How to Write a Course Description: Examples & Templates

Did you know your course descriptions can be an extremely powerful marketing tool? A course description is one of the last marketing messages students see before they click “sign up” and can be a deciding factor in whether or not someone clicks that button. That means each one needs to be concise and impactful. Of course, it can be tough to prioritize crafting compelling descriptions among the many other things on your to do list.

That’s why we’ve put together some course description examples that show you how to hook students. Even if you’re using AI to write course descriptions, it takes some finesse to write a description that makes students want to click “Register Now.”

Not only will we share our best practices, we’ll also dissect a series of examples so you can see exactly what works and why. Use these course description templates to make creating your course catalog a breeze!

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Anatomy of a course description

Course descriptions are like people. Most have the same basic shape, but each one has a unique personality. A strong course description should answer these essential questions:

• Who is the intended audience?
• What skills or outcomes can the student expect to gain?
• Why should the student take this class?
• How will the student learn? 
• Where and when is the class happening?

But this information is just the outline. To create a compelling portrait of your course, you need to add some detail. Consider what sets this class apart from others the student may have access to. Do you have an impressive instructor, a unique angle, or an interesting location? Is the class about fun, creative expression, creating community, or skill building?

Here’s a closer look at how to infuse some personality into your course descriptions.

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Course description examples: Hook students immediately

Whether students are scanning your course catalog or researching classes on their favorite search engine, you need to capture their attention immediately. Open every course description with a sentence that hooks the reader and then conveys the essential information in an accessible and engaging way. 

A hook can be anything that captures the prospective student’s attention or encourages them to keep reading. These can take a variety of forms, including:

• A surprising statistic or number. Example: 70% of adults report that their sleep is insufficient at least one night every month, but you won’t be one of them after learning about sleep hygiene, sleep debt, circadian rhythms, and the link between sleep and overall health in this 2-hour course.
  
• A relevant quote from a famous person. Example: Meryl Streep says the essence of acting is to be “curious about other people,” and this 6-week class will get you curious about characters from six canonical dramatic works as you learn how to break down, study, create, and become a character.
  
• A play on a familiar saying or expression. Example: The early bird gets the worm, but you won’t need worms at all after this 3-session course on how to make your own plastic fishing lures to bring on your next trip to the water.
  
• A callout to a specific audience. Example: For a class on poker strategy, your “hook” could read, "Calling all card sharks for a 4-week class that will transform your poker game as you learn how to read your opponents, spot tells, understand game theory, check-raise, bluff, and more."

Hooking the attention of your ideal student is just part of what a strong first line can do. Notice that each of the examples above include essential information about the class audience, length and expected outcomes. 

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Best practice: Pack your course description with relevant keywords

Keywords help search engines show your course descriptions to prospective students. Write your course description using words a student is likely to type into a search engine. You can use a tool like Semrush, Moz, or Google Trends for keyword research. Then, build your course description around what you find. 

But don’t go overboard. Remember that course descriptions are supposed to help the student, not just fit an algorithm. This is more true than ever with the latest generation of AI search. The technology is looking for well-written content and keywords used appropriately in context. Your classes will rank best if you write a clear course description that uses keywords relevant to the class.

Here’s an example course description that uses keywords effectively:

Course Title: Breaking and Baking Bread

Course Description: Not your average bread baking class, this 6-week course shares the joy of making bread from scratch by breaking down the essentials of a great starter and giving expert tips about yeast and flour. You will bake breads such as sourdough, rye, brioche, challah, ciabatta, and popovers while learning about oven heating, mixing, kneading, fermenting, egg washing, and more. Your guests will clamor for the bread basket at your kitchen table and luxuriate in the smell of warm bread in your home after you become part of the ancient tradition of bread baking.

This course description uses variations on the keyword “bread baking” to optimize for SEO. Try to use your selected keyword in the course title. Include three to five relevant keywords in the description as long as it sounds natural to do so.

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Best practice: Focus on outcomes to make registration irresistable

While instructors tend to focus on things like course mechanics, lessons, and assignments, prospective students are more interested in what they’ll gain from taking the course. Will they earn a certification, become a member of a group, get a new skill to put on their resume? Outlining outcomes helps students understand why the course is worth their time and money. 

