Is Podia the Right Platform for Your Online Courses?

Launching an online business can be a thrilling journey, but it comes with challenges. One of these is finding the right platform.  

You need a place to build and host your website. But that’s just the start. Before you know it, you want to start blogging, sending emails, delivering courses, building a community, taking advantage of affiliate marketing, and more.  

You have to think about day one, 100 and 1,000. How can you ensure your platform is right for today and tomorrow?   

Podia presents itself as a one-stop solution for online entrepreneurs, but is it the answer for you? Read on to learn more about the platform’s features, pros and cons, and alternatives to Podia. 

What is Podia? 

Founded in 2014, Podia is an online platform for selling courses and digital products. What makes Podia stand out is that the platform is all-inclusive, with everything 'all under one roof,' as they put it. 

Aside from hosting and selling courses, you can also build your website and manage your online community. You’ll also have access to other marketing tools, including email marketing and live chat. 

Podia is a growing platform, with its online stores having increased by over 40% throughout the first quarter of 2024. Overall, there are currently over 6,700 live stores on the platform. It’s a popular choice with a growing fan base.  

What Can You Use Podia For? 

For content creators, Podia’s biggest draw is its all-in-one approach to online selling. So, what digital products can you offer on the platform? 

There is a wide range of online products and services that you can sell via the platform. These include: 

• Courses 
• Webinars 
• Workshops 
• Coaching 
• Digital downloads 
• Consulting services 
• Printables 
• Online community membership 
• eBooks
• Spreadsheets 
• Audio files 
• Video files 
• And many more… 

This is in no way an exhaustive list, with many other digital products suitable for selling on Podia. In essence, Podia is tailored to online teachers and coaches. 

Aside from selling digital products, Podia has several other tools that content creators can use to streamline their business. These include the intuitive website builder, online community hosting (with options for free and paid tiers), email marketing, live messaging, and payment integrations.  

So, rather than using multiple platforms for hosting, building, selling, and promoting courses, you would only need to use Podia. 

How Much Does It Cost to Sell on Podia? 

 Podia currently has several pricing tiers. These are: 

Free – $0 

Podia’s free tier allows you to build a complete website and blog and set up unlimited community plans. Take a look at the type of website you can build… 

With this tier, you can sell only one download and one coaching product, and Podia charges a 10% transaction fee on each purchase. 

You can draft courses, webinars, and other products, but you will need to upgrade at least to the Mover tier to make them live. This can be a useful tier if you’d like to try out Podia without committing to a paid tier. 

Starter – from $4 per month 

This tier offers everything in the free tier, along with a custom domain and chat support. You’ll still only be able to draft courses and other products at this tier. Transaction fees are also slightly cheaper at 8% per transaction. If you pay monthly, this tier costs $9 per month, but this can be reduced to $4 per month if paid yearly. 

Mover – from $33 per month 

If you're ready to dive in, the Mover tier offers unlimited downloads, courses, and paid webinars. You’ll also have access to tools to monetize your online coaching sessions and be able to implement third–party code into your website. This tier costs $39 per month for those who pay monthly, and $33 per month for those who pay yearly. Transaction fees are 5%. 

Shaker – from $59 per month (first year only) 

This final tier offers everything from the other tiers but with the option for affiliate marketing and no transaction fees. You’ll be charged $89 per month if you pay monthly. If you pay yearly, you’ll pay $59 per month for the first year, and after this, $75 per month.  

Additional Costs 

There are other costs you’ll need to keep in mind. Podia offers an add-on email marketing tool, where you can create automated email campaigns, complete with analytics tools. If you have less than 100 subscribers, then the service is free. The pricing for this add-on increases with the number of subscribers, starting at $9 (billed monthly) or $7 (billed yearly) for mailing lists of up to 500.  

Payment processor Stripe also charges a standard transaction fee of 2.9% and 30 cents, regardless of your tier. 

How Much Can You Earn on Podia? 

The amount you earn is up to you. There are no upper limits on the platform. However, this depends on your niche, audience and content. With this being said, Podia cites one entrepreneur as having earned $100,000 from his Podia site. 

How to Sell on Podia 

Podia offers a host of features for online creators, but this can easily become overwhelming. Fortunately, there is a streamlined dashboard, where you can find everything you need from blogs to email marketing. So, how can you start selling on Podia? 

Online Courses 

Want to share your expertise and make money at the same time? Creating online courses is simple with Podia.  

1. On the navigation bar, click the “Products” button. From there, select “Online course” from the pop–up window and give your course a name.  
2. Next, you’ll need to add content to your course before publishing it. On the “Lessons” tab, you can add a “New lesson” or “New section”. You can add lessons in several forms, including text, embedded links, files, quizzes and more. As lessons build up, you can also organize them into course sections. You can even move these sections around as your course develops. On the other tabs, you can manage further details, including your course pricing.  
3. When this is complete, you can select the “Publish” button to make your course accessible. 

Digital Products 

You can sell digital products in a similar way to courses. Once you’ve selected to offer a digital download, you’ll simply upload files on the “Files” tab. You can also adjust further settings on the other tabs. On the “Pricing” tab, you can choose how customers will receive the file. The options are: 

• Free – Customers have to sign up and create an account to access your product for free. 
• Free email delivery – Customers receive your products via email for free. 
• Waitlist – If your product isn’t ready to go live, you can set it up on a waitlist. Customers will receive updates about the product, but not access. 
• Paid – Similar to the free tier, customers have to make an account but also pay for the item through a checkout process. 

