Thinking you’d like to create and sell a course online, but you’re just not able to motivate? I was talking with a friend last night who’s learning the blogging ropes. She’s contemplating whether or not to sell an online course. Her worry is that whatever she wanted to offer has already been done.
This is a common concern. Some people believe there’s just too much work involved with creating a course, or even a digital product, like an ebook, to sell online. It’s also a limiting mindset that you should ditch.
If you’ve got a course tumbling about your brain, make it happen! The teaching materials that you create will bring you residual income for years to come.
I mean, think about it. Why would you NOT want at LEAST a couple thousand in your pocket EVERY year with a course that’s set up to sell automatically online?
Creating a course from scratch will never be a waste of your time.
Worse case scenario, you don’t launch it. But you’ll still have all the content with, to do just about anything with! Sell it to someone else. Post it on your blog. Save it and write a book one day! Launch that course next year.
Whatever you do, JUST START. Just do it.
Here’s the thing. Consider how many times the same old things are sold and resold to people all over the world.
People sell the most ordinary things to eager customers who snatch them up with glee. This goes on year after year. Why?
It’s because the customers end up liking something special about YOU. There’s a need for what you offer (even though the customer might be able to find that thing ANYWHERE else). It’s also because the customers perceive that they’re getting a GREAT deal on something they need.
And… plain and simple. The customers just LIKE you. They like how you do what you do.
I talked recently in a video, and I hate making videos by the way, about McDonald’s and Burger King.
You probably live somewhere near a highway where both of these fast food establishments are located relatively close to each other. Seems crazy, right? Why would you set up shop within shouting distance of the enemy?
And yet you probably order burgers from both of them! I know I do. Maybe one from Mickey D.’s this Tuesday and maybe one from Burger King next week on a Friday. It just depends on your mood. You order from both! We all do. Right?
If McDonald’s and Burger King took a defeatist attitude about selling ordinary things when it’s all been done before, they wouldn’t be the multi billion-dollar food industry giants that they are today.
Okay, Dina. But What’s This Got to Do with My Dream to Create and Sell a Course Online?
A lot, actually. It has to do with believing in what you sell, and then bringing people over to your Believer mindset.
It has to do with not worrying that your customers already bought the course, or that if you set up a course that’s like someone else’s, no one will buy.
What to Create and Sell a Course On? Topic Ideas to Get Your Wheels Turning…
To come with a great idea for your course that you sell, you’re going to want to drill down into your niche. Since I don’t know your niche because I don’t know you yet, I’ll just throw out some topics:
Online business niche:
- How to make money via website
- How to generate affiliate income
- How to home-brew beer
Cooking niche:
- How to decorate cakes
- How to bake perfect pies
DIY niche:
- How to refinish furniture
- How to do DYI crafts
- How to home-brew beer
- How to build things out of wood
Crafting niche:
- How to knit
- How to crochet
- How to quilt
Mental health and relationships niche:
- How to ease stress
- How to get along better with your parents
Parenting niche:
- How to homeschool
- How to teach kids how to ride a bike
Other:
- How to sell your house
- Auto niche: How to flip a car
(The list of ideas just keeps on going! Just ask yourself: what do I know, that others would want to know, too?)
My blogger friend was talking about how she enjoys making crochet patterns. There you go. That’s her next ebook or course! She can start by making a freebie to get people on her list.
How to Create an Opt-in Freebie to Grow Your List and Launch a Course
- The freebie could be a simple tutorial on how to do basic crochet crochet stitches.
- She can get that into a PDF format and set it up so that people automatically receive the file when they sign up for her email.
- Meanwhile, she’s put the giveaway up on her website and then she starts writing in designing the patterns for the course.
You can do this for your own business, too.
Have I sparked any ideas for you? Create the course or ebook as you’re growing your list. Keep your readers updated with what’s happening. You can get them excited bit by bit, over time.
Maybe your course is about gardening. You can tell them that you’re working on some details for how to overwinter cold weather loving plants like kale, or how to start seeds in February.
All you have to do is check in with your list, the same way that you check in on social media and let people know what’s going on. Interest and anticipation grows as your course material grows.
Creating the Written Portion of Your Course
It’s super easy to create the written portion of your course in Microsoft Word. Start with an outline, like this:
- Come up with a topic that will help your target reader solve a problem.
- Write out the main idea.
- Write out seven supporting points that refine the idea.
- Beneath each of your seven points, list out five to seven supporting points to expand on.
- Continue to build out the written portion of your course in sections, as explained.
- Add course elements: a Table of Contents, tips in the sidebar, checklists, goal sheets and questionnaires.
If you want to get fancy, film a video to go along with it. Or forget the video. You’re totally in control of how much you include in your course and what you charge for it.
You can makeup assignments for your readers to do as part of your course. Put them in their own documents. Students can download, work on the material, and email their completed work back for you to comment on.
Add some images to everything and brand the course material with your special fonts and logo. Use Canva to do this.
When you’re satisfied with the way your course or ebook reads and is presented, upload it to a platform like Teachable, Shopify or Wix.
You can also set up your course to sell using PayPal, email, and your blog. After the PayPal order goes through, configure the tech so that the purchaser of said course is routed to a private page of your site that contains a download link. Also include a sign-up form on this page, that your course buyer can enter their info to receive additional information, and a reminder to download their link to the course or ebook, via email.
Create and Sell Your Course on Teachable.
I love Teachable because everything is integrated there. You log in as the course creator. Then you get your own store link that you share with your audience. If your readers are interested, they can sign up for your latest course via their own login area.
Once payment processes, they’ll be on the inside of your special learning area or school on Teachable. Now they have the very same course materials that you created accessible from their own member account.
It’s incredible. It’s so easy and yet what stops you? Focus, direction?
Give yourself the gift of passive income. Launch and sell a course online!
Make plans to write and design a course. If you’re stuck on the written content part, remember, that’s exactly what I create for customers to edit and turn into teaching materials!
Don’t think that it’s already been done. Somebody out there is going to look at you and say hey, I really like that person. He or she seems special and I want to learn and master what she knows.
If you decide to create a course, email me. I love to hear what my friends are up to in the online business world. Got a great affiliate program? Let me know!
Thanks for being on my list! Let’s all profit and help each other in Q4.