While you may feel like it’s a simple task to write a course description, there is actually more that should be considered when writing one. If you are wondering how to write a course description as a teacher or course creator, this article will teach you how.
A course description is like a business card for your online course. It is the first thing your potential customers will see upon landing on your course page, and it is how they decide if the course is worth a shot or not.
What should you write? How much text is too much? Too little? So, here are a few guidelines for writing a good description:
1. Know Your Audience
A course description is the cornerstone of your marketing efforts. A poor course description prevents students from deciding if they want to enroll in your class and advisors from referring students to you.
There are lots of opinions on what makes a good one. However, in the end, it all boils down to knowing your audience and reflecting their interests and needs in your description. It’s always best to address the right audience when you write.
In education, this means knowing your audience is critical; it helps you stay on track and ensure what you’re writing is relevant and useful.
Some may be looking for something unique and specific, while others may simply be curious about what the course will entail. It is your job to know who you’re trying to hook up with to best convey the course’s content and purpose.
2. Create a Description That Encourages Action from the Reader
A concise, informative course description is a very important part of your marketing and sales materials. It is the first part of your communication with potential students. If it doesn’t grab their attention and encourage them to come to an information session or apply, it’s time to revise.
You want your prospective students to apply for your course, but how do you get them to do that? Make sure that your course description grabs the reader’s attention and encourages them to act on it.
Maybe emphasize the practical applications of what they will learn in the course or point out some of the difficulties they will face if they don’t enroll. Or you could list just a few of the interesting things they might learn to pique their curiosity.
3. Use Appropriate Keywords
As stated in tip 1, when writing a course description, it’s important to understand who your target audience is. Is it employers? If so, you want to think about how the skills and knowledge in the course will help them.
Are you teaching the course primarily to students? If so, then you’ll want to think about how you can introduce those students to the world of work.
If you are going to write a course description, you must think about the keywords that you will use throughout your course. Because your course will be posted on various platforms, not all of your viewers or customers will be looking in the same place.
Keywords in your course description will trigger searches when a student is looking for a course. Write buzzwords and phrases that are relevant to the subject or content of your course.
If you are creating a nutrition course, use keywords such as diet, calories, and supplementation. If you are creating an English course, use words like “literature,” “prose, and “poetry.
4. Use Short Catchy Phrases or Words to Draw Attention
Well, if you’re teaching a course, then you should know that it’s incredibly hard to separate yourself from the crowd. Therefore, you need to make sure that your course description stands out. Here’s an example: “The 4-Hour Workweek.” The title itself is catchy.
You can also add something like, “Escape 9-5, live anywhere, and join the new rich.” Now that’s attractive.
The point I’m trying to make is that a catchy title is essential, but you should also include some lines that are enticing enough to make the reader click on your description.
5. Mirror Students’ Expectations
Today’s students are sophisticated, highly motivated, and have high expectations for their learning experience.
Educators must take this into account when designing their learning plans. Educators must use current technologies and learning trends to ensure that their course material is relevant to their student’s lives.
A well-written course description is key to student enrollment. After all, if students don’t know what they’re getting into, they are unlikely to sign up.
Your course description should not only inform students about the course content, but it should also be written in a way that engages students, gives them an idea of your teaching style, and answers all their questions.
Your students will expect certain things from your course. When crafting the descriptions for each of the sections that make up your course, you’ll want to keep this in mind.
6. Good Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling Counts
The course description has to be written in a way that conveys the importance of the course to the students and appeals to them. Although most students look for answers to their problems, a course description has to be different from an article.
A course description needs to be less wordy and written in a way that draws the attention of the student. If a student is interested, he will explore the course content. This is why a course description should be short, informative, and free of grammatical errors.
7. Answer the ‘Who’s,’ ‘What,’ ‘Where,’ ‘When,’ and ‘Why’ Questions
You can start writing a great course description by asking yourself who, what, where, when, and why.
For example, who is the course for? Can you describe your target audience? Do they share interests? What will they learn? Who might teach such a course, and where could it be taught? When will it be offered? Why teach this topic at this time in this way?
It’s important to address all of these questions. Students search for courses that might help them better understand a subject they love, find solutions to problems facing them at school, and learn how to effectively communicate what they know.
Explaining why your course meets these needs can make all the difference in attracting new students to your online teaching opportunity.
8. Use Common Terms That Prospective Students will Understand
Teachers use course descriptions to help prospective students understand what they’re going to experience. Course descriptions typically include a variety of common terms. Terms should be understandable to the prospective student.
When you write your course description, you need to use common terms that prospective students understand. This will help you communicate better with your audience and entice them to read your course description.
The two things that are most important in your course description are the title and the value proposition.
Your title should be compelling and easy to understand. It should also be unique and not include any keywords that may confuse prospective students.
The value proposition is the most important part of your course description. It is the reason why people should sign up. The value proposition should be clear, concise, and also use common words.
9. Keep Your Language Simple and Avoid Jargon
If you are writing a course description, you are doing it because you want the students to enroll in your course.
Good course descriptions illustrate the essence of the course. This is important because most of them are unaware of what the course is about. A good course description is a critical factor in course success.
But students don’t really care how good or great your course is. They are just looking for something that either solves their problem or improves their skill set. The whole purpose of your course description is to convince the students that your course is the solution they are looking for.
When you write a course description, it is critical to keep your language simple and avoid jargon. The last thing you want is for it to seem like an intellectual exercise. If you have a complicated idea, you should break it down and make it presentable.
10. End with a Call-To-Action
It’s vital to properly conclude your course description by including a call to action. A call to action is a statement that motivates students to take the following course of action: enroll in your class.
Enrollment decisions are often made at the last minute, and they need all the information they can get before they make any decisions.
End your course description with a call to action that promotes your course and explains why students should enroll. The following are some examples of a call to action you can include at the end of your course description.
- Ready to get started? Choose from one of our free, online courses.
- Want to get more out of the online learning experience? Contact us.
- Sign up today and get a free syllabus template.
- If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at [your email or phone number]. Thanks for considering my course. I think you’ll love it.
You need to convince potential students that your course is the right choice for them.
The course description is similar to a newspaper advertisement since you emphasize the benefits of joining right away to the reader. This call to action should describe why people need to sign up immediately.
Also, remember that when it comes to fonts and colors, different colors can trigger different reactions within us, and while it may seem obvious (that red makes us blush, and blue slides us into a calm mood), it’s important not to take this power for granted.
FAQs
How often should you update your course description?
Once you publish your course, it is important to update the material regularly to maintain your students’ interest.
I suggest every two to three months in the beginning. Furthermore, as you become more comfortable with the process, you can play with those statistics to determine what works best for you.
What if you forget how to write a course description?
It can happen to anyone. But don’t worry. If you forget how to write a course description, read this article over and over again. You can also share it with other educators and course creators you know.
How long should a course description be?
If you want your students to take the course, then you should make the course description relevant to their learning goals.
Do not worry too much about the length of the course description, though. Keep it short, but make sure the most important information is there. As a rule of thumb, it should not be more than 250 words.
Conclusion
The purpose of writing course descriptions is to attract learners to click through to the landing page. It should be short, catchy, and interesting.
The description should be likable so that the student feels the urge to hop in and take the course. The course description should also include sales benefits and should be in the prospect’s words.
It should clearly mention the advantages that the student would gain by going through your course. The benefits also give you a way to connect with the student and highlight the value you are bringing to them.
Now that you know how to write a good description for your course, you need to figure out how much to charge. For more information, read the article that highlights the tips to help you price your online course.
Thanks for reading.
