Since we started this blog, about twelve years ago, we’ve talked a lot about how to create online courses.
There are several step-by-step instructions, checklists and strategies that have evolved over the years, until we reach the age of AI, which certainly facilitates several aspects of developing a course.
But, if we’ve learned one thing after so long in this field, it’s that the base, the first steps of creating a course, don’t change and to have a good final result the base has to be well built.
So, if you are joining this incredible market now, keep reading, because this post is to get you started.
Create online courses: start by overcoming procrastination
Creating online courses can be the beginning of the life change you want and plan.
Here, in Coursify.me, we’ve seen professionals start with just one class and a few students and in a short time achieve high monthly revenue.
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What they all have in common is the commitment to continue improving their courses, delivering excellent content to their audience.
The task of creating an online course seems immense and we won’t deny that it is quite laborious, more or less depending on the depth you intend to give to the subject covered.
Therefore, we recommend that you do not think about the project as a whole, just focus on the first step you need to take. Build it brick by brick and before you know it, the wall will be ready.
This is the first step to overcoming the famous procrastination which, in figurative language, means “Why do today what can be done tomorrow?”.
Procrastination happens when you have a big and important project to do, but spend time doing other activities that are not that important.
This is very common and happens to practically everyone because, as science explains, our brain is addicted to dopamine, the happiness hormone.
When a task gives us satisfaction, dopamine is produced naturally, immediately. In more laborious activities, which take more time, dopamine is present in smaller quantities and the reward is delayed.
It goes without saying that our brain prefers immediate rewards. However, not all is lost.
Researches point out a phenomenon called “principle of progress”. It explains that of all the things that can boost emotions and perceptions during a workday, the most important is moving forward on a meaningful project.
“Progress lies in small achievements, when people feel like they are learning, discovering solutions and overcoming obstacles,” says Teresa Amabile, one of the study’s authors, a postgraduate psychologist at Stanford and professor at Harvard Business School.
For this reason, breaking a large task into small steps is a great productivity trick and the best way to overcome procrastination.
5 steps to create online courses
Now that you know that the best way to create online courses is by taking one small step at a time, it’s time to get started.
Let’s begin with planning, which should always be the basis of any project you want to be successful.
So before you start recording lessons, plan your goals well and what results you want to achieve.
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1. Structure your plan
Define your main goal and write an action plan to achieve it.
The more specific you can be at the beginning, the better, but for those just starting their first online business, knowing what to put in the planning can be quite challenging.
Here’s a simple model you can use if you’re in doubt:
Goal
- Make profit by selling online courses.
Method
- Create the course.
- Launch it to my contact list, receive feedback and make necessary improvements.
- Promote and acquire new customers through email campaigns, webinars, participation in podcasts, social media posts and sponsored posts.
Setting a financial goal at the beginning is more complicated, because it involves knowing how much you will charge for the course before you even create it.
We suggest you start as simply as possible and leave it to make adjustments later.
To make $10,000 by creating an online course, for example, you can sell it for $10 to 1,000 students or for $100 to 100 students.
Our tip is: charge more.
Students tend to view courses they paid more for as being more valuable and therefore they are more likely to complete them.
Unsurprisingly, people often associate “cheap” with “low quality” and are less inclined to buy based on this perceived value.
2. Find a profitable idea
You may already have an idea of what you would like to teach in your course and that’s great, but we recommend that you do market research to know your true profit potential.
When it comes to finding the right niche to create online courses, you should ask yourself three main questions:
- What do you know: Write down the topics you are passionate about and consider the skills and experience you have.
- How your course will provide value: Study your target audience and validate your idea with them.
- What is the best niche: See what already exists and refine your business idea.
Before thinking about prices, think about the value your course will deliver to your target audience.
Being very clear about what results your students should achieve with your course is important both to define your next steps and to convince them to enroll.
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3. Create course content
There are many steps within this step so we suggest you take a deep breath and remember: one step at a time.
Create the curse curriculum
The best way to plan your course is to define each step that students must take, in chronological order, to obtain the desired result. Each step becomes a lesson in your course.
Create classes
With the course curriculum structured, it’s time to start developing the content for each lesson.
We suggest, whenever possible, that you record video lessons, be it a tutorial or an explanatory class.
Video is one of the best ways to engage students and with current technology it is relatively easy to record a good video with just a smartphone and a microphone.
Set aside at least 30 minutes a few days a week to develop a 10-minute class, we don’t recommend much more than that. When it is broken down into smaller tasks, it seems easier to accomplish.
Remember, the same rule for escaping procrastination applies to your students.
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Use what you already have
Not everything needs to be created from scratch.
You probably already have materials related to the subject you chose to cover, so there’s nothing better than “saving” work by using what you’ve already done.
Gather texts in handouts or presentations, make videos and audios from podcasts, webinars or other events you have already participated in and use all of this to enhance your course.
Delegate tasks you cannot complete
To create online courses requires some knowledge that you may not master, but that’s okay, ask for help.
Focus on what you do well and outsource what you don’t.
Even if your budget is small, there is always someone you know who understands video editing, for example, to help you with small adjustments.
We also cannot forget that we are living in the age of AI and there is excellent software available online to speed up any process of creating and editing videos and images, producing scripts and much more.
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Ask for feedback
When you have already created some classes, stop, evaluate and ask for feedback from people you trust.
See if the results are positive and if there is a good chance of reaching your final goal, or if you need to make small changes and review any steps that went wrong.
The objective is to monitor progress and see if adjustments are necessary.
This assessment allows you to notice errors without despair and correct them in time to reach your goal within the given period.
5. Choose a hosting platform
To launch a course on the internet you need a platform to host it.
These platforms are called Learning Management Systems (LMS), like Coursify.me.
Developed with a focus on distance teaching and learning, they are designed so that you can create online courses within them, hosting your video classes, PDF materials, PowerPoint, and much more.
There, your students can access lessons, take tests, leave comments, receive a certificate of completion and make payments online.
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The great advantage of these platforms that operate in the SaaS model, is that they provide all the infrastructure and technology you need and only charge a monthly usage fee, which can be canceled at any time.
Complete hosting platform for online courses, Coursify.me is the ideal solution for anyone who wants to create, sell and promote courses on the internet.
Serving companies and professionals in more than 60 countries, Coursify.me is a dynamic and customizable Learning Management System.
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Course ready and online, the next step is to start advertising to your contact list.
Take advantage of our integration with social networks to boost advertising and your results.
Our goal is to see your course succeed and we do everything in our power to ensure you and your students have the best online teaching experience.
To find out more, visit our website, test the platform and understand why we are the best option for you to create online courses.