How to Make Money on Udemy Instructor Marketplace (2025): Complete Guide

Have you ever wondered how to make money on Udemy Instructor Marketplace without being a marketing guru or celebrity expert?

Whether you’re a teacher, freelancer, or niche expert, Udemy gives you the power to turn your skills into serious income. In this 2025 guide, you’ll learn exactly how Udemy’s platform works, what real instructors are earning today, and step-by-step ways to grow your course sales.

Some creators make over $11,000 per month, while others use Udemy as a steady $500–$2,000/mo passive income stream. By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to build and scale your own profitable course business.

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Key Takeaways

• Master Udemy’s Revenue Models: Understand how to earn 97% through referrals and how subscription payouts work in 2025.
• Real Instructor Earnings: Discover what top earners like Phil Ebiner and Joe Parys actually make and how they do it.
• Complete Starter Guide: From course ideas to publishing and promotion—learn what it takes to get started on Udemy.
• 2025 Income Trends Revealed: New royalty cuts affect your earnings—learn how to adapt and earn more.
• Smart Growth Tips: Use proven strategies to scale your monthly revenue with better marketing and student engagement.

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How to Make Money on Udemy Instructor Marketplace?

While Udemy offers a low barrier to entry, the income potential varies greatly. With over 70,000 instructors and millions of students, competition is fierce—but opportunity is still massive.

The easiest way to succeed is by offering high-quality content and promoting it through your own channels. Relying solely on Udemy’s internal traffic often results in low earnings due to their 63% revenue share.

Still, many instructors use Udemy to build a passive income stream, test course ideas, or funnel students to premium offerings elsewhere. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme, but it’s highly achievable with consistent effort and smart planning.

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What do you need to get started?

All you need is a free Udemy instructor account, a video recording setup (basic webcam and mic is fine to start), and a clear idea of what to teach. Your course must include at least 30 minutes of video content and 5 lectures. Having a niche audience, even a small one, makes a huge difference in your earnings.

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How much money can you make on Udemy Instructor Marketplace?

Earnings vary widely. Most instructors earn under $1,000/year, while the average is around $3,300/year. However, top performers can make $50K–$500K+ annually. For example, Phil Ebiner built a six-figure income through volume and consistency. Another instructor, Joe Parys, scaled to $11K/month in under a year by leveraging an external audience and course production strategy. While success isn’t guaranteed, there is serious money to be made with effort and strategy.

15 Best Ways to Make Money on Udemy Instructor Marketplace

Whether you’re a first-time instructor or a seasoned educator growing your brand, here are 15 proven strategies to monetize courses, increase enrollments, and maximize revenue on the Udemy Instructor Marketplace in 2025.

1. Promote with Instructor Coupons and Referral Links

If you’re serious about maximizing your Udemy earnings, start with instructor coupons and referral links. Udemy pays you 97% of revenue from students who enroll using your personal coupon or affiliate-style link. This method gives you near-total control over your income and removes Udemy’s 63% marketplace cut.

This is how successful instructors like Joe Parys scaled quickly—by promoting their own links through email, YouTube, social media, or even blog content. Udemy gives every instructor the tools to create unique coupons or links inside their dashboard. By driving traffic yourself, you turn Udemy into a powerful backend sales system.

If you already have an audience—even a small one—you can start earning from Day 1. And if you don’t, no worries: we’ll walk you through building one using tools in later methods.

Unique requirements: Must generate your own traffic (email list, YouTube, blog, social, etc.)

How to Promote with Instructor Coupons and Referral Links?

• Create your course and publish it live on Udemy.
• Go to your Promotions tab in the instructor dashboard.
• Click “Create new coupon” and choose a discounted or full-price version.
• Set your coupon expiration and maximum uses.
• Use the “Referral Link” option if you prefer a single link instead.
• Share your coupon via email, social media, YouTube, blog posts, or DMs.
• Encourage urgency by noting the coupon expiration.
• Track your referral revenue inside the instructor analytics dashboard.

Quick tip: Always include a “limited-time” tag with your coupon to boost urgency and conversions.

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2. Rank in Udemy Search

Getting ranked in Udemy’s own search engine is one of the most passive ways to earn money. If your course lands on page one for high-demand keywords, you can receive a steady stream of students without marketing yourself.

