How to Create an Online Course and Start Earning

The demand for authentic and credible courses is extremely high, and research shows it’ll keep growing.

In fact, by 2026, the global eLearning market is expected to reach $375 billion, up from less than $200 billion in 2019.

This shows that starting an online course business is a fantastic way to earn an income flexibly and impactfully.

But how do you create your online course and start earning from it? I’m going to show you.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to:

1. Choose a profitable course niche

2. Identify your ideal clients

3. Structure your online course

4. Choose a course format

5. Create the course content

6. Choose the right course platform

7. Price your course

8. Launch your course

9. Market your course

10. Gather feedback to improve your course

Sounds great? Keep reading…

10 Steps to Create a Profitable Online Course

In this section, I’ll explain the ten steps you can follow to set up and start earning from your online course.

Let’s get started.

1. Choose a Profitable Course Niche

The success of your business relies heavily on the content – it’s the core product and must be valuable and useful.

To sell courses, you need a compelling course topic.

Can any course topic be successful?

Yes, there are courses in nearly every niche imaginable. You’ll find topics ranging from building tiny homes, baking, and calligraphy to yoga, losing weight with spices, spirituality, becoming a polyglot, personal finance, saving money on Disneyland trips, and earning flight points.

However, to stand out in a crowded market, you need a niche that is both unique and profitable. Here’s how to find the perfect course topic for you:

Step 1: Identify Your Skills

Start with what you know. Look at your experience, whether it’s a skill you’ve honed in your day job or a hobby you’re passionate about.

For instance, if you work in customer service and want to create a course on customer success management, analyze existing courses in this field, especially best-sellers, to identify gaps you can fill. This gives you a solid foundation to build on.

Think about what you love to do in your free time. This passion can guide you to your course topic. However, don’t rush in just yet. You need to ensure there’s a demand for your course.

Step 2: Assess Market Demand

Not all course topics are profitable. To determine if your skill or hobby can make money, start with market research.

Explore what types of courses others are offering and at what price. Use platforms like Reddit or social media to see what questions people in your niche are asking.

This helps you understand the needs and interests of your potential audience.

Another effective strategy is to offer coaching or consulting services related to your topic. This hands-on experience allows you to understand your audience better while getting paid.

Your course needs to solve a problem for your customers. It doesn’t have to be a new problem, but it should address an existing issue in a better, faster, or more cost-effective way.

Examples of Successful Course Topics

Career Development
Dating
Fitness
Photography
Entrepreneurship
Marketing
Writing
Cooking

You can create online courses on virtually any topic, but there must be a market for it. Conduct thorough research and ensure your course offers unique value to your audience.

2. Identify Your Ideal Clients

Identifying your ideal clients is crucial.

You need to know who will benefit most from your course. Consider demographics, interests, and the specific problems they face that your course can solve.

This will help tailor your content and marketing efforts effectively.

Here’s how you can identify your ideal clients

Create a Buyer Persona

Develop detailed buyer personas that represent your ideal clients. Include information such as age, gender, occupation, education level, interests, and online behavior.

The more detailed your personas, the better you can tailor your content.

Understand Pain Points

Identify the challenges and pain points your ideal clients face.

What problems are they looking to solve?

How can your course provide the solutions they need?

This understanding will guide your course content and marketing messages.

Segment Your Audience

Not all learners are the same. Segment your audience into different groups based on their specific needs and preferences.

For instance, beginners may require a different approach compared to advanced learners.

Engage Directly

Interact with potential clients through social media, email, and surveys. Ask them about their goals, challenges, and what they are looking for in a course.

Use this feedback to refine your course concept.

3. Structure Your Course

With your topic in hand, it’s time to structure your online course. You can start by creating an instructional design storyboard.

An instructional design storyboard helps you visualize the flow of your course and ensures that each lesson builds on the previous one.

This is particularly important for complex topics that require a step-by-step approach.

Your storyboard should include the key milestones or learning objectives for each module, and the specific lessons that will help students achieve these milestones.

Once your storyboard is complete, flesh it out into a detailed course outline.

This should include the title and description of each module and lesson, as well as any supporting materials or activities.

Be sure to structure your content in a way that is logical and easy to follow. For linear topics, this means creating a clear progression from one module to the next.

For non-linear topics, organize your content into areas of mastery, allowing students to choose the modules that are most relevant to their needs.

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4. Choose the Course Format

The format of your course is secondary to the results it offers. Focus on delivering a clear learning objective and goal.

Think about how your students will best absorb and retain the information you are teaching. For many topics, video is the most engaging and effective format.

It allows you to demonstrate concepts visually and create a more personal connection with your students.

However, video production can be time-consuming and expensive, so you might start with a simpler format like audio recordings or text-based lessons combined with downloadable PDFs.

Also, consider the interactivity of your course. Including quizzes, assignments, and discussion forums can enhance the learning experience and help students apply what they’ve learned.

Think about the types of activities that would best support your learning objectives and engage your students.

5. Create the Course Content

Start creating your course content, but don’t finalize everything before selling it. Create the first module and then develop the rest as your first students progress.

This approach allows you to tailor the course to your students’ needs and provide a more personalized experience.

Start by scripting or outlining each lesson in detail. For video lessons, this means writing a script that you can follow while recording.

For audio or text lessons, create a detailed outline or full written content. Ensure each lesson is focused on a single learning objective and is as concise as possible to keep students engaged.

When you record your lessons, focus on clarity and quality. For video lessons, use good lighting and sound equipment to ensure your recordings are professional.