Coaching Services 

To sell your coaching services, simply choose the “Coaching session” option from the pop-up list. On the “Sessions” tab, you can embed a booking calendar from one of the supported providers. These include Calendly, SavvyCal, Acuity and YouCanBookMe. Alternatively, you can use a custom calendar link. You can also type out instructions to guide your customers about booking a session.  

Webinars 

You can also sell access to YouTube and Zoom webinars. To sell Zoom webinars, you’ll first need to ensure that your Zoom account is linked up to Podia. For Zoom, you’ll be able to choose which event you want to sell. With YouTube Live, you’ll need to make sure you paste in the relevant link. You’ll then need to set up timing and duration, provide instructions for your viewers, and set reminders. 

Product Bundles 

You can also bundle multiple products together in a product bundle. You can add these in the same way as digital products. Select the “Bundle” option on the drop-down menu. Next, you can add products to your bundle and set a price. You can also write up a description of your bundle for the sales page.  

Paid Communities 

 To build a free or paid community, you’ll need to go to “Community” on the navigation bar and select the “Home” button. Once you’ve named your community, click the “Create your community” button. In the left sidebar, you’ll see the “Settings” button. Here you can add new plans, including free, paid, and trial tiers. You can set up several subscription tiers, with access to different products or sections of your community.

What are Podia’s Key Features and Tools? 

Aside from the products themselves, Podia includes lots of other tools to help your business grow. 

Website and Blog Builder 

Podia boasts that users can build a website in just 10 minutes with its website builder.  

The tool simplifies web design for business owners. However, a lack of customization could make this tool too restrictive for some entrepreneurs. There’s also a blog builder for your website. 

Affiliate Marketing 

Podia offers a robust affiliate marketing program, so fans of your online products can promote you and earn a commission. 

Live Chat Tools 

Messaging with customers and visitors to your website is simple with Podia’s integrated live chat tools. 

Optional Email Marketing Tools 

You can keep your email marketing on the same platform with Podia’s optional tool. It’s free for up to 100 recipients, but you’ll need to sign up for a paid plan for anything more. 

The Pros and Cons of Selling on Podia 

It’s clear that Podia has a lot to offer online creators, but is it worth it? Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of the platform. 

Pros of Podia: 

Easy to Use 👍 

Getting to grips with complex software can be daunting for online business owners. Lack of experience with web development can take time away from focusing on your business. Podia’s intuitive interface makes it easy to upload and sell a variety of digital products. 

Broad Set of Tools 🧰 

From building a website to managing email marketing campaigns, there are many tools creators need to develop their businesses. Costs can mount quickly, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the options available. Podia puts all the tools you need at your fingertips. 

Perfect for Online Coaches and Educators 👩‍🏫 

A vast range of courses, digital products, coaching sessions, and webinars can be sold via Podia. This makes it a great choice for entrepreneurs in coaching and education, from yoga instructors to wellness coaches. 

Free Tier Available 🆓 

Podia provides room for newcomers to experiment and try out the platform. The free tier can help you build your website and draft out courses before you’re ready to commit to a full account. 

Cons of Podia: 

Limited Customization 🔒 

Podia offers a streamlined approach to setting up an online business. Although it provides a wide range of tools, these have some limitations. For example, you won’t have the same level of customization for your website as other e-commerce platforms. 

Doesn’t Support Physical Products 📦 

Whilst you can sell many digital products on Podia, it’s not a suitable platform for physical products. So, if you’d like to incorporate ecommerce into your business, it’s important to note that Podia doesn’t currently offer shipping features. 

Free Tier Charges 10% Fees 💵 

Although the free tier is a plus, it comes with some downsides. The 10% transaction fee is expensive and could be off-putting to newcomers. The other tiers also have transaction fees along with the monthly/annual fees. The free tier also limits you to selling one download and coaching product. 

Introducing Whop – the # 1 Alternative to Podia 

Whilst Podia has a useful offering for content creators, it’s not the only option. Whop is a great choice for any digital creator.

Whop is a social commerce platform where entrepreneurs can sell access to digital products and services. This covers everything from courses to eBooks and online community membership. 

What makes Whop stand out from other online platforms, such as Podia, is its versatility. Although Podia offers a broad range of tools, they are often limited in terms of features. With Whop’s API, you can connect external apps to the platform. These powerful integrations mean you can make money from anything digital (providing it doesn’t breach the terms of service) on Whop. That covers everything from live coaching sessions to paid communities and sports picks to Discord membership.  

Whop provides all the tools you need to create and sell digital content your way. And it doesn’t stop there, Whop also: 

• Has lower transaction costs than Podia – at just 3% 🥳 
• Is free to set up, with no pricing tiers to limit you 🆓 
• Has an intuitive on-platform course creator 🧠 
• Features diverse integrations to connect with other platforms and tools ⚙️ 

Even if you don’t have any technical experience, don’t worry. Whop's app system is easy to use, letting you add as many or few apps as you like to your own whop. You create the space and experience for your users, your way.

So, if you’d like to join a platform that unlocks endless possibilities for your online business, Whop has you covered.