How to Launch an Online Course: 8 Easy Steps That Will Guide You

Stylemix Editorial Team

If you have been wondering how to launch an online course as an extra source of income, then you are in the right place.

Sharing your knowledge, expertise, and skills as an online course is the best project you can embark on for yourself and the people you will reach.

E-learning has grown in demand in the recent past and is expected to reach $320 billion by 2025. This is due to improved technology and internet accessibility across the globe. You can become a part of this remarkable global growth by launching your course.

How to Launch an Online Course: 8 Easy Steps That Will Guide You

But how can you launch your online course on your own?

The problem that many upcoming entrepreneurs face is a lack of proper knowledge. If you have the right information, then executing it becomes easy. You don’t have to be a technology expert to launch your online course but at least know the basics.

That said, be willing to learn what you don’t know yet to help the process. To help you learn how to launch an online course, we have prepared a step-by-step guide that you can follow.

Launching an online course is a journey few are willing to make. This is because it takes time, resources and effort to create, launch and sell. But, if you follow this guide, you will enjoy the journey and make a considerable income in the end.

The easy steps to guide you launch an online course

To successfully create, launch and sell an online course, you need a perfect approach. The creation and outline of the coursework are what make or break it. Here are several steps to help you get everything in order.

Step 1: Choose the topic

When you choose a topic, be sure to find a perfect balance between that which you love and its high demand among the audience. Go ahead and write down all the topics that interest you and that you are an expert in. From the list choose one topic that is more popular and has a high demand.

You can also look up some interesting ideas that most people are researching. Here are several places you can look:

  • Reddit, Quorra, or any other community forums. They must carry out discussions related to your business.
  • Google trends
  • Google keyword planner, Answer the Public, SEMRush, or Ahrefs. You can also use other tools that help find the trendiest keywords.
  • Social media groups

Once you choose your topic, refrain from introducing everything in one course. This can be too complicated for the learners. Rather, break it into small bits starting with an introduction, and keep expanding it. Based on the feedback you will receive on the first one, you will know how to present the next one.

Step 2: Choose a format and platform for a course

You can choose to share your online course in one of the following formats:

  • Live training. If you are a good orator, then you can go ahead and offer live sessions. This type will need less preparation. However, you will only be able to reach a limited number of people due to technical reasons.
  • Email. You can prepare your course material and send it over in a series of emails. You can make this process automated, thus requiring less time and attention. However, you will spend a good amount of time preparing the content before sending it out.
  • Membership website. This is a good option but very costly. You will need to invest in a website, the software to run the course, and high-quality engaging content. But, in the long run, the investment will pay off. The audience will have a deeper ongoing interaction with the site.
  • Blended course. You can launch your online course as a mixture of the above ideas. You can start with live sessions, as you prepare the emails for the lessons to come and finally invite your audience to become members of your website. When you use this method, ensure you don’t confuse your audience.
  • Online course platform. An e-learning platform like WordPress helps with the creation, launching, and promoting of your course as well as managing a site and a dashboard.

Step 3: Assemble and plan the content

Once you have chosen where to launch, get down to collecting all the necessary content. Be sure to include only the necessary material. However, you being the owner of the course, everything might sound necessary. You will need to check again and remove all the redundant details.

Secondly, plan the lessons and their structure. Allow your audience to provide feedback, especially on the practical assignments. Most people look forward to this kind of interaction. It will be an added advantage to help all those who start the course complete it and become better.

If possible, get someone to check the course and the plan of the lessons before you roll it out. You will be able to get an evaluation that will help you improve the quality of your online course.

Step 4: Final touches and brushing up the content

At this stage, make the content not only informative but also interactive. This will need some effort to make it more appealing to the audience. You can do so by creating that perfect blend between what the student reads, watches, and hears.

If you plan on introducing several plans for your course, add an extra option to help one choose what they like. If your course entails quizzes, live webinars, and sessions, you can incorporate professional help to make your platform more stylish and engaging.

Step 5: Work on the design and style of your course

You will need to design the course itself plus the landing page that welcomes the students to the lesson. The landing page will also serve as a page for advertisements. This page must carry excellent marketing and SEO content that captures the attention of the target audience.

Digital marketing and SEO are key in this stage as they will put your course in the limelight. A good landing page should be

  • Placed on the right hosting provider to help everything run smoothly and trouble-free.
  • A clear and understandable page that displays the cost of the course, results to expect, and the future benefits.
  • Inclusive of feedback and testimonials from former students. If it’s the first course, include reviews on your products and services. Look for ways to persuade your audience so they can trust you.

Remember to keep your landing page short and straight to the point. Add only the essential details and send other details in emails upon signing up or add the info on other pages.

Step 6: Advertise your online course

Having finished all the above steps, it’s time to go public about your online course. Depending on your budget there are several channels you can use to promote it. These include:

  • Social media platforms. This is one of the main platforms with a majority of users. Depending on the audience you target for your course, you will need to choose a specific media. However, this does not mean you completely avoid some of these media platforms. You need to invest a bit more in some than others. You can also try to broaden your advertising by reaching out to not only the precise audience but those who will soon become your audience. This approach may need a little more in-depth study but it will bring you more benefits in the future. You can also make use of social media influencers to promote your course.
  • Google ads. This is a paid service by Google that you can use to market your online course. Users will see your ads while they search for content related to your online course topic. You will therefore need to correctly determine the keywords of your course for the promotion. If you have no experience using Google ads, get an expert to help you to ensure you spend every cent wisely.
  • Email marketing. This is another effective way to promote your course. You will need to have many clients’ emails or a list of leads that shows interest in a similar course. Do not fall for those lists of emails sold because in most cases, they are outdated or irrelevant and might not bring you any results.

Step 7: Re-check your course again

With the students beginning to warm up to your course, it’s time to ensure everything is flawless and works properly. Here’s how to do so

  • Proofread the entire content, listen to audio materials, and watch all the videos.
  • Ensure the whole course has a backup stored on the cloud
  • Ensure that the content is available for both the desktop and mobile users for both android and OS.
  • Ensure all the links are correct without any broken links included
  • Recheck the social media posts and scheduled emails that will be sent during the course.

You are ready to launch your course! It has indeed been a long way and a lot of work but it’s all going to pay back soon! Congratulations!

But, before you sit back relax and enjoy the money….

Step 8: Survey your students and collect feedback

The final step for providing every product or service is finding out what the consumers think. In this case, what do your students think about the course? Starting an online course is one thing but meeting the needs of the users is another. Sometimes the reaction of the users might not be as good as you would expect. However, this is not the time to get discouraged and give up. It’s time to evaluate your mistakes, adapt the course, and make the necessary changes so that the next time you launch it’s way better.

One secret to help you get better is to look at what other entrepreneurs are offering and learn from their approaches. You can even pay for a few online courses from your competitors to learn what is good or wrong with their approach. It is hard to notice your errors but when you use someone else’s product or service you can be able to avoid the same mistakes.

Conclusion

In this article, we have observed how to launch an online course: 8 easy steps that will guide you.
Technology in its entirety is providing limitless possibilities with e-learning being one of them. The competition for this space is tough! However, few entrepreneurs know how to properly create and launch an online course.

If you follow this guide, you will be able to not just create but sell your online course to the right people. Also, using the Learning Management System helps you create courses as well as track the learning process of your audience better. All the best in your launch journey!