In this article we will look another popular method for creating passive income : online courses
The market for online courses is huge, there are always people to learn more about a topic and on just about any topic that you can imagine.
Basics of Online Course creation
Now there is a bit of work at the start, you need to do some planning on the content which may involve writing a list of topics and then writing a basic script that you read from, video recording, record your voice if required, and then putting this all together in a collection of videos. Once the hard work of creating the course has finished, there’s not much work left aside from promoting the course. There are various pieces of software that may be required if you need to edit your video like Screenflow, Camtasia , ShareX etc.
You may need a webcam or camera to record your face – a lot of popular courses have the computer screen with an embedded video of the instructor.
Of course you can record the video and then add your voice later.
Niche research
The online course market can be very competitive depending on your niche, again you should research your niche thoroughly for the demand (amount of potential customers) and also the popularity of the niche (how many people already have courses, how long is the course, what is the price of the course)
Analyse your niche and see if you can create a whole series of courses. If your first course is a success you will get a good name and customers will be enthusiastic about your new course. Some examples
You have a photoshop course – what about other adobe products like Illustrator or Premiere
You have created a bitcoin course – what about altcoins, forex investing, stock market and other investing
You have created a basic programming course – how about intermediate and advanced topics, other languages.
Most of the profits from selling your course are mostly passive in nature. Depending on the subject matter you may have to update the course and you will also be expected to be available to answer questions – remember you are the subject matter expert here and customers may ask you questions.
I mentioned updating the course depending on the content, if you chose a topic that can change for a reason then customers may expect updates, some examples. A new version of a piece of software, differences in social networks, changes to youtube, new electronics – this will vary depending on the course subject.
Some Online course ideas
These of course are just some ideas to get the creative juices flowing. There are literally thousands upon thousands.
Using Photoshop – record yourself using photoshop and guide people through the steps
Microsoft Windows – How to use Windows, record the screen and talk about it.
Programming – Do you know how to program, record the coding steps, explain it and then show the results. Lots of programming languages available, people are interested in ones that they can make money from
App development – iPad apps, Android apps, games
Social media – Are you good on social media, you can explain how to grow Youtube channels, create videos, craete pins for pinterest, instagram – in short basically anything
Web design – Can you create websites, wordpress themes, setup wordpress – record the process and talk in detail about this
Crafts – Wood turning, sewing – anything here
Cooking – show how to cook with detailed steps and instructions of the recipes
Fitness – big niche, can you do yoga, individual exercises with equipment.
Problem solving – people are always looking for answers to problems like working from home, making money and generally improving a skill
This is only some quick ideas that I brainstormed writing this article
Online Course Sites
Udemy – One of the big players, loads of courses on many topics. Look at what’s available and how the people structure courses. You earn money based on sales
Skillshare – Differs from Udemy in that people pay a subscription model which allows them access to many courses. You earn money based on the number of minutes students spend watching your courses.
There are many other sites to investigate which have their own pluses and minuses, here are some of these sites
Teachable
Thinkific
LearnWorlds
Click4Course
CourseCraft
Course Cats
Zippy Courses
Kajabi
These sites have all sorts of pricing and tools, you should investigate them and find the best one for you.
Online course promotion
There are lots of ways of promoting your online course, here are a few that I could think of
Social Media : send tweets via twitter, create a facebook page, capture a screenshot and pin it on Pinterest.
Youtube : Create a small sampler and link to the main course
Blogging : Create some articles and then link to your online courses on a blog
Email list : build an email list and promote your course
You can use paid ad promotion if you really want as well, facebook ads or adsense
Online Course tips
Make sure you genuinely are interested in the topic – if you get bored or aren’t really interested then you will struggle to create content
Research the niche to ensure that your course idea has a high market demand. If no-one is interested you will make little sales and very little money.
Structure your course correctly. The general rule is to start with the easiest lessons then slowly move to the more advanced lessons.
Use various media – videos, audios, images and documents like spreadsheets, word documents, source code if its a programming course
Research pricing for your course – do not get too greedy and price yourself out the market. The more expensive the course the more the customer will be expecting.
You do not need to use a hosted platform, you can set up your own membership site and host the course.
Summary
Does require some technical skills in the creation process, you will have to spend some time in planning and creation phase and you do have to supply after sales support and answer questions. Pick the correct niche and create a popular and quality course and you can earn very good money.
