You can’t conduct in-depth, probing interviews with dozens of successful course creators without learning something, without seeing some patterns at work and similarities in the way they operate. In fact, what I discovered is that there are 5 basic steps involved in creating a successful online course.

Step 1: Purpose

You need to get clear on the ‘why’. What is your reason for creating online courses? When you’ve got your first answer, ask ‘why’ again, and then ask it again. Asking the ‘3 whys’ really gets you to the nub of why you want or need something.

Step 2: Your Niche

Who are you going to serve? Whether you think you know already, or you’re excited to find out, this is the starting place we all need to think critically about before we take another step.

Your niche is the market segment that you are choosing to focus on. The more specific you can get with your niche, the better!

Example of a Bad Niche 

A health coach helps their clients lose weight and live more active lifestyles. This niche is too broad and won’t grab the attention of prospects.

Example of a Good Niche A 

Holistic Health Coach who helps busy working women with emotional eating habits and food addictions. This niche is much more likely to grab attention because it speaks directly to their top prospects and addresses a specific need.

Step 3: Core Content

You need to be confident in what you’re selling: that it has a market, that the content will impact and transform people’s lives. A way to develop great content is to be clear on the Outcome you teach, and this Outcome is the heart of the big promise your course makes. 

Then you need to work out the essential tools, techniques & strategies you’d rely on to get the outcome you want people to get.

Here are the steps you should consider:

1. 1. Problems What are the top challenges your prospects are facing? What obstacles and frustrations are in their way?
   2. Outcomes What outcomes are of importance right now? What Outcome will move them past their problem?
   3. How? What are the tools, techniques & strategies you rely on to get your students to the Outcome or result they want? Tools can be physical or conceptual.
   4. So That… The client can achieve what they want.

Step 4: Positioning

You need to demonstrate credibility, provide third-party proof that you are as good as you say, answer every question the customer has about your course, make it easy for them to buy, offer an iron-clad money-back guarantee and prove that you are a real business that cares about transforming your customers. Remember, people are not buying your course; they are buying transformation.

Step 5: Promotion

You need to market your business using social media, events, email and content marketing and a raft of free resources to offer in exchange for the prospects’ contact details.

Now is a great time to be an online entrepreneur. It’s never been cheaper or easier to set up an online business.

It involves taking the life lessons you’ve learned and packaging them into coaching and information products. 

In my opinion, being an expert and selling information products is the greatest start-up globally. You don’t need venture or start-up capital, just a passion for what you’re teaching.