You make it but cannot sell it
The product is good and almost nobody knows it exists.
Courses
Start with three things you can do today
How to market a product or small business from scratch
Learn who to reach, what to tell them and how to tell if it works.
A course on marketing fundamentals for someone selling a product or service. It covers choosing a specific audience, writing a clear message about the problem you solve, picking a few channels where that audience already is, making claims you can support, and measuring results.
Type this when Cadence asks what you want to learn
I make something good but I do not understand marketing at all. I want to learn the basics: who to aim at, what to say, where to say it, and how to tell whether any of it is working.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
Start today
Four things you can do before the course exists.
Useful on their own. The course is for when you want the whole skill, not just the first move.
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Name one specific audience
Replace 'everyone who likes candles' with a group you can picture. Original example: 'People in my town buying a housewarming gift for under $30.' A specific group tells you what to say and where to find them.
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Write a one-line message in their words
Original example: 'A hand-poured candle, gift-wrapped and ready to give, for under $30.' It names the job the buyer needs done. Test it by asking three people from that audience to tell you what you sell.
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Only make claims you can back up
The FTC says US advertising must be truthful and not deceptive, and that advertisers need evidence for their claims before an ad runs. 'Burns for 40 hours' needs a test you actually ran. Other countries have their own rules, so check the ones where you sell.
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Measure one channel for four weeks
Pick one place, such as a weekend market stall or a weekly social media post, and track one number: sales, enquiries or sign-ups. Original example: 12 enquiries from the stall, 1 from posts. That tells you where to put next month's effort.
Sources: FTC: advertising FAQs for small business, including evidence for claims; U.S. SBA: making a marketing plan. Practical examples are starting points, not promised results.
- Best for
- Business
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons, sized to your goal
- Lesson pace
- About 10 minutes a day
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store, with early features and Android testing access
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- What are you marketing: a product, a service, a local business, or your own work?
- Who buys from you now, if anyone?
- What have you tried so far, and what happened?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
You post everywhere and hear nothing
Effort spread thin across every platform at once.
Marketing sounds like manipulation
You want ways to sell that feel honest.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06What marketing is
Understanding buyers, shaping the offer and telling people, not just ads.
One specific audience
Why aiming at everyone tends to reach no one in particular.
The message
The problem, the promise and the proof, in plain words.
Choosing channels
Going where your audience already spends its attention.
Honest claims
Advertising rules and why you need evidence before you publish.
Measuring
Simple numbers that tell you what to keep and what to stop.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Know your audience
Describe one specific group of buyers and what they care about.
Say it clearly
Write a message about the problem you solve, in their words.
Measure what works
Track one simple result per channel and drop what does not perform.
Ideas this course corrects
Marketing means advertising
Ads are one tool. Choosing who you serve, what you offer and how you describe it all come first.
A good product markets itself
People cannot choose what they have not heard of or do not understand. Clear communication is part of selling anything.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
How to market a product or small business from scratch: what can I do today?
Name one specific audience. Replace 'everyone who likes candles' with a group you can picture. Original example: 'People in my town buying a housewarming gift for under $30.' A specific group tells you what to say and where to find them. Write a one-line message in their words. Original example: 'A hand-poured candle, gift-wrapped and ready to give, for under $30.' It names the job the buyer needs done. Test it by asking three people from that audience to tell you what you sell. Only make claims you can back up. The FTC says US advertising must be truthful and not deceptive, and that advertisers need evidence for their claims before an ad runs. 'Burns for 40 hours' needs a test you actually ran. Other countries have their own rules, so check the ones where you sell. Measure one channel for four weeks. Pick one place, such as a weekend market stall or a weekly social media post, and track one number: sales, enquiries or sign-ups. Original example: 12 enquiries from the stall, 1 from posts. That tells you where to put next month's effort.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
A course on marketing fundamentals for someone selling a product or service. It covers choosing a specific audience, writing a clear message about the problem you solve, picking a few channels where that audience already is, making claims you can support, and measuring results. It sits under Business in the Work & ambitions part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Courses run 7 to 30 lessons of about 10 minutes, sized to what you asked for. One lesson a day is the intended pace, and you can go faster. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
The sentence to type
I make something good but I do not understand marketing at all. I want to learn the basics: who to aim at, what to say, where to say it, and how to tell whether any of it is working.