How to Offer a Trial Lesson to Attract New Students

 When you are teaching English online, one of the most powerful tools at your disposal is the trial lesson. A trial lesson is an introductory lesson that gives potential students the opportunity to experience your teaching style, assess the effectiveness of your lessons, and ultimately decide whether they want to continue studying with you. Offering a trial lesson is a great way to build trust, establish rapport, and showcase your skills. However, there is more to offering a trial lesson than simply scheduling a session. To truly maximize the potential of trial lessons, you need to ensure that they are well-planned, engaging, and tailored to the needs of the student. In this blog, we will walk through the steps on how to effectively offer a trial lesson to attract new students.

1. Understanding the Importance of Trial Lessons

Before diving into the practicalities of offering a trial lesson, it’s important to understand why they are crucial for your business. Trial lessons serve as an introduction to you as a teacher and offer potential students a glimpse of what they can expect from your full courses. By offering a trial lesson, you not only give the student a chance to assess your teaching methods but also allow them to determine if you are a good fit for their language learning needs.

Why trial lessons are valuable:

• Build Trust: A trial lesson helps establish trust and credibility with students, which is essential in any student-teacher relationship.

• Showcase Your Skills: It’s your opportunity to showcase your teaching style and expertise.

• Personalize the Experience: You can tailor the lesson to the student’s needs and preferences, providing a customized experience that highlights your ability to meet their specific learning goals.

• Increase Conversion Rates: Offering a well-structured trial lesson can significantly increase your chances of converting trial students into long-term learners.

2. Set Clear Expectations Before the Trial Lesson

The key to a successful trial lesson begins long before the student even enters the virtual classroom. One of the most effective ways to start building a relationship with potential students is by setting clear expectations from the outset. This will ensure that both you and the student know what to expect from the trial lesson and what the goals are.

What to communicate with your students before the trial lesson:

• Lesson Length: Clearly state how long the trial lesson will last. Typically, trial lessons range from 20 to 30 minutes. Be sure to keep this time limit as concise as possible, so students feel they can get a good sense of what you offer without investing too much time upfront.

• Learning Objectives: Let students know what they can expect to learn during the trial lesson. Whether it’s improving their speaking skills, practicing grammar, or assessing their level of English, make sure they know what the focus of the lesson will be.

• Materials Required: Inform students of any materials they need to bring to the lesson, such as a notebook, internet connection, or any documents you may have asked them to prepare.

• Cost or Payment Terms: If you offer a paid trial lesson, be sure to communicate your pricing policy. If the lesson is free, make that clear as well.

3. Tailor the Trial Lesson to the Student's Needs

Each student who comes to you will have unique needs, whether they are beginners, intermediate learners, or advanced English speakers. It is crucial that your trial lessons reflect the student’s goals and level. Personalized lessons are much more engaging and will make the student feel that their time was well-spent.

Tips for tailoring trial lessons:

• Assess Their English Level: Before you start the lesson, ask the student about their English learning history. Have they studied English before? What areas do they struggle with? Knowing their level allows you to design a lesson that is neither too easy nor too difficult.

• Understand Their Learning Goals: Find out why the student wants to learn English. Are they looking to improve conversational skills, prepare for a language test, or enhance their business English? Knowing their goals will help you shape your lesson to meet those needs.

• Make It Relevant and Engaging: For example, if a student wants to improve their business English, you might create a lesson focused on polite phrases, email etiquette, and professional vocabulary. If they are preparing for a test like the IELTS, you could focus on speaking or writing skills that are crucial for the exam.

Personalization is the key to ensuring your trial lesson resonates with the student and helps them feel confident in your teaching abilities.

4. Keep the Trial Lesson Engaging

Engagement is one of the most important factors in any lesson, particularly in a trial lesson where you need to capture the student’s interest. You want the student to walk away feeling excited about the potential of future lessons with you. Keeping the lesson dynamic and interactive will make a huge difference.

How to engage your trial lesson students:

• Use Interactive Tools: Depending on the platform you use for teaching (Zoom, Skype, etc.), you can use interactive tools like shared whiteboards, screen sharing, or virtual flashcards. Visuals and multimedia can be helpful for keeping lessons engaging and providing context for the language you’re teaching.

