How to Build an Online Course from Start to Scratch Without the Overwhelm Learn how to create, launch, market your online course and build your community online Your Course Here
Topic + Mindset What do people ask you questions about? This is a good way to pick a topic on what your online course will be. Getting Over Imposter Syndrome It s important not to compare yourself to the person you think is the best at what they do. They didn t get there overnight. Meet yourself where you are and don t compare your journey to theirs. The best way to nix Imposter Syndrome or feeling like people won t buy what you have to offer, won t listen to you, follow you etc. is to understand that you are comparing the gap to where you are now to where you want to be. Meet yourself where you are. People want to learn from you because you are you, you have a specific way of speaking and teaching. People want to learn in general and if you give them the content that will help them they won t be questioning why you re teaching it. Tip: When you test your topic against the market this increases your confidence in selling. Release any limiting beliefs you have about creating, launching and marketing a course right here.
Ditch the Overwhelm Creating a course without the overwhelm is all about giving people exactly what they need to get from point A to point B in the fastest way possible. This means not cramming your course with information just to increase it s value or make it longer just because you want to say 28 hours of video, 288 modules! When creating any program or course it s important to think about how many steps your client/ customer will need to get to the end result and then break it down. Each step can be broken down into three smaller steps. Meaning, one module should have at least three key takeaways that will bring them closer to the end goal. Follow this strategy as you create modules.the goal is FLUFF FREE content. What is the transformation that your course provides? Example: Learn how to create, launch and market an online course. Outline the steps it will take to get there. Example: 1. The Creation Process (Module 1) 2. The Launch Formula (Module 2) 3. Marketing Steps (Module 3) Now break those steps down into three smaller steps Example: 1. The Creation Process (Module 1) 1. Finding Your Niche 2. Selecting a topic that sells 3. Content creation programs and platforms
Creating an Engaging Course Comes Down to Three Things: There is no need to overcomplicate the course creation process. 1. Visuals You can create gorgeous visuals by using free copyright free images from Unspalsh or Pixabay. You can also outsource a graphic designer or hire a course designer. There are various websites that allow you to use beautiful video imagery as well for a small subscription fee such as Envato Elements. 2. Written Content Written content can be the meat and potato of your course if you prefer not to be on camera. Including some video in your course is helpful because it allows your customer to see more of your personality and increases your like & know factor. Written content also comes in the form of additional PDF s workbooks, guides etc. anything that will help your customer put into action what they learned from your module. 3. Audio Audio can also take that place of video. Again if you do not enjoy being on camera you can speak out the content the same way as if you were recording it on video. This is also helpful for bonuses. Maybe you re selling a "How to start your own online business course and one of the bonuses is about soulful sales and the client attraction process. Instead of creating a module on this section you could include it as an added audio bonus. *Tip: If you work better this way you can just speak freely and then edit out the bloopers after. This works for recording video also.
Niche What is your Niche? Having a clear understanding of who your course is for will help you when putting together the format of your course. Specify your Niche here. If you need clarity on how to find your niche head on over to /claritycall to schedule a free brainstorm session. If it s a topic that your Niche will spend money on it s a business, if it s not something they will spend money on it s a hobby. If you re just starting out and you don t have a big audience the key to growing it is to nurture, nurture, nurture. Meaning during the launch phase and well before you ll want to provide real value. Ask your audience what they are having problems with so later on you can position your course as the solution. What are a few pain points of your audience? If you don t know take a few guesses and then do some research to find out if your guess was accurate. Simple Launch Sequence Pre Launch Show the Problem- Agitate the Problem- Offer the Solution Launch Agitate the problem- Educate on Solution - Soft Introduction to Offer- Educate- Core Offer - Open Cart - Agitate Problem + Reminder- Educate + Last Call
Now it s time to decide Creating a content calendar is a great way to get all your ideas out of your head an on to paper. This helps you beat overwhelm because you know exactly what needs to be done each day. What day do you plan on launching your course? How long will your launch process be? 14 days, 30 days, 90 days? How many emails will you send out? How many Lives Streams will you do? If any what is the topic of your webinar or freebie that will help promote your course and build your email list? Plot this outline out on a calendar you can find a free writable template online or purchase a physical calendar. Tip: Match your live streams with your email sequences and reuse that content.
