Most software companies know they should have great courses about their product. Users who understand a tool stick around, adopt more features and recommend it. The problem is that producing a professional course, and getting anyone to watch it, is a real project. Sponsored courses solve both parts at once, which is why more marketing and developer-relations teams are using them.
In this guide
- What a sponsored course is
- Why software companies pay for them
- Where the reach comes from
- Sponsored vs private courses
- How to get one made
What a sponsored course is
A sponsored course is a course a company pays to have produced about its product, which is then published to real learners rather than kept in a drawer. The company funds the production, a studio or expert creator makes it, and it goes out to an audience.
The result is a professional course that teaches people to use the product well, made by someone who actually uses the tool, and put in front of learners who want exactly that kind of skill. The company usually also gets a copy to host on its own site, so the same asset serves both new audiences and existing users.
Why software companies pay for them
The appeal is that one asset does several jobs.
It educates. A clear, well-made course lifts onboarding, activation and retention, because users who get the product tend to stay.
It reaches. Because the course is published to an audience, it puts your product in front of people who are actively learning the kind of skills your tool supports. That is high-intent exposure, not a banner ad.
It builds credibility. A course taught through real projects by a practitioner signals that your product is worth learning properly, which is a stronger message than a feature list.
And it does all of this without you standing up a video team. You bring the product and the goals; the producer brings the production and the distribution. For a marketing or growth team, that is content and reach combined into a single, measurable investment, which is often why product-marketing budgets fund it rather than training budgets.
Where the reach comes from
The reach is the part a generic freelancer cannot offer. Distribution comes from publishing the course where learners already are: on course platforms like Udemy, and through a creator or studio’s existing audience.
That is the difference between a course that sits on your help centre and a course that actively finds new users. When the studio producing your course also has an audience of hundreds of thousands of learners, your product is introduced to people who are, by definition, in a learning mindset and open to new tools. The teaching does the marketing for you, because people trust a course far more than an advert.
Sponsored vs private courses
Not every company wants public distribution, and that is fine.
A sponsored course is published for reach. It markets your product as it educates, and it is the right choice when you want new users, awareness and adoption, not just internal content.
A private course is produced to your brief and handed over for your own use: onboarding, your help centre, your academy, internal enablement. Same production quality, no public publishing, fully under your brand. It is the right choice when the goal is purely to educate the users you already have.
Plenty of companies do both over time: a public course to bring people in, and private content to support them once they are inside.
How to get one made
Getting started is straightforward.
Decide the goal first: reach, education, or both. Then find a producer who can both create the course and distribute it, since that combination is what makes a sponsored course worth more than the sum of its parts. Share your product, what you want the course to cover, and your timeline. Agree the outline, length, format and reach, and let them produce it with your review along the way.
If that sounds like what you need, talk to us about a custom or sponsored course. We produce the course with instructors who actually use the tools, and we can put it in front of our audience of more than 412,000 learners for reach, or deliver a private course for your own users. Tell us your product and goals and we will send an approach and a quote.
FAQ
What is a sponsored course? A sponsored course is a course a company pays a creator or studio to produce about its product, which is then published to real learners. The company gets professional education content and reach at the same time, and can usually also host the course on its own site.
Why would a software company pay for a course instead of making one? Because they get production quality and distribution without building a media team. A good sponsored course reaches people who are actively learning relevant skills, educates existing users, and markets the product, all from one asset. It is content and reach in one.
What is the difference between a sponsored course and a private course? A sponsored course is published to an audience for reach, so it markets the product as well as educating users. A private course is produced to the company’s brief and handed over for its own use, such as onboarding or an internal academy, with no public publishing.
How do we get a sponsored course made for our product? Share your product, your goals and your timeline with a producer who can both create and distribute. Agree the outline, length, whether it is sponsored or private, and the reach, then they produce it with your review at each stage.
