Selling digital products is one of the best ways for creators to make money, diversify revenue, and create new business opportunities. And microlearning courses — or mini-courses — are some of the finest digital products a creator can sell.
If you identify as a creator educator, you’re probably already sharing your knowledge with your followers, whether on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or Instagram Reels. You know that doling out content in bite-size form keeps your audience captivated and helps them absorb the information.
The type of content you’re creating on social could be packaged as mini-courses that you could sell online. Essentially, you’re putting together short-form educational content to teach something specific. And when they are built thoughtfully and marketed strategically, these mini-courses have the potential to help you make bank.
Read on for reasons why you should consider creating mini-courses, and some of the best microlearning platforms with mini-course builders to create and sell them.
Click here to start creating and selling mini-courses with The Leap. It’s free!What are microlearning platforms?
In short, a microlearning platform — or a mini-course builder — is the software you’ll use to create the mini-course you’ll launch and sell.
These platforms allow you to put together short online courses in the format of your choice, using media integrations like videos and images. They also provide you with specialized microlearning tools, like quizzes to engage learners by asking them multiple-choice questions. Many microlearning platforms even come with options for assignments, calendar booking, course notifications, automated email reminders, and paywalls and upsell options.
Click here to start creating and selling mini-courses with The Leap. It’s free!Best microlearning platforms for building mini-courses
With that said, we’ve put together a list of the best microlearning platforms on the market, so you can narrow down your options and make the choice that best suits your needs:
Microlearning platforms comparison
| Tool | Features |
| The Leap | What is it? The made-for-creators option AI-powered mini-course builder? ✅ Free plan? ✅ Pricing: Free! |
| LifterLMS | What is it? The gamification option AI-powered mini-course builder? ❌ Free plan? ✅ Pricing: Paid plans from $149-$749/year |
| LearnDash | What is it? The gamify-and-get-paid option AI-powered mini-course builder? ✅ Free plan? ❌ Pricing: $199/year |
| 7taps | What is it? The quick-start option AI-powered mini-course builder? ✅ Free plan? ✅ Pricing: Paid plan at $99/month |
| Coassemble | What is it? The aesthetically appealing option AI-powered mini-course builder? ✅ Free plan? ✅ Pricing: Paid plan at $12/month |
| Tech.io | What is it? The community-building option AI-powered mini-course builder? ❌ Free plan? ❌ Pricing: $97/month |
| Mini Course Generator | What is it? The lightweight option AI-powered mini-course builder? ✅ Free plan? ✅ Pricing: Paid plans from $15-$25/month |
1. The Leap
This is: The made-for-creators option.
Looking for the ultimate creator monetization tool — and one that’s free to use? Then you’ll want to get in on The Leap.
The Leap is the latest tool from the leading creator educator platform Thinkific. This all-in-one creator store includes features like a link-in-bio storefront, an email marketing suite, and an easy-to-use digital product builder, allowing creators to create, sell, and promote digital products all from one place.
So, how is The Leap tops when it comes to microlearning? Well, the platform’s powerful AI-powered authoring tool is geared towards creating digital learning products. That includes tutorials, challenges, guides, and mini-courses. Because it’s powered by generative AI, The Leap enables you to create polished mini-courses in just minutes.
To get into the nuts and bolts, The Leap’s mini-course builder enables you to add tons of different media options and other features to your mini-courses. These include text, images, and video content, along with quizzes, links to external resources, and digital downloads.
The platform also offers creators an array of audience analytics, including sales and leads reports, that give them the insights they need to create the digital products that will fly off the (digital) shelves.
The Leap is designed for creators looking to jumpstart their monetization journey. And if you leverage all of its features in tandem, you’ll have yourself an income engine that’ll power your business and earn you even more money over time.
The best part about The Leap? It’s free to create your first mini-course!
Key features
- AI-powered mini-course builder
- Multimedia courses: video, images, links, and downloads
- Quizzes
- Mobile-optimized link-in-bio storefront
- In-app payment processing
- Email marketing automation
- Email list builder
- Audience analytics
Pricing
Free! Sign up for your free account today.
Create and sell mini-courses in minutes using The Leap!