What type of content will you provide to grow and nurture your email list and for how long? This is where you create content consistently to educate your audience. 7 days is the most popular but take a guess at how many or how few emails your audience will respond to. If your list is brand new you might want to select a longer time frame like 60 days so you can spread out the content more. If you have resistance to sending a daily email during the launch sequence, don t do it. Make sure it feels right to you. I m a huge advocate for building a business intuitively. What parts of your story will you share to connect with your audience? Launching anything these days requires having a true connection with your audience. The best way to do this is by telling a cohesive story through out your launch. By utilizing the simple launch sequence above you are connecting to yourself and your audience the entire time. The best way to tell your story and create connection to your audience is via live stream, webinar or a really strong caption. Outline your story here.
Equipment The equipment does not have to be a huge reason why you don t create a course. Meet yourself where you are. Phones have great video and audio. If your phone isn t capable of that focus on the lighting and imagery. Good lighting these days is a must, the lighting alone if you plan on doing video content can elevate your course and help it stand out amongst the rest. Here are links to affordable lighting and tech you can find on Amazon. *These are affiliate links Ring Light: https://amzn.to/2q6rwfj Phone Ring Light: https://amzn.to/2jpu4gb Voice Recorder: https://amzn.to/2dfh6ba Video Camera: https://amzn.to/2q3em81 Less expensive option: https://amzn.to/2dbzkyd Software: imovie/final Cut Pro Adobe Rush Make a list of the equipment you will need, what you have and what you ll need/want to buy.
Marketing Now you have your topic ideas, your outline, your course launch calendar and an idea of how you ll put your course together. You have a structure for your launch sequence and an idea of what to talk about during your launch phase, now it s time to get it out there! Your course is it s own business and should be treated as such! When marketing your course pair eye catching imagery with value. Incorporate your personal story and those pain points, share behind the scenes as you re creating your course. Create a buzz before you launch and if done right you ll have a group of people waiting for your solution. There are a variety of ways for you to show up online and market your course. You can use Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Instagram Stories, Pinterest + more! Pick a platform and show up there consistently without feeling the need to be everywhere at once. Live streams are important for the success of your launch. Where will you show up consistently?(pick 1-2) What type of conversations will you have with your audience or encourage your audience to have during your launch? Come up with titles that show your audience your course has the solution Examples: Facebook Live Video- Why gaining clarity of your niche is important before launching your course. Email Title: How to gain clarity in your niche before launching your course
Two Types of Urgency to Increase Sales: What is your early bird pricing & when does it go up? What date will your cart close? What type of urgency will you create to urge your audience to buy when your cart is open? Practice your marketing message here.
Building Your Audience When you Don t Have One In order to launch a course you need some type of audience if you have no audience your first goal is to build your audience and nurture them prior to launching, don t spend time building a course without an audience to launch to. Aim for 1,000 people somewhere or collectively. You can pick one platform, whichever is easiest for you to use and go live there. Continue to serve value and funnel your audience to a specific platform to help it grow. For example if you have a small email list send those people to Instagram and vice versa by offering valuable content for them to check out. This helps to create a large following in one place to increase visibility of your content. Share information Let people know: How they can solve their pain point What solution you have for them Why you re the right person-your story and how you can relate to them Why right now? Why are you the right person to share this information and why they are the right person to learn from you. (This is where you share how you can relate to your audience and pain point) Practice answering these questions. When you re ready polish this up and start posting!
Who am I? Hey! I m Jodi! I m an Intuitive Success Coach for ambitious entrepreneurs! I help entrepreneurs master the strategy, mindset and technology of running an online business in a way that feels good. I truly believe that financial and time freedom is accessible to us all and that you are your best resource when it comes to building a life and business you love. When you step into clarity you can create a lasting impact for others all while being authentically you. I know that once you show up and do the work outlined in this workbook you ll have a better understanding on where you d like to go next. If you still need more clarity on this process I d like to invite you to hop on a call with me and we can work through any questions you may have. You can book a call at / claritycall. For additional resources and live video training hop on over to my exclusive Facebook Group for entrepreneurs called Alignment is The New Hustle. See you soon! j.