Zippy Courses
Regular people are taking their knowledge and content, turning it into an online courses, and they're making a living doing it.
Kim Klassen is living proof that you can turn a skill into an online course - and get paid for it. She's an amazing photographer, and now she sells online courses that help other photographers. One course reveals tips and tricks for Adobe Lightroom (a photography application), and another course walks people through how to take great pictures.
Jenna Soard is proof that you can take a high-touch, high-priced service, and package it into an online course. She's a web designer, and now she also sells online courses that show other people the ins and outs of branding online. Plus, she now has two income streams: services AND courses.
Kim Selzman is proof that anyone can start selling online courses... even if they're bad with technology. In her words, "I thought about putting together an online course would be difficult and complicated." But she pushed through and launched an online course about "simple endurance training for tennis."
You can find people creating and selling online courses about ANYTHING. And some of them are making BIG money.
It appears that creating and selling online courses is lucrative...
I'm Derek Halpern. I'm the founder of Social Triggers, and the co-founder of the online course software ZippyCourses...
...And I believe this is the start of a new phenomenon I call:
When you look at the people who create - and sell - online courses, they're often just regular people...
...They don't have a degree in "instructional design."
...They aren't certified teachers.
...They never woke up and screamed, "I want to be an informal teacher," and yet, here they are. Teaching. And making money.
What's going on?
The market for online courses hit $56.2 billion in 2014 - and it's expected to double in 2015.
And since the demand for online courses is surging, that gives people who are willing to show people how to do things an opportunity to start - and grow - their online business by selling online courses.
Now it makes you wonder, "can anyone create an online course?"
I believe the answer is YES.
But maybe you're not sold.
Maybe you've got concerns.
And that's okay!
The truth is, when you're looking to create - and sell - online courses, you will encounter some real challenges.
Challenges like:
Don't worry. I'll cover how to do this (and more) in this series.
But I noticed people worried about things they shouldn't worry about...
...And I'll show you why.
When Naomi said, "I feel like everything I would like to do has been done before and done well, so why would people buy mine," I couldn't help but smile.
I totally understand why people feel this way. I used to feel the same way. But now I think it's funny. Here's why:
The exact thing that worries people is the exact thing that means they can be successful selling online courses.
I'll explain.
When you come up with an online course idea that has NEVER been done before, that means one thing: there's probably no one interested in buying it.
Seriously.
You might think, "But people need what I'm selling," and maybe they do. But the internet is so large that if people need it, and are willing to buy it, there WILL be someone else selling it.
As a matter of fact: if you come up with an idea for an online course, and you can't find someone selling a course similar to what you want to offer, I'd find a new course.
Of course there are specific strategies for figuring out what to create an online course about...
...and I'll share more about that in tomorrow's training material.
For now, I want you to know this: yes, there's competition, and that's a GOOD thing.
Okay, but what about, "why would people buy from me?"
Well, that leads me to the next big worry.
Remember Joseph Michael Nicoletti, the guy who helps novelists write their novel with Scrivener?
Well, when he decided to create an online course about Scrivener, he said, "I was just using it casually. I definitely wasn't an expert. I never written a book or anything."
And he went on...
"I purchased every book on Scrivener and studied everything I could find on it. I'd study a particular feature, and then record a tutorial on it. Short 3-5 minute chunks mainly so it was easier for me to create, but it turned out to be one of the most popular features."
Or, long story short, he created his course by learning one feature, filming a video about it, and then learning another feature, and filming another video about it.
He learned as he created, and he went on to become a HUGE success.
But here's why I love this story:
If you want to create an online course about something... ANYTHING... and you feel like "I don't know anyhting that I could teach..."
I have 5 letters for you:
LEARN.
And as you LEARN, document the process, and you too can create a course about almost anything.
The best part?
You can be open and honest about this process, and people will appreciate you for it.
You can straight up tell people, "I'm not a credentialed expert, but like you, I wanted to learn how to do this. So I set my sights on figuring it out - and I documented the whole process for you..."
Here's why:
People like to buy from people who are similar to them, and if you show them "Hey, I was just like you, and I learned how to do it," it will help people believe they can do it too.
So why would people buy from you?
Because your story of success will be what pushes them over the edge.
For now, let's go to the next big worry.
Here's the truth:
While people "could" find what you plan on selling elsewhere..
...they still have to find it.
They also must figure out what information is legit... and what information is junk.
And figuring out the difference can be a fulltime job for even the most savvy people.
Just google anything and you'll see how many results. You often can't make heads or tails of the advice...
...And there are TWO additional problems with "FREE" content.
Problem #1: Even if the advice is legit, that doesn't necessarily people will believe it. When people see something for free, their immediate reaction is to question it.
Heck, you're reading this right now, and maybe you're questioning what I'm saying.
