Should You Create an Online Course? Yea or Nay

Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content and has gained 600K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.

Posted 9.5.24

“You should create an online course to go with this book,” wrote one of my Amazon reviewers. That comment surprised me. I was familiar with online courses since I’d taken plenty myself. But create my own? The prospect seemed overwhelming.

Since then I have created 5 online courses and am planning several more. And lest you think I’m savvy with tech or have oodles of extra know-how, think again. I simply want to get my content to more consumers, so I’ve done what it takes.

At the start I knew my learning curve would be steep, so I set aside plenty of time selecting an online course host (I chose Teachable) … gave myself a generous launch timeline … even took a course on how to create a course.

You can do the same. But be prepared, my Eagle Scout son always says. Choosing a platform and giving yourself time — these are just a couple of the factors you need to consider if you’re thinking of jumping on the online course creation bandwagon. But first things first.

What is an online course?

An online course (or e-course) is an educational program delivered over the Internet. It can be informal or formal, long or short, paid or free. Your online course can cover nearly any topic. You can teach students to choose a diamond or train them to use a new type of software or help learners understand how to raise pet snakes.

Now, the pros and cons.

Why you should create an online course

1. To grow your income

Every piece of content you write is what lawyers call intellectual property — a “creation of the mind.” That includes any eLearning or online course you create on your own time, with your own imagination, using your own tools. It’s not someone’s work product. It’s a piece of merchandise. You own it.

Mobile devices and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the eLearning market, which is set to reach $1 trillion by 2032. That means plenty of opportunity for writers, content creators, and solopreneuers who create eLearning content.

Create an online course and you create a product you can sell not once (like your time) but over and over. Your online course whirrs in the background continuously and generates passive income while you go about other writing tasks. Plus, others can sell it for you, too. You can set up an affiliate program and invite other publishers to sell your course for a percentage of the sales price.

2. To grow your product line

Since you own the course content, you can package its elements — such as worksheets or modules — to sell separately or offer as incentives. You can further diversify your course income streams by offering coaching services, premium content, or affiliate partnerships related to your course topic.

3. To grow your audience

When you create an online course, you grow followers. I see this with my free mini-course Getting Started Writing Devotionals. It serves as an introduction to my full-length course, Writing Devotionals That Stick.

The mini-course has pulled in hundreds of new subscribers to my email list. Once they’ve enrolled, I offer these new users a discount on the full-length course. And those subscribers continue to receive my weekly emails which means I can offer them other products I create along the way.

4. To grow your credibility

Maybe you don’t consider yourself an expert. Yet your online course explains how to complete a task or acquire a skill. Users enroll because they want to learn the skill you’ve mastered.

You may not be the world’s top expert on that task, but you’ve taken the time to explain to learners how to do that task. So in a student’s eyes, you are more of an expert than they are. You are a credible source.

5. To grow your accessibility

For learners, one of the biggest draws of an online course is its flexibility. They can enroll in your course from anywhere on Earth and complete lessons at any time of day.

Plus, they can pace their learning. If users want to burn through 12 modules in one weekend, they can have at it. likewise, the tortoises among us can move systematically through your content until they’ve mastered the skill you’re teaching them — even if it takes months.

But e-courses are flexible for teachers, too. You can create the course in the extra minutes you have in the evening and on weekends. And once created, your course has no geographical limitations. All that yummy knowledge becomes accessible to your students worldwide no matter where you’re located.

Reasons why you should wait to create an online course

By now, you may be ready to jump in and get your online course published instantly so your content can begin to change the world. But before you do so, count the cost.

You must have a useful topic

What do you know how to do that others may want to learn about? Your topic doesn’t need to be academic (it can be), but it should meet a need, answer a question, or teach a skill. And the more specific, the better.

Search Pinterest, Instagram, and your favorite group boards to find out if others have created an e-course about your topic. If you find none, then you may be able to provide a valuable resource to learners and potentially capitalize on an underserved niche. (But be careful … if there’s no course related to your topic, there may be zero interest. How many people want to learn how to tattoo their ferrets? Be honest.)

