Whether you’re wanting to share something about your expertise or just scratch an itch, there is one
place with lots of potential: the Internet. Learning how to create an online course is a rewarding way to
connect with others and share your knowledge. However, if you’ve never created an online course
before, it can seem like a daunting task?especially when you think about the expert skills that are
required. This article breaks down the ten most important steps of building an online course.
How to choose a topic
Assuming you have an area of expertise, the first step is to choose a topic for your online course. This
can be something you?re already teaching in person or something new that you want to learn more
about and share with others.
When choosing a topic, it?s important to consider your audience and what they hope to gain from taking
your course. For example, if you?re an experienced baker looking to teach amateurs, you might focus on
topics like baking basics, working with different doughs, or how to decorate cakes.
Another important consideration is the format of your course. Do you want to include videos? Audio
recordings? Written lectures? A combination of all three? Knowing the format will help you determine
the best way to deliver your material and what topics will work best.
Finally, make sure the topic you choose is something you?re passionate about. Teaching can be time
consuming and require a lot of effort, so it?s important to choose a subject matter that interests and
excites you. Once you have a general idea of what you want to teach, it?s time to start planning your
course!
Create content for your course
Creating high-quality content for your online course can be a daunting task, but it’s important to
remember that your students are counting on you to provide them with valuable information that will
help them succeed.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when creating content for your course:
- Make sure your content is well researched and accurate. Your students will be relying on you for
accurate information, so it’s important to make sure that your content is up to date and correct. - Keep your audience in mind. When creating content, always keep your target audience in mind and
tailor your material accordingly. - Be clear and concise. It’s important to be as clear and concise as possible when creating content for
your course. Students should be able to understand and follow your material without difficulty. - Use multimedia where appropriate. Adding images, videos, or other forms of media can help bring
your content to life and make it more engaging for students. Just be sure not to overdo it – too much
multimedia can be distracting and difficult to follow. - Organize your course material in an easy-to-follow format. Breaking down your course material into
manageable chunks will make
Develop your promotional plan
Assuming you have a course ready to go, or are close to having one finished, the next step is to develop
a promotional plan. This will be key in getting people excited about your course and enrolling when it?s
time.
There are a few facets to any good promotional plan: - Social media outreach
- Creating a landing page
- Reaching out to your network
- Offering a free trial or mini-course
- Creating an email marketing campaign
- Investing in paid advertising
- Hosting a webinar or live event
- Participating in relevant online communities
- Guest blogging on other sites
- Speaking at conferences or meetups
- Writing articles or creating videos for your blog or website
- Offering exclusive content for course members
13 Doing joint ventures and cross-promotions with other complementary businesses
Each of these activities should be given its own budget and timeline so you can track results and ROI
(return on investment). And as you execute each task, be sure to document what worked well so you
can replicate your success in future courses and promotions
Find a platform to sell your course
When it comes to creating and selling an online course, one of the first things you need to do is find a
suitable platform to host your content. This can be a challenge in itself, as there are many different
types of platforms out there with their own unique set of features and price points.
One popular option for hosting online courses is Teachable. Teachable is a massive online learning
marketplace that offers a wide variety of courses on all sorts of topics. You can create and sell your
course on Teachable without any upfront costs, and they take a commission of each sale you make. Also
if you your looking to get the plans at the best discounted price, use the coupons and deals from here.
Another popular option is Skillshare.com. Skillshare is similar to Teachable in that it?s an online
marketplace for courses, but it operates on a membership basis instead of individual course sales. This
means that people who want to take your course will need to sign up for a Skillshare membership in
order to access it. Skillshare takes a percentage of each membership sale, so you?ll need to factor that
into your pricing if you go this route.
There are also several smaller, niche-focused platforms that may be worth considering depending on the
topic of your course. For example, if you
Conclusion
Congratulations! You’ve made it through my article on how to build an online course from scratch. By
now, you should have a pretty good understanding of what goes into creating an online course and be
well on your way to putting together your own masterpiece. Remember to keep the following in mind as
you build your course: make sure the content is engaging and relevant, design attractive and user-
friendly graphics, and don’t forget to market your course so that people can find it. With a little hard
work and dedication, you’ll be able to create an online course that will help you achieve your goals ?
whatever they may be.
