An instructor recently told us:
“I spent almost $3,000 over two years on Instagram ads and hardly sold anything.”
That sentence sounds painful—but it’s also incredibly common.
The problem isn’t Instagram.
The problem is assuming that learning is bought the same way as consumer goods.
Instagram is optimized for discovery, entertainment, and emotion. Courses are bought when someone:
recognizes a gap in their knowledge
trusts the source of instruction
believes the learning will help them do something better
That’s a very different psychological moment than “this looks cool, I’ll buy it.”
Most learners need repeated exposure before they invest in education. They want to see:
how you think
how you explain problems
whether you understand their real-world constraints
A single ad—even a good one—rarely does that.
Successful course creators tend to rely on:
existing communities (professional associations, industry groups, employer networks)
content that teaches before it sells (short videos, articles, workshops)
partnership distribution instead of solo promotion
email, which remains wildly effective for education because it allows context and continuity
If your course didn’t sell through ads, it doesn’t mean:
the topic is wrong
the price is wrong
the quality is wrong
It usually means the channel didn’t match the way people decide to learn.
Education spreads best through relevance, relationships, and reputation—not interruption.
When you align your course with those forces, marketing stops feeling like shouting and starts feeling like helping.