Using Social Proof To Increase Course Enrollment: 8 Steps

Getting people interested and signing up for your online course can feel pretty difficult, especially with so many options competing for attention out there.

The good news is, by using social proof to your advantage, you’ll encourage more people to feel confident and excited about hitting that enroll button. Stick around, because you’re about to discover easy, doable ways to showcase your course as the popular and trusted choice it is.

Ready for the scoop? Let’s jump right in.

1. Use Real-Time Enrollment and Activity for Urgency

Want to boost your course enrollment quickly? Show your site visitors what’s happening right now. Real-time notifications displaying something like “Jessica just enrolled in the ‘Build Your First Website’ course 2 minutes ago!” gives people that little nudge. Knowing others are enrolling creates urgency because no one likes to miss out. Tools like Proof or TrustPulse are fantastic for setting this up easily without tech headaches. Remember to keep notifications subtle—too many pop-ups will annoy visitors instead of persuading them.

Besides enrollment pop-ups, you can show real-time student activity, like the number of active users currently browsing the course page. It’s a quick method to inform someone they’re not alone, which gives assurance. Using clear, believable numbers works best, like “23 people viewing right now,” rather than vague statements.

Don’t have big enrollment numbers yet? You can still highlight recent or active student achievements to strengthen the feeling of community. Mentioning things like quiz completions—here’s a helpful resource on how to make engaging student quizzes—will show potential buyers that your course is active and worthwhile.

2. Gather and Display Student Reviews and Testimonials

Have you ever booked a hotel or bought a product online without checking reviews? Neither have I. Turns out, we’re not alone: 91% of consumers trust customer testimonials and reviews over other advertising. For education, this effect is even stronger. EdTech Future Insights’ report showed that 82% of students rely heavily on peer reviews before choosing where they’ll enroll. So, getting genuine student reviews on your course page is essential—not just good to have.

But what’s the best way to go about this? First, directly ask students for feedback right after they finish a course or after a significant milestone. Keep it simple with customized email surveys that are easy for them to complete. Tools like Typeform or Google Forms can streamline this process.

The best testimonials highlight tangible results students achieved because of your course. Coursera found that 77% of their learners reported career benefits from courses completed. If you can clearly show similar results that past students accomplished—like landing a new job, raising their salary, or mastering a new skill—you’re on the right track.

Make reviews visual. Photos or short videos of smiling graduates feel more believable than standalone text. Share some standout reviews on your course sales page to grab attention immediately. Need inspiration? Take a peek at successful course websites like Udemy and Skillshare—they make great use of testimonials front and center.

3. Collaborate with Influencers and Share Case Studies

Ever wondered why companies pay millions to celebrities and influencers? Because it works. People trust recommendations from known faces even more than traditional ads. For course creators, partnering with industry experts or influencers relevant to your topic can greatly boost interest.

You don’t even need mega-celebrities. Even smaller-scale micro-influencers with a dedicated audience can have a big impact. Let’s say you’re teaching graphic design. Collaborate with a YouTuber or Instagram mentor known for design tutorials—they can authentically recommend your course, giving you credibility with their followers.

Aside from influencers, successful student stories (case studies) are powerful. 75% of international students say alumni success stories were their deciding factor in choosing education programs, according to Global Education Trends. Take some of your successful students and highlight their journey—where they were before the course and how it helped them reach their goals.

Showcasing these impactful narratives essentially tells visitors: “Look, someone else just like you got real results.” You can create catchy blog posts, short videos, or even podcasts around these student stories.

If you’re new to influencer marketing, just start by genuinely connecting, commenting, or sharing these individuals’ posts before approaching them for a collaboration. Relationships take time—it’s a human thing—so don’t rush into it. Keep it casual, friendly, and sincere, just like you would when reaching out to someone you actually want to be friends with.

4. Highlight Popularity with Social Media Metrics

Wondering if people care about your course? Social media numbers tell new visitors, “Hey, this is something worth checking out!” When potential students see you’ve got followers or social proof, they’re more likely to trust you enough to sign up.

Start by adding social sharing buttons to your course page so visitors can easily spread the word about you.

Make sure your course content is shareable; short clips or helpful infographics are great for Facebook, Instagram, or even TikTok these days, especially if your course is visually appealing (think photography, cooking, or design).

Also, consider embedding feeds or showing engagement metrics like, “Our courses have over 200,000 YouTube views.”

A great example comes from Skillshare instructors, who often share quick tutorial snippets on Instagram that highlight their teaching style and popular lessons.

Once you start gaining traction, show off the good numbers—mention how many students completed your course last month or highlight likes and comments from your posts.

5. Create Urgency with Limited-Time Offers

Ever noticed how Black Friday deals lead to impulse buys? The same principle applies to your online course; if there’s a ticking clock on the offer, students are more likely to jump on board quicker.

Limited-time promotions work like magic: you could offer discounted pricing, bonus resources, or exclusive coaching sessions—anything valuable that disappears once the deadline hits zero.

Use a countdown timer on your display page so students can visually see the time slipping away (it works better than just mentioning an expiration date).

You can also test different options: maybe try special early-bird pricing for people who enroll within the first few days of launching your course (need hints on getting started? See these easy course launch tips).

But don’t overdo it; fake urgency won’t fool anyone—make sure any deadlines or expirations are real to maintain trust.

6. Provide Free Value to Gain Trust

You wouldn’t buy a car without a test drive, right? Offering a free taste of your course content gives people a risk-free reason to engage and trust your teaching.

Provide access to one or two free lessons or share a downloadable toolkit on your landing page that’s genuinely helpful—it doesn’t have to be huge, just valuable.

You could also host a free webinar covering fundamental info on your topic, answering common questions, and closing by presenting your paid course as a more detailed step-by-step solution.

For instance, if you teach art online, create a short beginner-friendly drawing tutorial video that leads naturally to your premium classes (get some inspiration from these tips on creating engaging educational videos).

Giving value upfront positions you as credible, helpful, and trustworthy right from the beginning, which makes subscribers more comfortable committing their time and money.

7. Build a Community for Student Engagement

Want students to stick around longer? Building an engaged student community makes your course sticky—and creates raving fans who’ll recommend your course without you even asking.

Start a private Facebook group or Discord channel where your students can interact, ask questions, and share their projects.

The sense of community is powerful and helps students stay motivated to finish your course materials.

As the instructor, you’ll gain valuable feedback on your topics, lessons, and what students want next just by observing conversations.

Regularly dive into the discussions yourself—answering questions and creating personalized interactions makes your course feel personal and dynamic.

If you’re stuck wondering how to foster genuine interactions, check out these student engagement techniques that’ll create real connections.

8. Optimize Your Course Sales Page for Conversions

All your effort directing traffic to your course page won’t work if the page is confusing, busy, or missing clear calls-to-action.

Think of your sales page as a friend casually breaking down why this course suits their exact needs—straightforward, clear, and compelling without unnecessary fluff.

Keep your page concise: clearly highlight the benefits learners will gain, the tangible outcomes they’ll achieve, and why your course is uniquely helpful.

Make enrollment steps simple and clear—minimize clicks and obstacles on the checkout process to avoid frustrated drop-offs.

Include these testimonials and social proof we mentioned earlier right on your checkout page, supported by stats like how many students successfully completed your courses or outstanding ratings they gave you.

If you’ve got multiple courses or pricing tiers, clearly compare options in a table or by creating visually appealing graphics—check out these examples for ideas on comparing online course platforms.

Optimizing your course sales page simply means making it easy and clear for visitors to understand your course offerings and effortlessly click “enroll.”

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