Use the course description to tell students about outcomes like:

• A formal certification
• An advanced understanding of the topic
• Access to an exclusive group
• A tangible skill or experience
• A portfolio

The outcome should be closely related to the class topic and something that the student is likely to value. For example, a course on finance might promise students a personalized plan for reducing debt while a course on fashion might help students define their own style. 

Don’t be afraid to get creative here. In the example about bread making above, the outcome is more than learning to bake bread. It includes a home filled with the smell of bread baking, a way to engage guests, and the upholding of ancient traditions. Students often see these intangible outcomes as especially valuable.

Here’s an example of a course description that focuses on the outcome:

Course Title: Finding Your Voice Through Songwriting

Course Description: Make music that expresses your true self in this 12-session class that studies wordplay, poetry, and phonics to help you write lyrics that resonate. You’ll write and workshop two full songs and perform one at the final class meeting so you can experience the full process of songwriting, from ideating and conceptualizing to drafting, editing, revising, and performing. You’ll break down classic songs, mix melodies, and learn how legendary songwriters mastered their craft to gain a new appreciation for the art of making music.

This description outlines several outcomes:

• Writing two full songs
• Performing
• Experiencing the full process of songwriting
• Expressing your true self

Each of these might be useful to the student on their own, but together they make for a unique and valuable course.

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Course description template

We’ve covered a few examples but now we'd like to give away a complete template that works for nearly every course description and will lead to more signups for your classes and campsl.

Course Title: Topic + Intended Audience (or) Topic + Outcome

• Sentence 1: Hook the reader by including the important information in an accessible, interesting way.

• Sentences 2-4: Tell students what they gain from taking the course and include keywords.

• Sentence 5: Tell students how to register.

You can add a few more sentences if you need extra space to help students visualize your outcomes. Just don’t get too lost in the details. Supplementary information like materials lists or policies can be added as an attachment to avoid distraction from the main message

Here’s one last example of a course description based on the template above.

Course Title: Make Your Home Garden Grow

Course Description: (1) Whether you have a green thumb or a brown one, this 8-session class will teach you how to grow and maintain an indoor garden of peperomia, snake plant, philodendron, English ivy, hoya, pothos, and calathea. (2-4) No matter the size of your space, you’ll create a thriving forest of greenery and gain access to a virtual gardening library which includes a comprehensive care spreadsheet for 200+ common houseplants, a guide to watering, an encyclopedia of perennials, and a manual for pruning. With a live online class format, you’ll get to work in your own garden space while learning about soil composition, sun exposure, seed germination, pest control, tool care, and more. (5) Register now!

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Enhance your course description with social proof

By now you should have a clear and compelling course description, but there’s more you can do to make it even more persuasive. Apply the powers of authority and social proof by adding student testimonials and instructor bios to your course descriptions. 

Feature a sentence or two from a former student sharing why they loved the class as social proof that a class is fun, useful, and worth taking. These can be especially powerful if you’re offering in-person classes to people in your community. It’s possible prospective students will know the person giving the testimonial!

Add authority to your course description by including a short instructor bio. Bios serve a double purpose. They showcase the instructor’s knowledge and experience so students feel confident that the course will be useful. They also begin to establish rapport by sparking a sense of familiarity with the instructor before the first class meeting. 

Both testimonials and instructor bios enhance your course description and foster a sense of community. Adding them gives students the context they need to make a confident decision.

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Last but definitely not least: Add compelling imagery

So far, we’ve focused on the words in your course description, but the right image can hook audiences faster than even the most creative opening line. They let students know what the class is about at a glance. Plus, research shows that photos of people increase conversion rates on websites. That means students are more likely to register if they see smiling faces on your course descriptions.

If possible, feature an image taken during one of your classes. (With student permission of course!) For programs that don’t have access to an internal image library, check out free image sites like Pexels or Unsplash.

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Publish your course description and watch signups roll in!

A great course description motivates prospective students and parents to register for your classes. With CourseStorm, you can make it even simpler for folks to understand what you're offering and sign up in just a few clicks. CourseStorm customeran take advantage of our built-in image seaJust type in a few keywords and you'll get high-quality, royalty free images right from our library that you can use for your classes. No more downloading, resizing, cropping, uploading, and all that. Just search and select, then move on with your day.

Get your free demo today and see all of our impossibly simple registration features in action.