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Selling Your Course

<div className="with-first-letter"> **There is a quote from a movie where a man has voices in his head telling him to build a baseball field on his farm and then the ghosts of dead professional baseball players show up and play on the field. This is a quote from a movie where a man has voices in his head telling him to build a baseball field on his farm and then the ghosts of dead professional baseball players show up and play on the field.** </div>

<BodyBlockquote color="cyan">If you build it they will come.</BodyBlockquote>

Have you heard that one?

This quote is a comforting notion. This idea is that you can silence the voices in your head by quality building something of quality, and eventually, the spirits of Internet commerce will notice and show up to play.

It's also bullshit.

Time after time we've watched people quietly build an amazing course. Truly excellent work!

Only to launch to and be sad about the lackluster outcomes when "they" neglects to show up.

Who are "They"?

Understanding who the "they" you are building for is important. It's critical. It's the difference between a launch that exceeds your expectations and one that falls short.

In our experience the "they" are the people on your email list. That's your audience. Well beyond your followers on social media platforms or the random strangers that stumble into your website from a search engine, the people on your email list are invested participants in what you are building. They are there to watch and learn. They want to see what's next, and who shows up to play.

They === Your Email List

This can't be overstated. Your email list is your most vital asset when launching a paid course or product.

Are people tired of email? Yes.

Are you sick of being told to grow your list? Probably also yes.

But that's where we are.

We are all checking our inboxes, and if we want to make a living selling education products the list is still the best channel.

You own your list. It's yours and gives you a direct line of communication to the people that care the most about what you have to say. No crazed billionaire can buy everybody's email inbox for lulz and shut down your business.

That's powerful.

Are you growing an email list?