I Hit 50K Students On Udemy .. These Are My Top Tips For Cybersecurity Content Creators
These tips got me thousands of students on Udemy
I just hit 50,000 students on Udemy.
That number still feels surreal to me.
When I uploaded my first course, I had zero audience, no fancy equipment, and absolutely no idea if anyone would even watch it — let alone pay for it.
Fast forward a few years, and here we are:
50,000 students from around the world learning Cybersecurity from the comfort of their screens.
So yeah, it’s no secret that I’ve been a MASSIVE fanboy of Udemy for the past 4 to 5 years.
I honestly think that it is the easiest and most friction-less way of launching a side-hustle and monetizing your Cybersecurity knowledge.
The content creator economy is expected to hit half-a-trillion dollars by next year.
With Udemy being the YouTube of Online Courses, it offers one of the best ways of becoming a part of that economy.
The best part is that unlike self-hosted courses where you have to do everything — Udemy handles the hosting, marketing, etc. i.e., all the boring stuff.
You just have to make the course and upload it!
The size of the courses also doesn’t have to be long.
As per Udemy’s minimum course requirements:
“Courses must have at least 30 minutes of video content, at least five lectures or learning modules, and follow our course materials guidelines.”
That’s the size of a few TikTok videos or YouTube Shorts, to be honest!
There are course creators easily making around $5K USD or more every month on Udemy.
I don’t know about you, but that is a life-changing amount for many people!
Udemy has millions of people visiting it every day, with a large number of them actively searching for tech / cybersecurity courses.
Your course just needs to be good enough to stand out.
So… how do you make a consistent income like on Udemy?
Here are a few tips that have helped me and could help you too:
1 — Focus On Ever-Green Cybersecurity Topics
A major mistake that Cybersecurity course creators make is focusing only on trending topics.
Yes, it’s tempting to chase the hype. But if your course is about a tool or trend that fizzles out, your sales go with it.
Plus, you’ll be stuck constantly updating content.
Instead, focus on conceptual and timeless topics:
Instead of ChatGPT, focus on Generative AI Risk and Security
Instead of CyberArk, focus on Privileged Identity Management
These topics don’t expire.
They stay relevant year after year and give your course a longer shelf life.
2 — Create a YouTube Channel To Gain Street Cred
A YouTube channel can be your secret weapon.
Start by publishing short videos on trending topics and answering common cybersecurity questions.
It will:
Help you practice speaking on camera
Build trust and authority with your audience
Drive organic traffic to your Udemy courses
I have been publishing videos every week since 2022 and it has been a great way to build trust with my students.
They can see what I do for free before deciding to purchase any courses !
3 — Try and Get Into Udemy Business
Udemy Business is the premium version used by companies worldwide to train staff.
Courses here are hand-picked by Udemy, and revenue is based on engagement from a central pool.
It’s the difference between your courses making $200/month and $2,000/month.
How do you increase your chances?
Use the Insights Tool available to instructors to find out what courses are in demand
Filter by Cybersecurity and look for topics that are in high demand but low supply.
Create high-quality courses in those areas — and aim to get into Udemy Business.
BUT be careful about trying to chase every new topic regardless of whether you know about it or not as I will explain in the next point
4 — Teach What You’re Passionate About
I cannot stress this enough
Most of my courses that have flopped happened because I chose a topic that was hot in demand but I was not interested in
Students can see when you are not interested and zone out also
Remember .. you don’t have to chase every hot topic to succeed.
One of the most overlooked strategies is to teach what you actually love.
When you care about the subject, it shows — in your energy, your explanations, and your delivery.
Students can feel that. And it makes a difference.
Whether it’s cloud security, governance frameworks, or AI risks — build your course around a topic that excites you.
5 — Don’t Promote Your Course on LinkedIn. Use It to Validate Topics Instead
Here’s a bit of a hot take:
LinkedIn is not the best place to promote your Udemy course.
Posts that scream “Buy my course!” usually flop — they get little engagement, come across as salesy, and don’t build trust.
But where LinkedIn really shines is in helping you figure out what topics are resonating with your audience.
Start posting:
Quick insights or tips from different cybersecurity domains
Thought-provoking questions or polls
Breakdowns of trending issues or frameworks
Lessons you’re learning as you build your course
Pay close attention to what gets traction — the comments, likes, DMs, and follow-up questions.
That feedback is GOLD.
It helps you identify which topics people are genuinely interested in, what they struggle with, and what kind of content might perform well as a paid course.
Think of LinkedIn not as a billboard, but as a focus group with thousands of real-world users.
Use it to refine your ideas before you hit record.
6 — Use Medium & Substack to Drive Interest in Your Course Topics
While social media is great for short-form content and quick feedback, long-form platforms like Substack and Medium are where you can really show depth — and build trust.
But here’s the trick:
Don’t just treat these platforms as newsletters or places to promote your course.
Instead, write about topics that are directly aligned with your course themes.
Start a Substack or Medium blog where you:
Break down complex cybersecurity concepts
Share frameworks, tips, or explainers tied to your course
Tell personal stories or case studies that build credibility
Offer a mini-lesson that naturally ties into a full course
If you write content that matches the problems your course solves, people will organically want to go deeper.
And that’s where you include a subtle CTA (Call to Action) like:
“If you found this helpful, you’ll love my full course on [insert topic]. Here’s the link.”
This approach builds an audience that:
Trusts your expertise
Has already consumed and liked your teaching style
Is more likely to click through and buy
Use Substack and Medium as content marketing engines, not just mailing lists.
You’re not selling — you’re solving problems and inviting people to go deeper.
Onwards and Upwards!