I have been trying to figure out how people actually promote a course when they are starting from nothing. No email list no followers no audience waiting. The more I research the more confusing it gets.
Some creators say just post everywhere.
Others say do not post everywhere you will look spammy.
Some recommend ads. Others say ads are useless unless you already know what works.
So now I am genuinely curious if you were launching a course today with zero audience how would you do it?
Would you go heavy on communities like Reddit Discord groups or niche forums?
Would you treat marketplaces like Udemy or Skillshare as your audience and let them handle discovery?
Or would you start by giving away free tiny pieces of your course until people actually trust you?
Not looking for generic advice just the honest version from people who started from nothing and actually got their first few sales.