How to Launch Your First Online Course
Building and launching your first online course might seem like a formidable mission at first. Don’t worry! In this article, we will help you break it down into smaller and more manageable chunks.
Read on for a step-by-step guide to get your course up and running!
Stuck trying to find an idea for your first online course? Check out the "How to Find an Online Course Idea" article we wrote about it, will help you brainstorm that idea.
Have a solid course idea
You should always only go to the battlefield fully armed — the same logic applies when you launch your first online course. The starting point is crucial yet often overlooked where most people fail. Here are a few questions to get you started:
- What is the key issue that your course aims to solve?
- How long will it take your customers to achieve the course objective?
- How much time and effort will you need to invest into the course?
- Is there a high demand in the market for the topic of this course?
If you struggle to find a good idea for your first online course, check out the article we wrote about it.
Once you already develop a strong idea, the next step is to materialize it!
Plan the course content
In order to persuade new learners to subscribe to your course, it is essential to have a clear curriculum or agenda of the course content from day one. You will also be doing yourself a favor, as this will help you add more content with ease later on without making the organization of the content jumbled up.
You can divide the course into digestible blocks and chapters. This way, prospective learners can easily track the progress and see tangible outcomes of what they will learn. Clear objectives will help motivate your learners to follow the course until the end.
Prepare your course materials
To get your course up and ready, think of which materials you will need. Recorded videos, presentations, quizzes, handouts and end-of-chapter exams are all necessary to facilitate learning. Your course offering can be basic at first, but it doesn’t mean that you have to compromise on the quality!
It’s easy to get started with [link some free resources or software]. Check to see if your videos are properly recorded with clear audio, bright lighting and visually captivating contents and animations.
Attract your first learners
Marketing does not start when your course is already out in the wild. It’s always indefinitely better to have a line of eager first subscribers waiting for your launching day.
You can gather your first learners by asking them to sign up for your newsletter. They will become the first to be informed when your course is out. In order to attract sign-ups, one popular tactic is to offer a special early bird discount that will incentivize the first customers to enroll in the course.
In addition, you can also provide a free sneak-peek and send out freebies while you are in the middle of building the course. It can be as simple as a practice worksheet, a chapter summary, a few screenshots of the course platform, or a video of you giving tips and advice on a relevant topic. Pick out a material that is eye-catching, approachable, and easy to digest.
Set the price
A wise pricing tactic that you should adopt is value-based pricing, in which pricing should not be based on hours spent recording but on the value that the customer will get.
You can choose from a variety of schemes on how to price your courses, such as time-based subscription (weekly, monthly, yearly), or complete packages with varying levels of content.
Furthermore, you can also offer combos of multiple packages at the same time, or a discount if a learner chooses to proceed with a more advanced course down the line.
Build a sales page
A sales page is a tremendously powerful marketing tool that will make a potential learner decide to pay for your course or not. Be concise, straight to the point and consistent.
A basic sales page should include the following components:
- A catchphrase that introduces your course
- A description of course content (1-2 paragraphs)
- A curriculum outline
- A brief profile of you as the instructor
- Testimonials from your past learners
- FAQs
- A call to action button
Your sales copy should be very specific regarding your target audience and benefits from the course. Try asking yourself these key questions in order to build a persona for your ideal customer:
- Is your learner a beginner, or relatively well-versed in the topic?
- What are their demographics i.e their age group, location, needs etc?
- Who is NOT your target audience?
Once you have narrowed down and crafted a detailed persona, it will be much easier to understand your customer. You will be able to write a persuasive sales page that makes perfect sense to them as to why they should subscribe to your course.
For the design, you should stick to a color scheme that creates brand consistency. Texts should be in a clear font and a dark color as well as broken down into large headers and clear paragraphs.
Find a good platform/distribution channel
We cannot emphasize enough the importance of finding the right launching platform. This initial platform can determine how much traffic your course will get when it is first launched. It’s key to make the registration process and access a breeze for your learners.
Try out our platform for free! With high-quality videos and secure payments, We will help you grow your online course in no time. You can also access detailed user analysis and have an increased revenue as you sell one-on-one lessons.
