Learners comparing online courses look at outcomes, reviews and what the course pays back. We put those in front of them and track cost per sale, so you can scale spend with confidence. Think Orion is an online course marketing agency that runs research, creative, landing pages and paid ads for established course businesses.
1M+
Learners enrolled
125%
Annual revenue growth Conor Harris
100+
Education brands worked with
Trusted by 50+ education brands
What we do
What Does an Online Course Marketing Agency Do?
An online course marketing agency finds, convinces and converts the right learners for a paid course, then reports what each sale costs. At Think Orion that means learner research, ad creative, landing pages, paid advertising and a feedback loop tied to course revenue.
Most course creators start by running their own ads. That works until the creator is spending more time in ad managers than with students, or until rising costs eat the margin. An agency takes over the acquisition engine so you can focus on the course.
Learner research
Messaging built on why buyers choose, hesitate or pick a competitor
Creative production
Branded, UGC and high-production ads, made in-house and tested against what your category is running
Landing pages and lead capture
Sales pages and inquiry forms built to convert, with nurture matched to the course
Paid advertising
Campaigns on Meta and Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google, chosen by conversion results
Reporting
Cost per sale and cost per qualified inquiry, tracked separately
The problem
Why course revenue stalls
01
Wearing two hats
Every hour inside an ad platform is an hour away from your course and your students.
02
Rising ad costs
Without optimization built for education, you overpay for every sale you win.
03
No clear attribution
You can see clicks all day and still not see which campaign produced a paying student.
Three problems, one root cause: nobody can tell clicks from customers.
They understand the program. They’re willing and able to invest.
A qualified conversation is a form submission from someone who understands the program, is interested in joining, wants to learn more, and is willing and able to pay for it.
01They submit the form.
02They understand the program.
03They are interested in joining.
04They want to learn more.
05They are willing and able to pay.
Who we work with
Which Course Businesses Do We Work With?
We work only in education, and course businesses are one of our core segments. These are the types of course businesses we market most often.
01
Creator-led and expert courses
fitness, coaching, creative skills and professional know-how sold by a founder or instructor. See our marketing for coaches page.
Branded, UGC and high-production formats built for the feed, made in-house and tested against what your category is running. Each concept comes from research into the program, its audience and the proof behind the message. You approve the work; we script, produce and edit.
Event planning courseUGC
Back pain educationUGC
Freelance tech skillsUGC
Drone pilot trainingHigh production
Career skills programBranded
SaaS sales techniqueUGC
Women in leadershipBranded
FE electrical exam adviceUGC
Learner confidenceUGC
Drone pilot webinarBranded
Good creative is only half of it. The other half is where it lands.
Good creative is only half the work. The other half is placement, which our performance media team handles.
The work
Six steps to a stronger course business
Six steps, run against your launch calendar or always-on. What we need from you is some content only your course can make, you or your instructor on camera, and time with the people who hear from your students.
Step 01 of 06
Research
Before anything is made, we research the course: who buys and why now, how aware they are, what they compare you against (including doing nothing), what proof holds up, and how learners describe the problem the course solves.
What you get
A research document per course
Competitor and proof review
Learner language, in their own words
Step 02 of 06
Student profiling
From that research we choose one or two learner profiles per course and write the message for each: one claim, the proof behind it, the objection it has to beat.
What you get
Learner profiles and messaging
One claim per course with its proof
Channel and budget plan by launch
Step 03 of 06
Landing pages and VALA
We build a sales page and a VALA funnel that offers a useful next step: a free lesson, a guide or a webinar where it fits the course. An inquiry qualifies when someone submits the form, knows what they signed up for, is interested in the course, wants to learn more, and is willing and able to pay for it. A direct checkout remains a purchase, with its own cost and revenue reporting.
We run the channels that fit the course, with the accounts in your name: Meta and Instagram for most consumer courses, YouTube where the skill is visual, Google for people already searching, LinkedIn for professional topics. We review budget against what produces sales at a cost the margin can carry.
What you get
Campaign build and management in your own accounts
Budget shifted toward what's producing sales
Cost per sale, reported
Step 06 of 06
Feedback loop
We review course sales and cost per sale alongside qualified inquiries where a form is part of the journey. Student reviews and replies show what helped people decide. Those findings feed the research and the next launch.
What you get
Regular readout against targets
A recap you can share
Research updated every cycle
Each cycle starts from what the last one proved
Earn understanding and interest before the form. Track course purchases separately and improve the next launch.
How much you should spend on ads depends on your course price and margin. The first cycle finds the profiles and messages that convert; after that, budget follows cost per sale. Model your numbers with our free enrollment economics calculator or see full details on our full pricing page.
Side by side
Should You Hire an Agency or Market Your Course Yourself?
Not every course business needs an agency. This comparison shows when each option makes sense.
Course buyers weigh the instructor, outcomes, reviews and time commitment before they buy.
A clear view of the economics
Qualified inquiry cost and direct-sale economics remain separate so your team can see how each journey works.
Your proof, front and center
Verified student outcomes, completion rates and honest reviews help explain what the course can offer.
Course buyers spend their own money, so they compare harder than almost any other learner. The ads that win show the instructor, the outcome and the payback. Everything else is decoration.
It runs the work that turns strangers into paying students: learner research, ad creative, landing pages, paid campaigns and reporting. A good agency reports cost per sale, not just clicks. Think Orion does all of this for established course businesses.
How Do I Promote My Online Course Without Burning Budget?
Start with your course economics, then messaging, then ads. Show the instructor and verified outcomes, and test which messages help people choose. If an agency isn't the right next step yet, our guide to promote an online course covers the basics.
What Makes Course Marketing Different From Other Education Marketing?
Course buyers spend their own money after comparing alternatives, so the offer, proof and payback math decide the sale. Creative volume matters more too, because ad platforms learn from the ads you give them.
Which Platforms Work Best for Selling Online Courses?
Meta and Instagram suit most consumer courses, YouTube suits visual skills and instructor-led appeal, LinkedIn suits professional topics, and Google captures people searching for an outcome. We follow conversion results, not habit. See our guides to Facebook ads for courses and YouTube course advertising.
How Much Should a Course Business Budget for Marketing?
Enough to learn, then enough to scale what works. The first cycle identifies the profiles and messages that convert; budget then follows cost per sale against your margin. Think Orion's Growth Partnership starts at $3,500 per month plus ad spend from $5,000 per month.
Can You Help Me Launch a Brand New Course?
Yes, but we test demand first. We review the offer, audience and proof before recommending spend, and we will tell you if the offer needs work before an agency makes sense.
How Do You Use Testimonials in Course Ads?
Testimonials work best when they show a specific outcome from a learner your buyer recognizes. We turn reviews and student results into short video and static ads, then test which proof points lower cost per sale. Read more on testimonials for course marketing.
How Long Does It Take to See Results?
It depends on your price point, budget and launch calendar. We read early results once enough sales or qualified inquiries come in to compare messages, and we scale spend only when cost per sale holds against your margin.
Do You Work With Course Businesses Outside the US?
Yes. Think Orion works with education brands in several countries, with offices in Singapore and the UAE. Our case studies include course businesses such as UAV Coach and Daisie.
Your next launch is already being compared.
Bring your course sales, inquiry numbers and calendar. We’ll look at the journey, its economics and what to change first.
Manno NotermansCo-founder and CSO, Think Orion