How to Promote Courses Using TikTok

TikTok is increasingly popular among people of all ages and isn't just about fun anymore.

Brands utilize short and engaging videos to promote their products and tap into new markets, increasing visibility and growth.

According to Bloomberg data, TikTok was the first app to exceed $10 billion in total consumer spending in 2024, contributing to record-breaking mobile app sales.

With 92% of global users taking action after viewing a TikTok video, it's clear why integrating TikTok into your promotion strategy is essential for online course creators and entrepreneurs.

TikTok is an ideal platform for selling online courses, as it allows you to connect with prospective students through your content.

Therefore, as a course creator, you must know how to promote courses using TikTok. This will help you gain more followers on TikTok and convert them into course enrollments.

This post will guide you through eight effective strategies for promoting your online course.

1. Create and Publish Compelling Content

When prospective students visit your profile page, they'll first look at the content you've shared.

If they find it valuable and interesting, they'll likely follow you.

So, wondering how to market online courses on TikTok using content marketing?

Here are our top five tips to get your content seen on TikTok:

• Create quality content
• Deliver the right amount of content
• Know what’s trending
• Make it fun
• Understand the algorithms

To create compelling content, you must develop different strategies for each stage of the buyer's journey, ensuring it is always helpful and relevant to your target audience.

Here are the eight different types of engaging content to market and sell your courses on TikTok:

1. How-to Tutorials: Create short, informative, and fun tutorials on topics related to your course.
2. Behind-the-Scenes Videos: Show the course creation process to help your audience know you better and build trust.
3. Q & A Sessions: Use TikTok's Q & A feature to answer questions about your course niche. This feature is available under ‘Creator Tools’ on your profile.
4. Student Reviews and Testimonials: Share the success stories of your past students. You can create before-and-after videos to highlight their transformation after taking your course.
5. Animated Explainer Videos: Use animated graphics to simplify complex topics, making them fun and engaging.
6. Challenge Videos: Create fun challenges related to your course and encourage your followers to participate. It can increase interest and buzz around your course.
7. User-Generated Content: Repost relevant videos from your followers on your TikTok or other social platforms to show you value their input.
8. Live Streams: Use TikTok's live stream feature to interact with your followers in real-time, providing insights into your course and answering their questions.

Most importantly, engaging content can turn your followers into paying students.

For example, Emily Reagan, a digital marketing assistant course creator, posts different types of content that help current and prospective students, engaging them in new insights, providing tips, and answering questions.

Source: TikTok

2. Increase Your Reach and Visibility With TikTok Ads

TikTok Ads Manager helps you reach a unique and engaged audience, making it easy to get your brand noticed.

With tools for launching, measuring, and optimizing your ads, you can easily target the right audience, track performance, and create highly effective ads to achieve your objectives.

Here are some of the essential best practices for using TikTok ads for course promotion:

• Capture attention in the first 3 seconds
• Abide by TikTok’s image and video specs
• Update your ads often
• Put important info in the middle of the screen
• Localize your ad language

3. Collaborate with Influencers in Your Niche

Collaborating with influencers in your niche as a course creator can greatly enhance your promotion efforts.

According to Statista, in 2023, TikTok influencers with 1,000 to 10,000 followers had an engagement rate of 11.97%, while those with over one million followers had an engagement rate of 9.67%.

Identify influencers whose audience is likely to be interested in your course and partner with them. An authentic, collaborative relationship helps you expand your reach to your target audience.

They can mention your course in their videos or create dedicated review videos discussing how your course impacted their life and the skills they gained.

Here are 5 ideas to promote your online course with influencers:

1. Sponsored content or shoutouts: Paying influencers to feature your course on their profile or mention it in their posts.
2. Influencer-led tutorials or course previews: Having influencers create videos demonstrating aspects of your course or offering sneak peeks.
3. Giveaways or contests in collaboration with the influencer: Running promotions where the influencer helps promote a giveaway or contest related to your course.
4. Influencer reviews and testimonials: Having influencers share their honest opinions and experiences with your course to their audience.
5. Co-hosted live Q&A sessions or webinars: Collaborating with influencers to host live sessions where they answer questions or discuss topics related to your course.

Here’s an example of Caitlin, an online course creator known as Cyber Security Girl, who posted a video collaboration with other empowered women in cybersecurity.

