Research & statistics for
edupreneurs and
content creators.
Reliable stats, surveys, and industry insights, sourced from credible primary research rather than blogs quoting blogs.
Where the audience actually shows up
I run six live courses, and every one of them got its first hundred students through one of these five channels. Here’s what the data says about each.
Email Marketing Statistics
My email list is the one channel I don’t worry about waking up to find changed overnight. This page has the benchmarks I check my own numbers against, on open rates, automation, and what a paid newsletter is actually worth.
LinkedIn Statistics
Most of the consulting inquiries I get start with someone who found me on LinkedIn months before they ever emailed. This page covers what’s actually working there right now, not what worked two years ago.
Podcast Statistics
Celisa and I have put out 450-plus episodes of Leading Learning, so I have opinions about this format. The numbers here back up what I’ve felt for years: podcast listeners are the most patient, most loyal audience you can build.
Instagram Statistics
I think of Instagram as a discovery channel, not a destination, and the data here is why. See who’s actually converting followers into subscribers, and who’s just collecting likes.
YouTube Statistics
If video is going to be your primary bet, you should know what the platform actually rewards before you invest a year in it. This page has the viewership and monetization numbers that matter for that decision.
Before you build, know the market
Part of my 3M Model is checking whether real demand exists before you spend a single hour building. These two pages are where I’d start that check.
eLearning Statistics
Market size, adoption, and learner behavior across online education as a whole. This is the page I’d send someone to before they tell me their course idea, because the market question comes first.
Coding Bootcamp Market Statistics
The bootcamp segment has been through more than its share of turbulence, and the enrollment and outcome numbers here tell you why. Useful reading whether you’re building in that space or just watching it from outside.
The force reallocating where value sits
I don’t treat AI as a threat to dodge or a trend to chase. It’s moving value away from commoditized content and toward judgment, and every other page on this hub is downstream of that shift.
Why some stats never make it onto these pages
I turn away more numbers than I publish. Here’s the filter I run every one of them through before it earns a place here.
Whoever ran the study owns the number
Not the blog that quoted it, and not the blog that quoted that blog. If I can’t trace a stat back to the organization that actually collected the data, it doesn’t go on the page, no matter how good it sounds.
The date on the stat has to be real
I see 2019 numbers wearing a 2026 headline all the time. If a figure is older, I say so in the text instead of letting the publish date do the lying for me.
Who got surveyed decides what the number means
Two stats can both be correct and still look like they contradict each other, until you know one measured opted-in subscribers and the other measured everyone. I state that scope every time.
Where I’d start
Go to the channel where you already have some traction, not the one with the flashiest numbers. I’d rather have 3,000 people on an email list I actually write to than 50,000 followers I post to twice a month and forget about. I update these pages as new research comes out, so bookmark whichever one matches where you’re putting your effort next quarter.
Jeff Cobb, Founder of Learning Revolution
Jeff Cobb is an expert in online education and the business of adult lifelong learning. Over the past 20+ years he has built a thriving career based on that expertise - as an entrepreneur, a consultant, an author, and a speaker. Learning Revolution is a place where Jeff curates tips, insights, and resources to help you build a thriving expertise-based business. Learn more about Jeff Cobb here.