2. LifterLMS
This is: The gamification option
Create your own digital learning portal with LifterLMS, a learning management system designed for quick-launching your micro-lessons through WordPress. It works with gamification, and it’s made to help you create customizable social learning experiences with associated communities.
This option is chock-full of the best microlearning features including drip content, quizzes and assignments, certificates and achievement badges, marketing capabilities, and tons of community spaces like forums and discussion boards.
Key features
- Built-in marketing capabilities
- Quizzes and assignments
- Subscriptions and memberships
- Course-building support
- Drip content
- Gamification
- Certificates and achievement badges
- Community spaces
Pricing
Free plan available. Paid plans range from $149 to $749/year.
3. LearnDash
This is: The gamify-and-get-paid option
LearnDash is a microlearning platform built specifically for WordPress integration. With customizable designs that will help you match your courses to your brand, simple drag and drop building tools that make creation fun, and flexible pricing that will help you grow revenue, LearnDash is a great option for creators looking to monetize their expertise with mini-courses.
This feature-rich platform arrives with a broad range of cool features designed to boost audience engagement, including completion certificates, badges and awards, and a “focus mode” to eliminate distractions.
Key features
- AI-powered course builder
- Custom design
- Certificates, quizzes, and assignments
- Subscription, membership, one-off and limited coupon options for customers
- Capacity to run promotions and deals on course bundles
- Groups and sub-groups for students (think: community building)
- Student submission approvals and instructor comment features
- “Focus mode” to eliminate student distractions
- Automated notifications and reminders for students
Pricing
LearnDash does not offer a free plan. Its paid plan starts at $199/year.
4. 7taps
This is: The quick-start option
While 7taps was initially designed for businesses, the microlearning platform has become popular with creators for its speed and ease of use. Its claim to fame is that it can help you produce a bite-sized lesson in just 15 minutes, providing you with pre-designed templates that optimize microlearning.
7taps is great for building engaging mini-courses quickly. However, the downside to this platform is its lack of payment processing system. This means that you’ll need to use a separate storefront tool to sell your 7taps mini-courses.
Key features
- AI-powered mini-course builder
- Multimedia courses: video, audio, quizzes, forms, polls, and checklists
- Content editing on-the-go
- Easy creation of drip learning campaigns
- Deep analytics
- Open-ended and multiple-choice question creation
Pricing
7taps offers a free plan. Its paid plans start at $99/month.
5. Coassemble
This is: The aesthetically appealing option
Want to create beautiful, on-brand mini-courses? Then you’ll want to try out Coassemble. This microlearning platform features an AI-powered course builder that enables you to create mini-courses (as well as larger online courses) in just a few minutes. All you need to do is input a short text prompt.
While Coassemble doesn’t have all the community-building or advanced features of some other options, it’s incredibly easy to use. The platform provides users with tons of pre-built mini-course templates as well as near endless customization options, so you can create aesthetically pleasing mini-courses in no time.
Key Features
- AI-powered mini-course builder
- Multimedia courses: video, images, checklists, flashcards, and documents
- Quizzes
- Customizable templates
- Payment processing through Stripe
- Stock image generator
- Analytics for user engagement and completion
Pricing
Free plan available. Paid plan for $12/month.
6. Teach.io
This is: The community-building option
Want to harness the monetization power of microlearning communities? Then you’ll want to try out Teach.io. This microlearning platform is designed to boost engagement (and, thus, your income), using gamification strategies (like points) to encourage discussion and collaboration within your learning community.
Teach.io allows you to host unlimited courses, and its easy-to-use course builder lets you structure them with sections and lessons containing video, audio, PDFs, quizzes, and assignments.
Key features
- Mini-course builder
- Multimedia courses: video, images, audio, and PDFs
- Quizzes and assignments
- Discussion forums
- Completion certificates
- Subscription payment options
- Member messaging
- Gamification elements to encourage engagement
Pricing
Teach.io does not offer a free plan. Its paid paid costs $97/month.
7. Mini Course Generator
This is: The lightweight option
Want to create mini-courses quickly? As its name suggests, Mini Course Generator is your easy-to-use, lightweight solution.
Where Mini Course Generator lacks in community spaces and advanced course features, it makes up for with the power of AI. This microlearning platform enables you to build comprehensive mini-courses in minutes with the power of generative and suggestive AI. From there, you can sell your mini-courses through a designated landing page directly through the platform.
