My Online Course Creation Journey Part I: From Idea To Digital Product

In each conversation I've asked them provide their most valuable advice to those who want to find success in the world of digital-based entrepreneurship.

Turns out, each high-earning course creator shares the same mindset.

1. They live by the idea that 'done is better than perfect They are not prone to overthinking their creative process.
2. The people who create the courses come from a place of being completely enthralled by the work they're creating; many say they'd do what they're doing at no cost because they like this so much.
3. They invite individuals to experiment with their idea and to improve their content and presentation once gaining the feedback of their first learners.

After having spoken with a myriad of inspirational creators -- people who make their living working at what they loveI was ever more curious about joining the world of creating online courses. Like many novice online course creators, my mind felt intimidated by the task. There were many self-doubting thoughts which caused me to be stuck in a loop of negativity, such as the following: What if I fail? Is it a problem if nobody signs up for my course? How do I determine how I can use the technology? What if people don't take me seriously? or even worse... Who is I to become an online course designer?

But, I was aware of what I wanted to teach and had a clear vision of the impact I wanted to create. Like many other creators I met who achieved satisfaction through the monetization of their naturally-developed talents, the subject I wanted to teach seemed to be 100% real to me. Writing!

  My own teaching experience  

The desire to write was ignited when I was a child. From the time I learned to write, you'd see me writing with a pen and notebook in hand and absorbed in tales poems, stories, and various kinds of imaginative work.

It wasn't until the early 20s that I started writing again to help me with self-care as well as a creative exercise. Through the times of joy or grief, heartbreak and confusion I'd use my writing to put language to my own experience. In order to gain a better knowledge of my own emotions. Also, to shed the burden of life onto the page.

Naturally, this love of writing resulted in me creating a freelance content writing business in my mid twenties, as well as two published books - Liquid State, a poetry collection, as well as All Of You Is Welcome Here which is a book for children. While I was apprehensive about creating an online course but I was confident that my work and personal experiences in writing helped me gain confidence to assist others.

But I wasn't about to teach lessons on grammar and spelling (that matter is essential, it's just not my jam). In the end, I wanted to teach people how to use writing as an outlet for creativity and a therapeutic tool -- and I wanted to share my personal experience.

  My power is in my hands  

Then, in June of 2022 the concept for my course of four weeks, Your Inner Writer, occurred to me.

Through recorded lessons, as well as guided writing exercises Through recorded lessons and guided writing exercises, I would assist people in enhancing their connections with their creativity, access the storyteller within, and share their writing to me in order to get feedback and to develop their craft.

While the self-doubt and fear-driven thoughts ran rampant in my head, I thought that if others could create and sell online courses, then surely I could also; from my experience, the best events in my life take place whenever I feel uneasy, test the edge, and leap into the unknown with confidence that my life has my back. I figured that none of the consequences of an unsuccessful online course launch could have resulted in death or life, so why not go to the next level? I decided to step into my power and share my gift with others.

Turns out, those successful course creators were right; when you share things you're enthusiastic about and that can help others -then your course's success is bound to happen.

Creating this course felt completely in line with my content writing freelance enterprise, heart, as well as my heart. But, I had no idea if people would even recognize the worth of it. Surprised, I was wrong; while my intention was originally to have 10 people purchase my course but I was able to enroll 22 students.

Here's how I accomplished it:

  1. I devised a plan for the course

Upon deciding to just do it, I opened the Google Doc and brain-dumped all of my thoughts for an online course. I tried my best to let go of my analytical brain when I was doing this but instead, I focused on just jotting down everything that I was planning to share with students.

The next day, I was back to my Google Doc with a fresh pair of eyes. I looked through my original ideas, found an overarching idea, cut out anything that did not match with the theme and organized everything into four parts that would eventually become the weekly, four modules of my course.

The process of re-examining my thoughts also helped me find my name for the course and I'd been playing and musing about. For me, the name Your Inner Writer felt like it captured the essence of the course I taught; I believe that every person has a voice that to unlock the power of storytelling, all we have to do is to turn our attention inwards and develop our inner creative.

2. I made a landing page

Once my course outline was drawn up, I followed what I learned from other creators Do not overthink the task.

I logged into the course builder , and put up a landing page using drag-and-drop tools that are easy to use. I added a headline that would attract attention, a bullet-point list of what they'd learn about in the class, a timer to indicate when enrollment will close for a sense urgency, as well as images which matched my branding to create a visual break from the text. I didn't get any new pictures to create this landing page. I just used pictures from my website and social media.

I made sure to not spend too much time on creating my landing page. The temptation to be perfect can lead me to revise my work at nauseum. The landing page usable and good enough. It was then that I clicked 'publish', and connected the landing page on my site and my Instagram bio.

