How to Create and Sell Online Courses in 2023: Tips and Tricks

Online courses are a popular and profitable way to share your knowledge, skills, and passions with the world. Whether you want to teach a hobby, a profession, or a personal development topic, online courses can help you reach a global audience, generate passive income, and establish yourself as an authority in your field.

But how do you create and sell online courses in 2023? What are the best platforms, tools, and strategies to use? How do you stand out from the competition and attract loyal students? In this article, we will answer these questions and more. We will cover the following topics:

The benefits of creating and selling online courses
The steps to create an online course from scratch
The best platforms to host and sell your online course
The tips and tricks to market and grow your online course business

The Benefits of Creating and Selling Online Courses

Creating and selling online courses can offer you many benefits, such as:

Flexibility: You can create and sell online courses at your own pace, schedule, and location. You can also update and improve your courses anytime you want.
Scalability: You can reach an unlimited number of students with your online courses, without having to worry about physical space, equipment, or staff. You can also leverage automation tools to streamline your course delivery and management.
Creativity: You can express your unique voice, style, and personality in your online courses. You can also use various media formats, such as text, video, audio, images, quizzes, etc., to make your courses engaging and interactive.
Impact: You can make a positive difference in the lives of your students by helping them learn something new, solve a problem, or achieve a goal. You can also build a community of like-minded learners who support each other and share feedback.
Income: You can earn money from your online courses by charging a one-time fee, a subscription fee, or a commission fee. You can also create multiple streams of income by offering additional products or services related to your courses.

The Steps to Create an Online Course from Scratch

Creating an online course from scratch may seem daunting at first, but it can be broken down into manageable steps. Here are the main steps to follow:

