If you’ve ever had great ideas you could share with people, then profitable online courses are your best bet for getting those ideas out there and reaching a lot more people.
Creating profitable online courses – whether as a side project or as part of your online business initiatives – can be very lucrative if you’re looking for a steady stream of passive income.
You can transform a hobby into a lucrative side job or full-fledged profession if you have a talent that people will want to master.
By 2024, the e-learning industry is projected to reach $406 billion. More people want to develop their technical skills or learn a new passion from the comfort of their own homes or on the go.
So, If you have skills that others want to master, now is the time to create an online course and sell it for extra money.
But how do I create a profitable online course?
Don’t worry. Below are effective tips to create profitable online courses efficiently.
Interestingly, to make it easier for you, each tip includes steps to execute them.
Even if this is your first attempt to start an online course business, these tips will help you come out like a PRO.
1. Choose A Profitable Online Course Topic
In designing profitable online courses, the very first thing is to decide on a sellable topic.
The subject should be something you are educated about, something you are excited about, and something that is lucrative.
Examine what people want and need to learn to find the right course subject.
Analyze the problem you want to solve
Asking the right problem questions can lead to better solutions.
Who will be the target audience, and what are their problems?
Choose a population community that is experiencing a challenge and for which you believe your subject area has a solution.
Remember that even the simplest things can be incredibly complex for individuals who aren’t well-versed in a specific field, and you can assist them.
Come up with a realistic solution to the problem
Consider if you can assist your target audience in overcoming their challenge by presenting an innovative approach that is tailored to their requirements.
Consider how this group will use the course and how it will serve them by assisting them in improving their lives.
Give a clear description of what your course is going to look like and how it will help your audience.
Ensure your topic is unique
Consider what your value proposition would be once you’ve chosen a subject.
To do that, you’ll need to think about something unique to sell that isn’t already being offered by your rivals.
Is your topic something popular that people are looking for? What is your competitor doing that you might want to do better?
Your topic should make you stand out in the competition and draw people who are interested in learning and may find your course useful.
Gather your choices to see which ones are the most popular to your target audience.
This may be anything like “how to fix your roof” or “how to combat depression.” Painting, App creation, or something else you might think of can be your topic.
The key is to find a solution to a specific problem your target audience has.
2. Design A Course Outline
You’ll need a sound plan in place to come up with useful course content and materials.
Following an outline will assist you in determining what the course will be about, what it can contain, and how you will deliver it.
Define the goals and objectives of your online course
Learning goals and objectives help you clarify your course and what is required of students to succeed. If a student does not know what is expected of them, they are more likely to drop the class or fail the final exam.
Once you have determined learning goals and objectives, it is important they reflect in your outline.
Begin by writing descriptive, succinct, and observable statements that define your long-term objectives.
A learning aim in a ski class, for example, may be to help students learn how to ski during the snow season. So learning to ski in the snow is the learning goal.
Break it down and make it easy to follow
To build a course syllabus, plan out the material and split it into parts. The steps students must take to complete the course should be outlined in a course outline.
You can divide the course into stages, such as levels 1-3, intermediate to advanced, as well as lesson plans and chapters.
Choose your content format
What kind of content format would you use to help your students understand what they’re learning?
Are you using just text-based material, or will there be a combination of different content formats?
When it comes to creating profitable online courses, this is one of the most common mistakes people make.
Why do you need to decide the type of material you will use for your course?
It allows you to try out different media without having to make a decision right away.
Not all topics can be presented in video format and some topics need to be communicated in multiple formats.
3. Create Your Course Content
Don’t worry if you’re starting from scratch. There’s always help available out there.
You could employ a subject matter specialist and an instructional planner to lead you in the right direction and assist you with course development.
However, if you have a limited budget, you can do it yourself. Here’s how to do it.
Have a schedule or to-do list in place
Plan out your course content creation. You need to have a basic plan before you start.