For audio lessons, a high-quality microphone is essential. Don’t worry about making everything perfect on the first try; you can always improve your content based on student feedback.

6. Choose the Right Online Course Platform

Select a platform to host your course. You have several options:

Your Own Website

Hosting your course on your website gives you complete control over branding, pricing, and content.

You can set up your simple WordPress website. It will require you to buy a domain name and hosting from web hosting companies such as Namecheap.

Setting up a website on WordPress is simple but requires a bit of technical know-how. If you have a hard time setting up your website, you can consider hiring web design services such as the FreeWebsiteGuys.

Once you have your website, you can use WordPress with plugins like LearnDash or MemberPress to create a custom course platform.

This option requires more technical know-how but offers the most flexibility and profit potential.

Course Marketplaces

Platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, and Coursera provide a ready-made audience. They handle marketing and technical aspects but take a significant percentage of your revenue.

These platforms are great for reaching a large audience quickly but offer less control over pricing and content.

Dedicated Course Platforms

Platforms like Teachable, and Podia offer a middle ground. They provide easy-to-use tools for course creation and hosting without requiring advanced technical skills.

These platforms offer more control than marketplaces and are great for creating professional-looking courses.

My favorite course platform is Teachable. It has a simple drag-and-drop editor to help you make interactive courses in no time.

You can check out this teachable review to examine its features, pricing, pros and cons.

7. Decide on Course Pricing

The price of your course is a critical factor in building a profitable online course business. Here’s what you need to consider when setting your prices:

Factors to Consider When Setting Your Course Price

Your Experience and Background: If you’re an expert with high-level credentials or extensive experience in your field, you can justify charging a higher price for your course. Your authority and expertise add significant value to your content.
The Value of the Results: Courses that promise significant transformations or have a track record of proven results can command higher prices. The more impactful the outcome, the more students are willing to invest.
Your Ideal Customers: Consider the financial capacity of your target audience. For example, courses aimed at college students generally need to be more affordable compared to high-ticket courses designed for executives or professionals seeking advanced skills.

Pricing Structures for Courses

Free: Free courses are often used for testing and market research. Offering a course for free to your first cohort can help you gather valuable feedback and build credibility. However, this approach doesn’t generate revenue, so ensure the course is low-cost for you to produce
One-Off Payment: This is the most common pricing model for online courses. Students pay a single fee to access the course content. This model provides immediate revenue and allows opportunities for upselling additional bonuses or materials.
Subscription: Subscription-based courses generate regular income, as students pay a recurring fee to access ongoing content. This model requires consistent content updates and engagement to retain subscribers, which can be more work in the long term.
Premium: Premium courses, priced at $2,000 or more, offer higher profit margins and often lead to stronger client commitments and higher success rates. However, these high-ticket courses can be more challenging to market due to the significant investment required from students.

8. Launch Your Course

Launching your course effectively is key to success.

Here are strategies that can help you launch your course successfully.

Pre-Launch Strategy: Create a buzz around your course before it launches. Use social media teasers, email announcements, and blog posts to generate interest. Offer early-bird discounts to encourage pre-enrollments.
Webinars and Challenges: Host webinars or challenges to showcase your expertise and provide a taste of what your course offers. These events can build trust and excitement, driving more enrollments.
Landing Page: Develop a high-converting landing page for your course. Highlight the benefits, key features, and testimonials to persuade visitors to enroll. Use clear and compelling calls to action.
Launch Plan: Execute a detailed launch plan that includes email marketing, social media promotion, and partnerships with influencers or affiliates. Monitor the performance and be ready to make adjustments as needed.

9. Market Your Course

Marketing is essential to reach your target audience.

You can market your course in the following ways:

Email Marketing

Build an email list by offering a valuable lead magnet, such as a free eBook, checklist, or mini-course.

Nurture your email subscribers with regular, valuable content and promotional offers.

Social Media

Leverage social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to connect with your audience.

Share engaging content, host live sessions, and run targeted ads to attract potential students.

Content Marketing

Use content marketing to establish your authority.

Write blog posts, create YouTube videos, or start a podcast to share your knowledge and attract your target audience.

Partnerships and Affiliates

Collaborate with influencers, bloggers, and affiliates in your niche to promote your course.

Offer them a commission for each sale they refer to you.

Paid Advertising

Invest in paid advertising to reach a broader audience. Use platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, or LinkedIn Ads to run targeted campaigns.

Monitor the performance and optimize your ads for better results.

10. Gather Feedback to Improve Your Course

After launching, collect feedback from your students to improve your course. This can be done through surveys, direct feedback, or observing student progress.

You can create a post-course survey to gather detailed feedback from your students. Ask specific questions about what they liked, what they found challenging, and what improvements they would suggest.

Encourage honest feedback by assuring students that their responses will help you improve the course for future participants.

In addition to surveys, pay attention to informal feedback through comments, emails, and discussions in your course community.

Look for patterns in the feedback to identify common pain points or areas where students may be struggling.

Use the feedback to make iterative improvements to your course content and delivery.

This could involve re-recording certain lessons, adding additional resources, or refining your course structure to make it more accessible.

By continuously improving your course based on student feedback, you’ll ensure that it remains valuable and effective for future students

Final Thoughts

Creating and selling online courses can be highly lucrative if you provide excellent content and reach your target market.

With modern platforms, you can launch your course and start earning right away.

Follow these steps, and you’ll be well on your way to success.

How to Create an Online Course and Start Earning