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Kasspian
Where to find customers
Grounded readContent & Media

Where to find customers for an online course

6 places, read by Kasspian on 18 August 2026. Rooms and their rules change, so check before you post.

Who actually buys

Working professionals who need to get better at one specific skill to earn more, get promoted, or change roles, and who are already Googling or asking in communities for resources to do it.

The 6 places

  1. 01

    r/careerguidance (1.5M members) - active threads asking 'what course/resource helped you actually get promoted?'

    Community

    Professionals actively asking for skill-building recommendations in threads that stay live for days, exactly the moment a course creator can add genuine value and mention their offer.

    What to do there

    Find a live thread where someone asks how to get better at the skill your course teaches. Give a genuinely useful answer, then mention you built a course on exactly this and drop the link.

    Open the roomUsually: Commenting on existing threads is open. Self-promotional posts are likely to be removed; stick to commenting with real value first.
  2. 02

    Indie Hackers community - 'What are you working on?' and 'Milestones' threads

    Community

    Founders and solopreneurs here are the exact people who buy skill courses to level up, and they actively support each other's launches when the product is real and the story is honest.

    What to do there

    Post a short, honest milestone post: what the course teaches, who it is for, how many pre-orders you have so far, and a link to buy at founder rate. No hype, just facts.

    Open the roomUsually: Posts are open but the community responds best to honest, specific posts with real numbers. Vague or hype-heavy posts get ignored.
  3. 03

    r/cscareerquestions (966K members) - if the skill is technical or career-adjacent

    CommunityComment first

    High volume of 'how do I learn X to get a better job' threads where a course creator who actually knows the skill can answer with authority and earn clicks.

    What to do there

    Search for threads asking how to learn the specific skill your course covers. Post a detailed, genuinely helpful comment, then mention your course as a resource at the end.

    Open the roomUsually: Self-promotion posts are heavily restricted. Comments on existing threads are open and the best entry point.
  4. 04

    LinkedIn - direct messages to 20 to 30 first-degree connections who match the buyer profile

    Company

    Your existing LinkedIn connections already trust you. A personal, non-templated message about a course that solves a problem they have converts far better than any cold channel at this stage.

    What to do there

    Write a message to 20 specific connections explaining the outcome the course delivers and offering them a pre-launch discount. Ask if they know anyone who would benefit. One sale from this list is proof.

  5. 05

    Udemy marketplace - browse the category for your skill to see what's selling and at what price

    Marketplace

    77 million learners already searching here for exactly this type of one-time-purchase skill course. Listing here puts you in front of active buyers with no audience required.

    What to do there

    List the course here as a secondary channel once you have 5 to 10 reviews from your pre-launch buyers. Use those reviews to rank above zero-review competitors immediately.

  6. 06

    Gumroad marketplace - browse the skill category to see what similar courses sell for and who is buying

    Marketplace

    Gumroad buyers are already primed to pay for digital products from individual creators. A listing here with a clear outcome and a few early reviews can generate organic sales with zero ad spend.

    What to do there

    Publish the course on Gumroad with a tight outcome-focused title and offer the first 10 buyers a discount in exchange for an honest review. Use those reviews as social proof everywhere else.

If you only do one thing

This week, message every person in your existing network (followers, past colleagues, LinkedIn connections) who fits the target buyer profile. Tell them exactly what the course does and what outcome it delivers, and offer them a founder-rate price (say 40% off the full price) to buy before it launches. Aim for 5 to 10 paying pre-orders. This validates demand, puts real money in the bank, and gives you the first testimonials you need to sell to strangers.

This is the read on an online course. Yours is narrower than the category. Describe your business and get the same thing for it, with the live threads to answer this week.

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