This method gives you 37% of each sale, as Udemy claims the rest for platform fees. While this may seem low, many instructors still earn thousands monthly just by optimizing titles, thumbnails, subtitles, and reviews.

Courses in evergreen niches like Excel, Python, or personal development tend to do well here—especially if they’re updated often and get strong reviews. The biggest downside? It’s competitive, and you’re at the mercy of Udemy’s algorithm.

Unique requirements: Quality course production, keyword-optimized title/description, ongoing updates.

How to Rank in Udemy Search?

• Do keyword research using Udemy’s search bar suggestions.
• Choose a high-volume, low-competition topic.
• Optimize your course title and subtitle with that keyword.
• Upload a high-quality, eye-catching thumbnail.
• Encourage students to leave reviews (especially in the first 30 days).
• Add quizzes, downloadable PDFs, and captions for engagement.
• Keep your course updated every 3–6 months.
• Monitor your “Impressions to Conversions” ratio.

Quick tip: Courses with 4.5+ star ratings and over 500 students tend to dominate Udemy search rankings.

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3. Get Featured in Udemy Deals and Sales Events

Udemy runs global promotions and flash sales every month, often slashing course prices to $9.99 or $12.99. These deals are marketed heavily via email, ads, and app notifications to Udemy’s millions of students.

If your course is opted into Udemy Deals, it could be promoted in these campaigns, dramatically boosting your reach. You still only earn 37%, but the sheer volume can drive hundreds or even thousands in extra monthly revenue.

Some instructors report earning 70–80% of their income during these sale events, especially Black Friday and New Year promotions. The trade-off? Your course will be sold at a deep discount.

Unique requirements: Must opt into Udemy Deals Program in your account settings.

How to Get Featured in Udemy Deals?

• Log into your instructor dashboard.
• Click “Promotions” → “Deals Program.”
• Opt into both Udemy Deals and Udemy Business (optional).
• Keep your course price within Udemy’s standard pricing tiers.
• Boost your course rating to at least 4.3 stars.
• Maintain strong engagement and recent updates.
• Watch for traffic spikes during major Udemy promotions.

Quick tip: Update and re-promote your course 1 month before Black Friday to qualify for top promo slots.

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4. Join Udemy Business

Udemy Business (UfB) licenses selected courses to companies for employee training. These companies pay a subscription fee, and instructors get paid based on student engagement metrics like minutes watched.

It’s not open to all courses—only approved ones in relevant categories like IT, business, productivity, etc. While the revenue share is low (17.5% in 2025), it can be reliable and recurring for eligible courses.

Instructors like Phil Ebiner earn consistent monthly income from Udemy Business due to high engagement and corporate-focused content. If your course is practical and skills-based, this is a great passive model to aim for.

Unique requirements: Must apply to be included in Udemy Business; only selected topics are accepted.

How to Join Udemy Business?

• Create a high-quality, business-focused course (leadership, Excel, cybersecurity, etc.).
• Go to the instructor dashboard and check the Udemy Business tab.
• Submit your course for consideration.
• If approved, your course will be added to the UfB catalog.
• You’ll receive a share of subscription revenue based on watch time.
• Monitor your engagement stats monthly.

Quick tip: Add real-world case studies or templates to boost corporate relevance and watch time.

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5. Use Your Course as a Lead Magnet to Upsell Services

Many instructors use Udemy as a front-end sales funnel to gain new clients for coaching, consulting, or freelancing. You can’t promote services directly inside the course, but you can use your instructor profile, welcome message, and bonus lectures.

For example, if you teach logo design on Udemy, your students may also want to hire you to design their brand. Or if you offer coaching, your course can act as a “preview” of your services.

This strategy allows you to scale your backend income beyond Udemy’s low royalty model.

Unique requirements: Must have external services or coaching offers (website, Calendly, portfolio, etc.)

How to Upsell Services through Udemy?

• Build a relevant course aligned with your premium service.
• Include value-rich content to build trust and authority.
• In your bonus lecture, invite students to download a free resource (linked to your website).
• Add a CTA in your Udemy profile linking to your site or services page.
• Encourage feedback or questions to open conversations.
• Include testimonials or client case studies when appropriate.

