Free or low-cost mini-course: which should you choose?
Free or low-cost mini-course before your main course: what to put in it, how much to charge, the margin maths and the step up to the full course.
Between your free content and a $149 course there's often too big a jump. A mini-course, free or low-cost, is a step in between: people try your method on a small problem and get ready for the full course.
This guide helps you choose between free and low-cost, decide what goes into the mini-course and build the step up to the main product.
Free or low-cost?
It depends on what you need now. If you need subscribers, go free; if you need customers, go low-cost.
| Free | Low-cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Grows your list fast | Yes | Partly |
| Attracts highly motivated people | Partly | Yes |
| Turns subscribers into customers | No | Yes |
| Helps cover ad costs | No | Partly |
| Needs checkout and withdrawal rules | No | Yes |
Our editorial framework.
Someone who has bought from you once, even for $19, has crossed the first-payment barrier: they're more likely to buy again. That's why a low-cost mini-course is often the first paid step on the product ladder, as we explain in upsells, order bumps and a product ladder.
What goes into the mini-course?
A small, complete result. Not a summary of the main course, not its first lessons cut off halfway: anyone who finishes should have solved a specific problem from start to finish. For example, in an interior photography course: "How to light a room with a single window", in five short lessons and one exercise.
The best topic is the first obstacle your ideal student hits, the same criterion as for free content, which we explain in lead magnet ideas for creators.
How much should you charge?
Enough to be a real decision, little enough not to need long thought. Watch fixed fees, which weigh more on low prices.
Our calculation using Tea's course profit calculator formulas.
See the data as a table
| Price | Margin per sale |
|---|---|
| $9 | 8.25 $ |
| $19 | 17.75 $ |
| $29 | 27.25 $ |
| $49 | 46.25 $ |
Digital content rules apply at low prices too: EU consumers have 14 days to withdraw, unless supply began with their express consent, acknowledgement and the trader's confirmation. See refunds and cancellation rights.
An example with numbers
A creator has 3,000 newsletter subscribers and a $149 main course. She launches a $29 mini-course on a single problem and promotes it to her list and on social: in a month 150 people buy it, for a margin of about $4,090 after fees of 5% plus 30 cents. At the end of the mini-course, finishers get an invitation to the main course with a $29 discount, equal to what they've already spent, valid for 14 days and stated as such. Twenty-four people take it, paying $120 each. These 24 students also arrive at the main course having already tried the method, and she notices they ask fewer basic questions. In practice, the mini-course did two jobs: it paid for itself and prepared customers for the main product. The numbers are our example.
How do people step up to the main course?
With an invitation tied to the result just achieved, at the end of the mini-course: "you've solved the lighting in one room; in the full course we cover every situation, with exercises and feedback". Many creators offer a discount equal to the mini-course price for a limited period: if you do, the deadline must be real, as we explain in Black Friday for online courses.
Which mistakes should you avoid?
- A mini-course that's just a summary. It must deliver a complete result.
- Lessons cut off halfway. They frustrate rather than persuade.
- Pricing without the maths. Fixed fees weigh heavily.
- No invitation to the main course. The mini-course becomes a dead end.
- Fake deadlines on the follow-up offer. They're banned and erode trust.
Key terms. A mini-course is a short course on a single problem. An entry product is a low-priced offer that turns a subscriber into a customer. Margin per sale is the price minus fees and costs for that sale.
How we checked. We read Directive 2011/83/EU on EUR-Lex (Articles 9 and 16). Margins use our tool's formulas; the example is ours. We found no independent data on how many mini-course buyers move to the main course. Contact: hi@heytea.app. Editorial note: we check every figure against the sources listed below and correct mistakes openly.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a free and a low-cost mini-course?
A free one collects subscribers: many people take it, including the barely interested. A low-cost one, say $19-49, attracts fewer but more motivated people, and turns a subscriber into a customer: someone who has bought from you once is more likely to buy again.
What goes into a mini-course?
A small, complete result achievable in an hour or two: one specific problem solved from start to finish. Not a summary of the main course and not its first lessons cut off halfway: people who finish it should feel they've achieved something.
How much should a mini-course cost?
Enough to be a real purchase decision, little enough not to need long thought. Remember fixed fees: at 5% plus 30 cents, a $19 sale leaves $17.75 and a $39 sale $36.75. Margin matters less than the step up to the main course.
Does a paid mini-course carry a withdrawal right?
For EU consumers, yes, like any digital content sold at a distance: 14 days, unless supply began with the consumer's express consent, their acknowledgement of losing the right and the trader's confirmation. Set up checkout as you would for the main course.
How do you move people from the mini-course to the main course?
With an invitation at the end of the mini-course, tied to the result just achieved: 'you've solved the lighting in one room; in the full course we cover every situation'. Many creators give mini-course buyers a discount equal to its price, for a limited, stated period.
Sources
- Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights, consolidated text, Articles 9 and 16. Accessed 19 October 2026. eur-lex.europa.eu
- Tea free tool, course profit calculator. heytea.app