In a recent blog post, we covered why creating an online course is so beneficial. So now let’s get straight to the how.

Ready to finally turn that possibility into a reality? Here are your top 6 tips to get started.

#1. PICK YOUR TOPIC OR TOPICS

Not surprisingly, one of the first steps is determining what your course is going to be about. The best way to do that is to think about what the learning outcomes are going to be.

What do you want your audience to gain from your course? What value are you able to provide to your audience that others can’t?

Can’t decide on just one? Great! Keep track of them all for future projects!

#2. ENSURE MARKET DEMAND

Do people care? Do some research to figure out if there is an audience interested in your topic.

It’s also essential to see if there is already an online course on your same subject. If there is, how can you differentiate yourself?

What unique viewpoint can you add to the conversation? If your topic is already covered extensively and there isn’t much more you can add, maybe it’s time to go back to the drawing board and find a new topic. It’s harder to stand out in a saturated environment.

#3. OUTLINE YOUR CONTENT

Alright, so you’ve got a solid topic, and you have an understanding of what you want your audience to learn from this content. Next, it’s time to outline.

START SIMPLE

Break down each section into easily digestible fragments—no need to cover every last detail just yet. Once you have a simple outline that accurately breaks down every aspect of your chosen topic, you can get into the details.

THE NITTY-GRITTY

What exactly are you going to be covering in each section? Put a good amount of thought into it.

There’s nothing worse than getting through a few hours of production only to realize you forgot a key concept.

Start by jotting down everything you can think of without worrying about style or brevity. Get it all out of your mind and onto paper or a doc, and don’t stop until you’re confident you’ve covered everything.

Once you’ve got it all out of your brain, you can worry about the style and how you’d like to present all this information.

FORMAT

When you picture your online class coming to life, what does it look like? Do you see yourself behind the camera? Or at a mic? Maybe you have ideas for downloadable PDFs and reading material.

Whatever you want to do is great! Just determine how you want to disperse your knowledge and create a solid game plan before moving into production.

You honestly can’t be too prepared.

#4. PRODUCTION

So you’ve planned and prepped and edited your outline and then planned some more. Now it’s time for production.

Some things to consider when preparing for production:

– Who will be involved in the shooting process?

– What equipment will you need?

– Where will you shoot?

– How long will you spend shooting?

– Who will edit all of the footage/audio into cohesive and engaging modules?

– Who will transform your information into engaging reading materials?  

We wish we could give you all of these answers. But the truth is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for all of these.

Your class is unique! So the production of it will be equally unique. The good thing, though, is that after you figure it all out, it’ll only get easier and easier the next time around.

Listen here as Jodi Wellman talks about her online course production process with INDIRAP:

#5. DETERMINE PRICING AND DISTRIBUTION METHODS

So you have your final product; it’s been edited to perfection, and you’re ready to show it to the world. Now what?

Before you can put it out there, you’ve gotta figure out its worth and where you’d like to publish it. As you can imagine, there’s a lot that goes into this process.

FIGURE OUT YOUR GOALS

First, we recommend you determine what your main goal for this online course is. Are you primarily looking to make money? Are you hoping to generate leads? Or establish yourself as a leader in your industry?

All are absolutely achievable, but some platforms are better suited than others to help you reach them.

If your goal is to make that money, it’s best to price your course to its highest value and find a platform that will take fewer royalties.

There’s a certain value that automatically comes from higher-priced courses. Students are more likely to assume the content is better, and they have a higher likelihood of finishing the course.

Suppose your goal is to generate solid leads or position yourself as a leader. In that case, you have more flexibility to lower your prices a bit.

On top of that, it may help to utilize platforms that are built to get your course out there.

You may make a bit less from the course, but you’ll have more leads and a larger audience of viewers who hold you and your knowledge in high regard.

The best part about pricing is you can always…

#6. MONITOR AND ADJUST

Keep a sharp eye on your analytics and use that knowledge to your advantage.

Yes. The hard part is over, and we know it’s tempting to publish your online course and just sit back as the profits flow in.

But trust us, diligence will pay off in the long run. Monitor your analytics, see if people are actually finishing your course, and actually ask people what they think!

These insights will not only help you determine if your current course price or content needs to be adjusted, but it will serve you for any courses you create in the future.

SO WHAT NEXT?

Wherever you’re at in the process, we hope this helps you realize that your goal of creating an online course is within reach.

Take each element step by step, enlist help where you can, market it properly, and you’ll have a successful, income generating online course in no time.