The Art of Online Course Creation | Helping Experts Build Impactful Courses That Get Real Results #59 Online Course Marketing for Beginners: Launches, Evergreen Funnels, and Sales Runways with Jessica Korthuis
Mar 17, 2026
Jessica Korthuis, a two-time entrepreneur and award-winning marketing educator who helps women-owned businesses scale, breaks down real ways to sell courses today. She discusses why celebrity launches fail for many, choosing between launches and evergreen funnels, the role of early adopters, sales runways, partnerships, and smarter alternatives to paid ads.
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Online Course Noise Has Exploded With AI
- The online course market is drastically more crowded now and AI has accelerated content noise.
- Jessica Korthuis contrasts early years where niche courses (e.g., candied apples) scaled to today’s overwhelming information and AI-driven volume.
Validate With Early Adopters Before Scaling
- Secure product-market fit with early adopters before trying to scale to the early majority.
- Use Jeffrey Moore’s adoption curve: target the small group that feels acute pain and validate willingness to pay repeatedly.
Talk Early And Ship Imperfectly
- Start talking to your early adopters before the product is perfect; they tolerate imperfections and will buy if motivation is high.
- Jessica used survey feedback and paid betas to iterate instead of waiting for a polished launch.