• Encourage Participation: Instead of making the trial lesson a one-sided lecture, encourage the student to speak, ask questions, and practice the language as much as possible. The more they practice, the more they’ll be motivated to continue learning with you.

• Incorporate Fun Elements: Don’t be afraid to include fun and light-hearted elements in the lesson. Games, quizzes, and short conversation exercises can keep the atmosphere relaxed and enjoyable. A bit of humor can also help build rapport and make the student feel comfortable.

The goal is to ensure that the student walks away from the trial lesson not only learning something valuable but also enjoying the experience.

5. Provide Constructive Feedback

Feedback is an essential component of any language-learning process, and providing it during a trial lesson can help students understand their strengths and areas for improvement. However, the key to providing effective feedback is to strike a balance between being encouraging and offering constructive criticism.

How to provide feedback:

• Be Positive: Start by highlighting what the student did well during the lesson. Positive reinforcement helps to build confidence and encourages continued learning.

• Be Constructive: When pointing out areas for improvement, be specific and gentle. For instance, instead of saying “You made a lot of grammar mistakes,” you might say, “You did a great job speaking, but let’s work on verb tenses together next time.”

• Give Actionable Tips: Provide the student with clear suggestions for how they can improve. For example, you could recommend practicing specific exercises or focusing on certain areas (pronunciation, vocabulary, etc.) before the next lesson.

Providing thoughtful feedback in your trial lessons will leave a lasting impression on your student, making them feel supported and motivated to continue.

6. Offer Incentives to Encourage Sign-Ups

After the trial lesson, you want to encourage your student to sign up for more lessons. Offering incentives can be a great way to seal the deal.

Incentive Ideas:

• Discounts on Future Lessons: Offer a discount on the next set of lessons if they sign up for a package right after the trial lesson. For example, you could offer a 10-20% discount for their first month of lessons.

• Bonus Lessons: Another effective incentive is to offer a bonus lesson when the student purchases a package. For instance, after the student buys five lessons, they get one additional lesson for free.

• Exclusive Resources: Offer access to additional resources, such as worksheets, grammar guides, or learning materials that are exclusive to your paying students.

Incentives help students feel they are getting extra value, which can tip the scale in your favor when it comes time to make a decision.

7. Follow Up After the Trial Lesson

The trial lesson doesn’t end once the session is over. It’s important to follow up with the student and remind them of the benefits of continuing with your lessons. This is your chance to solidify the relationship and show them that you genuinely care about their success.

What to include in your follow-up message:

• Thank Them for Their Time: Always express gratitude for the student’s time and participation in the trial lesson. A simple “thank you” can go a long way in building rapport.

• Recap What Was Learned: Summarize the key points from the trial lesson, reinforcing what the student has gained. This will help them remember the value of the lesson.

• Invite Them to Schedule Further Lessons: Encourage them to book additional lessons by outlining the options available to them, such as lesson packages or subscription plans.

• Ask for Feedback: Ask the student for feedback on the trial lesson. This not only shows that you are open to improvement, but it also makes the student feel valued.

By following up, you can remind students of the great learning experience you’ve provided, and make it easy for them to take the next step.

8. Track Your Success Rate and Adjust

After offering several trial lessons, take the time to track how many of those trial students convert into long-term clients. If you’re not seeing the conversion rate you’d like, try to analyze where you may need to adjust your approach.

Questions to ask yourself:

• Is the lesson length too short or too long?

• Am I offering enough personalization to meet their needs?

• Are the incentives appealing enough?

• Is my follow-up strategy strong enough to encourage sign-ups?

As you refine your trial lesson process, you’ll get a better sense of what works best and can continually improve your approach.

Conclusion

Offering a trial lesson is a powerful tool to attract new students and showcase your skills as an online English teacher. By setting clear expectations, tailoring your lessons to each student’s needs, and keeping the session engaging, you’ll create a strong first impression that will encourage students to continue learning with you. Don’t forget the importance of offering feedback, providing incentives, and following up after the lesson. Over time, these strategies will help you build a loyal student base and grow your online teaching business.