Create and Sell Online Courses

Planning on creating and selling online courses? Great choice by the way! What should you consider prior publishing an online course? Of course quite a bit, but here are few necessary elements to consider prior creating a single lesson of your online course.

Student Transformation

What is the transformation student is going to get from following your course? This is by far the most important aspect of your course. What is the students starting point and where do they end up.

This dictates price you can charge for your course, how well your sell your course, and student engagement and happiness after the course. Students pay for, or buy, transformation, not knowledge. What does your course offer student to do after the course?

Take time to valuate this part, do research, ask your clients to ensure your course matches exactly what students want.

Course Host

Where do you host your course? Good new is that your options are endless, bad news is that so many options could feel overwhelming. I have reviewed multiple course hosts, for example Coach *Now Podia* Review, to help you get started. There is no host or platform over another, it really comes down to preferences and what you need from the platform. With you many you can start for free, but need to pay for affiliate program for example (which is crusial for your success by the way!).

Also consider user interface, is it simple for student to figure out? Can you provide different languages within your school? This could be an issue if you have lot of international students and bring lot of extra work. Thorough FAQ and ticketing system is great in these cases.

Video, Text, Audio

Is your online course build with video, text, audio or combination of all? Your chosen media dictates how long it takes to create the course and also how much you can charge. Text course is by far the easiest to create for a newbie and a great starting point. Both audio and video seems hard at first for many but I personally think are crucial parts of successful online course. The more personal you get with your students, the better engagement you’ll get. With audio and video, the more you do, better you get. It is ok to not to like listening your own voice! You’ll get used to it in time.

Best course is generally a combination of all three. It brakes up longer courses and provides various ways to learn enabling you to serve various learning styles.

Anytime or Certain Dates

How much interaction do you provide with your course? Can student sign up anytime or on specific date only?

Both have advantages and disadvantages and you could trial both to see which one works best for your audience. Don’t forget to consider which one works best with your life as well! Anytime course is the easiest as you can automation sales funnel to drive traffic. Offering only certain starting dates brings urgency to the purchase which may bring higher return on investment.

You can also drip your course content or offer all classes available right after payment. If you offer longer refund period, dripping content is best way to go. Although refunds are rare events!

Hands off or Hands on

Do students get your time during the course?

Hands off course is often offered anytime and with very little interaction with instructor. You could offer Facebook Group where students can connect with other students and help each other. This does require your time as well even if you do not answer any questions within a group. Managing a group takes time, but also gives students huge benefits. Hands off allows you to lower your course price and hands off course is great starter course early stages of your sales funnel.

Hands on course offers your time, maybe you plan to have weekly Q&A session where you answer students questions live. Live Q&A sessions are great bonuses you can offer on your sales page – these convert really well! You can give support in various way: email, Skype, Facebook group, Live Webinar, Calls, Ticket System and more.  Hands on takes more of your time so add that time to your course price.

Final Words

Creating and selling an online course is exciting and truly transformational business decision to make. A course could transform you business completely and give you total freedom of your time and location. Before you run to make your course, do consider above elements of an online cuorse.