How to Plan and Create An Online Course

Have you ever wanted to create a course around your knowledge to help more people?

In this article, I share several advantages and benefits of creating an online course.

This article shares the 10 steps to plan and create your online course. 

Here are 10 steps to plan and then create your online course.

1.Define the topic

This is the most important step. First, you need to define the topic of your course.  There are several ways to do this. Here are a few questions for you to answer to help you define the topic. 

What areas are your expertise? 

What challenges have you overcome in your life? 

What are some of your hobbies? 

What are some of the topics that interest you the most? 

2. Decide What Are You Going to Teach

Once you know your topic, then you need to start narrowing down the content and focus of the course.  Here are a few questions to answer to help you narrow your topic.

-What topic do you want to teach

-What benefits will the person receive from the course?

What transformation will the person receive?

These questions will help you narrow your focus and what you are going to teach.

3. Make an Outline of the Course’s Content

Next, you need to start deciding the actual content of the course. The easiest way to do this is to create an outline. The reality is there is no possible way to include all the information about a topic in one course. So you need to narrow down the content to exactly what you are going to teach and why. 

Next, you need to decide what main topics you are going to include. 

For instance, if your topic is email marketing 

The outline might be six points starting with

Fille in ten points.

These become the modules of each course.

4. Fill In 3 Bullet Points For Each Point In the Outline

Once you decide on your topic and the main content, next start getting more specific. A simple way to do this is to create three bullet points for each main point. 

So a subtopic or module could be how to ensure your email gets opened. 

And the three subtopics can be.

Consistently send an email, check your spam score and try to keep your email lengths less than 10 minutes for the reader to consume. 

Now you just to decide what other information going to need to know about the topics and subtopics. 

5. Decide How You Are Going to Create the Content

One of the most important decisions is to decide on how you are going to create the content. There are pros and cons to each type of content. 

Here are some important things to consider:

How will people consume the course content? 

How are you going to deliver the information? 

There are 3 primary types of content for delivering the content in a course. 

1. Video- Video content is a considerable percentage of content today. Video can be screen capture videos or talking head videos.

• Screen Capture- Screen capture videos are tutorial based. You create videos with programs like Camtasia that will record a PowerPoint slide show and turn it into a video. Or you can record a screen and demonstrate how to do a task online. 

• Talking Head Videos – these types of videos can deliver and build authority. The quality of the video doesn’t have to be super high. It can be recorded with a handheld digital device. Remember, it’s not always about the quality of the video, but how the person consumes the content. 

• Audios – Audio programs take less time to create than videos. Plus, you can record them with a microphone and inexpensive software. I use an Audio Technica AT2020 microphone and Sony’s Sound Forge Audio Studio to record my audio files. This includes podcast interviews, tutorials, and interviews on Zoom. I use this mic and software for pretty much any audio that I need.

• Articles and Posts – Another type of content that is still prevalent, is articles and posts. Articles can range from 300 words to more than 10,000 words. The average post I write is between 800-1200 words.  The truth is blog posts are extremely versatile and can include a wide variety of content.

• Combination of Each- a course can include different types of content. So it’s good to include a variety of ways for people to learn, such as visually, audibly, and kinetically.  For instance, a tutorial can have video, and then the mp3 can be shared also, along with a transcription of the video. 

6.  Do you need to write the scripts for each module and piece of content?

You may need to write out exactly what you are going to say for each module of your course. This can be for video scripts and audios. This can be one of the most time-consuming steps in the entire process. 

Not everyone needs to write out every word they are going to speak in their course. This depends on how comfortable you are creating the content and if the videos are tutorials or demonstration videos.

7. Create the content for the course

This step can be another time-consuming stage, but it can also be the most fun! Creating content can be fulfilling. Seeing your project come to life when the content is complete is awe-inspiring. 

8. Decide What Supporting Material You Need to Create

Worksheets, handouts, checklists, spreadsheets, and reports help people complete processes and experience the transformation. These can be essential to help people grasp concepts and understand the course material. These are a valuable part of a course and help people complete each lesson. The supporting material can be compiled into a workbook also.

9. Decide on how you are going to deliver the course. 

What platform are you going to use to deliver the course? Today there are so many options available. Udemy, Teachable, and LearnWorlds are just a few examples of platforms to host your online course. 

Or you can build your course with a WordPress Website. This is the option that I prefer and gives you the most control.

10. Upload & secure the content

The next step is to upload and secure your content. This step can vary in complexity depending on the platform. Again, I prefer WordPress because of the simplicity and ease of use. Today, there are Wordpress plugins that allow you to secure your content and then integrate with a payment processor like Paypal or Stripe. My favorite WordPress plugin to secure content is Wishlist Member.

11. Celebrate and Rejoice! 

Congratulations. Now is the time to celebrate and rejoice. You just completed and uploaded your course. Now, depending on your topic, you may have an evergreen product that you can sell for months and years to come. 

In conclusion, creating an online course requires time. But it can be one of the most valuable and beneficial business activities that you can do. 

---

Are you building your email list?

Today, when it comes to building your audience, one of the most profitable marketing channels is email.

According to the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing yields a 4,300% return on investment for businesses in the United States.

ExactTarget reports for every $1 spent on email marketing, the average return on investment is $44.25.

One of the most profitable ways to build your audience is to increase the size of your email list.

Discover 7 Consistent Ways to Add New Email Subscribers. Download The Free Report!