Quick tip: Be subtle—overt self-promotion will get flagged or removed by Udemy moderators.

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6. Cross-Promote Courses to Existing Students

The more students you have, the more sales you can make from internal promotions. Udemy lets instructors email their existing student base twice a month, giving you a powerful way to cross-promote your other courses.

This is especially useful if you teach within a niche. For example, someone who takes your “Excel for Beginners” course might also want your “Advanced Excel Formulas” course. These promotions are allowed as long as they follow Udemy’s guidelines.

It’s one of the best ways to increase your Lifetime Value per student.

Unique requirements: Must have at least one course and enrolled students.

How to Cross-Promote Your Courses on Udemy?

• Go to the instructor dashboard → Communication → Promotional Emails.
• Create a value-packed message introducing your new or related course.
• Include a 97%-off coupon link to maximize your earnings.
• Segment messages by course relevance if you have many.
• Send promotions around holidays or major sales events.
• Add urgency or bonuses to increase conversion rates.

Quick tip: Promote new courses within 30 days of launch for maximum student visibility.

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7. Bundle Multiple Courses for Higher Value

Bundling is a great strategy if you have multiple related courses. Students love getting more content at a discount, and Udemy allows you to offer bundles via referral links or promotions.

Instead of selling one $19 course, you can sell a $49 or $59 bundle with 3–4 complete trainings. This boosts your average transaction value and gives students a better learning path.

Instructors like Joe Parys have used bundling to scale monthly revenue dramatically by offering “complete masterclasses” in areas like crypto, AI, and online business.

Unique requirements: Must have at least 2–3 related courses.

How to Bundle Courses for Profit on Udemy?

• Group your courses into logical themes (e.g., “Full Graphic Design Mastery”).
• Create a bundle landing page or use a tool like ThriveCart or Podia (for external bundles).
• Use 97%-off coupons for each course and share as a package.
• Promote to your email list or social audience.
• Offer bonus files (e.g., templates, checklists) for added value.

Quick tip: Use “Limited-Time Bundle” in your email subject lines to drive higher opens and clicks.

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8. Reuse Course Content on YouTube for Extra Revenue

Repurpose parts of your Udemy course on YouTube to attract new students and earn ad revenue. Just make sure you’re not uploading the entire course—clip 2–5 minute segments or make supplementary content.

This method builds your authority, grows your audience, and gives you another place to drop 97%-off referral links.

Some instructors use YouTube not just for exposure but as an extra income stream via Google AdSense.

Unique requirements: Must record or edit course content for public YouTube use.

How to Reuse Udemy Content on YouTube?

• Choose high-value clips from your Udemy course (2–7 mins).
• Edit them with a short intro and CTA to enroll on Udemy.
• Upload consistently to grow your channel.
• Add course links in video descriptions and pinned comments.
• Use SEO keywords in your titles and descriptions.
• Monetize your channel once eligible for AdSense (1K subs, 4K watch hours).
• Mention exclusive bonuses for Udemy students to increase conversions.

Quick tip: Always use “free preview” or “snippet” disclaimers to stay within Udemy’s content guidelines.

9. License Your Course Outside Udemy

If your course is successful on Udemy, you can license the same content to other platforms like Skillshare, Thinkific, or corporate training networks. You retain ownership of your intellectual property, so repurposing for other income streams is fair game—just avoid uploading to direct Udemy competitors unless allowed.

Some instructors also license content to companies, schools, or coaching programs. This creates a non-exclusive passive revenue stream that multiplies your ROI from one course.

Quick tip: Add subtitles and documentation to make your course more license-friendly to corporate buyers.

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10. Create a Free Mini-Course to Drive Sales

Offering a free mini-course on Udemy can build trust, attract students, and lead to upsells. Once students enroll in your free content, they’re more likely to purchase premium versions or full-length courses from your email list or promo emails.

Free courses can also help you rank better on Udemy search since they often receive large volumes of enrollments and reviews quickly.

Quick tip: Add strong CTAs in your bonus lecture to promote your premium course or bundle.

