Unlock Your Potential: How to Create and Profit from Your Own Online Course

If you have expertise in any field, why not share your knowledge and turn it into a profitable venture? This guide will walk you through the essential steps to create an online course that attracts students and delivers value.

Alexey Polekhin

Chief Operating Officer at the ZAMONA IT Professions University.

Any professional who has achieved success often contemplates sharing their expertise by developing their own educational program. This approach not only establishes your authority as an expert but also creates an opportunity to monetize your skills. Below is a comprehensive step-by-step plan to help you launch your educational course from scratch.

Choose Your Course Topic

Even if you are highly knowledgeable in your field, avoid creating an all-encompassing course at the start. Begin with a focused beginner-level program. Ask yourself: What are the foundational skills in your profession? What competencies should a junior or entry-level specialist possess? Center your first course around these essentials.

Beginners tend to have simpler expectations, increasing your chances of success. Starting with fundamentals also opens doors for expanding your educational offerings in the future.

Draft Your Course Outline

Visualize your course structure and document it formally. Start with a compelling title, define your target audience, specify the course duration, and introduce the experts involved.

If you have the expertise and time, consider conducting the initial course launch yourself. Only bring in additional experts for specialized topics where you might need support.

Provide a concise course description covering key topics and the skills students will acquire.

Next, create a structured outline of the theoretical content. Break it down into thematic modules, then into individual lessons, and list detailed points for each lesson.

An ideal beginner course comprises 3–5 modules with 2–4 lessons each. Typically, humanities courses include 10–12 lessons lasting about two hours each, while technical or mathematical subjects may have shorter one-hour lessons.

Also, plan the practical component by envisioning the final student project first—be it a strategy, presentation, design mockups, analytical reports, or software product—and work backward to outline the steps to achieve it.

Create a Landing Page

At this stage, build a landing page highlighting your course's benefits and start collecting sign-ups. You might feel it’s early since you only have a draft, but this minimal info is enough to validate demand before investing significant time.

Schedule your course launch approximately two months after announcing it, giving you ample time to prepare materials.

As a recognized expert, you likely know how to promote your course. Early on, handle sales personally—engage with potential students, answer questions, and gather insights to refine your target audience profile.

Develop Course Materials

With the announcement live and registrations coming in, focus on creating your course content. We recommend a synchronous learning format with scheduled lessons and live webinars, which fosters student motivation and engagement.

During webinars, you can present material using slides or demonstrate real-time workflows through screen sharing.

To save time, record screencasts with commentary for basic application tutorials or settings demonstrations. Use tools like Camtasia Studio for effective screen capture and annotations. Remember to verbalize or display key presses since they aren’t visible on screen.

When designing presentations, resist the urge to cram all your knowledge into one session. The volume of information delivered does not equal what students effectively absorb.

Estimate lesson length by allotting about 2 minutes per slide. For a one-hour lesson, prepare 20–25 slides, leaving time for questions and interaction.

Ensure Technical Setup

Various Learning Management Systems (LMS) are available, but initially, use familiar tools like Google Docs or task managers such as Trello or Basecamp to organize materials simply.

Each lesson can include video links or webinar invites, supplementary materials, quizzes, practical assignments, and feedback forms—all manageable in basic platforms.

Choose a reliable webinar platform like Webinar.ru or Clickmeeting.com. For email communications, services like GetResponse offer user-friendly interfaces suitable for beginners.

Consider what software or tools students might need for assignments to facilitate hands-on learning.

With these essentials in place, you’re ready for your first class.

Prepare for the Webinar

Your live sessions are the primary interaction point with students and should be flawless.

Before the First Session

Congratulations on assembling your student group! Send a welcome email outlining course expectations, structure, and introduce any support staff. Include a brief survey to understand students’ goals and backgrounds.

Send webinar access links a few hours before and again 10–15 minutes prior to maximize attendance. Avoid sending links too early to reduce no-shows.

Equipment and Environment

Invest in an HD camera and quality headset or microphone for clear audio and video. Built-in laptop devices often fall short.

Use a solid-colored background; avoid distracting home or office settings.

Camera Framing

Position the camera at eye level using a stand or books to avoid an unflattering downward angle. Frame yourself with a small space above your head and the lower edge at mid-chest level for a professional look.

Avoid looking down at the camera, which can feel intimidating to viewers.

Test Your Setup

Technical glitches are the worst during live sessions. Test your camera, microphone, presentation visibility, and internet connection 30–40 minutes before class to address any issues.

A stable internet speed of 2–3 Mbps suffices for presentations; 4–5 Mbps is recommended for screen sharing. Use a wired connection when possible for reliability.

Conducting the Webinar

Speaking to a screen can feel odd initially, but engage students by asking questions, encouraging chat participation, and maintaining eye contact with the camera.

Keep the conversation flowing to avoid awkward silences, and personalize the experience by addressing students by name.

Build a Community

To enhance student experience, create a private Facebook group* for your class and support team. Plan your content in advance to keep the group active and engaging.

Include reminders, relevant articles, discussion prompts, and contests to foster interaction. Start with introductions to build rapport.

As your cohorts grow, use scheduling tools like Kuku.io for automated post publishing to manage your community efficiently.

Design Practical Assignments

Hands-on tasks are vital. Define each assignment’s goal and the skill it develops. Provide clear instructions and a step-by-step guide, including example solutions with commentary.

Not every lesson needs an assignment, but more practical work enhances learning. Keep tasks manageable, ideally 1–3 hours for beginners.

Respond promptly to submissions within 1–2 days to maintain student motivation. Enlist assistants if feedback becomes overwhelming.

Include a Final Project

A capstone project helps students consolidate learning, ask final questions, and showcase their skills. Emphasize its importance.

Projects can be a compilation of course work or a new comprehensive assignment under mentor guidance. Less motivated students may opt for the former, while ambitious ones tackle the latter.

Organize a live defense session with invited colleagues to add significance and provide valuable experience.

Engage Your Advocates

Identify highly engaged students and build relationships. They can become future mentors and assist with course management—a win-win scenario.

Maintain an alumni community to uphold your course’s reputation. Even if students are remote, organize occasional in-person meetups to strengthen connections.

Plan for the Future

Take your project seriously by drafting a business plan outlining expenses and projected income. Include direct costs, marketing, expert fees, your time, and taxes.

Early profits may be modest, but growth and scaling across multiple groups improve financial outcomes.

If you’re inspired to create your own educational product, consider attending EdmarketConf, a practical online education conference featuring top industry leaders sharing insights on course creation and marketing. Join online or in person at the Skolkovo Technopark.

*Note: Meta Platforms Inc. and its social networks Facebook and Instagram are restricted in certain regions.

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