How to create an online course
May 06, 2022The world of online courses is booming business. Online courses are increasingly used within businesses. Due to the years of lockdowns during 2020 and 2021, even more people have discovered this market. Maybe you've been thinking about creating an online course yourself? And perhaps you've already started, but got stuck along the way. We're here to help you!
An online course is an online extension of your existing business in which you train your expertise to people who want to know or learn more about it.
Before you start creating your online course or training, it is good to think about the WHY. Why do you want to make this course? What is your personal motivation to do this? To get this motivation clear, read the blog: 20 Reasons to create an Online Course NOW.
This blog is divided into two parts:
7 Frequently Aksed Questions about making an Online Course
As my grandmother (or was it my mother?) always said: Think before you act. That's why I will now discuss the 7 most frequently asked questions about creating an online course:
- Why do you want to make an online course?
- Can I make an online course within the branche I work in?
- For whom are you going to make an online academy?
- What can you earn with making an online training?
- How difficult is it to make an online course?
- How much time does it take to make an online training?
- What software do you need to make an online course?
1. Why do you want to make an online course?
As I said, an online learning environment is an extension of your business. You can mentor more people than you could ever do one-on-one. Because an online course is always available, your students can view and perform the lessons on their own time. In doing so, they set their own pace, so you don't need to have a scheduled appointment together. That creates freedom for both sides.
And because everything is online, you can automate the sales of your course, so you can make an additional (passive) revenue stream.
2. Can I make an online course within the branche I work in?
Within almost all professions, creating an online course is possible. In other words, if books about your field exist, then an online learning environment is also possible.
What remains is the question, "What content do I put in my course?" That's where creativity and professionalism come into play. To create an online course, you want to translate your knowledge or experience into an established format. This is easier for some than others. So to help we made a Step By Step Guide for an Online Course.
3. For whom are you going to make an online academy?
Don't say "everyone," or "for my clients". Your target audience for your online course is not necessarily the same as the audience you are working with now. The people who buy your online course are people who enjoy self-study. If you now have a coaching client who has never watched an instructional video, chances are slim that they will buy your course. For your course, create a new description of your online audience.
4. What can you earn with making an online training?
For many people, I see dollar or euro signs appear when they talk about online courses. 🤑 Unfortunately, the reality is more obstinate. How much you can earn by creating an online course, depends on a number of things:
- How you market your business and your course;
- How well your course meets the needs of your target audience, created or not;
- And, of course, on the quality of your course.
For some, an online course is a great addition to their current income. For another, it can completely replace their current income.
5. How difficult is it to make an online course?
Creating an online training consists of two parts: content and technology. Your focus, in my opinion, should be on the content. If you are an expert in your field, then I believe you know well what fits into your course.
Just be careful not to make it too big. Your first course doesn't have to be a $2,000 product. Start with something small, so you get experience in creating.
Technology is another aspect. I see many entrepreneurs choosing technically complex platforms for cost reasons, which means they spend a lot of time setting up their course. This is not necessary at all. Choosing an easy-to-use platform like Kajabi will save you a lot of time and headaches.
6. How much time does it take to make an online training?
Time is relative. How big will your course be? If you have never created a course before, there is a trap of wanting to put all your knowledge into 1 course. My advice: don't do that! You can lose a lot of time with this. You can also outsource the technical part or buy a platform that is made for creating online courses like Kajabi.
Most of your time will go into marketing and selling your course. After all, that's when you can actually make some money. Marketing is an ongoing process.
7. What software do you need to make an online course?
There are many ways to set up a course online. With WordPress and a paid learning management system (LMS) you can set it up relatively inexpensively. This does require more work than a platform made specifically for online courses. For the latter, in turn, you pay more.
We have been working with Kajabi since 2014. Kajabi is a seemingly more expensive platform but it quickly becomes less if you house everything with Kajabi: your website, your email marketing, your funnels, your learning environment, your video platform, the cost of your website builder. And what's even more interesting: with Kajabi, all those tools are integrated and you save yourself valuable time as an entrepreneur.
Step by step guide to make an Online Course
When you are going to create your online course, it is good to think in advance what your participant will get from this online course. What will they achieve with your online course? The quality is more important than the length of your online course.
The quality of an online course does not depend on how big the online course is, but on what the course contains.
In this Step by Step Guide to make an Online Course, we'll cover the following steps:
- Step 1. Describe the 3 phases of your student
- Step 2. Write the outline of the online course with modules and lessons
- Step 3. Create substantive lessons with text, video, downloads
- Step 4. Record the videos for the lessons
- Step 5. Create an audio file for your online course
- Step 6. Repeat and complete your course
A great long course has more value. You don't have to! That misunderstanding is widespread and persistent. Many entrepreneurs think they have to make a course of 16 modules and many lessons before they get something right.
