Don’t just pitch for work, teach it: How teaching can become your most profitable marketing tool

Learn how one expert turned his freelance expertise into a teaching business (and his most profitable marketing vehicle and sales lead)

You don’t need a PhD or a flawless academic pedigree to step to the front of the classroom. In fact, if you’re looking to protect and grow your portfolio career and your freelance income, your real-world experience is already your most valuable asset. The trick isn’t hiding behind credentials; it’s simply being willing to share what you’ve figured out in the trenches.

For corporate marketer and educator Brian Honigman, breaking into professional education starts with a very human question. As he shared with The Freelance Informer, the real catalyst is just a genuine desire to communicate.

“First, you have to have some level of interest in sharing what you know,” Honigman says. He suggests asking yourself a simple question: Is there an interest to analyse, explore, and share with others the wonderful experience and expertise you have in a particular craft?

If the answer is yes, you’ve already cleared the highest hurdle. But moving from a solo freelance business into the world of training requires more than just enthusiasm. It takes a careful balance of personal interest, a realistic look at your calendar and a smart commercial strategy.

Fortunately, you don’t have to figure out that balancing act alone. Here are Honigman’s suggestions for making the transition without losing focus on your core business.

Not all teaching is the same

Opportunities for part-time or adjunct teaching are ample, according to Honigman, but the financial returns vary significantly by sector. Standard US- based university undergraduate courses are notoriously poorly paid and rarely offer a lucrative standalone path, says Honigman. Therefore, he suggests that to build a sustainable model, freelancers must look toward higher-margin sectors:

Executive education: Because these courses target established leaders impacting entire teams, they command a much higher price point, allowing institutions to offer better pay thresholds for outside instructors.

Ed-tech and digital platforms: Modern businesses and platforms such as LinkedIn Learning operate on entirely different corporate economics. They offer certifications directly to professionals, translating to higher returns for the creator.

Honigman has been an instructor at universities as impressive as Kellogg and Columbia, but also on e-learning platforms like LinkedIn Learning, where he’s taught nearly a million students. He also creates personal brand awareness by contributing articles to publications such as Inc.com, Forbes and Fast Company.

Proactive expansion

The most effective way to diversify your business is to secure new opportunities before you actually need them. Honigman reflects on his personal experience:

What has really worked for me… is bringing on new opportunities before you need them. I’ve always been stable in one area, and I’m like… let’s stretch into something else from my interest standpoint, so I’m engaged.

By maintaining a stable financial foundation through your core client workload, you create the psychological and financial freedom to experiment with new ideas on the side.

Breaking into these fields relies heavily on a “show, don’t tell” approach. Rather than cold-pitching, use networking to secure low-stakes guest lecturing slots in existing courses. This allows you to test whether you genuinely enjoy the environment, while simultaneously letting administrators observe your practical capabilities firsthand.

Honigman says trust is built in the trenches; proving you can effectively teach a subject—not just know it—is what unlocks major institutional doors.

Max output: Double and triple dip

Your time is a strictly limited resource; therefore, every new venture must be viewed through a strategic lens. A single action should yield multiple business benefits. Honigman explains his approach to efficiency: “I try to make sure that it has multiple benefits for myself, for a client, so that any one action I get as many results from, because my time is limited.”

When you create an online course or teach for a major platform, the benefits extend far beyond the immediate pay cheque. The project acts as a powerful credibility marker, serving as a long-term marketing vehicle.

Honigman notes from his experience:

The courses that I’m creating with clients are also marketing vehicles for me. I landed consulting projects and gained visibility from these online courses being out there… a lot of things in self-employment are really self-directed.

The visibility gained from students enrolling in a digital course naturally generates inbound leads, he says, frequently converting passive learners into high-value consulting clients or coaching relationships.

Ultimately, success in self-employment remains entirely self-directed. It often relies on your willingness to put yourself out there, like Honigman has, to find new ways of offering what you already know.

If you are a freelancer who also offers training or has become an educator, what has been the most challenging aspect of this part of your business? Please share in the comments section.