Creating an online training course: 8 steps to turn your knowledge into business

Want to share your expertise and generate revenue at the same time? Offer an online training course! Many professionals monetize their knowledge, but creating an effective training course requires method and strategy.

How do you go about creating a training course? Discover the key steps for showcasing your knowledge, attracting your target audience, and moving from expertise to profitability.

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Why create an online training course?

Offering your own distance learning course is much more than simply sharing your knowledge with a community! It's a real opportunity to expand your audience, generate revenue and establish your status as an expert.

A booming market

With the explosion in telecommuting, digitalization and the number of self-employed, the e-learning field is booming. The e-learning market is estimated to be worth several hundred billion euros!

Online courses are easily accessible at any age, from anywhere and on any subject, making distance learning a far more available and practical training solution than conventional face-to-face training. All you need is a computer and an Internet connection. 💻

A way to sell your experience and expertise

Creating your own online professional training course means turning your knowledge of a subject into a recurring source of income. With digital learning, the whole world is your potential customer! There are no geographical limits holding you back. 🤩

Distance learning can complement your existing business or become your core activity. In fact, creating online training courses is an ideal source of income for :

• freelancers,
• freelancers
• coaches
• and consultants who are experts in their specific field.

A scalable business model

Unlike many activities, selling online training courses represents an unlimited source of income! All you need to do is put in the effort:

• finding a theme,
• the subject of your training course,
• program ideas,
• organizing everything...

👉 And then, sales can multiply all by themselves once the training is online. There's no need to convert time into money.

On a regular basis, you can choose to add bonus modules and make updates as necessary, to keep your training attractive and profitable.

Total flexibility

In e-learning, flexibility isn't just for the learners. You, as the trainer, can work from anywhere, at your own pace. With this type of online training, there's no need to make tiring journeys to conduct in-company training in real time.

A commitment to knowledge transfer

By offering educational content accessible to as many people as possible, you'll be helping people to improve their skills in a specific area. This sharing of expertise will make you a key reference in your sector, and build a strong community around your online training.

But how do you go about creating your online training course? Here are the steps! ⤵️

Step 1: Determine your subject and target audience

Before embarking on your project, you need to lay the foundations: what knowledge and skills do you want to pass on, and to whom? The first step to success in e-learning is therefore to define your teaching theme and your audience.

Choosing a profitable theme

Your expertise is not enough! There has to be a real market demand. Research current trends by checking the data provided by Google Trends and the information on e-learning platforms, for example. You can even look at book sales in your field and target the segments of greatest interest. 📚

Have you come up with an idea for an online training course? Great, now ask yourself this question: even with the best possible teaching quality, are people willing to pay to learn this?

Identify your audience

For your online training project, who are the ideal learners? You need to find out:

• their age,
• what their profession is,
• what their skill level is on the chosen topic.

What problems and frustrations do they want the training to address? And finally, what are their exact objectives? Their expectations? 🎯

Tip: to make sure you reach the right audience, create a specific persona for each training course. One theme might be aimed at beginners, while another might be better suited to more experienced learners.

Analyze your competitors' offerings

There's no point in offering exactly the same online training as a competitor, especially if they're well-established. Before you start thinking about the content of your training course in detail, check out what's already out there and ask yourself:

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of what the competition is offering?
• And what added value can your content bring?

Don't hesitate to look at customer reviews of other online training courses to learn more about the needs of your target audience, and learn from unmet expectations to prepare your own version.

Validate your idea before creating the course

Launching an online training course represents a real investment, at least in terms of time. Gauging interest in your future service is not only useful, it's essential! ☝️

There are several ways of testing the interest of potential learners, using different media:

• on social networks: a survey on LinkedIn, a group on Facebook, a promo code on Instagram...
• by sending out a newsletter: if you already have regular customers, why not test their curiosity?
• with a free webinar: to test people's willingness to pay to learn more;
• with a pre-sale: there's no better way to check that your training course is selling!

Step 2: Structuring online training content

A good e-learning course is one that captures learners' attention and maximizes the impact of your teaching. To achieve this, it's essential to organize your ideas in a logical and attractive way.

Defining learning objectives

The first thing is to know where you want to take the learner. At the end of the course, what will they have learned? The objective (s ) identified must be very clear to the user, measurable and, of course, achievable.

Moreover, this objective should be reflected in your e-learning program. For example, if your goal is to master all the workings of WordPress, you could say: "By the end of this course, you'll know how to create a WordPress website without coding". And if you're more interested in helping e-merchants, you might state: "After this training, you'll be able to write a sales page that converts". ✨

Build a logical, step-by-step plan

Nobody stays attentive for hours in front of a screen. For effective training, break it down into short-format modules, 20 to 30 minutes maximum. And to make your online training easy to follow, unfold a progressive pedagogical plan:

• start with the simplest and work up to the most complicated;
• alternate theoretical and practical instruction;
• regularly incorporate small exercises, case studies and quizzes to review progress along the way.

