You’re an entrepreneur with a skill to share. You see the potential in the booming online education market. Creating and selling online courses can create another income stream and position you as a leader in your field. But where do you even start? This guide breaks down how to create and sell online courses, from finding your niche to launching your first course.
Creating a profitable online course involves careful planning and execution. It’s about understanding your target audience, crafting valuable content, and using appropriate marketing tools. Let’s turn your expertise into a thriving online business.
Contents
Finding Your Course Niche
First, you need a killer course idea – something you’re passionate about and knowledgeable in. Think about problems you solve for others. What do friends ask your advice about?
Your unique experiences and skills are your goldmine. Research if there’s demand for your course idea using content marketing.
Market research validates interest and signals if a topic is likely to succeed. Use Google Trends and AnswerThePublic to see what people are searching for.
Dive into Quora and Reddit threads. Look at questions people ask and listen to existing conversations. This tells you about unmet needs and helps you fine-tune your course topic and overall content strategy.
Crafting Irresistible Course Content
After picking a niche, map out the learning experience. Start by outlining learning objectives. What will students know or be able to do after completing your course?
Organize your course logically into modules and lessons. Consider different content formats. Will you use videos with background music, worksheets, downloadable resources, cheat sheets, live Q&As, or a mix?
Think about engagement from the start. Which formats keep students coming back for more and make for the best overall learning experience? Include a mix of lesson content including niche topics and broad topics within your area of expertise.
Great content deserves great delivery. Choose a platform that matches your budget and goals.
| Platform | Pricing |
|---|---|
| Thinkific | Basic Plan for $36/month (built-in marketing tools and no transaction fees) |
| Podia | Free plan with transaction fees or Mover Plan at $33/month (5% transaction fees) |
| Teachable | Free starter plan with $1 + 10% transaction fees or paid plan at $39/month for up to 5 courses |
Each one of these options has the availability of paid advertising for selling online courses as an additional tool within their respective suite of marketing tools for marketing purposes.
Testing and Pre-selling Your Course
Before the official launch, consider pre-sales. Selling online courses through a “soft launch” tests market demand. It allows early adopters to provide valuable feedback, letting you tweak before going full scale.
Consider offering free webinars. Sign-up rates for webinars can top 20%. Gather feedback and improve your course based on the feedback provided. Webinars are great ways for teaching live or showing pre-recorded video content to increase sales.
Setting Prices and Sales Strategies
Pricing strategy is vital. Factor in all costs, including filming gear or editing software. Benchmark against competitor pricing. Consider perceived value by customers and your income goals.
Aim for healthy profit margins because you’re working with digital products–no warehousing or shipping. Look at typical information product margin statistics.
Offer payment plans and adjust your pricing to achieve desired profit margins.
Marketing and Launching Your Course
Build buzz leading up to your launch date. Marketing matters a great deal when selling courses online. Start dates should be shared publicly as this increases excitement and demand and builds anticipation of providing valuable education to your student base.
Use email marketing and blog posts for drip content. Build an email list. Promote courses on social media. Utilize content marketing effectively. You might want to hire an SEO expert who is really good with Search Engine Optimization, to help take things to the next level.
Utilize a variety of content formats, from articles to video content and even social media graphics to provide free educational material to potential customers on your website and in your blog posts as part of your overarching marketing plan and to enhance your content strategy.
Building Your Course Community
A strong community drives engagement and sales. Happy students become repeat customers and brand advocates. Give students an online space to connect and communicate. Encourage mutual support to foster growth.
Building an online community automates marketing and sales. Think forums for questions and support. Consider using platforms like Wix groups. Use a website builder with group features for student discussion.
Thinkific’s Basic plan offers another benefit–zero transaction fees. This allows creators to maximize their earnings.
FAQs about How to create and sell online courses
How do I create and sell a course online?
Choose a profitable niche topic. Craft high-quality video and high-quality video using natural light whenever possible. Pick your platform (Thinkific, Teachable, Podia, etc.). Pre-sell to validate your idea and pricing. Market strategically. Build a supportive community where students access course materials through a secure members area. Courses online can also be offered free through a mobile app using all-in-one platforms to provide access to students for lessons from home or when mobile.
How much money can you make selling online courses?
Earnings vary, but creators can earn between $1,000 and $10,000 monthly. High earners can reach six figures in under two years. Target at least an 85% gross margin by adjusting pricing and reducing expenses.
How much does it cost to create an online course?
Costs range from $5,000 to $150,000. Smaller, profitable ventures can use less expensive setups, like Renderforest, to reduce overhead. Ensure you’re choosing equipment and editing software suited for recording video and video audio with proper lighting. Look at all the different factors including whether to create a full blown studio with lighting and high quality microphones and cameras, whether to record outdoors and just improve video quality afterwards, or whether you plan to host regular live sessions for your course participants. You can use the marketing tools in place on different standalone platforms or build your own system and sell it through a website, or use existing marketplaces online such as Udemy. There are various factors you need to account for. Do proper research on different marketplaces online, courses online and standalone platforms, all-in-one platforms and everything in between and find what is the best for your individual situation.
How do I create and monetize an online course?
Combine great content with a smart sales plan that creates recurring income. Build relationships for endorsements, guest speaker arrangements, and future leads. Bundle products or add upsells. Affiliate programs are also a very viable strategy and an excellent source for acquiring customers. Also be sure to include things like providing valuable cheat sheets. You should avoid creating your website or courses from an online tool unless your site is also integrated within your website itself.
Conclusion
Learning how to create and sell online courses is more than just making videos. It’s about turning your passion and expertise into a business. This involves picking the right subject matter and understanding associated costs. It takes hard work, but the digital product age lets you earn well, make an impact, and build a community.
You need drive, information, and a solid strategy to create and sell online courses effectively. I am rooting for you.
