Using Marketplace Insights to Pick Winning Topics

Before you record a single lesson for a marketplace, validate the topic. You need to know if students are searching for it, how much competition exists, and what the earning potential looks like.

Udemy provides a free tool for this called Marketplace Insights. It’s available to anyone with a free instructor account. If you haven’t created one yet, do it now.

What Marketplace Insights Shows You

For any topic or keyword, Marketplace Insights gives you three data points:

Search volume. How many students are searching for this topic. High search volume means demand exists. Low search volume means you’ll struggle to get organic enrollment.

Competition level. How many courses already exist on this topic, and how well-rated they are. Labeled as Low, Medium, or High. Low competition with high demand is the sweet spot.

Estimated monthly revenue. Based on what existing courses in that topic are earning. This is an estimate, not a guarantee, but it tells you if the ceiling is $100/month or $10,000/month.

How to Use It

Step 1: Search your topic. Go to the Marketplace Insights tool and type in your course topic. Use the exact words a student would search for.

Step 2: Check demand. Look at the search volume. If it’s “Low” or the topic returns no data, that doesn’t mean no one wants it — but it means the marketplace isn’t currently serving much demand for it. You might do better with a slightly broader or adjacent topic.

Step 3: Check competition. If competition is “High” and there are already dozens of well-rated courses, you need a clear differentiation angle. A better angle, a different audience, or a more specific subtopic.

Step 4: Check revenue. The estimated monthly revenue tells you what the top courses are earning. If the top course in your niche earns $200/month, that’s the ceiling. If it earns $5,000/month, there’s room for another strong course to capture a share.

Step 5: Look at the top courses. Click into the top-rated courses in your topic. Study them:

• How many students do they have?
• What’s their rating?
• How long are they (hours of content)?
• What are students saying in reviews (especially negative reviews)?
• What gaps exist that your course could fill?

Finding the Sweet Spot

The best topics for marketplace courses sit at the intersection of three things:

1. High demand (lots of students searching)
2. Moderate competition (existing courses, but room for a better one)
3. Clear differentiation (you can offer something the top courses don’t)

Here’s how to spot opportunities:

Read the negative reviews on top courses. Students complaining about “too theoretical,” “outdated,” “no exercises,” or “poor audio” are telling you exactly what your course should fix.

Look for subtopics. “Python Programming” is oversaturated. “Python for Financial Analysis” might have lower competition and more specific demand.

Check related keywords. Marketplace Insights suggests related topics. Browse them. Sometimes a slight repositioning moves you from a saturated category to an underserved one.

The Validation Checklist

Before committing to a marketplace course topic, answer these questions:

• Are at least 1,000 students per month searching for this topic? (Check search volume)
• Are there fewer than 50 existing courses, or do the top courses have obvious weaknesses? (Check competition)
• Is the estimated monthly revenue for the top course at least $500? (Check revenue)
• Can I create a course that’s measurably better than what exists? (Check your edge)
• Does this topic have lasting demand, not just a trend? (Check evergreen potential)

If you can answer yes to at least four of these, the topic is worth building. If you’re getting no on three or more, consider a different angle or subtopic.

Beyond Udemy’s Tool

Marketplace Insights is the starting point. Cross-reference with:

• Google Trends. Is interest in this topic growing, stable, or declining?
• YouTube search. Type your topic into YouTube and see what autocomplete suggests. This tells you what people are actively looking for.
• Reddit and forums. Search your topic in relevant subreddums and communities. What questions keep coming up? Those are unmet needs.

Your task: Use Marketplace Insights to research three potential course topics. For each one, note the search volume, competition level, estimated revenue, and the biggest gap you see in existing courses. Pick the strongest candidate to improve in the next lessons.

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