Mistakes to avoid when setting up

When creating your first online training course, there are a number of pitfalls you can fall into, which can ruin all your efforts:

• content that's too dense: the learner drowns in the sheer quantity of information, which in no way detracts from its quality. But too much information kills information;
• a disjointed plan: if the logic isn't there, learning loses all meaning;
• no practical application: it's by doing it yourself that you learn the most!

Step 3: Choose the right formats and tools

Video content, interactive quizzes, downloadable PDFs... the choice of formats and tools has a direct impact on user engagement and comprehension. It's up to you to find the right balance!

The different formats and their advantages

Video

🎥 The most popular format! Why is it so? Because it's more engaging, more lively and more conducive to learning.

Interaction is stronger, and video can create a sense of closeness with the speaker. We recommend using short videos with rhythmic editing, and generating subtitles to facilitate accessibility and comprehension for people watching without sound.

Disadvantage: the video format requires equipment and editing skills, and is more time-consuming.

Audio

🎧 Podcasts, interviews and even voice-overs on visual presentations are content that's easy to consume on the move. They are particularly useful for offering complementary content such as expert interviews or audio FAQs.

Disadvantage: without a visual aspect, it's harder to get hooked. As a result, engagement is lower.

Text and written support

✍️ With written support, PDFs, how-to sheets, checklists and guides offer a structure that helps learners review. They have a paper trail.

This type of format is very easy to produce and use, as it requires no special equipment. It's the ideal format to accompany videos, as it provides a framework for learning.

Disadvantage: even though it provides visual support, text is often less engaging than a striking video.

Live workshops and interactive webinars

🖥️ This is the best approach for real-time interaction! It's also the ideal format for ensuring a question-and-answer session and boosting motivation. Incorporate this possibility into your offering to boost student engagement.

Disadvantage: to organize this type of format, you'll need to make sure that you set up a fixed time slot, which will require time each time.

Recommended tools for creating content

Each software package has its own specific features. Have you defined your needs? Here are the best tools to support you:

• for filming and video editing: Camtasia (simple editing), Premiere Pro (more advanced), Filmora (good compromise).
• to record good sound: Audacity.
• to create attractive visuals: Canva (simple and effective), PowerPoint or Google Slides (classic, but functional).
• to host webinars: Zoom (the reference), Webex or Liverstorm (alternatives).

Step 4: Choose an e-learning platform

All set? Once you've finished creating your content, you'll need to choose a platform to host it.

The main platform categories

E-learning marketplaces

🛠️ Examples: Udemy, Coursera, OpenClassrooms

These are ideal for getting started with training when you don't yet have an audience. However, these platforms are less profitable in the long term.

• Advantages: you have access to a large audience, and they're ready to use. You don't need hosting or a website, and you can usually sign up for free.
• Disadvantages: expect fierce competition and high commissions (up to 50%).

All-in-one platforms

🛠️ Examples: Teachable, Podia, Kajabi, Systeme.io

These platforms enable you to launch your training under your own brand name.

• Advantages: you benefit from a complete management system (videos, quizzes, payments, e-mails, certification). You're also more independent in terms of the cost and marketing of your online training.
• Disadvantages: you'll have to pay a monthly subscription fee, but your margins will be higher.

Host your training on your own site

🛠️ Examples: self-hosted site (with domain name) on WordPress with LearnDash plugin or Tutor LMS

By hosting your training on your own website, you transform it directly into a correspondence course platform.

• Advantages: you retain total control over your online training and the revenues generated. All features are customizable.
• Disadvantages: configuration will be more technical than on a marketplace, and some plug-ins are expensive. What's more, you'll need to get your hands dirty for any maintenance worries.

Selection criteria

The right platform is the one that's right for your content, your audience and your business objectives. To choose the right platform for your e-learning course, you should consider the following criteria:

• ease of use: the platform must be intuitive for both you and the learners.
• compatible formats: videos, quizzes... does it support everything you need?
• personalization: a training program that reflects your image is immediately more effective!
• interaction and engagement: comments, forums, live... make sure you can communicate with participants.
• automation and follow-up: can you access progress reports? Statistics? Can you generate certificates?
• Pricing and business model: subscription, commission... which model suits you best?

Step 5: Define a price and business model

The right price for your e-learning course is the one that strikes the right balance between profitability and attractiveness. Don't drive customers away, but don't devalue yourself either.

