How to Make Money on Skillshare in 2023: 12 Tips to Maximize Your Earnings

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Welcome to your go-to guide for figuring out how to make money on Skillshare. If you’re looking to turn your expertise into earnings, you’re in the right place.

One of the best ways to start is by focusing on high-quality, engaging courses that solve real problems for your audience. These types of courses tend to rack up more “premium minutes,” which is Skillshare’s currency for paying its teachers.

So, not only do you get to share what you know, but you also get paid for it! Stay with us as we unveil 12 proven strategies to maximize your income on this dynamic learning platform.

What is Skillshare?

Skillshare is an online learning platform designed for people who want to acquire new skills or enhance existing ones, from cooking to coding and everything in between. It operates on a subscription model, granting users access to various course courses.

Unlike traditional educational models, Skillshare focuses on project-based, hands-on learning, where students can participate in interactive projects and community discussions. You get the benefit of learning from industry professionals who are often active practitioners in their fields, making the courses not just theoretical but also rooted in real-world applications.

Skillshare isn’t just for students; it’s also a haven for instructors. Anyone with expertise in a particular area can create and upload their own course, providing a unique avenue for teaching and income.

Course creators earn money based on the number of premium minutes watched in their classes, making it a rewarding experience for those who can engage their audience effectively.

What sets Skillshare apart is its community focus. It’s not just about one-off courses; it’s about building a network of lifelong learners.

The platform encourages interactions between students and teachers through course projects, discussions, and peer reviews.

With its easy-to-navigate interface, a wide array of subjects, and a community of eager learners and skilled instructors, Skillshare is a dynamic ecosystem for anyone looking to learn something new or teach what they know.

How To Make Money on Skillshare

1. Teach a Course

Teaching a course on Skillshare is like opening a gold mine of opportunities. You’re not just sharing your expertise; you’re monetizing it.

Don’t underestimate the power of experience you’ve accumulated over decades. Whether you’re a whiz at woodworking or have mastered the fine art of digital marketing, there’s room for you. Create a course that is not only insightful but also interactive to keep your audience engaged.

Remember, Skillshare pays instructors based on the number of minutes watched, so quality counts!

Strategies:

• Identify Your Niche: Leverage your experience and expertise to select a niche that will resonate with your audience.
• High-Quality Production: Good content deserves good production. Invest in a decent microphone and camera.
• Promotion: Use your existing channels, like your blog or social media, to announce your course and attract initial viewers.

2. Affiliate Marketing

Once you have a substantial student base or followers, Skillshare’s Affiliate Program is a fantastic way to ramp up your earnings.

Here, you’ll be promoting courses other than your own. Every time someone signs up through your unique affiliate link, you earn a commission.

If you’re running a blog on digital nomadism, why not recommend a Skillshare course on this very topic? Your audience trusts you, so a recommendation from you holds weight.

Strategies for Affiliate Marketing:

• Relevancy is Key: Promote courses that align with your existing content and audience interests.
• Authentic Reviews: Create blog posts or videos reviewing the courses you’re promoting.
• Newsletter Push: Use your ‘Unretirement’ newsletter to regularly inform your audience of highly-rated Skillshare courses.

3. Create a Series

People love binge-worthy content. Turn your Skillshare courses into an engaging series, almost like episodes of a TV show.

Creating a course series invites your audience to continue their educational journey with you, increasing your revenue as more minutes of your content are watched.

Plus, a series can also lead to better retention and engagement rates.

Strategies for Series Creation:

• Sequencing: Arrange your courses in increasing levels of difficulty or expertise required.
• Cross-Promotion: Mention your next course at the end of each course, enticing students to continue learning with you.
• Bundle Offers: Once all courses in the series are live, offer them as a bundled package for a discounted price.

4. Course Bundles

Offering your courses as a bundle can provide excellent value to your students and extra income for you. You could group courses by topic or skill level.

For example, if you’ve created separate courses on photography, videography, and editing, offer them as a ‘Content Creation’ bundle.

Your audience will appreciate the one-stop-shop approach, and you’ll appreciate the uptick in your Skillshare revenue.

