The world of online education is booming, and digital courses are now one of the fastest-growing segments of the creator economy. But what if you don’t have the expertise to create a course—or perhaps you do, but lack the time, marketing skills, or tech knowledge to launch it? That’s where digital course co-production comes in. This model allows multiple people to collaborate on building and launching an online course, sharing both the responsibilities and the profits.
Whether you’re an expert looking for marketing help or a marketer in search of quality content, co-producing a digital course can be a smart and profitable partnership. In this article, we’ll explore what co-production is, why it’s worth considering, and how you can get started from scratch.
What is Digital Course Co-Production?
Co-production is a business model in which two or more people or companies collaborate to create, launch, and sell an online course. Typically, one partner is the content expert (the person with the knowledge to teach), while the other is the co-producer who handles marketing, sales funnels, customer support, platform setup, and more.
The profit is usually shared between the partners based on the value each brings to the table. Co-production agreements can be informal or formalized with contracts, depending on the scale of the project.
Benefits of Co-Producing a Digital Course
1. Shared Responsibilities
Creating a successful course requires more than just knowledge. There’s video production, copywriting, web design, customer support, and ongoing marketing. In a co-production model, these tasks are distributed based on the strengths of each partner.
2. Faster Time to Market
Because both partners work simultaneously, co-produced courses often reach the market faster. One person handles the content while the other prepares the launch strategy.
3. Reduced Risk
With two people investing time and resources, the financial and creative risk is lower. If one person lacks certain skills, the other can compensate, increasing the chances of success.
4. More Professional Outcomes
When two specialists collaborate—one in teaching, one in marketing—the final course is often more polished, well-presented, and better positioned in the market.
Who is Co-Production Ideal For?
- Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who don’t want to deal with marketing or tech.
- Digital Marketers who want to sell courses but lack their own content.
- Agencies or freelancers offering course launch services.
- Creators looking for long-term collaborations with revenue share.
If you’re either a content creator or a digital marketer, co-production could be your ideal business model.
Step-by-Step: How to Start in Course Co-Production
Let’s go through the main steps to launch your first co-produced digital course:
Step 1: Identify Your Role
Are you the expert or the marketer? Being clear about your role will shape who you need to partner with. If you’re good at traffic generation, you’ll want to team up with someone who has knowledge to share.
Step 2: Choose a Niche
Pick a niche that has demand but isn’t overly saturated. Great options include:
- Personal finance
- Health and wellness
- Career development
- Digital skills (e.g., Canva, Excel, AI tools)
- Parenting
- Hobbies and creative arts
Research what people are actively searching for and willing to pay to learn.
Step 3: Find a Partner
You can find co-production partners in various places:
- Facebook groups related to online education or digital marketing
- LinkedIn connections
- Networking events or masterminds
- Freelance platforms like Upwork or Fiverr
Be clear about what you’re offering and what you’re looking for in a partnership.
Step 4: Plan the Course Together
Once you’ve partnered up, define:
- Course topic and learning outcomes
- Modules and lesson structure
- Who’s responsible for what (content creation, editing, setup, marketing)
- Revenue sharing model (typically 50/50, but can vary)
- Deadlines and timeline
A shared Google Drive or Notion board can help both partners stay aligned.
Step 5: Choose a Platform
Select a course hosting platform that matches your needs. Popular options include:
- Hotmart – great for international audiences and affiliate marketing.
- Kajabi – all-in-one solution for courses and email marketing.
- Teachable – user-friendly and ideal for beginners.
- Thinkific – flexible and affordable.
- Podia – simple and includes webinars.
Make sure the platform supports multiple contributors and handles tax and payout distribution smoothly.
Step 6: Develop the Content
Your expert partner should focus on recording lessons, while the co-producer works on:
- Editing the videos
- Writing compelling copy for the sales page
- Designing the course site
- Setting up payment integrations
- Creating bonus content or resources
Make sure the content is clear, high-quality, and solves a real problem for your audience.
Step 7: Prepare for Launch
Work together to build:
- A compelling landing page
- Email automation sequences
- Social media promotional materials
- Webinar or live Q&A (optional but powerful)
- Testimonials or pre-launch feedback
Set a launch date and start teasing the course weeks before.
Step 8: Launch and Promote
Launch the course and promote it through:
- Paid ads (Meta, Google, YouTube)
- Organic content (blog, Instagram, YouTube)
- Email marketing
- Affiliate marketing (invite others to promote)
Keep track of what works and be ready to tweak the strategy based on the response.
Step 9: Support Students and Collect Feedback
A course doesn’t end with the sale. Provide support to students through:
- A dedicated support email
- Facebook group or community
- Live calls or office hours
- Feedback forms to improve the course
Happy students can become affiliates or repeat buyers in the future.
Step 10: Analyze and Scale
After launch, evaluate the performance:
- How many leads converted?
- What was the return on ad spend?
- Which traffic sources performed best?
Use this data to refine your strategy or launch new versions of the course. As you gain experience, you can scale your co-production business by partnering with multiple experts or even building an agency model.
Final Thoughts: Is Co-Production Right for You?
Digital course co-production is not a get-rich-quick scheme—it’s a strategic collaboration that demands communication, trust, and a shared vision. But when done right, it offers incredible opportunities for revenue, impact, and long-term growth.
If you’re tired of doing everything alone, or if you have specialized knowledge but no platform to share it, co-production might just be the missing link in your business strategy.