In this episode of The Learning Pro Live, I was joined by Mudassir Nagaria, an L&D professional working for a major international airline in Dubai. We tackled a topic that is often treated as an afterthought in our industry: marketing new courses.

Let’s face it. We spend weeks, sometimes months, designing incredible learning experiences, only to launch them with a generic, “Please complete by Friday” email. It is a wasted opportunity. If we want engagement, we need to stop thinking like administrators and start thinking like marketers.

Here are the key takeaways from our chat on how to build hype, drive curiosity, and get people excited about learning.

Know Your “Learner Persona”

Mudassir emphasised that before you even think about a trailer or a poster, you need to understand exactly who you are talking to. And no, “all staff” is not a persona.

Are you designing for the busy executive who checks emails between meetings, or the baggage handler walking across the tarmac in 40-degree heat? Understanding their daily reality, their language, and their access to technology allows you to craft a message that actually lands. When you speak their language, you build trust.

Steal From the Best

You don’t need a marketing degree to create a great campaign; you just need to be observant. We discussed looking outside of the L&D bubble for inspiration.

• Apple & Peloton: Look at their support videos. They are short, visually stunning, and focus entirely on the benefit to the user, not the features of the product.
• Media & Pop Culture: We looked at a brilliant example from Channel 4 in the UK called “What Would Barry Do?” a health and safety campaign featuring a Barry White impersonator. It was funny, memorable, and completely different from the usual “don’t trip over cables” dry content.

Build a Campaign, Not Just a Course

A single email is not a marketing strategy. We talked about creating an integrated stack of marketing assets. This could include:

• Teaser Trailers: A 30-second video released a week before the course to build anticipation.
• Visual Assets: Digital posters for the intranet, screensavers for office monitors, or physical assets like headphones on desks (when we eventually return to offices!).
• Social Proof: Mudassir shared a great tip about using testimonials. Interview learners after they have completed the training and applied it. Sharing their success stories is far more powerful than any corporate memo.

Use Accessible Tools

You don’t need a massive budget or a team of graphic designers to pull this off. We explored tools like Envato Elements and Placeit, which allow you to create professional-grade video intros, mockups, and social media posts in minutes.

Even tools like Canva can help you whip up a quick infographic or a “Meet the Expert” flyer. The barrier to entry has never been lower, so there is no excuse for ugly, text-heavy announcements.

Go Where the “Water” Is

Finally, a crucial lesson from the chat: Post content where the horse goes to drink.

If your organisation lives on Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Google Currents, that is where your marketing needs to happen. Don’t force people to log into a clunky LMS just to find out a course exists. Interrupt their flow in the spaces they already inhabit with engaging, bite-sized content that links them directly to the learning.

Watch the full interview above to see examples of great campaigns and learn how to turn your next course launch into an event.