How to Create an Online Course That Sells: A Step-by-Step Guide

Online courses have become a highly effective way to share knowledge, help others, and create a steady stream of income. If you have valuable skills or expertise, creating an online course can be a powerful way to monetize your knowledge. But the key to a successful online course isn’t just about teaching; it’s about providing value and packaging it in a way that resonates with your audience.

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you exactly how to create an online course that not only teaches but sells. From idea generation to marketing, follow these steps to ensure your course attracts the right audience and delivers lasting value.

Step 1: Choose a Profitable Course Topic

The first step in creating a course that sells is selecting a topic that’s in demand. Your course should cover something you’re passionate about and have expertise in, but it also needs to address a specific problem or need that your audience has.

How to Choose Your Topic:

Look for Gaps in the Market: Explore existing courses in your niche. What’s missing? If there’s a specific area that’s under-served, that’s a great opportunity.
Identify Your Expertise: Think about your skills and experience. Are there topics where you could offer unique insights?
Validate Your Idea: Before you invest time creating a course, ensure there’s demand. Tools like Google Trends and Udemy can help you analyze the popularity of your topic.

For example, if you’re skilled in personal development, creating a course on building resilience or improving time management could resonate with a wide audience.

Step 2: Understand Your Audience

Creating a successful online course means understanding who your target audience is and what they need. The more you know about your audience, the better you can tailor your content to meet their needs.

Ways to Get to Know Your Audience:

Surveys: Use tools like SurveyMonkey or Typeform to ask your audience what they’re struggling with.
Engage on Social Media: Platforms like Facebook Groups, Reddit, or LinkedIn communities can give you a deeper understanding of your target market.
Analyze Competitors: Check out other courses in your niche and read the reviews. What are students praising, and what complaints do they have?

By understanding the challenges your audience faces, you can design a course that speaks directly to their needs.

Step 3: Create an Engaging Course Outline

A well-organized course outline is the backbone of your course. It helps guide the student through a structured learning path and keeps them engaged. An effective course outline breaks the content into digestible chunks, making the learning experience smooth and enjoyable.

Steps to Build Your Outline:

Break Down the Topic: Divide your course into logical sections, with each section focusing on a key concept.
Create Clear Learning Objectives: At the beginning of each section, outline what students will learn.
Include Practical Exercises: People learn better by doing, so include activities like quizzes, assignments, or case studies to reinforce the learning process.

For instance, if you’re building a course on Starting a Freelancing Career, you might have sections like “Identifying Your Skills,” “Setting Up Your Freelancing Profile,” and “Finding Your First Clients.” Each section should have clear, actionable steps and goals.

Step 4: Choose the Right Platform

The platform you choose to host and sell your course is crucial to its success. Several platforms make it easy to create, market, and sell your course with minimal technical skills. Some platforms offer marketing features like landing pages and email automation to help you reach a wider audience.

Recommended Course Platforms:

Teachable: An easy-to-use platform with great customization options and integrated marketing tools.
Thinkific: Offers a free plan and a drag-and-drop course builder, making it ideal for beginners.
Kajabi: More advanced, Kajabi provides a complete business platform for building and selling courses, with marketing automation, website hosting, and email campaigns included.

Step 5: Create High-Quality Content

The quality of your content is what will set your course apart. Use a variety of formats—videos, worksheets, presentations, and audio files—to keep students engaged. Your content should be clear, actionable, and easy to follow.

Tips for Creating High-Quality Content:

Video Lessons: Video is the most engaging form of content. Invest in good lighting, a quality microphone, and screen recording tools like Camtasia or ScreenFlow.
Workbooks and Templates: Provide supplementary materials that students can download and work through. Tools like Canva are perfect for creating professional-looking handouts or worksheets.
Interactive Elements: Add quizzes and polls using tools like Google Forms or the built-in quiz features of course platforms to test students’ knowledge and keep them engaged.

If you’re on a budget, free tools like OBS Studio for video recording and Audacity for audio editing can help you produce professional content without breaking the bank.

Step 6: Price Your Course

Pricing your course correctly is crucial. Too low, and you risk undervaluing your expertise. Too high, and you might scare away potential students. The goal is to find a sweet spot that reflects the value you’re offering while remaining accessible to your target audience.

How to Determine the Right Price:

Research Competitors: Look at similar courses in your niche. What are they charging? Are their prices justified by the content they offer?
Consider Your Target Audience: A high-end course with comprehensive resources might attract professionals willing to pay more. Alternatively, if your audience is beginners or students, you may want to offer a more affordable option.
Offer Different Pricing Tiers: Platforms like Kajabi allow you to offer tiered pricing (e.g., a basic course and a premium version with additional coaching or resources).

You can also provide special discounts or offer free trial access to the first few lessons to encourage more sign-ups.

Step 7: Market Your Course

Creating a great course is only half the battle—you also need to market it effectively. Build a solid marketing strategy to get your course in front of the right people.

Marketing Strategies:

Email Marketing: Build an email list using tools like Mailchimp or ConvertKit and send regular updates and valuable content to your subscribers. Promote your course to this list when it’s ready.
Social Media Promotion: Share snippets or teaser videos of your course on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn. You can even run targeted ads on Facebook and Google Ads to reach a broader audience.
Affiliate Marketing: Allow others to promote your course for a commission. Many platforms, including Teachable and Thinkific, allow you to set up an affiliate program that motivates people to promote your course in exchange for a percentage of the sales.

For example, if you have an audience on YouTube or a blog like Money Online 101, use these platforms to create valuable content related to your course and drive traffic to it.

Step 8: Launch and Get Feedback

Once your course is ready, it’s time to launch! But even after the launch, your work isn’t done. Getting feedback from your first batch of students is crucial for improving your content and marketing strategy.

Tips for a Successful Launch:

Offer Limited-Time Discounts: Create a sense of urgency by offering early-bird pricing or a time-limited discount for the first sign-ups.
Ask for Reviews: Encourage your students to leave testimonials or reviews. Positive reviews build trust and help attract new students.
Improve Based on Feedback: Analyze feedback and reviews to improve your course material, presentation style, or delivery method.

Creating a successful online course takes time, effort, and careful planning, but the potential rewards—both financially and in terms of the value you provide—are worth it. By following these steps and delivering high-quality, actionable content, you can build a course that not only sells but changes the lives of your students.