Creating an online course can be a practical way to turn knowledge, experience or a useful skill into a digital product.
You do not necessarily need to be a university professor or a recognised expert in your industry. If you know how to help someone achieve a specific result, there may be an opportunity to package that knowledge into a course.
The challenge is that creating a course involves much more than recording a few videos. You need to choose the right topic, understand your audience, organise your lessons, create useful materials, decide how you will sell the course and find ways to attract students.
The good news is that you can start relatively small.
Start with a problem rather than a topic
One of the easiest ways to develop a useful course is to begin with a problem people already want to solve.
Instead of creating a course called "Photography", for example, you could create something more specific such as "How to take better photos with your phone".
Instead of "Marketing", you might focus on "How to create a social media content plan for a small business". The more specific the outcome, the easier it can be for potential students to understand what they are paying for.
Ask yourself:
- What does my audience struggle with?
- What result do they want?
- What can I teach them that will help them get there?
The answers can form the foundation of your course.
Choose an audience
A course designed for everyone often ends up being useful to very few people.
Think about the person you want to teach.
- Are they complete beginners?
- Are they business owners?
- Are they parents?
- Are they students?
- Are they professionals trying to develop a particular skill?
Understanding your audience affects almost every part of the course, including the language you use, the examples you provide and how quickly you move through the material. A beginner course should not assume students already understand industry terminology.
Validate the idea before creating everything
Creating a course can take a lot of time, so it is worth testing the idea before spending weeks producing content. Talk to people who fit your target audience. Look at questions people are asking in relevant communities. Research competing courses and see what they cover. You can also create a simple landing page describing the proposed course and use it to gauge interest.
Another option is to run a live workshop first. This can be particularly useful because you can see which questions students ask, where they become confused and which parts of the material they find most valuable.
That information can then be used to improve the full course.
Create a clear course structure
Once you know what you want to teach, break the subject into logical sections.
A simple structure might look like this:
- Module one: getting started
- Module two: understanding the basics
- Module three: applying the skill
- Module four: avoiding common mistakes
- Module five: completing a practical project
- Module six: next steps
The exact structure will depend on your topic, but the general idea is to take students on a journey.
Each lesson should have a purpose, before recording a lesson, ask yourself what students should know or be able to do after completing it. If you cannot answer that question, the lesson may need to be simplified.
Keep lessons focused
Long videos are not automatically better. A 20-minute video that spends half its time repeating the same information may be less useful than a focused seven-minute lesson. Break complicated subjects into smaller pieces. This also makes the course easier to update later.
For example, if you create a 90-minute video covering an entire software program, you may have to replace the whole thing when the software changes. If the course contains smaller lessons, you can update only the sections that need attention.
Decide what format works best
Video is popular, but it is not the only format available.
Depending on the subject, your course could include:
- video lessons
- screen recordings
- audio lessons
- worksheets
- checklists
- templates
- quizzes
- practical assignments
- downloadable guides
A good course often combines several formats. If you are teaching bookkeeping, for example, students may benefit from video explanations followed by a downloadable spreadsheet they can practise with. If you are teaching writing, students could receive templates and assignments alongside video lessons.
The format should support the learning objective rather than simply make the course look impressive.
Choose where you will sell the course
There are several ways to sell an online course. You can use a dedicated course platform that handles things such as student accounts, payments and course delivery. You can also sell courses through an existing marketplace. Another option is to build your own website and connect the necessary tools yourself.
Each approach involves different costs and levels of control. A marketplace may provide access to an existing audience, while your own website can give you greater control over branding, pricing and the customer experience.
Compare the fees, features, payment options and ownership of customer information before choosing a platform.
Price your course based on value
Pricing is another area where new course creators often get stuck. There is no universal price that works for every course.
A short introductory course may be inexpensive, while a detailed professional training program could command a much higher price. Consider the transformation the course provides, the depth of the material, your audience and the alternatives available to them. You can also experiment with different offers.
For example, you might have a basic course at one price and a premium package that includes additional templates, group coaching or live sessions.
Create a simple marketing plan
Even an excellent course will struggle to sell if nobody knows it exists. Marketing does not necessarily mean spending a huge amount on advertising.
Content marketing can be particularly useful for course creators. You might publish helpful articles, videos, podcasts or social media posts related to the subject you teach. The content should solve smaller problems while demonstrating your knowledge.
For example, if your course teaches beginners how to use a particular design program, you could publish short tutorials answering common beginner questions.
People who find those tutorials useful may eventually become interested in the full course.
Build an email list
An email list can become one of your most useful marketing assets. Instead of relying entirely on social media algorithms, you have a direct way to communicate with people who have chosen to hear from you. A simple lead magnet can encourage people to join your list. This could be a checklist, template, short guide or free mini-course.
From there, you can send useful information and occasionally introduce your paid course. The key is to provide genuine value rather than sending constant sales messages.
Improve the course using student feedback
Your first version does not need to be perfect. Once students begin taking the course, pay attention to their questions and feedback.
- Where do they get confused?
- Which lessons do they revisit?
- What information do they say is missing?
- What results are students achieving?
This feedback can help you improve the course over time. You may discover that students need an additional lesson, a simpler explanation or a practical example. Those improvements can make the product more valuable for future students.
Treat the course like a real product
One of the biggest mindset shifts for course creators is recognising that an online course is a product. It needs a clear promise, a defined audience, useful content, good presentation, customer support and ongoing improvement. You do not have to build an enormous course to succeed. A focused course that solves one specific problem can be much more useful than a giant program packed with information students never use.
Start with a problem you understand well, create a clear path to a result and make it easy for students to follow. Then focus on getting the course in front of the right people. With time, you can expand the course library, introduce new products and develop a business around the knowledge you already have.
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