Thinkific Money Machine: Build a Course, Grow Your Income

Ever Thought About Turning Your Passion Into Income? Awesome! If you’re looking for an online course platform, you’ve probably heard of Thinkific. It’s an incredible tool that allows you to create and sell online courses. But how do you actually make money from it?

Don’t worry, we’ll break it all down in a relaxed and easy-to-understand way.

How to Make Money with Thinkific

Think of Thinkific as a digital classroom where you can teach anything. You’re not just a teacher—you’re also a marketer and, of course, a money-maker! There are several ways to start monetizing on Thinkific. Let’s go through them one by one.

1. Selling Courses

This is the most common and straightforward way to make money on Thinkific: create a course, sell it to students, and earn income.

• Courses can be about anything! From cooking and coding to playing the ukulele, if people want to learn it, you can teach it.
• How do you sell it? Thinkific provides tools to set pricing, create sales pages, and manage student enrollments.

Example: You create a course called “Beginner Photography Tips for Instagram” and set the price at $50 per student. If 100 people enroll, boom! That’s $5,000 (before platform fees, but let’s keep it simple for now).

If you want more stable income, there are other strategies you can try.

2. Memberships

Instead of selling individual courses, you can create a paid membership on Thinkific.

• What is membership? Students pay a monthly or annual subscription fee to access multiple courses, an exclusive community, or additional support.
• Why is membership attractive? Because it provides recurring and stable income compared to one-time course sales.

Example: You’re a fitness instructor and create a “Monthly Fitness Membership” for $29/month. Members get access to workout videos, nutrition guides, Q&A sessions, and an exclusive forum. With 200 members, your monthly revenue is already over $5,000!

But what if you want to increase your course value without constantly creating new content?

3. Course Bundling

Want to sell more courses at once? Bundle them together!

• What is bundling? Related courses are packaged and sold together at a more attractive price than buying them separately.
• The benefit? Students feel they’re getting more value, while you increase the transaction amount per purchase.

Example: You have three courses: “Social Media Marketing,” “Email Marketing,” and “Content Creation.” Bundle them into an “Ultimate Digital Marketing Package” at a special price. The result? More students sign up because they see it as a better deal.

If you want a more interactive experience, there’s another method you can try.

4. Live Lessons & Workshops

Thinkific isn’t just for pre-recorded courses, you can also offer live teaching sessions.

• What are live lessons? Interactive classes held in real time via video (for example, using Zoom, which integrates with Thinkific).
• Why is this appealing? Students can ask questions directly, interaction is more engaging, and pricing can be higher than self-paced courses.

Example: You offer a “3-Hour Mastering Public Speaking Workshop” for $99. Because it includes real-time interaction, many students are willing to pay more for a personal learning experience.

But what if you want to provide more exclusive coaching?

5. Coaching & Consulting

Thinkific can also be used to sell coaching or consulting services.

• How does it work? Create a “course” that is actually a coaching program with structured materials, scheduled sessions, and supporting documents.
• The benefit? Everything is more organized and professional, plus you can combine coaching with access to your courses.

Example: You offer a “6-Week Business Coaching Program” where clients get video lessons, worksheets, and 1-on-1 consulting sessions, all managed through Thinkific.

But what if you want to sell more without doing all the marketing yourself?

6. Affiliate Marketing

With an affiliate marketing strategy, you can collaborate with others to help promote your courses.

• What is affiliate marketing? You offer a commission to people who successfully sell your course using a special referral link.
• Why is this beneficial? Because you can reach more potential students without spending all your time and effort on marketing.

Example: You have a course called “Yoga for Beginners” and partner with a fitness influencer. You offer a 20% commission for each sale they generate. The result? More sales with minimal marketing effort on your part.

How to Sign Up & Get Started with Thinkific

Now that you know the different ways to make money with Thinkific, how do you actually get started? Relax, the steps are simple! You can sign up and create your first course in just minutes. Here’s how:

1. Sign Up for a Thinkific Account

First things first, you need a Thinkific account. Good news, there’s a free version!

• Visit Thinkific.com and click “Get Started Free.”
• Sign up using your email or log in with Google.
• Once you’re in, you’ll land on the Thinkific dashboard, where all the magic happens.

2. Create Your Online School

After signing up, Thinkific will guide you through creating your first online school.

• Choose a name for your school (it can be your business name or something that reflects your course topic).
• Customize the look and design to make it professional and aligned with your brand.

3. Create Your First Course

Now it’s time to build your first course!

• Add videos, PDFs, quizzes, or other learning materials to your course.
• Structure your lessons so students can easily follow along.
• Set a price, free, one-time payment, or subscription-based.

It doesn’t have to be perfect right away! You can start with a few modules and add more content over time.

4. Create an Engaging Sales Page

Your course is ready, now you need a sales page to attract students.

• Use Thinkific’s templates to create a clear and compelling sales page.
• Add a course description, student benefits, and testimonials (if available).
• Make sure there’s a clear “Enroll Now” button that stands out!

5. Launch & Start Selling!

Now it’s time to introduce your course to the world!

• Share your course link on social media, email, or online communities.
• Use marketing strategies like affiliate marketing, bundling, or memberships to boost sales.
• Track enrollments and earnings through the Thinkific dashboard.

Earning Potential with Thinkific

Many online course creators have achieved significant financial success using Thinkific. For example, some have made over $100,000 per year from their course sales.

Others have reached $20,000+ in monthly revenue with the right strategies and consistent marketing.

One success story is Dorie Clark, who earned $269,761 in 18 months through her online courses on Thinkific.

Of course, results vary based on factors like content quality, marketing strategies, and audience engagement. But with dedication and smart use of Thinkific’s features, you can achieve substantial income.

Start with the Strategy That Fits You Best!

Thinkific offers multiple ways to earn money. You can begin by selling individual courses and then experiment with memberships, bundling, live lessons, or even coaching. To accelerate your growth, leverage affiliate marketing as well.

The most important thing? Just start! Pick the strategy that suits you best, create your course, and begin earning from your passion.