The creator economy is booming, with more people than ever looking to turn their skills, expertise and passions into online businesses teaching others through digital content like courses and memberships. To meet this growing demand, platforms like Teachable, Kajabi and Skillshare are emerging as powerhouses, providing tools and AI for creators to launch, market and sell their digital offerings. I spoke with each of the businesses to learn more about how they support creators.
Teachable: A Platform for Creators Educators
Teachable is a comprehensive platform designed specifically for “creator educators” as Olivia Owens, Creator Partnerships Manager at Teachable, explains on a recent podcast with me. “Teachable is for what we call creator educators who are looking to grow both their income and impact. We enable creators to do this by providing them the most comprehensive suite of learning products out there – anything from courses to memberships, communities, downloads, coaching, everything that creators can provide to drive meaningful connection with their communities and also drive sustainable revenues for their businesses.”
Teachable started nearly a decade ago as an alternative to online course marketplaces, giving creators full ownership and control over their content and ability to earn higher percentages of revenue. The platform has since expanded to include a full ecosystem of monetization tools beyond just courses.
“We serve both the e-commerce and the hosting side. Not only can you upload your digital products on Teachable, but you can also sell them,” says Owens. “We’re really trying to be the platform for creators who want to monetize their expertise and knowledge.”
To make launching courses and other digital content easier, Teachable has invested heavily in AI tools like their Course Curriculum Generator which can automatically build an outline based on the topic. There are also AI-powered Quiz Generators, Cart Abandonment tools to re-engage potential customers, a new Buy Now, Pay Later option, and more on the horizon.
The platform provides comprehensive business solutions as well, handling operational complexities like tax calculations across digital sales. “Our biggest focus is being a business partner to our creators.” Owens states.
Creators across wildly diverse topics have found success on Teachable, from language learning to watercolor painting to personal finance. As Owens shares, “If your audience is constantly asking you questions about the thing that you’re doing, it lends itself really nicely to creating a course to teach them more about it.”
One top creator example is Hayley Sacks (aka Mrs. Dow Jones), who has translated her finance expertise and over 1 million Instagram followers into a successful course business on Teachable. Online educator Abigail Pumphrey has reached over 30,000 students teaching how to grow digital businesses after eight years on the platform.
“I think creators are so motivated by the impact that they can have on their audiences,” Owens says. Her advice? “Start monetizing as soon as possible” by putting even low-priced offerings out there consistently to build that purchasing habit with your audience early.
Teachable reports that subscribers average six figures in lifetime revenue, and creators have earned more than $10B in lifetime GMV across Teachable, and parent company Hotmart’s platforms.
You can hear my full conversation with Olivia on the Business of Creators podcast.
Kajabi: The All-in-One Platform for Creator Commerce
Kajabi is another leading platform focused on empowering creators to earn a living by selling online courses, memberships, coaching and more. Their recent launch of AI-powered tools aims to streamline content creation for creators.
The new Creator Studio uses generative AI to help creators turn raw content like videos into multiple deliverable formats like blog posts, social media posts, email campaigns and more. It integrates with Adobe Express for additional video editing capabilities.
“Creator Studio is a game-changer for creators,” says Graham Cochrane, one Kajabi creator who has been using the tool. “Its user-friendly features have reduced my workload and significantly simplified my content creation efforts.”
Kajabi’s State of Creators report found that high-earning creators leveraging AI tools stand to save over 26 hours per week on average. This aligns with the platform’s mission, as President and Chief Product Officer Sean Kim explains: “Our North Star has always been to increase commerce for creators.”
To fuel that commerce, Kajabi recently launched its own no-code branded mobile app solution to help creators expand their businesses. Creators can fully customize the experience, including welcome screens, course listing pages, in-app purchases and more. One user, nutritionist Raquel Britzke, had paid $10,000 previously to build an app that underdelivered. With Kajabi’s version, she can “quickly bring existing customers over to an app that’s powered by Kajabi and optimized to handle all her instructional videos.”
Kajabi creators have earned more than $6 billion in revenue to date. Looking ahead, they plan to roll out new tools for creators to sell subscriptions, community and coaching offerings as in-app purchases. The platform’s end goal is to provide a one-stop shop for creator entrepreneurship. As Kim states, “Whether we’re helping you make your first dollar, reach profitability, or reach financial freedom, all of our resources are pointed towards this goal.”
I also spoke with Sean on a recent episode on the Business of Creators podcast.
Skillshare’s Expansion Into a Marketplace for Creator Services
Skillshare has long been known as an online learning community where creators teach on-demand classes, primarily focused on creative pursuits like graphic design, photography, and interior design. However, the platform’s recent acquisition of key assets from Superpeer signals an expansion far beyond just courses.
“Our students have told us for years that they want new and different ways to engage with their favorite Skillshare teachers. Similarly, our expert teachers are seeking new ways to earn a living from their considerable knowledge and experience,” said Skillshare CEO Matt Cooper. “This acquisition accelerates our ability to deliver new value to both sides of our marketplace.”
Superpeer offered tools for creators to offer services like 1-on-1 video calls, live streaming, digital product sales, memberships, and more ways to directly monetize their expertise beyond pre-recorded course material. By integrating these Superpeer offerings, Skillshare aims to create an all-encompassing solution for its creators and students.
While Skillshare’s core subscription model for accessing pre-recorded course content remains, the company sees the new creator offerings as “additive to the learning process” that can be surfaced to students at relevant moments. The monetization tools align with Skillshare’s focus on creative fields, which Cooper sees expanding into relevant “creative adjacencies” like cooking, gardening and mindfulness.
Creators like top Skillshare teacher Ohn Mar Win have already seen success with initial beta testing, forming “very special connections” during 1-on-1 sessions. With tools handling everything from course hosting to live video to digital sales, Skillshare is positioning itself as a one-stop shop for creators to build full-fledged education businesses online.
From this overview, it’s clear that platforms like Teachable, Kajabi and Skillshare are at the forefront of powering the creator economy when it comes to online teaching, learning and monetization of expertise. By reducing barriers to entry and development of digital products, supporting creators at every stage of their business journey, and investing in cutting-edge AI and technology tools, these companies are helping make the creator dream a reality for thousands of people worldwide.