How to Sell Your Online Course

Choose Your Topic

The first important step you need to take to create your course is to pick a topic to teach others. Not only does this need to be something you are knowledgeable on but it needs to be in high enough demand. What subject do you want to teach and what subject do people want to learn about? You can choose from a wide variety of topics.

Are you skilled in technology? Do you have a passion for art or writing? Maybe you’ve been in the business world for years, maybe decades and you have knowledge you want to share with other aspiring entrepreneurs that will make them successful. Bring your passion for wellness, fitness, math or science to your online course and your students.

Within these topics you will want to narrow down your scope to really dig into a niche market that will have a market for your product. Look into your niche and create subtopics within it to better understand what your research in the next step will look like.

Research and Outline Your Course

Once you have narrowed down on your subject, you are ready to move onto the next step which is to research this topic. You can do this online and also offline depending on your subject of choice. Some tips that will help with this research is to break down

your topic into refined searches. Make a list using keywords that will help your top searches better reflect what you are looking for. Digging through various pages will get difficult if you are unable to refine the searches. Once you have your sources, make sure that you are using credible websites for your information.

Organizing all of this information can be difficult to do. The best way to do this is to take all your information and separate it into chapters like a book. Every section should go in depth about the subtopic. Organizing these sections in chronological order will help your audience better follow your course and make their learning easier. Before you dive into any chapters, make sure you include a section in the beginning that will include a table of contents so your audience will know what your course will cover.

Create Your Content

Once you have your outline and your information, you have to create your content! This will be a quick overview on what you need to consider while filming your content. For a more in depth explanation check out our comprehensive guide.

You will need to have the proper equipment to film your course which will consist of many different items. First, a good camera is necessary for your filming, there are many different options for cameras that you can use for videos. Next is lighting, having poor lighting will bring down the overall quality of your videos. Professional studio lighting can be found online. There are lots of options you have from ring lights to more professional lighting kits.

The audio is another very important part of your video. If your audience has to focus extra hard to hear your lessons through background noise, your content will not be easy to use for your viewers. There are different types of microphones you can use. Make sure to also test out different locations for filming to get the best audio quality.

Video editing software will be your best friend after filming your content. Get rid of awkward pauses and include useful transitions with the help of your editing software. Make sure to find an easy to use tool for this if you don’t have experience editing videos.

Look at Platform Options

Your course will have to be somewhere online. Having your course be accessible online is very important for your users to find you. You have many options that will help you customize, save money, and have added features. This section will go over all-in-one, marketplace, and self hosted platforms.

The first is an all-in-one online platform designed with creators like you in mind. This type of platform is designed to have everything you need, not just to create your course but to manage your website successfully. These platforms are designed to host your videos either integrated on your website or they will provide you with a website. One option for an all in one platform is Yondo. They offer the ability to sell your videos as a membership service, one time purchase, or pay per view rental. This platform has built in marketing options so that you work on your business all in one place. Not only do you have access to a wide range of integrations but you have full control over your brand.

The next is a marketplace platform built to sell online courses. These marketplaces put a variety of courses on the same platform allowing users to browse through courses and providers. They are a good way to generate leads that can drive up your users. There are options that you have over the learning experience you offer and pricing but they are more limited than the next option.

Self hosted online courses can be a good option if you are ready to create and sell your course and keep all of your revenue. Although you are in charge of every aspect of your business including marketing and coding, you will get to keep all of your revenue. This option also allows you to keep full control of your branding and student learning experience.

Choose Your Platform

Remember, there is no single best online course platform. There is only the best type of platform for you and your business. When you make the important decision that is choosing your platform remember what it is that you want. Having a business objective and goal will help you identify your needs and narrow down your choices.

Decide On Course Pricing

Now that you have your content and platform, what do you price your online course? There are three ways that viewers can watch your videos and you can price your courses. There is a one-time purchase for lifetime access, monthly subscriptions, and pay-per-view. These are different types of payment that you can offer your audience.

This is a common hurdle that every course creator finds themselves in front of. The goal of your pricing is to find the price that will maximize your profits. Pricing too high will result in less buyers and pricing too low will make sure that you don't receive your profits. Finding the sweet spot of pricing takes some educated guesswork as well as some research into the competition. Some online courses go from $50-$200.

What are some other online courses that are offered in your subject? How much time did you spend on your brand and course? What is the income level of the target audience for your course? These are questions that will help you figure out how to price your course.

Launch Your Online Course

Now that your course is ready, launch it to the public! You will need to tell friends and family about your new course. Utilizing social media is also a great way to get the word out. Don’t forget to use your network to spread the news about your new online course.

If you want to offer a free trial to a small number of your target audience you can get feedback more easily. Once you have a launch with an audience, use the feedback that you get to better your product and learning experience.

Increase Your Value

You can always make your product better and increase revenue. One great way to do this and make more money on your course is offering additional products for your viewers. These are called upsells! This business strategy creates more opportunities for your viewers to purchase another product from your business.

Yondo offers a call-to-action panel that you can include at the ends of your online courses. Some easy upsells that you can offer along with your course are 1-to-1 sessions or the opportunity to attend a webinar. Offering group sessions is another great opportunity to offer your viewers. These are high value products that your viewers will be tempted to purchase.

Market Your Course

Building your online course is just half the journey of making sure that your course is a successful one. In order to attract customers you have to market to your target audience. This not only builds awareness but it will also build relationships with your customers and encourage them to engage with your business.

Make sure that your website has a sales page. This will inform customers of your course and persuade them to join in on the learning. You also will want to build your email list and use it as a marketing tool. Using your website, you will have your customers' emails to market to. Make your customers aware of new products, discounts, and other services through this strategy.

Social media is also another way to send traffic to your business. Create socials on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, and more to easily communicate with your audience. You can also expand brand awareness using social media marketing. Having accounts will not only serve as a way for you to communicate with your customers but it will allow for your customers to send feedback directly to you.

Conclusion

Just to recap the steps to create your online course:

1. Choose your topic. Remember to consider what people want to learn about.
2. Research and outline your course. Having an outline for your course will make it
3. easy to follow.
4. Create your content. Film and edit the videos you will be selling and make sure they are good quality.
5. Look at platform options. There are various types of platforms you can choose
6. from so do your research.
7. Choose your platform. Make sure your platform offers what you want.
8. Decide on your price. Remember that most online courses range from $50 to $200.
9. Launch your course. Don’t forget to spread the news.
10. Increase your value. Upsell and offer more to your customers always!
11. Market your course. The success of your business relies on your marketing efforts long term.

Now that you know what steps to take, go and create your course. The market is booming and you should cash in on the opportunity.