But the danger of a long course is that your students will drop out and become demotivated. And therefore they do not complete your course. They don't come to the end. And you have no success stories because nobody finishes your course.
To make a high-quality online course, it is important that you can actually complete the course for your participant. And that is why you have to make a course that is manageable for them. And which is inviting to actually get started.
Step 1. Describe the 3 phases of your student
The reason someone buys your course is that they expect to be successful with your online course. You promise them that success in advance when you offer the course. And you must also be able to achieve that success in your course.
There are 3 phases to distinguish in your online course.
- The initial state of your participant
- The final state of your participant
- The transition of your participant
The initial state is a phase in which your participant has a problem, or is unable to do something.
The final state is how your participant feels after they have done all the lessons. A feeling of euphoria, of success. A feeling that they want to share with other people, which is important because then you have an ambassador of your online course.
The transition is your course. Your course ensures a transition for your participant from an unhappy person to a happy person.
Step 2. Write the outline of the online course with modules and lessons
Your online course basically consists of the steps a person has to take from getting the unfortunate situation into a happy situation. It is your job to discern those steps.
Try to describe the transition from one state to another in about 4 intermediate stages. These four intermediate stages are actually the chapters of your online course. In course jargon, these are called the modules of your course.
The next step is to subdivide these 4 modules with different lessons.
In your first online training, try to keep the number of modules and lessons clear, both for yourself and for your participant. A nice aim are 4 modules, each with 4 lessons.
Step 3. Create substantive lessons with text, video, downloads
A lesson within an online course can consist of a number of parts: video, audio, text, exercise, response or a download. Which of these components best fit your online course?
Research shows that most people prefer video in an online training. Video is very easy to make these days. In the next section I will go into more detail about the different forms of video.
Before you start, determine how long the lesson can be. The length of an online lesson is not unlimited. Remember that your participant only has limited time available. For example half an hour. Your participant must then be able to view or listen to your lesson and complete the assignments within that half hour.
By using the time available for your participant, you force yourself to be more compact in your lessons and get to the point quickly.
For example, you can choose to watch 15 minutes of lessons and 15 minutes of the assignment.
In that case, your video lesson may last a maximum of 15 minutes. And then your assignment should not take longer than 15 minutes. There is a danger that you will make the lessons too long, then the video will not be viewed. Or give too many assignments and homework, then they do not do the homework. You will have to be able to find the balance between them.
A few guidelines:
- 100-125 words is approximately 1 minute of video.
- 1200 words is enough for a whole lesson. Then you can also drop breaks here and there.
A word of warning: Most people don't want to watch video for much longer than a few minutes. And to make a 15-minute video, you have to be able to tell a good, tight story if your participants want to watch it completely.
When you start your first online course, it might be wise to sit on the short side of your online lessons. For example 5 minutes of video and 5 minutes of homework.
I understand if you now think: But how can I put all my knowledge into my course, if the lessons are allowed to be so short?
Making an online course means making choices in what you can share and train. And how restrictive that feels, the great thing about it is that your course will be much tighter and more compact. This increases the chance that your participant will actually complete the course and achieve the successes you have promised.
After you have decided which media types you want to use in your online course, it is time to actually start creating the lesson.
My roadmap is as follows.
- Write out the content of your lesson - this is the text within the lesson
- Record the content in a video
- Save the audio of your video as a separate file
- Create a PDF with the command
When you use this order, you can make your online course the fastest, especially if you have no experience with creating online courses yet.
Of course, you can also record the lessons directly if you are a good speaker. In that case, you can have someone type and edit the lessons afterwards, after which you can use this text in your lesson.
Do you want to do the minimum (and that is often more than enough). Then just focus on making one video per lesson, in which you cover everything.
Step 4. Record the videos for the lessons
There are different forms of video lessons: talking head, live presentation, slides, slides + talking head or a screen capture.
Depending on the nature of your online course, you choose one of the video methods. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. It has not been said that one is better than the other. It all depends on the objective of your online course.
➡️ Online video lesson with Talking head
The talking head method is when you only record your head on the video and talk directly into the lens of your camera. This method is fine if you want to give a quick tip. You also see this method appearing a lot on social media.
Tips for the talking head method:
- Record it with your mobile phone.
- Place your mobile phone on a tripod. Make sure the lens is at eye level.