How do you set the right price?

It's not always easy to estimate the value of your training course - in other words, the value of your knowledge! To start with, take another look at the competition. What are the prices offered for online training courses similar to yours?

⭐ Remember that the most expensive training courses are often judged to be more qualitative, even if this isn't always justified.

Once you've decided on your rate, test it, and test variations: try discounted pre-sales, one-off promotions, premium prices... And fine-tune your pricing according to what works best.

The different business models

You're just starting out as an online trainer and you're still groping your way through the various business models. Here are the different possibilities:

• one-off payment: the course is sold at a fixed price. This is the simplest solution, but also the one that generates the least recurring revenue.
• monthly subscription: this gives access to several training courses for a set price each month. With this option, revenues are regular, but you often need to add new content to your offering.
• the hybrid formula: this offers a mixed model of online training and coaching. You offer real added value to your customers, at the highest possible price. However, it will also require more of your time.

Step 6: Launch and promote your online training course

Your course is ready and you're convinced of its quality! Yes, but without visibility, it won't earn you anything. So how do you successfully launch and promote your course?

Launch strategies

Let's get out there and make a name for ourselves! 🗣️ Here are a few tips on how to get your online training course off the ground:

• build your audience before the launch: offer free content on social networks and build an e-mail list to which you can send free ebooks or mini-courses, for example.
• tease your training: give access behind the scenes, launch pre-sale offers with a special rate for the first registrants, organize a "preview" webinar... Anything's possible - just be imaginative!

Post-launch promotion

We don't stop after the first sales. To keep the momentum going, think about the aftermath:

• optimize the SEO of your sales pages: use the right keywords, write powerful product sheets, integrate videos. Future learners need to be able to find you easily.
• Opt for paid advertising: on Facebook, Instagram and Google. Target interested parties, and don't hesitate to experiment with different structures, visuals and messages. You'll see what works best when you use it.
• Dare partnerships and affiliation: it's even better if others are talking about you! Contact influencers or experts in your field, take part in podcasts or interviews, and offer an affiliation program with a commission for those who recommend you.
• use emailing: to convert and build loyalty. Start by presenting your online training and its benefits, then send testimonials from satisfied customers, and finally a limited-time promotional offer, for example.

Step 7: Build loyalty and improve training

To turn your online training courses into a real business, you can't stop at sales. A satisfied customer will come back and recommend your course. That's why you need to keep it up-to-date and offer new features.

Create a committed community

Congratulations on your first sales! Now you need to do everything you can to keep your customers satisfied, coming back, and recommending you to others. 🙏 Here are a few ways to create real engagement:

• Private group on Facebook, Discord or Slack: offer a space for exchange between learners. A caring place where everyone can come and ask questions and share success stories.
• Regular live sessions: keep in touch with learners through frequent webinars to answer any questions. It's also an ideal time to review projects and case studies. Occasionally bring in guest experts to spark curiosity.
• Gamification and engagement: organize challenges, competitions, offer badges... make your online training fun and motivating!

Improve training with feedback

To keep your online training meeting participants' expectations, collect their opinions and feedback. 💬 You may find it upsetting at times, but you won't believe the wealth of information you'll find there.

To complete the picture, also analyze tracking metrics. The completion rate will tell you a lot about which modules are giving up. Take into account satisfaction rates and recommendations to continually improve your training.

Step 8: Automate your training business

You're there! Your online training course is up and running. Now it's time to automate sales and reap the rewards:

• 🔄 Sell continuously and effortlessly :
• by creating a pre-recorded webinar that runs on a loop,
• by setting up a series of automatic mailings that keep you in touch with your already-conquered customers and prospects,
• by optimizing your sales pages as much as possible with new offers to increase the average user basket,
• 🤝 Easily manage prospects and customers:
• by using specific tools to track contacts.
• by scheduling automatic reminders and sending emails right on time.
• 📞 Ensure post-purchase follow-up:
• by motivating learners and pushing them to follow through. Good-natured e-mails contribute to participant satisfaction.
• by encouraging those who drop out!

The idea is to automate as much as possible to sell and build loyalty, but without spending hours doing it!

See all software Education & eLearning

Creating an online training course: what to remember?

Launching an online training course means following a clear 8-step process: define the subject, structure all the content, choose the right tools, set the price, promote it, build loyalty and automate. Your success depends on quality content, an effective promotional strategy and non-stop improvement!

What's next? There's nothing to stop you going further! Complementary training courses, subscriptions, premium services... Your knowledge can become an evolving business, so make the most of it! Ready to take your business to the next level? 👀