Strategies for offering Course Bundles:

• Value Proposition: Make it clear how much students save by opting for a bundle rather than individual courses.
• Limited-Time Offers: Create urgency with limited-time bundle offers.
• Up-Sell: Use the bundle as an up-sell opportunity when students enroll in just one of the courses included in the bundle.

5. Consultation Services

Sometimes, courses can’t answer all the questions. That’s where consultation services come into play.

If you’re an expert in a specialized field like SEO, digital marketing, or even artisanal crafts, offering consultation services can not only deepen the connection with your students but also substantially increase your earnings.

You charge a premium for these one-on-one sessions, as you’re providing direct, personalized guidance.

Strategies for Consultation Services:

• Announce in Course: Use your Skillshare courses as a launchpad to announce your consultation services.
• Booking System: Implement an easy-to-use booking system linked in your Skillshare profile or course description.
• Payment Plans: Offer different payment plans to cater to various financial capacities.

6. Upsell Products

If you’ve got related products like a 90-day goal-setting planner or a Solopreneur Success Formula video course, Skillshare offers a golden opportunity for upselling.

Imagine someone taking your course on ‘Financial Planning for Digital Nomads.’ What better time to introduce them to your goal-setting planner?

Strategies for Upselling Products:

• In-Video Mentions: Utilize moments within your Skillshare courses to casually mention your other offerings.
• CTAs in Course Material: Use Calls-to-Action in downloadable course material.
• Follow-Up Emails: Leverage Skillshare’s messaging system to reach out to students post-course completion for upselling.

7. Premium Content

Your students are already invested in your Skillshare courses, so why not take that a step further? Offering premium content—think advanced modules, eBooks, or ready-to-use templates—can provide added value for your students while boosting your income.

This content sits behind a paywall, available to those willing to invest a bit more for top-notch resources.

Strategies for Premium Content:

• Exclusive Access: Promote premium content as an exclusive offer only for your Skillshare students.
• Bundling: Consider bundling premium content with your courses at a discounted rate.
• Time-Limited Offers: Use scarcity to your advantage by offering your premium content for a limited time.

8. Collaborations

In the world of Skillshare, there’s plenty of room for community over competition. Collaborating with other instructors can help you tap into their audience while offering your followers something new.

It’s a win-win that can result in more views, more sign-ups, and ultimately, more income.

Strategies:

• Identify Like-Minded Instructors: Choose to collaborate with instructors who offer courses that complement, not compete with, your content.
• Cross-Promotion: Agree to mutually promote each other’s courses at the end of your respective courses.
• Joint Courses: Take the collaboration a step further by co-creating a course.

9. Host Webinars

Skillshare doesn’t support webinars, but who says you have to stay within its boundaries? You’ve built an audience on Skillshare; now invite them to a webinar hosted on another platform.

Charge a fee for these live, interactive sessions where you can provide more detailed insights and answer questions in real time.

It’s a fantastic way to offer deeper, more immediate value while monetizing your expertise.

Strategies for Hosting Webinars:

• Topic Teasers: Use your Skillshare courses to introduce topics you’ll dive deeper into in your webinars.
• Direct Invites: Directly invite your Skillshare audience through Skillshare’s messaging system.
• Special Offers: Provide Skillshare students with a discount code as an incentive to attend your webinars.

10. Subscriber-Only Q&A

Imagine a VIP lounge, but online. Hosting exclusive live Q&A sessions for your premium subscribers not only adds tremendous value but also provides another avenue for revenue.

It’s a way to directly interact with your most committed students while boosting the attractiveness of your premium subscription.

Strategies for Subscriber-Only Q&A:

• Announcement: Utilize your Skillshare courses and newsletter to announce these exclusive sessions.
• Time-Zone Friendly: Consider your audience’s geographical spread when choosing the time for the session.
• Post-Event Value: Record the session and offer it as a premium resource for those who couldn’t attend live.

11. Offer Certifications

Certifications offer a tangible way for students to showcase their achievements and skills.

Providing a digital certificate at the end of your course for an additional fee can be both an income generator and a motivating factor for students to complete the course.

