Table of Contents

• Why use bonus content in your online program or course
• How to choose a bonus for your online program
• What kind of content works best for bonuses
• Limited Time or Exclusive Bonuses
• How many bonuses should you include
• Marketing Ideas for Your Bonuses
• List of 113 Bonus Ideas for Your Online Course or Coaching Program

What’s a tried and tested method to boost the sales of your signature program, group coaching program, mastermind, membership, online course, or coaching package? Adding in BONUSES to your offer!

Bonus content is a vital part of your coach marketing strategy because not only does it drive sales, it increases the perceived value of your offer or services. And no, I’m not talking about signing bonuses or holiday bonuses here; I’m talking about the additional value you add to your group coaching program or online course that your buyer will receive for free or as a “bonus” in addition to the main offer.

But many people get stuck on what to offer as a bonus and leave it as an afterthought. And that’s a shame because having the right bonus content for your offer is a sure-fire way to attract the right clients, and get them excited to buy from you. So let’s discuss what to include as bonus content, how to choose the right bonus, and tips and strategies to make bonuses work for you.

Or, if you’re just looking for that big list of 113 bonus ideas, jump to that section by clicking here.

Why Use Bonus Content In Your Online Program or Course

Bonuses are a powerful way to increase the value of your coaching services. They can convince your ideal client to buy and at the same time provide a superior experience to your clients or students by offering them additional items that will add to their success and satisfaction with your offer.

When you look at the successful online coaching and consulting programs from some of the most famous coaches around the world, you’ll see bonuses attached to their main offer. Why? Because they work! Every great website sales page includes not only the details of the program but also talks about the bonus content you will receive when you buy.

Bonuses can help increase your sales by overcoming objections that your potential clients or students may have. For example, if you offer a program that you know is time-intensive, and one of the objections you often hear is “I just don’t have enough time to do your program”, offering a bonus that helps them make the most of their time can increase your sales. You may want to offer as a bonus a learning path, a quick-start guide, time-management software, or a productivity coaching call to help them find the time.

Bonuses also help your clients or students improve their overall experience with your program. When you offer bonuses that make your course more enjoyable (for example gamification or contests), easier to implement (templates or swipe files?), or more comprehensive (resource libraries or case studies?) you add to the transformation they achieve when working with you. And we all know that happy, satisfied customers become fans who refer and promote your programs to their network, increasing your sales.

How To Choose A Bonus For Your Online Program

Good bonus content will help your clients or students get even more out of your services, so it’s important to choose items that naturally build on your teaching or services, and that are easy to understand and add-in.

In addition, a great bonus should make it easier or quicker for your clients to get the results you are promising, or it should allow them to go deeper and learn more about a concept that you teach.

A great bonus should also be enticing! Bonuses help your potential clients get excited about your offer and the value you bring. Not only do they get to work with you, but BONUS, they also get this sweet thing! It should make them feel like they’re winning the lottery when they sign up to work with you.

It can be tempting to just take a small piece of your main offer and list that item as a “bonus”, but be careful here. A bonus should never be something that is an essential component of your offer. You don’t want to be selling something that appears to be incomplete without that key item.

For example, a group coaching program that offers the workbook for the program as a bonus isn’t a good idea – if you need that workbook to complete the program, it shouldn’t be a bonus. On the other hand, offering a supplementary resource like a post-program check-in call is a great way to add value on top of the core program essentials.

What Kind Of Content Works Best for Bonuses?

When you’re putting together an online course or coaching program, it’s important to make sure you are providing content for different types of learners. Great courses and programs include items that appeal to a broad range of people.

But is that really true?

You might have heard about creating content for different types of learning styles, but there’s quite a bit of controversy about the validity of that theory. Nevertheless, since this idea is so entrenched in our society, creating bonuses that include different types of content for different types of learners isn’t a bad idea.

Actually, it’s a great idea for sales, because people do PREFER to learn in different ways (even if their preference isn’t based on facts or outcomes). In other words, if they THINK they’re a visual learner (even though we know they can learn just as well from reading), and you offer a visual component in your program, they are more likely to buy.

To get you up to speed in case I lost you there somewhere, here are some separate learning categories to consider when putting together your bonus content (as well as your main program content):

Visual – Visual learners enjoy information when it’s presented to them in a graphic depiction, such as arrows, charts, diagrams, or symbols, and also video content.

Auditory – Auditory learners prefer listening to information that is presented to them vocally – that can be in a video, in a group setting, or in an audio format like a podcast or audio download.

Reading / Writing – Reading and writing learners succeed with written information on worksheets, presentations, and other written materials. They also enjoy taking notes and having written textbooks, guides, or resources to refer to.

Kinesthetic – Kinesthetic learners are hands-on and enjoy engaging all of their senses during coursework. They benefit from carrying out physical activities, by doing and participating. These learners might enjoy clinics, events, or gamification.

When choosing what to include as a bonus, consider all the parts of your program and the different types of learners. Are you missing something that would appeal to an auditory learner? Add it as a bonus! Are kinesthetic learners missing out? Maybe you can include something for them! You get the idea.