Key features
- AI-powered mini-course builder
- Quizzes
- Pay-walls and payment processing through Stripe, PayPal, and more
- AI-generated images
- Landing pages
- Custom learner access
Pricing
Mini Course Generator offers a free Basic plan. Its paid plan costs $15 to $25/month.
Benefits of building and selling mini-courses
You’re already sharing what you know with your audience through free content. So why not take it further and start monetizing by creating mini-courses? As a creator, building and selling microlearning courses are a great way for you to:
- Build your brand
- Grow your credibility
- Engage your audience
- Build your community
- Generate passive and recurring revenue
- Share your knowledge and passion
Benefit #1: Build your brand
Whatever your thing is, offering up branded courses that prove your knowledge runs deep will help you affirm your status in your niche.
Benefit #2: Grow your credibility
Show your audience — and brands that may be watching — that you’re the real deal. When you consistently demonstrate solid knowledge, your followers’ faith in you grows, which could have a halo effect for important partnerships and sponsorships.
Benefit #3: Engage your audience
With mini-courses, you’ll be able to speak deeply and directly to your audience. Some microlearning platforms like The Leap even offer Book My Time and Ask Me Anything features that allow you to connect with your audience on a deeper, more personal level.
Benefit #4: Build your community
Many microlearning platforms offer community spaces for your followers to meet and interact. By fostering a community, you’ll also increase your interactions and engagement rate. It’s a win-win.
Benefit #5: Generate passive and recurring revenue
Once you’ve created a mini-course, your work is pretty much done. Market your course to your audience, sit back, and watch the purchases (and cash) roll in.
Benefit #6: Share your knowledge and passion
This may sound cheesy, but it’s true: When you love something, you want to see it grow. There’s nothing more exciting than getting people into what you’re passionate about.
Today, social media apps like TikTok have become bona fide launch pads for creators looking to monetize their knowledge. These platforms provide creators with access to audiences eager to purchase mini-courses to learn more about different topics. However, to actually sell your courses, you’ll have to create them using a platform that has payment capabilities — and, ideally, better teaching tools than popular social media apps. That’s where specialized microlearning platforms come in!
Create and sell mini-courses in minutes using The Leap!
How to choose the best microlearning platform for you
Different microlearning platforms will be appropriate for different types of users. As a creator, you’ll need a mobile-friendly platform that allows you to fine-tune your mini-course’s look and feel to match your brand. You might want calendar booking capabilities, or other features that let you interact with your followers. And you’ll certainly want upsell options and paywalls for private-access content.
Here are a few things to consider when deciding on a microlearning platform:
- Where your mini-courses need to be integrated. (e.g. Do you have a WordPress site? Is the platform mobile-friendly?)
- How you’ll distribute courses to followers. (e.g. Will they need to download an app or sign in somewhere?)
- How you’ll charge for courses. (e.g. Does the platform provide paywall options? Are there upsell solutions?)
- How you’ll get repeat business. (e.g. Can you sell subscriptions? Will you be able to host a course gallery? Can you send automated follow-up emails?)
- Whether you want to use your courses as a way to build your community. (e.g. Are there social learning or community discussion options? Do you want to host live events?)
Build your mini-course easily with The Leap
Creating your first mini-course doesn’t have to be complicated. You simply have to start by choosing the right microlearning platform and coming up with your course content, and the software will help you do the rest.
Remember that as a creator, you’ll want to stay true to your brand and give your audience the content they already love you for. Once you’ve created your mini-course, be sure to promote it to your audience across your social media and marketing channels.
Want to build and sell your first mini-course today? We have the tool for you! Try out The Leap’s AI-powered digital product builder for free.
Create and sell mini-courses in minutes using The Leap!
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Further reading
- How To Create a Mini-Course (For Free)
- How To Sell Digital Products Online: A 6-Step Launch Checklist
- 9 Best Tools To Create Digital Products To Sell
- 10 Best Creator Store Platforms for Monetizing Your Knowledge
- 13 Best Examples of Digital Products Created on The Leap
This article was originally published in April 2023, and updated in October 2024 with additional information.
