Learn how to create and sell online courses with our guide for beginners. With the adoption of AI tools like Coursebox AI, it's now easier than ever to create and sell a course online.
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Selling courses online is a profitable business venture. However, it’s not as easy as it seems. To craft a successful online course that sells, you must first plan it carefully.
In this article, we'll teach you how to create courses online with the help of AI-powered platforms like Coursebox AI and market them properly. Without further ado, let's learn how to create and sell online courses and make a passive income.
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When creating a course online, choose something that will be helpful for a long time, not just a trend that fades. Think about what people always need, like growing in their careers or building better connections.
Pro tip: Asking your audience what they want can guide you. Their feedback will help you make the course better, and the topic will stay relevant, no matter how much time passes.
Before jumping into creating your online course, spend time learning about your audience. Knowing them and what they need will help you make a course that truly helps them. Talk to them, see what problems they face, and understand what goals they want to achieve.
To achieve this, use tools like Google Trends, check out Reddit, or even ask people directly. Keep things casual, offer your course for free later as a thank-you, and use this information to build a course that’s helpful and easy to promote.
Now it’s time to pick where to host your course online. Here's a breakdown of different types of platforms and what they offer:
When choosing a platform, think about these questions:
Pro tip: Don’t get stuck overthinking your choice. The most important part is the content of your course. If a platform doesn’t work out, you can always switch later.
First, think about what you want your students to achieve. What's your learning goal? What's your learning objective?
For instance, a learning goal could be improving your English, while a learning objective could be being able to spot tricky words that sound similar in English and Spanish, learn new words for everyday conversations, and use different tenses correctly.
These goals will guide you as you build your course.
Create a course outline:
Next, make a simple outline of your course. This helps you organize your content and ensures a smooth flow for your students. Your outline should include:
Create the content:
Now it’s time to dive into creating the actual course material. If you have old content you’ve used before, don’t hesitate to repurpose it! Here's our list of possible ideas for types of content:
Pro tip: When outlining your content, think like a student. What do they need to learn? Start with the end goal and work backward to build your lessons.
Break down content into modules and lessons:
Decide how much content you want to include and how many lessons you’ll need. Here’s how to create training modules on a certain topic and organize them:
MODULE 1: Setting a content strategy
Lesson 1: Define your goals for creating content
Lesson 2: Identify who your audience is
Lesson 3: Map out your customer journey
Lesson 4: Check out your competitors
Lesson 5: Choose the types of content you’ll use
MODULE 2: Writing content that converts
Lesson 1: Pick the right topics
Lesson 2: Research and plan your content
Lesson 3: Write a catchy introduction
Lesson 4: Create engaging content
Lesson 5: Edit your work efficiently
Keep going until you have a clear outline for each module and lesson. Each lesson should guide students with clear steps, information, and exercises. Setting learning objectives for each lesson helps students understand what they’ll gain.
Determine the course formats:
Think about how you want to present your course. For a short, free course, you might stick to text and images. For longer, paid courses, use a mix of formats to keep students interested. Some options include:
Pro tip: Keep videos under 10 minutes and focus on creating actionable content. Research what formats others use, and consider asking your future students what they prefer.
To make a great online course, keep it short—about 45 minutes is ideal.
Short courses have higher completion rates because they provide quick and clear information. Focus on what your audience wants to learn, and make it simple.
If you're starting, stick to easy, bite-sized lessons. As you gain experience, you can create longer courses later.
If you don’t have the time to create a course yourself, don’t fret! Coursebox AI, one of the best AI tools for teachers, makes building your online course super simple. Just type in a few keywords about your topic, and the AI will whip up a complete course outline for you, including:
This can save you a lot of time compared to starting from scratch, helping you create your course much faster.
You can change the course structure as needed or ask Coursebox for a fresh outline to see what works best. This can really get your creative juices flowing!
Once you have your outline, Coursebox can even write draft content for each lesson. This takes care of one of the most time-consuming parts of creating a course. With just a click, you can get the material and then tweak it to fit your voice. This way, you stay in control while letting AI do some of the heavy lifting.
Adding engaging videos, images, and slides is a breeze. Coursebox makes it easy to enhance your course with visuals.
A cool feature is that you can preview your course as if you were a student. This lets you check the learning experience before you publish it.
When everything looks good, you can publish your course however you want—whether that's making it public, private, or paid. Coursebox gives you the flexibility to choose who can access your course.
You can also download your course as a PDF or HTML file. This way, students can read it anywhere, even without the internet. They can print it out if they like having a physical copy and can highlight or take notes like they would in a regular book.
As you can see, with AI, course creation becomes a lot more manageable and creative. The best part? It’s free! Explore our pricing plans and see what Coursebox AI can do for you today!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj6Psmg3zVQ&ab_channel=Coursebox
Before you dive deep into creating your full course, it’s smart to test if people want it. You can do this by creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), which is a simpler version of your course.
Create a mini-course:
Mini-courses take less than two hours to complete because they're short and focused. Here's how to turn broader topics into mini-courses:
Main course: Marketing for Startups
Main course: Writing a Nonfiction Essay
Main course: Photography Basics
Creating a mini-course lets you display your knowledge and can even use the content you’ve already created, like blog posts or newsletters. Plus, it gives you a sense of whether there’s interest in your bigger course.
Host a free webinar:
Another great way to test your course idea is by hosting a free webinar. This is a fun way to share valuable information and interact with potential students.
During the webinar, give helpful insights about your topic, and ask participants for their feedback on what they liked and what else they want to know. This feedback can guide you in developing your final course.
When deciding how much to charge for your online course, think about what kind of course it is. Mini-courses can be free or low-cost, while multi-day courses usually have a moderate price, and masterclasses often cost the most.
Consider your audience: how much can they pay? Also, factor in your marketing expenses and your expertise. Check out the prices of similar courses to make sure your price is fair.
Setting a sales goal can also help: For example, if you want to make $50,000, you could charge $20 and aim for 2,500 buyers, or price it at $250 and look for 200 buyers instead.
Pro tip: A lower price may attract more buyers, but it can also require more marketing to get the word out. It’s often better to set a price that reflects the value of your course, making it easier for satisfied customers to share it with their friends.
Once your course is ready, it's time to let people know about it! Here's how to sell a course online:
Remember, marketing your online course may take a bit of experimenting. Start with a few of these strategies, see what works, and focus on those.
Pro tip: Don’t forget to share positive reviews from happy customers. Their feedback can encourage others to sign up!
After someone buys your course, your job isn't done. Selling the course is just the beginning. Now, you need to ensure a great learning experience for your students.
Happy students can lead to more opportunities for you, like offering them:
Many course creators think they can sell a course and move on. But by staying in touch and going the extra mile, you can turn students into loyal fans. When they love your course, they’re more likely to share it with friends and leave positive reviews, which can help attract new students.
To get feedback and testimonials, ask your students about their experiences.
Also, remember that feedback isn’t just about getting compliments. Use positive comments to understand what works well and listen to constructive criticism to improve parts of your course that might not be hitting the mark.
To wrap things up, selling online courses is a smart, low-cost business idea with a lot of benefits. First, they’re scalable—once you create the course, you can sell it to as many people as you want with no extra effort. It’s all digital, so you don't have to worry about inventory or shipping.
Also, online courses have high margins, meaning most of the money from your sales is profit. And once the course is up, it can generate passive income with minimal upkeep.
That being said, if you’ve got valuable skills or knowledge, why not share it with others and make money in the process? Book a demo of Coursebox AI today and create your first course in less than a day!
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