However when people pay for things they believe it's much more valuable than free. And they're more likely to trust it because they paid for it.
Problem #2: When people get advice for free, there's no real cost for not taking that advice. And that's why people rarely taken action on the things they read. However, when people PAY for something, they're more likely to take action. Why? Again, because they paid for it. It's win win. Win for you because you get to turn your knowledge and content into money. And a win for them because they'll actually listen to you.
That said...
People WANT to pay something.
Radiohead took a HUGE risk. They released their album In Rainbows on the net for a "pay what you want" pricing model.
That means, people could take it for free. It also means people could pay a penny, a dollar, or 10 dollars.
What happened?
About a year later, they sold more than 3 million copies of their album.
That means:
3 million copies of an album were bought... when they could have also gotten it for free.
Why?
Because people genuinely care about other people. And they want to support people they like. And people who help them.
And people WANT information spoon fed to them.
Seriously.
If I had a choice: go find what I needed, or buy an online course that shows me how to do what I needed, step bystep, I'd choose the course every single time.
Sure it costs money. But it's easier. And that's all that really matters.
That said...
Now that you're hopefully sold on the idea of creating - and selling - online courses, the question is:
"Who should or shouldn't create them?"
I believe there are a few key people who should create
courses.Feel free to jump to the section that describes you best...
If yes, that's great. You can turn it into an online course, and you can get paid while you work (and while you sleep).
If you're already in business of "doing things for people," you should also consider supplementing your income with online courses.
I shared Jenna's story earlier, but long story short: when you run a service business, you only get paid when you're doing that service.
When you run a service business while also selling online courses - you can get paid while you work and while you sleep.
Here's how: once you create an online course once, you can continue to sell it over and over again.
I created my most profitable product back in 2012 - and I sold it in 2012, 2013, and 2014. As long as your information isn't dated, you can continue selling it over and over again without doing any other work other than promoting it.
Now you might think, "But wouldn't this cannibalize sales and prevent people from hiring me?"
The answer is no.
Here's why:
The person who wants to pay to learn to do it themselves is much different than the person who wants to pay someone else to do it for them.
I should know. I happily pay for plenty of things I could do myself.
I recently hired a chef. He cooks my meals for me and delivers them straight to my house. If he also sold a "meal plan service" where he showed me what to eat, and how to make it, do you think I'd pay for that?
Heck no.
I hired him because I don't want to cook. But the reality is not everyone wants that. Some people just want to know what to eat and how to make it so they can cook it themselves.
You can turn each of those things into an online course.
And YES, while it can be great for your bottom line, it's also great for your customers.
Here's why:
When someone hears you speak or reads your book, chances are, if they made it through the whole thing, they're thinking: "I really like this... but what can I do next?"
Your online course GIVES them something to do next.
It also gives you something to sell other than the book, speech, or workshop!
As an example, over at Social Triggers, I often create free videos that I post on YouTube. In these videos I often share tips and tricks for executives and entrepreneurs who are looking to get ahead in business and life.
And I also sell online courses. You see, people who see my free stuff often ask themselves, "well, that was helpful. What else can I get from him?"
Now you're likely wondering how to do it and what to focus on, and I'll cover that in tomororw's emails.
For now, my goal today is to get you FIRED UP to create your first course. So that when you see what you have to do tomorrow - you'll eat it up ;-).
I believe creating and selling online courses is a GREAT business.
You see, many people think to build a business online, they need to sell something tangible - via ebay - or sell something like an online service.
And sure, you could do that.
But I personally LOVE the online course business.
When you create a course the right way, you only really need to create it once - and you can sell it over and over again.
What's better than that?
NOTHING.
Plus, there's no shortage of people who know how to teach people how to do things...
So if you're looking to sell online courses, and you have no desire to create one yourself, who says you can't partner with an expert?
You could let them create the course... and you can market and sell it for them.
Anyway...
Feel free to leave a comment and I can share how creating online courses can help you too.
I know you're ready to create - and sell - your first online course.
And tomorrow, I'm going to show you how to hone in on an idea for your first online course.
Plus - if you're already selling some online courses, you'll see some of the inside secrets behind "positioning" that course so that your course stands out from the competition.
In the mean time, I have some homework for you...
I want you to start thinking about the type of online course you'd like to create - and why you want to create it.
I'm not asking you to commit to any one topic.
I'm asking you to brainstorm a big list of things you could see yourself sharing with people in the form of an online course.
To help guide you, I put together this worksheet.
Download this worksheet right now.
Warning: Right click and press save as. If you do not do this, and you fill it out, your work won't be saved.
And remember: this is a community event.
So, here's what I want you to do...
After reading this complete article (and completing the worksheet), I want you to share your BIGGEST INSIGHT in the comments below