How to Create an Online Course That Sells

Originally published on entrepreneursbreak.com

If you are wondering how to create an online course that sells, you are in the right place. It’s a good question to ask before developing your course content. After all, you don’t want to waste time and effort creating a course that won’t sell. In this blog post, we will share three steps that will help you create a course that sells. 

Step #1. Identify Your Learners’ Biggest Challenge 

The very first thing you will need to do is figure out the biggest challenge facing your learners. This will help you identify the goal of the course and the topic you cover. Think of this as identifying your learners based on their challenges. 

Hypothesizing 

A good starting point is to hypothesize what the challenge may be. Do some research on learners’ potential challenges and what they would need to overcome these. But you don’t want to just hypothesize, as you may accidentally choose the wrong challenge. 

Talk to Your Learners to Confirm 

Next, talk to your learners to confirm that you have identified their most important obstacle. If you’re pressed for time, you can even skip hypothesizing and just talk to your learners right away. Your learners can best tell you about the challenges they face. 

Step #2. Build a Successful Sales Strategy 

Once you have the biggest challenge in mind, it’s time to build a sales strategy. While it may seem counterintuitive, this is crucial, as it lets you ensure that you have a path to success before you put in the effort to make the course. 

Create a Lead Magnet 

Start by creating a lead magnet. You can distribute this free resource in exchange for an email address. A lead magnet can be nearly anything. Options include checklists, step-by-step guides, PDFs, eBooks, masterclasses, and more. If you choose to sell your course for at least $250, then always opt for a webinar or masterclass for your lead magnet. It should be 30 to 60 minutes of content. 

Create an Email Sequence

The goal of the lead magnet is to gain email addresses. This is crucial as you own your email list, and it isn’t subject to algorithm changes like your followers on social media. 

Use your email list and create an email sequence. This sequence should focus on building a relationship with the subscribers. Understand that few people will buy your course as soon as they learn about it. An email sequence lets you build trust and a relationship, so they will go ahead and buy the course. You can opt for a sales or nurture sequence. 

Step #3. Build a Course that Addresses the Biggest Challenge

Finally, you are ready to create the course. Remember that this course should address the biggest challenge that your learners face. Only address a single challenge in the course. If there are other major challenges, those can be the topic of future courses. Stick to one topic at a time, so you can provide the most valuable learning content. 

The Bottom Line

The process of how to create an online course that sells involves three major steps. Identify the biggest challenge your learners face, create a sales strategy, and build the course. This will help ensure that learners are interested in your course and you can get it to them.