6 Instagram Alternatives to Consider for Your Online Business

Educational technology platforms are here to stay, and so is lifelong learning. According to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), 65% of children entering elementary school today will someday work in careers that do not currently exist.

Additionally, it is predicted that everyone will need to dedicate themselves to lifelong learning in order to keep up with future job demands. This is true even if someone has a college degree, which has been a traditional stopping point for educational endeavors. One way to continue the educational effort is through online digital courses.

This trend toward digital learning puts online course creators like you in an excellent position to fill this growing need. To successfully meet this demand, you’ll need to learn how to promote your courseware.

Many are already doing this via Instagram, but marketing experts always say that putting all of your advertising eggs in one basket isn’t the best idea. Looking beyond Instagram, we found six additional platforms that can spread the word about your courses and your expertise.

Why Consider an Instagram Alternative?

Instagram is owned by Meta, which means ultimately Meta controls the amount of traffic your course receives. Meta also dictates advertising costs on Instagram, which may fluctuate due to competition in your niche.

This is a concern because whatever product you don’t own — Instagram, for instance— you can’t control it. In plainer terms, your Instagram advertising and promotional efforts might be doing well one day, but then they may start floundering the next should Instagram ever change its algorithm. Spreading your advertising efforts to other platforms can mitigate this issue.

Instagram is also a sister company to Facebook, a platform with high audiences but also high criticism. According to a 2018 report from USA Today, Meta (still Facebook at the time of the report) allowed other big tech companies, like Spotify and Microsoft, to access Meta’s user’s data. This access was taking place without the public being aware of it.

So generally, if you have privacy concerns, it means another opportunity to consider alternatives to Instagram.

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What to Look for in Alternatives to Instagram

When it comes to promoting your online course, not all social media platforms may work well as an Instagram alternative. That’s why it’s important, if you’re looking for useful ways to promote online education, to look for platforms that offer you certain important factors.

First, whatever alternatives to Instagram you choose need to provide opportunities for conversations between you and your potential students. It’s likely that they’ll have questions they need to be answered before they purchase a course. You’ll also want it to be easy for students to converse with each other through a digital platform, particularly if they work in groups.

Some social sharing platforms work better for this than others. When we chose Instagram alternatives, the opportunities for discussions played a big role in our choices.

Second, the best online courses are interactive. They usually include video, the information-delivery method of choice for most online learners. Any alternatives to Instagram that we picked had to support different media, including videos, photos, and text.

Given that you’re selling your online courseware, we wanted to choose platforms that potentially lead to a good amount of traffic. This allows you to make the most of any advertising and SEO campaigns.

All the Instagram alternatives we’ve chosen for this list have these elements. While we won’t cover each platform in detail, we’ll highlight the particular pros and cons of each.

1. Twitter

Twitter has its own messaging feature, Twitter Chat, which not a lot of people are aware of. Twitter is also rife with educational chats on various topics. Registered Twitter users can join in these chats via specialized hashtags. This allows anyone to converse in real-time.

For you, as a digital creator, the chat feature offers opportunities to converse with potential students. In fact, holding a regular Twitter chat is an excellent way to discuss and promote your product, positioning yourself as an expert. Ideally, by the time students are ready to buy, they’ve already engaged in a number of chats with you, making everything easier.

2. Pinterest

According to Pinterest, 90% of the people who visit are interested in buying something. They’re also generous, too: they spend more money on Pinterest-based shopping opportunities, 80% more than shoppers on other platforms do.

Pinterest has also made a significant shift toward video and TV. Pinterest now emphasizes its Idea Pins (formerly Story Pins) in its algorithm, which means you can consider creating or sharing content that is easy for others to share or pin. If you’re good at creating content marketing strategies, Pinterest is useful for promoting online courseware.

3. VERO

Most online courseware relies heavily on video production to deliver the content. That’s why it’s important to choose a social media platform that works well with video. VERO is one choice, and, because it’s subscription-based, doesn’t come with the privacy concerns that Meta products do. This Instagram alternative also gives promoters access to different niche audiences. This allows you to focus closer on connecting with those who might be interested in your courses. Finally, the chat feature allows you to converse and have back-and-forth dialogue with your ideal audience.

4. Blog

If search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) play a big role in your content marketing strategy, blogging is a great Instagram alternative. It can take time to build up a following on your blog from scratch, but a specialized blog topic may grow audiences faster than a general blog. Something you contribute to two to four times a week could potentially net your blog thousands of highly-targeted visitors within four to six months.

Most blogs give you the option to accept comments from visitors, which you should consider. Plus, since you own the blog, you won’t be competing with similar educational courseware creators for the same audiences, like on Instagram.

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5. Email

Remember when we said that one of the reasons why you needed an Instagram alternative was because you don’t have control over the Instagram algorithm? Well, a robust email list offers you one of the best solutions to this problem.

Because you own the names on your email list, you’re not at the mercy of a social media platform’s algorithm. Email marketing also gives you a way to communicate with potential customers directly.

6. EdTech Product Platforms

Some online platforms, like Hotmart, provide a one-stop shop option. Hotmart is a platform that allows you to generate quality leads, create your courses, and market them, all in one place. It’s also a place that allows the creation of separate student groups, which as stated, is the hallmark of a good social platform for online courseware.

Hotmart comes with all these features, plus it also gives creators access to affiliates wanting to promote their own courses. If you would like to extend the reach of your marketing efforts, affiliate marketing is an awesome way to go!

Want to learn more about channels to promote your content? Then check out our article about the 7 most used Communication Channels.