Schedule out the written material and determine how you’ll progress through the stages of pre-production, composing, filming (if you’re using video), and post-production one by one.
Have all the necessary tools and equipment in place
Sure you don’t want any delay because you could not get your hands on a tool or equipment you need.
You must first prepare all of your equipment before you can begin producing media material, including audio and video.
Many videos and screen capturing software are available to assist you in providing the best learning environment possible.
The good news is that there are a lot of free and affordable software tools you can use for this purpose such as Camtasia, Screencast-O-Matic, etc.
Put your ideas into writing and start making your course videos
It’s time to start the work.
Ready?
Make a rough copy of the material you want to use in your video. This should provide you with a sense of organization.
Then, in the simplest and fastest way possible, capture the main message you wish to communicate.
Ensure you assemble the information that is readily understood and captures the interest of your learners.
As you write, make sure the video script is concise and straightforward so that learners can quickly grasp the key ideas and concepts.
Know what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it before you start filming. Make effective use of pauses, allow yourself time to feel more relaxed, and practice your speech before you think it’s perfect.
Once you’re done shooting, It’s time to flesh out unnecessary parts. Remove any parts of the video that is not relevant and see how it still works. Ensure that the video and photographs are in harmony and that the recording is not too long.
Finally, make sure that the video’s format is universally available to all users and computers.
Great. The stage of creating your course material is now complete.
4. Choose A Suitable Online Course Platform
Choosing a suitable online course platform can make or break your success.
There are certain features that you should look into before making your tutorial video.
It has to be user-friendly and easy.
It should have a responsive layout, preferably with Bootstrap, and must have an intuitive interface.
However, there are many platforms out there that claim to be the best and picking the right one might be overwhelming.
Here are some of the questions that will help you in picking the right e-learning platform for your profitable online courses.
How much control do you want over your course?
If you want to tinker with things behind the scenes, you’ll want to use a platform with a variety of integration and customization options.
Kajabi, on the other hand, is more hands-off, which is ideal for people who aren’t tech-savvy.
This is one of the best and it ensures that you have total leverage over course branding, including pricing.
However, every good platform has its own limitations.
What support can you get when using the platform?
Find out how much assistance the platform offers in the publication process and how quickly it responds if anything goes wrong.
You don’t want people to register for your course and then be unable to access it.
Do you have access to the analytics on the course’s effectiveness?
You will want to see how your course is helping people and how they feel about your processes.
Look for platforms that have data on how rapidly students progress from unit to unit, the difficulty of the questions, and both quantitative and qualitative data on student content intake.
Remember, it’s not easy to manage what you can’t measure. So ensure there’s access to analytics that will help measure the success of your course.
Does the platform have the necessary tools you need to engage your students?
The e-learning sector has a terrible turnover rate, which is mainly attributable to low participation.
It’s one thing to sell a course; it’s quite another to keep students engaged and even interested in future classes.
When someone does not request a refund or leave a positive review does not mean they have completed the course. Look for platforms that have tools for reconnecting with students that are about to drop out.
People are more likely to complete the materials if you can recognize them and reach out to them by email or SMS to provide motivation and support.
What marketing tools do they offer?
This is important if you really want to earn some cool cash from your online course.
You’ll need to build a tribe of people who will buy your stuff. Without it, the initial sales figures would be misleading, so you can concentrate on lead generation.
If you’re mostly interested in generating leads, make sure the tool you chose helps you to collect participants’ email addresses.
The list of questions you need to ask continues.
The purpose of this is to let you know a few of the important pointers you must use when it comes to choosing an e-learning platform for your profitable online courses.
5. Make Your Course Affordable
It can be difficult to determine the correct price for your online course. Your target, on the other hand, is to come up with the best price.
This is the premium at which the course price is attracting buyers and you are profiting adequately from course purchases.
You may charge your students in a variety of ways: for free, for a fee, or for a subscription.
