How Much Do Course Creators Actually Make

Every time someone posts a Stripe screenshot showing $50,000 in a month, hundreds of people think selling courses is easy money.

Reality differs.

I've been watching this market for years and the numbers nobody publishes are more interesting than the ones they do.

The real income distribution

If we take all creators who have launched at least one paid course, the distribution looks like this:

50% make less than $1,000 per year
30% make between $1,000 and $10,000 per year
15% make between $10,000 and $100,000 per year
5% make over $100,000 per year

That 5% is what you see on Twitter. The other 95% has no incentive to tell their story.

These numbers come from analyzing data from platforms like Teachable, Gumroad, and industry reports. They're not exact but reflect the trend.

First, launching without an audience. A course doesn't sell just by existing. You need people who trust you before they pull out their card. Creators who launch to an email list of 50 people expecting "virality" usually sell nothing.

Second, choosing the wrong topic. There are saturated niches where competing is nearly impossible. And there are niches with no demand where it doesn't matter how good you are. Most don't research this before recording.

Third, quitting too early. A mediocre launch doesn't mean permanent failure. But many give up after the first attempt instead of iterating.

What separates the top 5%

After talking with dozens of successful creators, clear patterns emerge:

They have an audience before the course. Newsletter, YouTube, Twitter, podcast. The channel varies but all had attention before selling. They didn't build the course hoping the audience would come later.

They choose profitable and specific niches. Not "digital marketing" but "email marketing for fashion e-commerce." Not "productivity" but "time management for lawyers." Specificity allows charging more and competing less.

They iterate constantly. The first launch is rarely the best. They improve the course, adjust pricing, optimize the sales page. They treat the course as a product, not a finished project.

They diversify income. They don't depend on one course. They have multiple products at different prices, offer coaching, do periodic launches. A creator with five $100 courses has more stability than one with a single $500 course.

Real cases with numbers

These are real examples of creators at different stages:

Creator A: Programming niche

Audience: 15,000 YouTube subscribers
Course: $97, React web development
First year sales: 800 units ($77,600)
Main traffic source: free tutorial videos

Creator B: Fitness niche

Audience: 8,000 on Instagram + 3,000 on newsletter
Course: $47, home training
First year sales: 200 units ($9,400)
Main traffic source: organic content

Creator C: Business niche

Audience: 2,000 on LinkedIn
Course: $297, B2B sales
First year sales: 50 units ($14,850)
Main traffic source: posts + webinars

Creator D: Hobby niche

Audience: 500 on newsletter
Course: $29, watercolor for beginners
First year sales: 80 units ($2,320)
Main traffic source: Pinterest

Notice that audience size matters less than quality and course price. Creator C earns more than B with fewer followers because their niche pays more.

Business models

Three main ways to structure course income:

One-time sale You create a course, sell it, done. Simple but requires constant traffic or periodic launches. Works well for low-to-mid ticket courses ($50-200).

Subscription or membership Access to all your content for a monthly fee. Recurring revenue but you need to produce new content constantly. Works for prolific creators.

Cohort-based Groups that start and end together, with fixed dates. Allows charging more for the group experience. More work per launch but higher revenue per student.

Most start with one-time sales and evolve toward other models over time.

Realistic expectations by year

If you start today with zero audience:

Year 1: Build audience, launch first course. Realistic expectation: $0-5,000. This year is investment, not return.

Year 2: Second or third course, growing audience. Realistic expectation: $5,000-20,000. You start seeing if this works for you.

Year 3: Course catalog, sales systems working. Realistic expectation: $20,000-50,000 if you executed well in the previous two years.

These numbers assume consistent work, not necessarily full-time dedication but consistency.

The uncomfortable truth

Selling courses is not passive income. It's a business.

It requires creating free content to attract an audience. It requires understanding marketing and sales. It requires customer service, updates, constant iteration.

Gurus selling the dream of "record once and collect forever" lie by omission. Yes, you can sell the same course multiple times. But getting those sales requires continuous work.

That said, it's a business with excellent margins. No inventory, no shipping, no limit on how many copies you can sell. If you build it right, it scales.

Who should consider this

Creating courses makes sense if:

You already have knowledge others value (professional experience, developed skill, demonstrated results)
You enjoy teaching and communicating
You're willing to build an audience before selling
You can commit for at least 2-3 years

It doesn't make sense if you're looking for quick money or lack patience for the process.

The numbers are real and achievable. But they're not magic.