  3. I picked a reasonable price

Next, it was time to price my course. I decided to set it up at $29.99 in CAD due to a couple of reasons:

• I believe in making learning easy to access. The cost of my course was affordable and helped get it in the reach of as many as possible.
• It was my first class which I decided to test my idea. The idea was to get the feedback of my students who went through the course, then re-create the program in hoping to improve it after which I would increase slightly cost, while making it accessible for as many students as possible.
• The price was affordable enough to prompt a quick purchase. The $29.99 price tag helped those who weren't sure to be a part of the adventure, and allowed an increased number of people to enter the door.
• Pricing my course affordably was a great way to keep students' expectations within a certain range. This was helpful, since I didn't want to become further intimidated when I created my first online product.
• Since the price tag was low, this meant I could ask for one-time payments  and I would prefer over a payment plan.

  4. The course is now available for purchase in advance

I decided to market my class before I had actually developed content for it.

After creating the landing page, and deciding on the most appropriate price, I made the course available to pre-order. Pre-ordering the course ensured that the students could get access to the course material from the very first day of the course, which was the 6th of July.

I chose to pre-order my course to test my idea in the process; if I created the course for hours only to have no one purchase my course, I'd waste my time. Also, seeing the people who purchased my course would help me to cater my content towards their needs prior to recording each course.

  5. I shared my course regarding social media

My landing page was completed and the course was up to purchase It was the time to advertise it.

For me, as an introvert section of my online class creation process was the most challenging. Those same self-doubting thoughts I'd had when I first had the idea for Your Inner Writer reared their heads once more. But since I felt so clear on what I was sharing and the effect I wanted to make I was able to overcome myself and move forward.

I found it helpful to keep in mind that I was creating this class because I truly wanted to help others; the focus wasn't on my own personal growth, but rather my contribution to the world. It became easier to show up on social media knowing that each time I posted myself there, I had the chance to support people in connecting deeper to their creative side.

I had a small Instagram follower and an email list that I'd accumulated via my company and two published books. I posted about the course via my Instagram account three weeks before the date of its start. I mostly used Instagram stories to advertise the course in addition to incorporating the landing page link directly to each post so that the users could buy the course. I published one article each every week for three weeks on my feed however, I saw more engagement from the use of Instagram stories.

In addition to promoting my course on Instagram, I shared it with my email list, too that has a smaller group of people. Although I was able convert some email subscribers to buyers, the majority of customers come through Instagram.

  6. I made use of the Drip Schedule feature

Although I had initially been using the Free plan I then chose to upgrade to the Monthly Basic plan so that I could utilize Drip Schedule. Drip Schedule option.

I wanted to use this feature so that my material was made available weekly rather than simultaneously. This was helpful to me in avoiding overwhelming my students by releasing the entire four weeks of material in one sitting. Providing one week's worth of content at a time also allowed for the creation of mystery and excitement about the new week's lesson and guided writing practice. Plus it was helpful to use the Drip Schedule feature helped to allow me to keep contact with my students since my plan was to send students an email each week's content was available.

  7. I created the first couple of weeks' content

Instead of writing all the course content prior to launch I decided to develop the course material in small increments.

Not only did this help me pace my process and prevent burnout, but it also gave me the opportunity to listen to the feedback of students and ask questions along the way in order to adapt my lessons to the needs of each student.

My process for creating content was easy: I made a powerpoint presentation to accompany each lesson, and wrote practice on Canva, a free design tool. Then, I utilized Loom the video messaging platform, to narrate the slides, and then talk to my students.

As I began my class, I had two weeks of material ready. To me, it was clear that I would benefit from being flexible and receptive to students during the process of creating content. The first two weeks of content allowed me get a feel for what they needed in week three and four. This was more than doing too much upfront work , and then having to record a new set of videos if I needed to change or alter my course.

When I was creating the content and redesigned the content, I attempted to allow perfectionists to take a back seat. Since this was my first course and I had to let myself be relaxed through the entire process.

8. I hit publish!

The most thrilling phase of the process, one day before the official release of Your Inner Writer  I clicked 'Publish!'

... Then, I then immediately proceeded to pop champagne and revel in this little milestone that was so important to me.

Before hitting 'publish'' I went through the content of the first week, which included the welcome video, pre-recorded lesson, and a written practice that was guided. I ensured that everything was in the right place, wrote under each video a text in order to outline the lesson I was teaching as well as ensuring that no content was kept as a draft.' I also ensured that I had a preview of the lesson as a student could.

I decided to launch the course a day earlier to double make sure that everything was functioning in a proper manner. That same day, I sent an email to my students, introducing students to their first week and provided an overview of the things they'd learn. The email was scheduled for the official release day the 6th of July.

After my class has gone in the process of being live, I'm thrilled that I listened to my inner voice and came up with something that can help other students. Nothing makes me happier than sharing my love of writing with people who want to discover the therapeutic effects of writing.

  If I'm able to make an online course, so can you  

It's a privilege to document and share my very first online course creation journey with you. Stay tuned for My Online Course Creation Journey, Part 2, where I explore my more in-depth marketing and sales strategy!

Remember: I'm the same as the rest of you -- one who is deeply passionate about things with a strong determination to aid others. If I could create an online course, then so do you. Begin now.