Choose a topic: The first step is to choose a topic for your online course. Ideally, you should choose a topic that you are passionate about, knowledgeable about, and in demand by your target audience. You can use tools like Google Trends 1 , Keyword Planner 2 , or Udemy 3 to research popular topics and keywords related to your niche.
Define your learning objectives: The next step is to define what you want your students to learn from your online course. What are the main skills or knowledge that they will gain? How will they benefit from taking your course? How will you measure their progress and success? You can use the SMART framework 4 to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound learning objectives for your course.
Outline your course content: The third step is to outline the content of your online course. What are the main modules or sections that you will cover? What are the subtopics or lessons that you will teach within each module? How will you structure and sequence your content logically and coherently? You can use tools like MindMeister 5, Trello, or Google Docs to create an outline for your course content.
Create your course materials: The fourth step is to create the materials for your online course. What are the media formats that you will use to deliver your content? How will you make your content engaging and interactive? How will you ensure the quality and consistency of your content? You can use tools like Canva, Loom, Audacity, etc., to create various types of materials for your course,such as slides, videos, audios, transcripts, worksheets, quizzes, etc. You can also use tools like Camtasia or ScreenFlow to record and edit your screen and voice. 5. Publish your course: The fifth step is to publish your online course on a platform that suits your needs and goals. You can choose between a course marketplace or a course creation software, depending on the level of control, customization, and marketing support you want. We will discuss the best platforms to host and sell your online course in the next section. 6. Promote your course: The final step is to promote your online course and attract students to enroll in it. You can use various marketing strategies, such as creating a landing page, building an email list, offering a free trial or a discount, launching a webinar, running ads, collaborating with influencers, etc. You can also use tools like Mailchimp, Leadpages, Zoom, Facebook Ads, etc., to execute your marketing campaigns.
The Best Platforms to Host and Sell Your Online Course
As we mentioned earlier, there are two main types of platforms to host and sell your online course: course marketplaces and course creation software. Here are some of the best platforms for each type:
Course Marketplaces
Course marketplaces are platforms that allow you to upload and sell your online course as part of a catalog of courses offered by other instructors. They usually provide you with an existing student base, technical support, and payment processing. However, they also take a percentage of your course sales, limit your branding and customization options, and control your pricing and promotions. Some of the best course marketplaces are:
- Udemy: Udemy is one of the largest and most popular online course platforms in the world. It has over 40 million students and 155 thousand courses across various categories. You can create and sell your online course on Udemy for free, but you have to follow their guidelines and policies. Udemy also takes 50% of your course sales if the student comes from their organic channels or 3% if the student comes from your own channels 1.
- Skillshare: Skillshare is another online course platform that focuses on creative skills, such as design, photography, writing, etc. It has over 12 million students and 30 thousand courses across various categories. You can create and sell your online course on Skillshare for free, but you have to follow their guidelines and policies. Skillshare pays you based on the number of minutes watched by premium students in your course 2.
- Coursera: Coursera is an online course platform that partners with top universities and organizations to offer high-quality courses across various categories. It has over 87 million students and 5 thousand courses across various categories. You can create and sell your online course on Coursera only if you are affiliated with an accredited institution or organization. Coursera pays you based on the number of enrollments or certificates earned by students in your course 3.
Course Creation Software
Course creation software are platforms that allow you to create and sell your online course on your own website or domain. They usually provide you with more control, customization, and marketing features. However, they also charge you a monthly or annual fee, require you to handle your own hosting and security issues, and expect you to bring your own students. Some of the best course creation software are:
- Teachable: Teachable is one of the most user-friendly and versatile online course platforms in the market. It allows you to create and sell unlimited courses with unlimited students on your own website or domain. It also provides you with features such as drag-and-drop editor,custom domain, payment gateway, coupon codes, email marketing, affiliate program, etc. Teachable offers four pricing plans, ranging from $0 to $299 per month, depending on the features and support you need1.
  - Thinkific: Thinkific is another online course platform that offers a powerful and flexible solution for creating and selling online courses. It allows you to create and sell unlimited courses with unlimited students on your own website or domain. It also provides you with features such as drag-and-drop editor, custom domain, payment gateway, coupon codes, email marketing, affiliate program, etc. Thinkific offers four pricing plans, ranging from $0 to $499 per month, depending on the features and support you need 2.
  - Podia: Podia is an online course platform that also allows you to sell digital products and memberships. It allows you to create and sell unlimited courses with unlimited students on your own website or domain. It also provides you with features such as drag-and-drop editor, custom domain, payment gateway, coupon codes, email marketing, affiliate program, etc. Podia offers two pricing plans, $39 and $79 per month, depending on the features and support you need.
  The Tips and Tricks to Market and Grow Your Online Course Business
  Creating and selling online courses is not a one-time event. It requires continuous marketing and growth efforts to attract new students and retain existing ones. Here are some tips and tricks to market and grow your online course business:
  - Identify your target audience: Before you create and sell your online course, you need to know who your ideal students are. What are their demographics, psychographics, pain points, goals, challenges, preferences, etc.? You can use tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Audience Network, or SurveyMonkey to collect data and insights about your target audience.
  - Validate your course idea: Before you invest time and money in creating your online course, you need to validate your course idea. Is there a demand for your topic? Is there a gap in the market that you can fill? Is there a unique value proposition that you can offer? You can use tools like Google Trends 3 , Keyword Planner 4 , or Udemy 5 to research popular topics and keywords related to your niche. You can also use tools like Typeform, Google Forms, or Mailchimp to create surveys or landing pages to test your course idea with potential students.
  - Launch a pre-sale campaign: One of the best ways to validate your course idea and generate some revenue before launching your online course is to launch a pre-sale campaign. A pre-sale campaign is a marketing strategy that allows you to sell your online course before it is fully created or ready. You can use tools like Leadpages, Unbounce, or Instapage to create landing pages for your pre-sale campaign. You can also use tools like PayPal, Stripe, or Gumroad to collect payments for your pre-sale campaign.
  - Create a launch plan: Once you have created and published your online course,you need to create a launch plan to promote your online course and generate sales. A launch plan is a marketing strategy that outlines the goals, timeline, budget, channels, and tactics for launching your online course. You can use tools like Asana, Trello, or Google Calendar to create and manage your launch plan. You can also use tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or Teachable Insights to track and measure your launch results.
    - Collect feedback and testimonials: One of the best ways to improve your online course and increase your credibility is to collect feedback and testimonials from your students. Feedback can help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your online course and make necessary changes or updates. Testimonials can help you showcase the value and benefits of your online course and persuade potential students to enroll. You can use tools like Typeform, Google Forms, or SurveyMonkey to collect feedback from your students. You can also use tools like Loom, Boast.io, or VideoAsk to collect video testimonials from your students.
    Conclusion
    Online courses are a great way to share your knowledge, skills, and passions with the world and make money from them. However, creating and selling online courses is not a walk in the park. It requires planning, preparation, and execution. By following the steps, tips, and tricks in this article, you can create and sell online courses in 2023 that are engaging, effective, and profitable. Remember to always do your own research before creating and selling online courses and consult a professional if you need guidance or advice.