- Film in natural light.
- Look into the lens of your mobile phone (and not the display).
- Use an external tie clip microphone.
- Record the entire lesson in one go. If it goes wrong, record the whole lesson again in its entirety. Editing is always more work than recording one more time.
➡️ Online video lesson with live presentation method
With the presentation method you film your entire upper body including a whiteboard next to you. The advantage of this method is that it is more visual for your participants, and therefore more fun to watch. Your participants will keep looking longer. An example of someone who presents this way is Brendon Burchard.
Tips for the live presentation method
- Record with your phone or a professional camera.
- Provide a tie clip microphone, because you are further away from the camera.
- Provide good light.
- Make sure you and the whiteboard are both clearly visible.
- Write the words down on the board so that you have a grip during the recording.
- Don't be too serious, a mistake or a slip of the tongue during the recording is no problem. Laugh at yourself.
- If necessary edit the video.
- If you dare, record the lesson with a real audience (live or online). This makes your story more real and authentic.
➡️ Online video lesson with slides
You see the videos with slides a lot during webinars. Many trainers give a slide presentation so that they do not have to be in the picture themselves. This creates that there is no feeling of time with the video and you can offer a replay at any time. It also makes way for the option to visualize text. The advantage of text on screen is that your participant can read along and is therefore less distracted. In addition, you can re-record the voice over as often as necessary. You can easily go back one slide and continue your presentation from there.
Tips for the slide presentation method
- Create the slide show in PowerPoint or in Keynote.
- Use the voice over function of these tools to record the presentation.
- After recording you can export the presentation including voice over as a video file.
➡️ Online video lesson with slides and talking head
A slide presentation including talking head is the best of both worlds. Your participant can read the texts so that they are less distracted. Moreover, you are in the picture, which gives your participant a good feeling about your person and will probably take the content of your lesson more seriously. The tricky thing about this variant is that you can edit less easily than with a regular slide show. You will also have to perform during the recordings (take into account that your body and face also convey emotion.)
Tips for the slide presentation and talking head
- You need recording software to be able to record both at the same time. For example Camtasia or ScreenFlow.
- Have a good webcam.
- Provide an extra microphone.
- Play the slide show and speak about it, as if you were presenting to the group.
➡️ Online video lesson with screen capture
A screen capture video is a video in which you record all actions on your screen. These are mostly how-to videos. You tell your story and your participant can continue to follow your mouse and participate. This video method is ideal if you want to explain software or an online product.
Tips for the screen capture method
- You have recording software that can record your screen, for example Camtasia or ScreenFlow.
- Provide an extra microphone.
- Record all steps. Should it go wrong, pause the recording, find out, and continue from there.
- During the operation blur the parts of your screen that your participant does not need to see.
- During the edit, let your mouse light up when you click somewhere.
- Export the recording after you are done in HD format.
Step 5. Create an audio file for your online course
Creating an audio file for a video lesson is very simple. Almost all video editing software has the ability to save only the audio. Click "save as" or "export as" and choose audio or mp3.
(Export to audio option within ScreenFlow)
You can add this audio file to your online lesson.
The advantage of also adding an audio file, in addition to your video lesson, is that not everyone is able to view the video. Certainly if your lessons are a bit longer, chances are that your participant will want to view the lessons "on the way". For example in the car or in public transport. In that case it is easier for your participant to turn on the mp3 and just listen.
Adding an audio file is not a necessity, but it is easy to do. And you immediately increase the value of your course.
Step 6. Repeat and complete your course
Why are most online courses not completed?
You can answer this question in 2 ways. Both from the participant and from the maker. Let's review them both.
Why does a participant not complete the course?
- The online course is too big, too long.
- They don't feel like they're getting the result that they hoped for.
- The lessons are too long or too boring.
- The lessons are too hard.
Why does an entrepreneur not complete his online course?
- He makes it too big.
- He has not made an outline (modules with lessons).
- He is afraid to get started with videos.
- He's losing interest.
What is the next step for your online course?
It is time to act. With this article you have enough information to start creating an online course. Take the different parts and work them out. Set a deadline for yourself. When do you want your course to be finished? Can I make a suggestion? In 4 weeks. You must go through the entire process and have it recorded within 4 weeks. If you take longer, then you have either taken on too much hay on your fork, or the course does not have enough priority. Try to stay within these 4 weeks, because then you will have the feeling that you are making progress. If you take longer (and give yourself that space), chances are that you will give up and stop somewhere.
Your success is in the implementation you do.
It starts today. Now!
Good luck 🍀