For example, maybe every Christmas you get rave reviews from family members who don’t want to open the gifts you give them because they’re wrapped so beautifully. You get an idea: maybe you can create an online course about gift wrapping that includes …

• How to choose wrapping paper
• How to make professional bows from rolls of ribbon
• How to create printable gift tags
• How to fold neat corners
• How to wrap unusually shaped gifts

… and so on

Yet in your research, you find other courses about gift wrapping. If so, don’t panic. Rather, be encouraged. That means there’s a demand for your topic. You simply need to find an angle or skill that’s not already covered in another course. Rather than launching another Gift Wrapping 101, you can create courses like Gift Wrapping for Kids … Thematic Gift Wrapping … How to Make Brown Paper into Elegant Gift Wrap.

How do you know you’ve got a useful, saleable topic for your course? You must clarify how your learners will be different after taking your course, say the good folks at online learning behemoth Udemy.

To do so, complete this sentence: “At the end of my course, students will be able to [verb] + [measurable/observable skill].” As in, “At the end of my course, students will be able to wrap gifts like a paid pro.” If you can’t write this purpose statement for your course, then work on your course concept until you can. Otherwise, your course won’t be useful … and you won’t get any takers.

You must invest time

How much time? That depends on you. And at least three factors.

1. Your content

If you’re creating a course based on a book or class or series you’ve already written, then putting together the course will take less time. You can adapt the content you already have. But if you’re starting your course from scratch, you need to allow time for concepting, research, organizing lessons, writing, and editing.

2. Your course format

Not all courses must include 16 modules and include 32 hours of teaching. Your online course can be short or long, according to Cindy Bidar of Tiny Course Empire. She has created dozens of courses and has helped 5,000 entrepreneurs scale their businesses using courses. Six basic online course formats take differing amounts of time to create and consume, says Cindy. They include …

• An email course, delivered in short, successive autoresponders comprised of text and a few graphics.
• A simple eBook guide, which can include worksheets and assignments.
• A live workshop, which you can record and continue to deliver as a download.
• A group challenge that spans a certain time.
• A full-length self-study course with videos, downloadables, and written content.
• A full-blown cohort with dozens of participants that includes substantive content, coaching, and regular meetings.

3. Your technological ability

I’m a content writer — far from a technological whiz. So when I decided to create a couple of full-length online courses, my learning curve was steep. I had to acclimate myself to my chosen delivery platform, Teachable. And I had to brush up on my graphics skills to make worksheets and learn to create and edit videos in Screenflow.

If that’s you, walk into course creation with your eyes wide open. Allow yourself time and grace to acquire those tech skills. On the upside … if I can do it, anyone can.

One more note about time: even after you launch your course, allocate time to address student feedback. Many learners struggle with self-motivation and may not finish all the lessons, leading to low completion rates. As a course creator, find ways to engage students and ensure they stay encouraged as they work through the content.

Plus, plan for ongoing maintenance. Even if your course covers an evergreen topic, set aside time in the future to review it periodically and add updates — more so if your content topic is ever-changing.

You must promote your course

Once you create an online course, you want it to get into the hands of learners. To do so, plan a multi-pronged strategy. The first step is as simple as housing your course on large online learning platforms like Udemy or Teachable, where thousands search for e-learning experiences each day. And you’ll need to set aside time to …

• Offer your course to your email list
• Promote your course on social media
• Speak about your course on podcasts
• Post your course on distribution channels in your niche
• Offer special discounts for your course
• Produce webinars to publicize your course
• Create an affiliate program so others in your niche can promote your course

Should you create an online course?

Online learning is here to stay. As a student, I’m thrilled. What better way to keep acquiring skills and connecting with those who share my interests?

And now that I’m not just a consumer, I’m even more zealous. Creating an online course provides a different way for me to keep learning. As I organize my material, fit it into a platform, and then teach it, I understand my topic better and care about it more passionately.

“Education is the kindling of a flame,” said Greek philosopher Socrates (c. 470–399 BC). “Not the filling of a vessel.” If you want to be a lifelong learner, don’t just be a student filled by others. Kindle the flame. Become an online course creator, too.

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