In the last year or so, online courses have experienced something of a perfect storm. Combining the population’s increasing dependence on video with their desire for cost-effective learning opportunities, topped off with the heaps of free time that quarantining has provided.

People have been bored, antsy, and anxious to spend their time productively. Making the possibility to learn a new skill from the safety and comfort of their couch too good to pass up.

We’re not going to pretend that successfully developing, producing, and marketing an Online Course is simple. Like writing a book, it requires massive amounts of focus, thought, time, and attention to detail. In order to do it well, at least. And before we dive into the “how” we’ve gotta talk about the “why”.

Your time is valuable. Why should you invest it in the challenge that comes with developing a online course? Let’s discuss.

ONLINE COURSES EARN $$$

Probably one of the most obvious benefits of a online course is their potential to generate profits. They’re a passive income stream, meaning once you’ve put in the work upfront, it can continue to produce revenue even while you sleep. If you invest the time and effort into making it great and actually providing value to your audience, it will pay off in droves.

CREDIBILITY THROUGH THE ROOF

Stop looking to the side to find a role model to follow in the path of. Become that role model. You know your shit, you’ve worked hard, and no matter who you are you have a unique view point. Your insights are valuable! Don’t keep them to yourself.

RINSE AND REPEAT

The first online class you create is going to be the most challenging. But once you have one created, and have mastered the format it’s easily scalable and duplicatable. You’ll realize it can be applied to any topic and from there you can develop more while honing in on the process each time.

STRENGTHEN YOUR FUNNEL

An online class is a great way to build your warm audience. Once people take your course, they are in your funnel. They know who you are, you’ve established yourself as credible, and they’ll be more likely to use more of your services.

SO WHAT NEXT?

Just like most good things in life, developing an online course takes time. Sure, you can lean your iPhone against some books, press play, and spit knowledge for hours.

But put that course next to a course on the same topic that was shot with the best audio, lighting, scripting, and editing and it’s game over.

In Part 2 we’ll dive deeper into what steps you need to take to build your online course from an idea to a profit-generating machine.