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11. Offer Live Classes or Coaching Upsells

Although Udemy doesn’t support live classes directly, many instructors use their profile and bonus lecture to promote live Zoom sessions or group coaching programs outside the platform. This is a great way to boost your revenue without violating Udemy’s policies.

You can offer a live bootcamp, a monthly mastermind, or 1:1 consulting for students who want deeper support.

Quick tip: Link to a scheduling tool (like Calendly) in your instructor profile to drive discovery without promotion inside the course.

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12. Use Course Reviews to Build Social Proof

Even if you don’t sell a ton of courses at first, getting early positive reviews helps you build trust across all platforms. You can use strong Udemy reviews as testimonials on your website, in marketing emails, or on other course platforms.

This social proof is a major asset when building authority in your niche or transitioning to higher-ticket products.

Quick tip: Ask students to leave a review at the end of your strongest lecture using Udemy’s in-course tools.

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13. Join Instructor Communities for Cross-Promotion

Networking with other Udemy instructors is underrated. You can team up for guest lectures, bundles, giveaways, or cross-promotions through email and social media.

Many instructors collaborate with peers in similar niches to double their exposure and grow their email lists together.

Quick tip: Join private Facebook groups or Udemy’s official instructor community to connect with collaborators and share launches.

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14. Create a Certification Course for Authority Niches

If you’re in a career or skill-focused niche like project management, AI, or HR, offering a course with a certificate of completion adds huge perceived value. While Udemy provides a default certificate, you can add your own in a bonus lecture or downloadable section.

Certification-focused courses tend to earn more and attract serious learners—perfect for upselling coaching or advanced programs later.

Quick tip: Add “Certified” or “Accredited” to your course title for higher conversions (when relevant and truthful).

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15. Publish Evergreen Skill Courses for Passive Sales

Courses in evergreen niches like Excel, Python, resume writing, or soft skills generate steady sales long after launch. If you’re looking to build long-term passive income, these are great topics to explore—even if the competition is high.

By focusing on timeless skills and optimizing for SEO, you can create a portfolio of income-producing courses.

Quick tip: Include the current year (e.g., “Excel 2025”) in your title and subtitle to boost click-through rates.

Step-by-Step Guide to Make Money on Udemy Instructor Marketplace

Ready to turn your skills into profit? This roadmap walks you through how to make money on Udemy Instructor Marketplace—from scratch to scaling. Follow each step to set up your course, market it, and grow your revenue using the best practices from top Udemy instructors.

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Step 1: Create Your Free Udemy Instructor Account

Start by signing up for a free Udemy instructor account. It takes less than 5 minutes. Just provide your name, email, and payment setup (PayPal or Payoneer). You’ll also need to complete Udemy’s instructor verification process via text or video.

This gives you access to the course builder, student insights, and promotional tools.

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Step 2: Choose a Profitable Niche and Topic

Select a course topic that balances demand and competition. Use Udemy’s search bar to explore what people are already searching for. Evergreen skills like Excel, coding, and AI are always in demand, but unique niche skills work too if you have a small audience.

Make sure the topic is something you’re confident teaching and can deliver value on.

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Step 3: Outline and Script Your Course Content

Before recording anything, build a detailed course outline. Break your topic into logical modules and lessons. Use slides, speaking points, or full scripts—whichever you prefer. Strong structure helps students stay engaged and makes your course easier to produce.

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Step 4: Record and Edit Your Course Videos

Use a webcam, microphone, and screen recorder (like OBS Studio or Camtasia). Keep videos clear, well-lit, and under 10 minutes each. Edit out dead space and add visual aids to keep it dynamic. You can record at home with free or low-cost gear.

For help here, check out Best AI tools for Udemy instructors to speed up scripting, captions, and editing.

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Step 5: Upload to Udemy and Optimize for Search

Once your videos and materials are ready, upload them into Udemy’s platform. Add a catchy title, SEO-rich subtitle, and keyword-optimized description. Include a professional course image, short promo video, and downloadable resources.

This helps you rank higher in Udemy search and attract more students organically.

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Step 6: Price Your Course and Enable Promotions

Set your base price ($19.99–$199.99). Most instructors start with $49.99 or less for new courses. Enable the Udemy Deals Program to be included in global sales and flash promotions. These can drive major spikes in revenue.