Limited Time or Exclusive Bonuses

In addition to the core bonuses we have been discussing (bonuses that are always available with the course or program) you may want to consider limited time or exclusive bonuses to really ramp up the buy now factor.

Limited-time bonuses are only available when potential clients buy by a certain date, and they are a great way to add urgency to a course launch. Make sure you don’t extend that date, or give the bonus to all purchasers, regardless of when they buy! Limited-time bonuses work really well in email campaigns where you offer them only to those on your list, as an exclusive addition.

Exclusive bonuses are bonuses that are either tied to a particular product or the number of purchasers. You can offer exclusive bonuses to “only the first 50 purchasers” or “only available with this program”. Once again, make sure you are keeping your promises and don’t make these exclusive bonuses available outside of the parameters that you set.

How Many Bonuses Should You Include?

Most online courses or coaching programs can benefit from having at least 1 bonus. Smaller price point programs or mini-courses can get away with one targeted and high-value bonus. But mid-sized or larger and longer programs should have more than 1, and less than 5.

Too many bonuses start to become confusing for the buyer to navigate. A great sweet spot, to begin with, is adding 3 bonuses to your offer.

Marketing Ideas for Your Bonuses

Bonus content is a great marketing opportunity! You can talk about your bonus content in launch emails to your list, discuss how the bonuses add to the experience on social media, and of course, include them on all of your website sales pages for your programs.

Bonuses can also be changed or swapped out as a marketing strategy. For example, you may want to offer a seasonal bonus to your program or course to make it more enticing at certain times of the year. Or, you may want to add something new to the course that you can include as a bonus, creating another opportunity for you to talk about your program again to your audience.

List Of 113 Bonus Ideas for Your Online Course or Coaching Program

Still stuck on what to include as a bonus? Here’s a fairly comprehensive list to get your creative juices flowing. I’ve divided these up into general categories to make them easier to sort through. Keep an open mind as you read through this list and think about things you may have already created that could easily be converted into a bonus. In the end, the most important part of creating a bonus is that it adds real value to what you offer, so keep that thought front and center.

Written / Print Bonuses

• Ebook
• Hard Copy Workbook
• Printables
• Welcome Guide
• Book (Hardcover or Ebook)
• Licensed Public Domain Content
• White Paper
• Binder Notes
• PDF
• Workbook
• Playbook
• Planner
• Calendar
• Black Book

Interactive Bonuses

• Retreat
• Conference
• Webinar
• Clinics
• Live Trainings
• Mastermind
• Accountability Partner
• Implementation Calls
• Bring In A Guest Expert
• Challenge
• Bootcamp
• Event
• Summit
• Exam Preparation
• Games
• Role Play
• Virtual Reality
• Feedback
• Q&A / AMA
• Contests
• Demos
• Meet-Ups
• Live Chats

Additional Resource Bonuses

• Email Course
• Mini-Course
• Swipe File
• Digital Assets
• Templates
• Tutorials
• Blog Post Articles
• Case Studies
• Infographics
• Reports
• Photos
• Social Media Posts / Templates
• Website Content
• Guest Speakers
• Evaluations or Comparisons
• Landing Pages
• Swag / Printed Materials
• Magazines
• Brochures / Tear Sheets / Flyers
• Posters
• Desktop Backgrounds
• Slide Deck
• PowerPoint / Slideshare

Communication or Access Bonuses

• Slack Channel
• 1 on 1 Call
• Zoom Video Calls / Group Calls
• Facebook Group / Community
• Forum Access
• Membership Site
• Email Check-Ins
• Email Access
• Onboarding Check-Ins
• Post Course Check-Ins
• Phone / Voxer / Text Support
• Support Community
• Accountability Group
• Newsletters

Audio or Visual Bonuses

• Webinar Recordings
• Recorded Calls
• Audio Recording or Download
• Interview Recording
• Podcasts
• Video Series

 Compilation Bonuses

• Resource Compilations
• Podcast Compilations
• Toolkit
• Wikis / Dictionaries
• How-Tos
• Compiled Research
• Reminder Lists / To-Do Lists
• Resource Library

Process Bonuses

• Lifetime Access
• One Time Download
• Self Paced Study
• Learning Path

Software or Tech Bonuses

• App
• Quizzes
• Self Assessment
• Personality Assessments
• Psychometric Assessments
• Specialized Software
• Trello Board
• Project Management Software
• USB Drive
• Calculator
• Grading Systems

 Loyalty or Authority Bonuses

• Certification
• Certification Badges
• Accreditation / Credentials
• Promotions / Discounts
• Loyalty Program
• Referrals
• Awards
• Sponsorships
• Partnerships
• Testimonials

Whew! That’s a big list! If you’re feeling overwhelmed or you’d like to brainstorm your ideas and see how they can add value to your services or offer, book a free call with me here. We can talk about how to use bonuses to boost your sales and improve your offer.