How to Become an Online Course Creator?

Online course creators are online teachers who teach learners through pre-recorded content. Even if teaching occurs through video, the goal is to teach as many students as possible. And nothing makes a course creator happier than knowing that several learners are using their content.

However, creating an online course isn’t as easy as it looks as there aren’t many moving pieces. You will have to become a cross between an educator, an educational content creator, an online marketer, or basically an all-in-one to make it work. 

Building, promoting, and selling online courses is no small job. You can build a successful online course creator with the right tools and platforms to sell your online courses. 

Whether you want to boost your existing course creator business or establish a new one, we will show you how to become an online course creator. Let’s begin.

Understanding online course creation and its advantages 

An online course creator is anyone who creates virtual learning materials to help their target learners achieve specific results, be it learning a new subject or mastering a skill. You upload your online course, and your students pay money and complete your lessons, do exercises, and out their knowledge to test through quizzes and exams from the devices of their choice. 

Selling online courses effectively allows online course creators to make money by turning their knowledge into digital learning resources. 

The process requires an investment of time and effort, and it creates a reusable resource. A successful online course is a virtual class that could earn you recurring revenue for a month or even many years. 

If you are already an educator teaching online, online courses can be a way to diversify your income. This protects you against fluctuations in the market and changes in consumer trends. 

Additionally, online courses that show your knowledge and expertise can position you as a thought leader in the industry. 

COVID-19 has also accelerated the demand for online learning as many started to enroll in online courses to upskill to protect their future prospects. The percentage of learners who leverages online learning to keep themselves busy is also not scarce. According to Udemy, a 425% increase in course enrolments was found during the pandemic. 

How to become an online course creator in 5 steps?

The best thing about online courses is that they can be as broad or specific as the way you want them. So no matter your end goals, there is always a possibility to create an online course. 

Let’s have a look at the steps you can adopt to become an online course creator. 

1. Choose your course topic

The best online course creators who are passionate teachers love their subject. While you might not be physically in front of your learners, your enthusiasm and passion for the topic you create your course around will definitely shine through your online course materials. 

Yes, you can create online courses around any topic under the sun. But it is always recommended to select a subject that reflects your experience, skills, academic qualifications, and talents. 

Take a quick glance at popular course creation platforms like Udemy and have a look at the best-selling courses on the platform. Find some of the best-seller courses and find there is a market for them. As long as you are interested in a particular subject and have special knowledge of it, you can start off.

2. Conduct market research

After selecting a course topic, do a market research to see how profitable the niche is. Who are your ideal target learners, and what problems do they face? Find out will your online course help them solve the challenges they face and attain the best results that improve the quality of their life. Compare popular online courses in your chosen niche and see how the courses perform. Also, have a look at the competitor course selling platforms and how they attract thousands of participants. 

3. Start creating the content

If you want to create a high-quality online course, plan ahead before creating the course content. If you have identified your target audience, you can find out what type of content they would like to see. Trim any learning material that won’t help your learners achieve their learning goals. 

Make sure the content you create includes: 

• Written lessons divided into modules.
• Video lectures.
• Synchronous discussions over forums and live streams.
• Downloadable learning resources like worksheets.
• Hands-on projects.
• Quizzes and tests.

You can consider offering both :

One-to-one sessions: One-to-one sessions are exclusive live classes you conduct online as an additional perk of your online course where learners can directly interact with course creators. 

Self-paced courses: Self-paced online courses work great when you allow learners to grasp the concepts at their own pace by watching your pre-recorded lectures and videos.

4. Find the right platform for your online courses

As we have mentioned just now, being an online course creator, you are a business owner as well. In the beginning, your business might be very small but treat it as a full-fledged business. The more online courses you create and the more people you work with, the bigger your business becomes. 

While now you might be alone, you might expand your business in the future and add more people to your team. 

When it comes to tips on how to become an online creator, there are 2 options:

Selling on existing platforms

The obvious option is to sell your online course on course-selling platforms like Udemy and Coursera. This is the best option for course creators who are creating their own online courses for the first time. 

Building your own brand

If you are serious about selling an online course, start by building an online course marketplace for your brand. The best approach is to use an online tutoring marketplace software to build your online tutoring website. You can build your own brand, create an audience, and make much more money by selling online courses. 

5. Promote your course and start earning

If you are brainstorming about how to become an online course creator, you must be familiar and well-versed with marketing strategies. Begin with email marketing and using social media to promote your online course and start making money.

Secrets every online course creator must know

Before we get into secrets you must know about, let’s briefly describe what makes an online course successful. 

People buy online courses to achieve a transformation from their current state to their desired state. If you need to learn a new subject or attain new skills to get that promotion at your work, you got to invest in an online course to enhance your skills and reach that promotion.

When online courses help learners reach their goals in the simplest and quickest way, they become more effective and successful. This results in great success for online course creators as happy learners imply more referrals, more learners, and more money.

Okay, now let’s get into the top secrets you need to know to “create the path of easiness to achieve the results” for online courses.

Secret #1: Sell before you create

If you want to create a course that actually sells, there must be a real demand for it in the market. Online courses take a lot of time and hard work before getting launched in the market; if there is no valid demand, it could be a waste of your time. 

One of the best ways to prove that learners are interested in your course is to sell it before you create it. Pre-selling your course also helps you to understand what your learners want from your courses and generates buzz about your course even before it is created. 

Secret #2: Don’t start from scratch; repurpose first

Now how will you decide what content to add to your online course? According to some of the top online course creators, the best strategy would be to look at your best-performing content first. 

If there are blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc., based on the same topic, and you are getting value from those resources, why not use it for your online course? 

You can also try out reformatting content, like modifying an eBook to a more engaging and interactive online course to repurpose the same topic through a new lens.

Secret #3: Video lessons for 10 times better engagement

Generally, videos= 10 times value. Videos are an important learning tool as it is one of the preferred learning methods and are often more entertaining and engaging than text-based content. Video lessons in your online courses need not be lengthy types it could be short 3 or 5-minute videos introducing the concepts shortly. The shorter they are, the better. 

But rather than focusing on the length of the videos, you must prioritize delivering your message effectively. If you can communicate the core concept in 5 minutes, do not stretch out your videos. But if it takes 30 minutes or more to explain all important learning points, go ahead.

Secret #4: Community = success

One of the biggest needs of online learners who enroll in online courses is the need for a community. A community element in your online learning environment makes students feel more connected. Forums and live videos can effectively help learners establish relationships, and the sense of this community is often what keeps them coming back for more.

Examples include WhatsApp groups, Facebook groups, platform-specific community features, comments on lessons, in-app discussions, etc.

Focus on growing your community to a stage where it becomes self-sustainable, which not only means a better community experience for your learners but also means less work for you.

Conclusion

So there you have it; we have covered some important information on how to become an online course creator. Whether you are a budding course creator or a seasoned one, there is a prime opportunity to make more money sharing your knowledge and establishing a full-fledged career. 

Do you have any questions regarding creating an online course marketplace to sell your online courses? Leave them for us in the comments below, or get in touch with us.