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Step 7: Launch with Referral Links and Coupons

Use Udemy’s referral tools to create 97%-off coupons or links. Share them via email, YouTube, or social media. This gives you maximum revenue per sale and starts building your audience.

To go deeper, explore how to build a successful course sales funnel that converts new leads into sales consistently.

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Step 8: Gather Reviews and Improve Your Course

Ask early students for feedback and reviews. Courses with high ratings (4.5+) sell better. You can always update videos or materials based on comments. Udemy lets you edit your course anytime without penalty.

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Step 9: Promote Regularly and Scale with New Courses

Use Udemy’s internal email tool to cross-promote your other courses. Bundle multiple trainings together, create upsells, or reuse content on YouTube. Launching 2–5 courses can significantly grow your monthly income, especially when you stay in one niche.

Best AI Tools for Udemy Instructors

Creating high-quality online courses doesn’t have to take weeks. With the right AI tools, Udemy instructors can speed up everything from lesson planning to video editing—and still produce professional content.

ChatGPT can help generate lesson outlines, script lectures, and write quiz questions. Tools like Synthesia let you create AI-avatar videos for explainer-style teaching, even if you don’t want to be on camera. Meanwhile, Descript makes video editing much faster by turning speech into text you can edit like a doc. If you need captions or translations, Kapwing or SubtitleBee can auto-generate them instantly.

AI tools also help boost engagement. Use Canva AI for creating course thumbnails, worksheets, or slide decks that look polished with minimal effort.

Quick tip: Test different AI tools during your first course build to see which ones fit your workflow best.

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Top Affiliate Platforms to Use with Udemy

Even though Udemy doesn’t allow affiliate links inside course content, you can still earn more by promoting related tools, books, or services outside the platform—especially through your bonus lecture or instructor profile.

Top affiliate programs for Udemy instructors include:

• Amazon Associates (books, webcams, mics, etc.)
• Canva Pro (design templates and tools)
• Teachable or Thinkific (for promoting premium courses)
• TubeBuddy or Jasper AI (for YouTubers or marketers)

Once you build an audience through your course or email list, these affiliate links become a natural extension of your teaching. You can even bundle a course + tool offer in your emails.

Quick tip: Always disclose affiliate relationships to stay compliant with Udemy’s and FTC guidelines.

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How to Build a Successful Course Sales Funnel

Want to earn 97% of each Udemy sale? Then you need to drive your own traffic—and that means building a simple course sales funnel.

Start by creating a lead magnet (freebie like a checklist, template, or video) related to your course. Use a landing page builder like ConvertKit, MailerLite, or LeadPages to collect emails. Then send a short welcome email series that introduces your Udemy course with a limited-time coupon.

You can grow your funnel via YouTube, social media, or blog posts. Even if you start with only 50–100 email subscribers, you can convert several students each month and scale from there.

Quick tip: Pre-schedule Udemy coupons to refresh automatically inside your funnel.

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Tips to Increase Your Udemy Revenue in 2025

With Udemy lowering its subscription royalty to 17.5%, instructors must get more strategic. Here’s how to increase your revenue in 2025:

• Use referral links every time you promote your course. You’ll keep 97% instead of 37%.
• Publish bundles and masterclasses to raise your average order value.
• Launch during sales events like Black Friday and New Year for spikes in traffic.
• Reinvest profits into editing, branding, or marketing tools to grow faster.
• Engage students with downloadable content and real-life examples to boost reviews.

Staying proactive, updating your course regularly, and cross-promoting other courses can help you thrive even as royalty rates change.

Quick tip: Build a 3–5 course catalog to create predictable, monthly income instead of depending on one hit.

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Conclusion

You don’t need a huge audience or tech background to make money on Udemy Instructor Marketplace—just a clear topic, a structured course, and smart promotion. With instructors earning anywhere from $1,000 to $500K+ per year, the platform still offers massive opportunity in 2025.

Start small, use referral links to maximize revenue, and scale over time with bundles, AI tools, and email funnels. Your first $100 or even $10,000 on Udemy is more achievable than you think.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)