Creating and selling your own online course has become a great way to create an additional stream of income for many people worldwide. Online learning in itself has grown quickly over the last decade, and millions are looking to the internet to upskill and learn new skill sets.
These skill sets can be learned specifically for their career, or even a new hobby, such as cooking, painting, or learning a new instrument.
The demand for online learning has created opportunities for people just like you to create your own online course and be able to share and teach a skill or hobby that you are passionate about. When partnered with software such as Archy Learning, you can easily create learning pathways that are fun, engaging, and stand out from your competition.
That being said, with all of the opportunities available, there are a few myths that can convince you that you can’t successfully jump into this market and grab your share.
The team at Archy Learning is here to debunk those online course myths and encourage you to take the next step. Let’s begin creating your own online course today.
5 Myths About Creating a Successful Online Course
1) I am not an expert
2) There is too much competition
3) If my course is too expensive, no one will buy it
4) Building an online course is difficult
5) There is too much free content on the internet, no one will pay
Myth 1: I am not an expert
It’s easy to look around and feel intimidated by expert online course creators with membership sites that sell their content for thousands of dollars. You may have the exact same knowledge to share on the subject but be nervous about the thought of taking that first step in creating your own, which is why the team at Archy have put this article together to show you why you shouldn’t be nervous at all.
Choose a subject that you are passionate about, and be careful not to compare yourself to other “experts” in the field. Begin by putting together your course idea, creating the content, and then put it out there! There are many benefits of creating an online course, however, it is easy to get intimidated by others who have done it already. We encourage you to create a course you are passionate about and don’t allow others to discourage you in this.
Myth 2: There is too much competition
Once you decide on your course topic and begin to create content, you might notice that there are probably lots of courses already offered on it. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by a seemingly saturated market, but that also means that there is lots of demand! This is a great sign, it means that there is an audience who is looking for and interested in your content already, and it’s about time that you put it out there.
While, most creative fields suggest that you don’t compare yourself to others when it comes to developing your work, in the case of course development sometimes you should!
Be sure to do your market research, and observe what your competition is teaching, how they brand themselves, and what type of audience they target. From there, create your own unique value proposition.
Ask valuable questions such as:
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How can you create better content?
- What are the strengths of my competition, or what are they doing really well?
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What are their weaknesses and how can you improve on them?
From there, use their success to fuel your inspiration, and start building your own course. Make it with your own unique twist, start building an online community, and grow it by building a strong brand that brings value to your audience across socials, videos, and blogs.
Myth 3: If my course is too expensive, no one will buy it
It’s easy to think that if you sell your course for a super low price point, it would be easier to convert and find an audience willing to pay for it. This is not necessarily true.
Have confidence in the value that you are providing to your customers, and don’t be afraid to charge a higher price. If your product or digital course is of high value, meaning it is worth the investment. We recommend you build your pricing and marketing strategy around this.
Low costs usually equal low value, and this should not be the case with your course! Have an understanding of your audience and know that they are looking for a course that will help them upskill and will be a good use of their investment, time and energy.
Myth 4: Building an online course is difficult
Custom course creation can sound like a large project to undertake on your own, but we’ve got you covered! Archy’s software (or LMS) allows you to create your own course – no coding required, so all you need to do to get started is begin creating your very own videos and upload them onto YouTube.
From there, you can create your own learning pathway on our course platform, adding in gamification elements such as quizzes, videos, and even games! Engage with your learners and even offer prizes and rewards for completing and passing the course content.
Myth 5: There is too much free content on the internet, no one will pay for this.
It’s easy to look across the internet or social media and think that there’s already way too much content online and that nobody would be willing to pay for your course content.
The truth is, it’s all in your branding and marketing, so once you finish your course, start by providing value and building your brand on social media, targeting an audience who is interested in your content, and lead them down the sales funnel. Try having fun with your brand and course offering, we recommend even throwing a big launch party when the day comes to activate your courses from being drafts into being live.
Once you understand your unique value proposition, you will be able to show your audience that you can provide real value and great content that they won’t be able to find anywhere else. People want to invest in themselves, and learn new things, and why wouldn’t your course take them to the next level, and help them reach their goals?
In summary, creating and selling your own online course successfully is much easier than one might think, and at Archy, we are here to help you learn how. Our software requires no coding and allows you to create fun and unique content and pathways for your users. We even have courses and marketing content to help you find the right course to teach, how to set it up, and how to start selling.
Check out more of our content on Archy Learning.
