Published by Allen Brown
Today there are more opportunities than ever to expand your knowledge and learn about different fields through online resources. More people are interested in investing their time and money in online courses that allow them to seek specific insight from field experts, especially if they learn about it in a fun, dynamic way. We assume that you’re interested in sharing what you’ve learned with years of experience and study with the world. In that case, you can create and market your online course with these 7 tips in mind to place yourself as a voice of authority in the subject and get additional revenue by catering to this rising demand.
1. Choose What You Want to Teach
Whether you’ll choose a topic that friends and family resort to you for advice or help whenever they encounter it, or you’re willing to seek feedback from them to know what could be the ideal course topic to focus on is up to you. You will still need to test the waters by looking at what other people are already doing and see if others have already emulated your online course idea. That way, you’re more likely to have people interested in what you have to add on the matter.
2. Do your Research
The next step is to gather as much information as possible for your online course. You can either choose a broad subject to tackle for your first time or try to delve a bit deeper into a specific issue. However, you must have a clear understanding of the topic. Find reliable sources in papers and websites, search particular keywords to see what results come up, and look up other webinars to understand better what new angle you can contribute to the audience.
3. Develop your Course’s Curriculum
Once you have come up with a general plan for your course, it’s time to create a curriculum to divide each lesson. This will be the outline you will use to start making the actual content and what you’ll present to your potential students on your online course’s description. If you’ve already written or shared content relevant to the course, you can rely on that material to start tailoring the lessons and not having to start from scratch. Always go back to your sources when needed and choose a specific medium for teaching your course.
4. Think about the Course’s Content
Your course’s actual content should follow the original structure you came up with and present ideas. Most people prefer uploading videos due to the visual impact, and it doesn’t require expensive equipment to achieve a great result. You can try recording yourself several times and try different approaches for your lessons before settling with one method, especially if this is your first time creating an online course. Other forms can serve as a great complement to what you’re trying to teach, like podcasts and even blog posts.
5. Set your Online Course Live
Your material is ready, and you’re looking for a way to host your online course easily. When it comes to course creation tools, you can choose two learning platforms and start by comparing the two to see which one fits your needs. Evaluate the site’s interface, plans, and options to interact with your students, and see how you can upload and mark assignments and quizzes and share additional resources to cover any doubts that may appear. In most cases, you may need to pay a small fee to use the premium features of these platforms. However, the initial investments you’re making for your online course should be expected.
6. Create a Marketing Strategy for your Online Course
Sharing through your about your plans for an online course is a good way to start gaining attention towards its release. If you have a strong network, it’s the best method you can use to start spreading the word around. You can also rely on other marketing techniques by optimizing the course’s site for search engine queries, paying for advertisements, and collaborating with other content creators to promote your class with them.
7. Keep Track of your Course Performance
Once your course is out in the wild, you can ask your students for additional feedback once they’ve completed the course on what you could do to improve the experience. You can check on how many people have signed up for the course, answer questions on the platform and continue engaging with the online course to create a community interested in the subject at hand.
If you’re thinking about creating an online course, the options are limitless. However, you need to find the perfect balance between what your audience is asking for and what areas you know best and feel comfortable teaching other people.