Ashley Fox was fresh out of college and landed her dream job, working on Wall Street. But when she realized it wasn't the right fit, she took a different path. She started educating the 99% of people that Wall Street would never talk to, bringing her wealth of knowledge from that world and sharing it.
Ashley was so successful at sharing this knowledge that she launched her courses and community on Mighty, and made $100,000 in the first 2 weeks!
Ashley is working in one of the most popular online course niches, personal finance. We'll get to that below.
In the meantime, are you thinking about starting an online course? Are you wondering what to focus on, or how to make it as profitable as possible?
You're not alone. A lot of online courses don't make much money for their creators. So by doing the background work and choosing a great niche, you're setting yourself up for success from the get-go.
In this post, we're going to talk about some of the best niches for online courses.
When we're looking for profitable online course niches, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. We're looking for niches that are relatively popular, that people are currently taking courses in, and that people are willing to spend money on. Get these three things together, and mix in your knowledge, and you've got the recipe for a great course!
If you want more support in building your online community, come join OUR Mighty Community for free and meet other new and established community owners! We’d love to meet you. Join for free!
((toc))
1. B2B
We're not sure if B2B is a niche, there are a lot of niches within B2B courses. But it's hard to deny the fact that making any course B2B (as in, selling to businesses instead of individual consumers), can make it more profitable.
Businesses are often willing to invest in courses to help their employees upskill. Whether it's specific technical skills they need for their job or soft skills, B2B courses aren't going anywhere.
So whatever your niche is, if you consider taking it B2B, you'll have something that might be more profitable.
2. Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is one of those niches that just works. Whether it's because business owners are more willing to invest in their development, or maybe successful business owners have more to invest, entrepreneurship is a profitable online course niche.
Creating high-ticket courses for entrepreneurs could mean teaching the ins and outs of running a business, managing people, or marketing.
Have you ever seen the advice for entrepreneurs to "invest in yourself?"
When people say that, they're not talking about mani-pedis.
For entrepreneurs, investing in yourself means spending the money to raise your skills, to help you play a game at a higher level. It's a well-known fact that most companies get bottlenecked because of their founders or leaders.
Entrepreneurs invest in courses to help them avoid this. And that's what makes it a profitable course niche.
3. Fitness
People will spend a lot on their physical health. Heck, if you've ever looked at hiring a personal trainer, you know it ain't cheap.
That's why online courses related to fitness can be so valuable. People are willing to pay for the knowledge to help them get in the shape they want and have more energy.
One awesome example is Cristy “Code Red” Nickel. She moved her courses and community she was trying to run on Facebook over to Mighty – it’s a $10 million business!
If you want to join the fitness course game, here are some great ideas!
- Boot camps
- Pilates for beginners
- HIIT courses
- Getting started with cycling
- Bodybuilding basics
4. Marketing
Marketing skills are super valuable to have. If you know how to create Facebook ads that convert or build SEO traffic, you have an in-demand skill.
And that's why marketing courses are still a profitable niche. The knowledge you need to be great at marketing is always evolving, so of course from 5 years ago probably won't cut it. And when you teach people marketing skills, they can use them to earn a lot of money – whether they're working for someone as an employee or building their own business or freelancing.
There's a close relationship between marketing and making money. And that's why marketing courses can still earn top dollar. Here are some ideas for online marketing courses.
- SEO & content marketing
- Facebook ads for coaches
- How to AB test web pages
5. Wellness
People are willing to spend money on their health. It's true for physical health, we talked about fitness courses above. But people are also willing to spend a lot on their mental health.
In this case, we are often talking about wellness. Although wellness was a relatively unknown niche a few decades back, many of us have come to appreciate the fact that we can work on our mental health too.
That means that wellness courses are continuing to grow in popularity. This makes wellness a profitable online course niche.
If you have a course on meditation, finding your center, or reducing stress, you probably have something people are willing to pay for. Here are some ideas for wellness courses.
- Getting better quality sleep
- Intro to nature bathing
- Mindfulness at work
- Basics of yoga
6. Professional certifications
Professional certifications are an overlooked course niche. But they are often super profitable.
All sorts of different professions have certifications that they need to take in order to keep licensed. From nurses to architects to interior designers to dietitians, so many professions have some sort of licensing requirement.
So we are seeing a growth in courses dedicated to helping people pass these professional exams. For example, QPractice – built on Mighty – consists of courses and a community to help people study for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) exam.
If you can help somebody prepare for a professional license that is literally going to make or break their income, it's something they're willing to pay for.
7. Parenting
Parenting is tough. Parents face an ever-evolving landscape of technology and social issues.
If you've ever stepped into a baby store I've seen the price tags for custom strollers, you know that parents are willing to spend money on their kids.
That's why we are seeing parenting courses as a great possible niche for an online course. Parents are willing to invest to learn, to get better, to help their kids face the tough issues of the day.
And an online course can fit really well with this goal.
8. Relationships
You know what else can be complicated? Relationships!
Dating, marriage, swiping right and left… relationships aren't simple. And that's why we're seeing more and more online courses dedicated to helping people navigate them.
Here are a few ideas:
- Creating a healthy marriage
- Keeping intimacy alive after kids
- Mastering communication in your marriage
9. Money
Money is one of those online course niches that just always works. It's always there. We all need money, and most of us need to get better at earning it, managing it, and investing it.
That's why online courses about money are still profitable. We could point to so many great examples, but the one we mentioned in the intro is awesome: the work Ashley Fox is doing over at Wealth Builders Community. She's bringing financial education to the 99% of people who Wall Street won't help.
Personal finance, investing, and earning more are definitely going to be profitable course niches for the foreseeable future.
Here are a few ideas:
- How to retire early
- How to manage money as a couple
- How to ask for a raise at work
- How to earn more
- How to invest in stocks
10. Hobbies
"Hobbies" is a big word, and there's a lot encompassed within it. From painting to horseback riding to skateboarding to chasing Pokemon, people are willing to invest in their hobbies.
Life's too short. And having great hobbies is one of the great joys along the way. So to everybody restoring a muscle car in your garage or building a model railroad in your basement, you've probably got an online course in you. Others likely want to learn what you know.
And that's what makes hobbies the last of our profitable online course niches.
Ready to start?
Did you find something on this list for you? It's not exhaustive, if you want more ideas you should check out our post on online course ideas.
But if you're ready to start building, come build with Mighty! We built an awesome online course platform that lets you teach both live and pre-recorded courses. And with our flexible Spaces, you can add features like discussion forums, member profiles, long and short-form content, and live events to your course. Sell in 135 different currencies or monetize with token-gating. And we've got a fantastic app for every type of device.
Come give it a try! It's free for 14 days – no credit card required.