Source: TikTok

4. Gain More Views With TikTok Hashtags

Do you know how to use TikTok to grow your online course using hashtags?

Hashtags categorize content and create a roadmap for users. Post with relevant hashtags and include a call-to-action directing viewers to your bio link to purchase your course.

Using hashtags doesn’t guarantee that your video will go viral, but it will gradually develop an association with your brand.

For example, here are the trending hashtags in the US region on TikTok as of May 2024. You can easily find the hashtags according to your industry.

Source: TikTok

Here are some tips to help you create hashtags for your online course:

• Focus on creating one hashtag for a campaign instead of a bunch
• Create relevant hashtags related to your online course
• Hashtags should be self-explanatory
• Create hashtags with simple spellings

Use popular hashtags related to online education or your niche to increase visibility. Relevant hashtags help anyone looking for content on a specific topic or area of interest discover such content.

5. Gamification Techniques

Gamification is another key TikTok marketing strategy for online courses to make it fun and interactive for course creators.

It turns education into an exciting journey by breaking down barriers and creating shareable experiences.

This approach builds anticipation for rewards, such as discounts or free lectures, encouraging active participation from students.

Gamified challenges help learners apply new knowledge while experience points and levels track progress.

Here’s an example of TikTok gamification techniques that online course creators integrate for assessment to make tests more exciting.

Source: TikTok

6. Drive Enrollments With Limited-time Offers and Discounts 

Everyone loves discounts and looks for such offers.

Post short, engaging videos announcing the limited-time offers and discounts. Use trending sounds, catchy captions, and visually appealing graphics to grab attention.

Include popular and relevant hashtags to increase the visibility of your promotional videos. Hashtags like #LimitedTimeOffer, #Discount, and #EnrollNow can help reach a broader audience.

Direct viewers to click the link in your bio to take advantage of the offer. Mention the steps they need to follow to enroll with the discount.

Respond to comments and questions on your promotional videos to build engagement and trust. Encourage viewers to share the offer with friends who might be interested.

8. Participate in Trending Challenges

One of the most popular genres of TikTok content is challenges.

Challenges are an excellent method to interact with the TikTok community while gaining more views and followers.

Search for popular hashtags, sounds, and challenges, and pay attention to recurring songs on your feed.

Once you've identified a trending song, create a video incorporating tips from your course and information about it.

Here are the trending daily challenges in which you can participate to promote your online course in a fun and creative way to reach a wider audience.

However, these trends keep changing, and you need to stay updated.

9. Community Building on TikTok

So, if you think you haven’t gathered the right audience on your TikTok channel, start building a community.

Establishing a community requires you to develop a strategy that focuses on building awareness and engaging for the online course.

Your purpose should guide your content strategy, communication style, and moderation policies.

But do you know how to promote online courses on TikTok via community building?

To build a dedicated TikTok course community, follow these tips:

• Craft a compelling bio highlighting your educational niche.
• Share concise, valuable content regularly—short tutorials, tips, and challenges.
• Foster a sense of community by responding to comments and engaging with your audience.
• Create a unique course hashtag for easy tracking and community participation.
• Inspire followers to share their learning journey using your course-related hashtag.
• Host live sessions to address queries and connect with your audience in real time.

Here are some key ways to encourage discussions and collaborations on TikTok:

• Initiate hashtag challenges
• Pose thought-provoking questions
• Respond to comments promptly
• Collaborate with other creators
• Host live Q&A sessions
• Share behind-the-scenes content
• Encourage user-generated content
• Run contests and giveaways
• Create duet and stitch videos
• Participate in trending conversations

By creating an interest-based community in the context of your online course, you can connect with prospective students, share knowledge and resources, and conduct group activities.

Conclusion

Consistency, creativity, and authenticity are key to achieving success on TikTok.

Utilizing TikTok’s analytics, targeted ads, and influencer collaborations ensures your course reaches the right audience.

From bite-sized previews to interactive challenges, TikTok enables course creators to build a sense of belonging and excitement around their courses. 

Now that you know how to promote courses to students on TikTok, you can effectively reach potential customers and increase enrollment.

Continuously engage with your audience, analyze your content's performance, and adapt your strategy to meet your business objectives.

Stay updated on trends and create content your audience loves. TikTok will help you promote and expand your course business.