Finding creative ways to make money online, and keep my business expenses as low as possible, is one of my goals each and every month.
I don't believe in buying into every trendy piece of software or every shiny new product that launches in the blogging world. In fact, I think it's safe to say that I take more of a minimalist stance when it comes to running my business and adding expenses.
I tend to buy business tools that I can use in multiple ways–as a small business owner I like to stretch a dollar as much as I can!
One of the tools I use in my business is Teachable–a very popular online course platform.
Did you know that there are several different ways you can use Teachable to your advantage as an online business owner? The capabilities of this platform are beyond just creating an online course.
It's a tool that can really help you to create a variety of income streams in your business.
Here are 7 creative ways to make money with Teachable.
#1 Sell Online Courses (the most obvious way)
I thought I would go ahead and get this one out of the way now. Teachable is one of the leading platforms in the online course creation world. You can use the platform to build video, audio, and text-based courses that help you to monetize what you know and build on-demand products that earn you money. Learn more about creating courses here.
#2 Sell eBooks
That's right! You can use your Teachable membership to host and sell ebooks to your audience. The set-up is much like creating an online course, however, you would simply need to upload a PDF copy of your book and click one button to make the book downloadable.
#3 Sell Access to Live Workshops
If you are thinking about hosting a live workshop or training, you can use Teachable to create a landing/sales page and accept payment for the live event.
One way I've seen this done is to keep the venue for the event a secret on the landing/sales page. Instead, explain on your sales page that the venue will be revealed to attendees once they purchase their tickets.
#4 Sell One-on-One Coaching Packages
Regardless of what niche you are in, one-on-one coaching is a good revenue model to consider. With Teachable, you can set up a mini-membership area and sell online coaching packages to your audience.
You would need to use an additional tool like Zoom or Skype to host your actual coaching calls. But it's still convenient to have your packages available for purchase alongside your other digital products on your Teachable school. This would also allow you to use the coaching package as an upsell to other offers.
#5 Sell a Monthly Membership
The monthly recurring membership model (when you get paid month after month by your members) is the holy grail of passive income. However, it's definitely an income stream that should not be stepped into lightly. It requires a lot of attention and in most cases must be constantly updated to continue to add value for your members.
Instead of using a WordPress membership plugin, why not use Teachable to host your membership material. You can add as many components such as images, videos, audio, downloads, etc. to your membership and set a monthly fee that will bill to your members automatically each month–no chasing down people for your money!
#6 Become a Teachable Affiliate
That's right! You can sign up with Teachable affiliate partnership program and start earning a commission on any sale generated through your referral links. The best news is that you earn recurring income from anyone who signs up with your link–it's not just a one-time flat payment.
#7 Create Your Own Affiliate Partnership Program
In the previous example, I mentioned you being an affiliate for Teachable. But you also have the opportunity to set up your own affiliate partnership program for your own products.
For any courses or ebooks or membership programs or anything else that you offer through Teachable, you can allow others to market and sell your offers in exchange for a commission payment. You set the commission percentage and decide who gets to join your affiliate team. Teachable takes care of all tracking and affiliate payouts for you.
Note: This option is only available on the basic plan or higher.
I bet you didn't realize you could use Teachable in such creative ways to make money! It took a few years of me using the tool to really start to understand it's capabilities. It's well worth the $39 monthly fee I pay for the basic plan.
Hopefully, this post gives you a better understanding in much less time than it took me to learn.
If you want to learn more about Teachable's capabilities, I encourage you to attend their weekly information session.
If you are already sold on the benefits mentioned above, you can get started with Teachable by signing up for a plan here.
Are you are using the platform in other creative ways to make money? Please comment below and share your knowledge!
Great info! I don’t think many people realize you can do all of these different things with Teachable, and I like that you provided some key details, such as needing additional tools and certain paid plans.
Thanks Kim! I was working with a client recently who uses Teachable and it dawned on me that if she didn’t realize she could be doing more with the platform, other people probably didn’t know either 🙂 So I’m glad you found this helpful! 🙂
Very informative. I just signed up for a coaching platform for my coaching business but this really sounds more along the lines of what I’m offering especially the ability to do live workshops…now I need to really look at teachable to see if I can use it as my only platform or if I need both.
Hi Tish! I’m glad you found this helpful 🙂 Not sure what your current platform is but it’s definitely worth taking a look at to compare. There is also now a way to add a live stream video or webinar using a combination of Teachable and Youtube. I have not done it myself, but I can certainly see the benefits of being able to do so.
This is awesome content! I’m working on my first online course and I’m very excited. (^_^)
Hi Kayvern! I’m glad you like the content 🙂 How exciting to be working on your first course! What is your course about?
The course will be about creating beautiful designs with Canva! 🙂
Hi Kari,
This is a great list, thanks for sharing it.
I particularly like number 5 (sell a monthly membership) – you’re right that it can take a lot of work, but I think it’s worth it given that you get paid every month that someone remains a customer, meaning you don’t need to look for new sales at the start of each month, and you no longer start each month at $0. It can be a lot less intimidating when you start the month having already earned some money, trust me!
I think a monthly membership could work well with Teachable’s drip functionality, meaning you could continue to release new content after specific durations that someone has remained a member. That would incentivize someone to stay a member provided you’ve created enough content upfront and as you go along to make it worthwhile.
Thanks again and keep up the great work!
Jonathan
Hi Jonathan! I agree that the content drip feature is really nice for someone building out a membership program as it can help you get content preloaded and released periodically. Part of the reason I’ve not created my own membership yet is because I know it requires constant attention and updating to be successful and of value. The drip feature definitely helps with that. Maybe one day I will take on the challenge 🙂
Thanks for commenting!