Getting Your First 50 Reviews — Sell on Udemy, Skillshare & Marketplaces

On Udemy, courses with more reviews rank higher in search. Courses with higher ratings get featured in recommendations. Reviews are the single biggest factor in organic discovery after your listing optimization.

But you start with zero. And courses with zero reviews look untested at best, risky at worst. Students scroll past them.

Getting your first 50 reviews is the hardest part of marketplace selling. After 50, the flywheel starts spinning: more reviews lead to more visibility, which leads to more enrollments, which leads to more reviews.

The Welcome Message Strategy

When a student enrolls in your course, Udemy lets you send them a welcome message. Use it.

What to write:

“Hey [First Name], thanks for enrolling! I’m excited to have you in the course.

A quick note: I read every review and use them to improve the course. If you find the content helpful, would you take 30 seconds to leave a rating? It makes a huge difference for a course like this.

If you run into any issues or have questions, reply to this message. I respond to everything.

Thanks again, and enjoy the course!”

Why this works: It’s personal, it thanks them for enrolling, it asks specifically for a rating (not a lengthy review), and it offers help. Students who feel supported are more likely to leave positive feedback.

What not to write: “Please leave a 5-star review!” Offering incentives for reviews violates Udemy’s terms and can get your course flagged. Ask genuinely. Let the rating reflect the actual experience.

The Free Coupon Method

Udemy lets you create free enrollment coupons. You can give away a limited number of free seats to students in exchange for honest reviews.

How to do it:

Create a coupon code that gives 100% off for a limited number of redemptions (start with 50-100).
Share it in relevant Facebook groups, Reddit communities, or forums where your target students hang out.
Be transparent: “I’m launching a new course on [topic] and looking for early students to try it out and share honest feedback. Here’s a free enrollment link: [link]”

The trade-off: Free students leave reviews at lower rates than paying students. You might get 50 free enrollments and 5-10 reviews. That’s still 5-10 more reviews than you had.

Important: Udemy has periodically changed rules around free coupons and review eligibility. Check current policies before using this method.

Respond to Every Review

When someone leaves a review, respond to it publicly.

For positive reviews: “Thank you, [Name]! Glad you found [specific part] helpful. I’m adding new content on [related topic] next month based on feedback like yours.”

For negative or mixed reviews: “Thanks for the feedback, [Name]. You’re right that [acknowledge the point]. I’ve updated that section to [fix you made]. I appreciate you taking the time to help improve the course.”

Responding to reviews does three things:

It shows future students that you’re active and engaged.
It signals to the marketplace algorithm that you’re a responsive instructor.
It gives you specific feedback for improving your course.

Deliver an Experience Worth Reviewing

The best review strategy is a great course. If students finish a lesson and think “that was genuinely helpful,” they’re inclined to leave a positive review without being asked.

Make sure your course:

Delivers early wins. Students should have a useful result within the first 2-3 lessons. Don’t save all the value for the end.
Looks and sounds professional. Clear audio, decent lighting, readable text on screen. Production quality doesn’t have to be Hollywood, but it shouldn’t be distracting.
Is well-organized. Clear section titles, logical lesson order, no confusing jumps between topics.
Includes exercises. Students who do something feel more engaged and are more likely to review. See Create Course Materials That Get Results for the full materials playbook.

What Not to Do

Don’t buy reviews. Paid reviews violate terms of service and get removed.
Don’t trade reviews with other instructors. “I’ll review yours if you review mine” is obvious and against the rules.
Don’t review your own course from fake accounts. Udemy catches this.
Don’t ask friends and family who aren’t your target student. A review from someone who clearly isn’t the target audience looks suspicious.

Your Task

Draft your welcome message using the template above. Customize it to your course topic and personality. Save it — you’ll send it automatically when you launch.