15 Online Course Niches That Make Money

By: Justin Ferriman • July 23, 2019
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If you’re thinking of selling an online course, then step #1 is to find a profitable niche.

Everyone has things that they’re good at, but it’s more important to find something that you are good at and that is proven to sell if you’re planning on starting an online course business. There are literally thousands of profitable niches to choose from, but here are 15 great ideas for those looking to begin selling an online course.

1. Parenting

There are no formal qualifications required to be a parent, which makes it a great niche for people looking to sell an online course. Whether you’ve had one child or five, you’re bound to have great advice to share with other parents. Plus, you have an evergreen customer-base as the world gains new parents every day!

2. Computers and Technology

These days more and more of our lives are being shaped by technology. Offering a course in the latest tech is a great way of finding an audience. Tech courses take a lot of work but they often have the best payouts.

3. Home Improvement

Offering style tips to people looking to redecorate their homes is an invaluable service as people are always looking to find out how to complete tasks around the home. You can cover everything from home construction to interior and exterior decorating. Here’s an idea: start a YouTube channel offering advice on home improvement. This will help you grow an audience.

4. Food

This is such a popular niche with topics such as vegan cooking and the importance of meal planning exponentially increasing in popularity in recent years. Now is a great time to start selling a food-related online course. Don’t just create a course on cooking though. Create a course on a specific kind of cooking (like making meals in a slowcooker, or quick recipes for single men).

5. Meditation

When the stresses of modern life get too much to handle people will often look online for ways to unwind. A meditation or a mindfulness course could be exactly what they’re looking for. If you can bring someone serenity you’ll have a fan for life.

6. Beauty and Makeup

Beauty and makeup content is frequently searched online yet at present there aren’t as many courses in this niche as some of the others. You can tailor your course to your skin tone or a particular style in order to target a specific part of the market.

7. Musical Instruments

An estimated one in four adults play at least one instrument in the United States. This extends beyond the “typical” instruments that you and I would normally think about when it comes to playing music. People are becoming more interested in quirky instruments like the didgeridoo. If you can play one then you have an audience at your fingertips!

8. Education

Are you qualified in your particular field to the extent that you could help newcomers to your industry excel in their chosen career path? If so, offering a course that provides educational services could be the niche you’re looking for.

9. Pet Training

Being a pet owner is a lot like being a parent. There are always obstacles to overcome, things to learn, and plenty of challenges to face. If you’re an experienced pet owner then there is sure to be other people out there that could benefit from your advice. This niche is very crowded so make sure you have a good angle (or sub-niche, like specific breeds).

10. Language Learning

If you’re lucky enough to be multilingual then you could make money from offering a language course online. More people ever are trying to learn a new language, so why not capitalize on this?

11. Personal Development

It’s common for people to struggle with personal tasks such as time management and organization. If you’re confident enough with your organizational skills and believe that your techniques are worth sharing with the world, then you should consider doing so. Remember to focus on the outcome (the benefit) when it comes to personal development. In the example of time management, it is more than “getting more time”. It’s about the great things you can do with that time.

12. Social Media Influencing

Tons of people wish they had a huge social media following so that they could enjoy the perks that come with being a micro-celebrity. Learning how to grow social media accounts with a serious of meaningful and engaging posts is a skill that many people desire to learn. The caveat here is that you need to grow your own social media influence first, but as you do so you gain a natural audience for your courses.

13. Life Coaching

A lot of people know what they want in life they just don’t know how to go about getting it. For those people that need a gentle nudge in the right direction, a supportive and encouraging life coaching course could be exactly what they’re looking for.

14. Personal Finances

Many people struggle with planning a budget and sticking to it every month and as such are missing out on the finer things in life. By teaching people how to budget and be more financially responsible, you’re helping to improve their lives dramatically. One thing you could do for this is offer your course for free, but then sign-up as an affiliate for a popular finance software so that you get paid a commission when people create their own account.

15. Entertainment

There’s virtually no limits to what you can teach people online; for example, people are frequently turning to online courses to help them become the life of the party. With everything from card games to magic tricks being taught online, there truly is something for everyone with interests in the world of entertainment.

Always choose a niche that aligns with an interest or passion.

You know your strengths and you know your passions. Passions aren’t enough to create successful businesses or else everyone would be running one. However, passion is what can power you through when you get frustrated or burnt-out building your online course business. In other words, if you choose a niche strictly because of the earning potential then you will be outclassed by someone who actually has passion for that industry. Stick with what you know, what you’re good at, and what you care about!

Justin Ferriman

Justin started LearnDash, the WordPress LMS trusted by Fortune 500 companies, major universities, training organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. He is currently founder & CEO of GapScout. Justin’s Homepage | GapScout | Twitter