One of the biggest questions online business owners ask is how to price an online course or digital product. After more than a decade of creating and selling digital products, I wish I could give you a magic number. But I can’t. However, there are a few guidelines that can help you to find the perfect pricing for your offer.
I think that’s one of the biggest problems with pricing advice online.
So much of the advice tells you there’s a “right” price, a pricing ladder to follow, or a formula that works for everyone. In reality, pricing is incredibly personal. It depends on your business, your audience, your positioning, and just as importantly, how you feel about selling your offer.
In this article, I’m sharing my honest thoughts on how to price an online course, membership, coaching offer, or digital product without getting stuck in endless overthinking.
Listen to the full episode here:
Why most online course pricing advice doesn’t work
Whenever someone asks me what they should charge for their course, my answer is usually…
“It depends.”
I know that isn’t the answer people want.
They want someone to tell them:
- Charge $97.
- Charge $297.
- Charge $997.
But pricing simply doesn’t work like that.
The right price depends on dozens of different factors, including:
- Your target audience
- The transformation you provide
- Your positioning
- The type of offer
- Your experience
- Your business goals
- Your confidence in selling it
There isn’t one universal number that works for everyone.
How to price an online course or digital product?
Price your offer at a level that feels good to sell
This is probably the most important pricing advice I can give.
Your price should feel good to you.
Not because it’s as high as possible or as low as possible but because you genuinely feel excited talking about it.
Many creators automatically assume they should charge more because they want to earn more.
But that’s not always true.
Sometimes charging more actually makes you hesitant to promote your offer. You feel awkward mentioning the price. You second-guess yourself every time you talk about your product.
On the other hand, pricing too low creates a different problem.
You know your course delivers far more value than the price suggests. Eventually, you stop feeling excited about promoting it because you know you’re undercharging.
Neither extreme is ideal.
Instead, ask yourself:
What price makes me genuinely excited to sell this offer?
That’s usually a much better starting point than following someone else’s pricing formula.
There isn’t one ideal pricing for courses
One of the biggest mindset shifts you can make is realizing there isn’t a normal price.
Think about almost any product.
You can buy a pen for less than one dollar. You can also buy luxury pens worth millions.
Both exist. Both have buyers. Both make perfect sense to different audiences.
The exact same principle applies to online courses and digital products.
Membership pricing is a great sample
Memberships are one of the best examples of how subjective pricing really is.
When I first started exploring memberships, I mostly saw offers priced between $7 and $40 per month.
Later, one of my clients casually mentioned paying $888 every month for a membership.
At the time, I couldn’t believe it.
Now?
It makes complete sense.
Some memberships provide community, some – coaching, others – networking. The list and samples go on and on and on. Some will be for beginners while others are targeted at high-earning professionals.
They’re completely different products for completely different people.
That’s why comparing prices without considering positioning doesn’t tell you very much.
Position your offer before you price it
Instead of asking,
“What’s the right price?”
Try asking:
- How do I want this offer to be perceived?
- What experience am I creating?
- Who is this designed for?
- What kind of buyer do I want to attract?
Pricing is positioning.
The number you choose tells people something about your offer before they even read the sales page.
That’s why your pricing should align with the experience you’re creating.
How to price an online course if you want to play it safe
If you’re launching your first online course and feel completely unsure, competitor research can give you a useful starting point.
Look for offers that serve a similar audience and solve a similar problem. Don’t compare your self-paced course with a six-month coaching mastermind. Compare products that are genuinely similar.
Study at least five to ten competitors, although twenty is even better if you have the time. You’ll quickly notice pricing patterns.
If most comparable offers are around $197, that’s useful information. If memberships in your niche average $49 per month, that’s also valuable.
You don’t have to copy anyone but understanding your market can give you confidence that your pricing isn’t wildly outside the norm.
Start lower if you’re unsure
One piece of advice I do believe in is this:
If you’re genuinely torn between two price points, start lower.
Why? Because increasing prices later usually feels natural.
Reducing prices later often creates confusion. When people constantly see prices dropping, they start questioning the value of the offer.
It’s much easier to launch, gather testimonials, gain confidence, and gradually increase your pricing over time.
Stop obsessing over small price differences
One of the biggest mistakes I see course creators make is spending weeks debating whether their course should cost:
- $299 or $399
- $497 or $597
- $249 or $349
Honestly?
At that point, your pricing probably isn’t the problem. Your marketing, messaging and positioning will matter a lot more. Yes, there will always be a few people who can’t afford an extra $100.
But you can’t build your pricing strategy around every possible buyer. Your product isn’t meant for everyone.
If you’re worried that your audience may struggle with a higher investment, consider offering payment plans instead of immediately lowering your price.
Payment plans allow people to spread the investment while preserving the value of your offer.
It’s often a much better solution than repeatedly discounting your course.
Your pricing won’t make or break your sales
This might be the biggest takeaway from this entire conversation.
If your online course isn’t selling, the problem usually isn’t your pricing.
More often, it’s:
- Your marketing strategy
- Your messaging
- Your positioning
- Your visibility
- The audience you’re attracting
- The trust you’ve built
Dropping your price won’t change the enrollments over night. Improving your marketing very well might.
Final thoughts on pricing your digital products
Pricing isn’t a mathematical formula – it’s a business decision.
Choose a price that reflects the value of your work and one that you’re genuinely excited to talk about.
Do your market research if it helps. Understand your competitors. But don’t spend months agonizing over every extra $50 or $100.
The creators who succeed aren’t necessarily the ones with the “perfect” price. They’re the ones who consistently show up, clearly communicate the value of their offers, and confidently invite the right people into them.
That will always matter far more than the number on your sales page.
TO LEARN MORE AND STAY CONNECTED
💛 Connect with me on Instagram @coursecreationlab
📚 Learn to plan, create and sell your offers inside the Savvy Offer Hub membership