Strategies for Offering Certifications:

• Value Proposition: Clearly state the benefits and recognition attached to your certificate.
• Seamless Integration: Make the certificate opt-in process straightforward and integrated within the course.
• Validity: Ensure your certificate has a unique identifier to confirm its validity.

12. Social Media Shoutouts

If you’ve amassed a large following on Skillshare, it’s safe to assume you have influence.

Use this to offer social media shoutouts as a service.

Whether it’s promoting a product, service, or another Skillshare course, you can charge a fee for these endorsements.

Strategies for Social Media Shoutouts:

• Integrity First: Only endorse products or services you genuinely believe in.
• Tiered Pricing: Offer different pricing based on the exposure level (e.g., Story shoutout vs. full post).
• Frequency: Limit the frequency of shoutouts to maintain your audience’s trust.

How To Make Money On Skillshare – Summary

Skillshare provides a wealth of opportunities for those keen on leveraging their expertise to generate income. From creating engaging courses and offering specialized consultation services to clever tactics like upselling products and hosting webinars, the options are diverse and scalable.

Remember, the quality of your content is paramount. High-value courses attract more premium minutes and enthusiastic learners, which not only boosts your income but also elevates your brand on the platform.

As you continue your journey to financial freedom, don’t stop at Skillshare. We have a plethora of other money-making and entrepreneurial ideas on our blog that can further guide and inspire you such as;

• How to Make $100 a Day (and work from anywhere in the world
• How to Travel the World in 2023 (by Starting a Lifestyle Business
• 190 Online Lifestyle Business Ideas for 2023 & Beyond
• How to Make 1000 a Day Online; 54 Action Packed Ways

So go ahead, continue to educate yourself, and take proactive steps to diversify your income streams.

After all, the road to success is always under construction, and every bit of reliable information helps pave the way.

How To Make Money on Skillshare – FAQs

Can you really make money on Skillshare?

Absolutely! Skillshare offers a robust platform for anyone with valuable skills and knowledge to share. You can earn money through premium minutes watched, affiliate marketing, upselling products, and many other creative methods we’ve discussed in this article.

How fast can you make money on Skillshare?

The speed at which you make money on Skillshare largely depends on the quality and popularity of your courses. While some instructors report making money within their first month, a more conservative estimate would be 2 to 3 months. Investing in marketing and promoting your courses can also speed up this timeline.

How do artists make money on Skillshare?

Artists can capitalize on Skillshare by creating courses around their art form, whether it’s illustration, graphic design, or digital painting. In addition, artists can offer premium content, bundle their courses, or even offer one-on-one consultations to generate additional income.

How often does Skillshare pay?

Skillshare pays its teachers once a month, usually around the 16th. Payments are made via PayPal, and there’s a minimum threshold of $10 to receive a payout.

What are Skillshare premium minutes?

Premium minutes refer to the time that premium members spend watching your courses. The more premium minutes your course accumulates, the larger your share of Skillshare’s monthly revenue.

Do you need to be an expert to teach on Skillshare?

While being an expert can give you credibility, what’s most important is your ability to effectively communicate your skills or knowledge. Many successful Skillshare instructors aren’t “experts,” but they excel at breaking down complex topics into easily digestible lessons.

What’s the best way to promote my Skillshare courses?

Promotion can happen both on and off the Skillshare platform. Within Skillshare, actively engage with the community, participate in discussions, and collaborate with other instructors. Off the platform, utilize your social media channels, blog posts, and email lists to drive traffic.

Can I offer course bundles on Skillshare?

Technically, Skillshare doesn’t offer a feature for bundling courses, but you can create a series of courses and market them as a package externally. You can offer special incentives or discounts to encourage students to take the entire series.

What is Skillshare’s affiliate program?

Skillshare’s affiliate program allows you to earn money by promoting other courses on Skillshare. For each new member who joins through your unique link, you can make a commission, providing another revenue stream.

Are there restrictions on the kind of content I can create?

Yes, Skillshare has community guidelines and terms of service that outline what content is acceptable. Make sure to familiarize yourself with these to ensure your courses meet the platform’s criteria.