a billion YouTube views by niching down and filming ospreys, eagles and hawks in hypnotic slow motion. They discuss why long-form YouTube sells courses better than short-form, how in-person workshops still pay best, and why he keeps marketing minimal to stay focused on shooting.
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INSIGHT

Daily Fieldwork Feeds Both Art And Business

  • Mark goes out daily to shoot whether clients join or not because practice improves craft and generates content.
  • Continuous fieldwork both refines skills and supplies material for teaching and social media.
INSIGHT

YouTube Long-Form Converts Best

  • Mark finds YouTube long-form content drives the best audience for selling courses and funnels.
  • He says shorts/Instagram attract casual viewers who rarely convert to paying students.
ADVICE

Drive YouTube Viewers To Email

  • Use YouTube to move viewers onto an email list, then sell via email sequences rather than relying on shorts.
  • Long-form videos answer pain points and attract people willing to buy courses.
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