Offering a free course will not make you money, but it will give you a head start in getting people to learn about you and what you do.
Paid online classes are those that have a price tag that requires learners to pay a one-time fee to gain access to their learning materials.
How do you price your online course?
Charge based on value, not length
Many online instructors believe that in order to charge a large fee for their course, they must build one that is very long.
This is completely untrue.
The duration of your online course should not be used to determine the price of your course. Your course should be priced according to the solution you’re offering rather than the duration of the content.
Charge according to the weight of the value you offer in your course.
Don’t follow the crowd; your competitors
Some people would advise you to look at the costs of similar courses and then price yours in the center.
That is not a good pricing idea.
Your course should be priced according to the benefit you give to your students by preparation and guidance, as well as the value of the result you assist them in achieving.
Don’t base your course price on what your rivals are asking for similar courses.
Do you already have a voice in the market?
Consider how much reputation and prestige you have in your business. Is your target audience aware you or your company exist?
Have you ever written a book? Have you given a presentation or published some papers in your field? Have you ever been in the news?
Have you won any awards for your efforts?
Are there any good feedback from previous students or clients? These are considerations that will assist you in justifying a higher course fee.
If you don’t yet have a reputation as an expert in your field, giving away free content first is a perfect way to gain credibility. It will be good if you have a website or a blog, YouTube channel, podcast, etc.
These are excellent methods for disseminating free content while still establishing credibility with the audience.
Bonus Tip: Engage Your Student As Much As Possible
If you want to build a more learner-centered instructional atmosphere, you must make your online course engaging.
It’s important for you as an online teacher/coach to make your online course as interesting as possible.
It’s possible for an online course to feel less important than ever before in a world of constant distractions and knowledge overload.
You can keep your students engaged through an online forum where they can easily communicate with one another and share their knowledge, suggestions, and views about the course.
Remember that online and video conferencing software will have a more intimate approach and engagement with the students, regardless of their location.
Are you a newbie or an established instructor looking to spice up things and increase your online course engagement?
Have got the answer to your problem. Read up on my powerful yet simple tips to boost your online course engagement.
FAQs
Which online course platform is the best?
There are countless platforms to choose from. Some may be better depending on the topic you want to teach and how you want to teach it.
All the top online course platforms have their own strengths. A rule of thumb is to compare them to see which has the best features that fit your specific needs.
How much does cost to create profitable online courses?
The cost to create an online course is variable and depends on the number of lectures, the length of each lecture, your experience level, and whether you hire a coach.
Also, the cost of the platform you want to use, equipment, and tools needed are parts of cost determinants.
However, it can cost anywhere from $500 to $10000 to create a great course.
What is the ideal length of profitable online courses?
The duration of a profitable online course is determined by the course’s content. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the ideal duration of an online course.
I’ve seen courses that were far too long, as well as courses that were far too short.
The ideal length, in my opinion, should be between 10 and 20 hours of classes.
This length of time allows the student to learn the subject while not allowing them to lose focus or find anything else to do.
How do you structure an online course?
Online courses follow a similar structure to that of offline courses.
An online course will have study materials – typically videos, text, and other forms of media to enable the student to learn the information.
There may then be a quiz or test at the end to measure this learning and a feedback module for the tutor to assess students’ understanding.
How many modules should an online course have?
Many modules are usually necessary for courses of a certain length, while shorter courses can be even more effective if well organized and included all key elements.
However, the number of modules chosen for a course should depend on how long you plan to cover each subject.
If you have a high-level overview of 4 topics, each topic might be a separate module.
Conclusion
An online course necessitates actual effort. But if it’s a good fit for your skills, experience, and love, it’ll be worth it.
Furthermore, you’re still making a positive difference in people’s lives as a bonus.
If you do this correctly, your online course will potentially generate a six-figure (or more) income for you.
To help you further, please read up on the comprehensive guide to creating and selling profitable courses online.
I hope you found this post helpful. Thanks for reading.
