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Wondering why you should create an online course? If so, you're in good company.

There are a lot of benefits of creating an online course.

A growing number of bloggers and entrepreneurs are realizing the potential of online courses as a way to generate revenue and build their businesses.

In this post, I'll discuss why you should create an online course and I'll outline some tips for getting started.

Stay tuned – by the end of this post, you'll be excited to start creating your own online course!

*This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I appreciate your support! You can read my full disclaimer here.

What is an online course?

An online course is a type of educational program that allows students to learn via the internet. Online courses are convenient and flexible, allowing you to work on your own schedule.

Creating an online course can also be a great way to earn passive income or promote your business.

Why are online courses so popular right now?

There are some stats that you may be astounded by…

• The global online education market size was valued at USD 30.60 billion in 2021. It is expected to reach 198.9 billion by 2030. (Source).
• Teachable, has over 7500 experts, and they offer more than 20,000 online courses. They have around 3 million students. (Source).
• The worldwide e-learning market is projected to be worth $325 Billion in 2025. (Source).

In short…everybody is doing it. Online courses are easy, affordable, and accessible.

The pandemic definitely had some bearing on these numbers, though I was unable to find any statistic specifically about the pandemic's effect.

Online courses are easy, affordable, and accessible.

Now let's get to it. What are the benefits of creating an online course? And why create an online course?

Benefits of creating an online course

1 – You can help others

You are an expert in something. You have the knowledge. There's a problem out there that you can solve.

But you're just little old you. Not a big corporation.

10 years ago, that would have been the end of the discussion. But now, with dozens of online course platforms easily accessible and millions of students that love online courses, you can totally do it.

And creating an online course means that you are helping people. You are solving a problem that they have. Doesn't have to be a life-changing problem. The problem could be that they're always scrambling at dinner time and you can help them create a weekly meal plan.

The accessibility of online courses means that you can help people all over the world, right from your laptop.

In my mind, this is one of the key benefits of creating an online course.

2 – You can earn passive income

Passive income is “unearned income that is acquired automatically with minimal labor to earn or maintain.” (According to my friend, Wikipedia).

I think everyone wonders how to earn passive income or how to make money from home. Well, online courses are a great way. If you're asking “Why create an online course?”…well this is the big reason.

You've got to put the effort in to create the course, but after that, it's largely passive. There are tasks here and there, but it's not anywhere close to a full-time job.

With passive income, you can be location-independent. You can work from anywhere. You set your own schedule. It's all up to you.

And you can definitely work from home.

Passive income is a major reason why you should create an online course.

3 – You can work from anywhere

Everything about online courses can be done from your laptop. That means that you can create a course anywhere with an internet connection.

You don't have to go into an office from 9-5. You can work from your couch or your bed or a Starbucks or a villa in Bali (just me?).

I hated going into the office every day at my old job, so this is a big benefit of creating an online course for me.

4 – You can work on any schedule

Want to work at 2 AM? Go for it. More of a morning person? Wake up at 5:30 and get started.

Your schedule is your own. No one is telling you when to start working and when to stop.

So stop when you have to pick your kids up at school. Start after sleeping in.

Work whenever you want.

5 – Online courses allow you to promote your business

Having an online course is a great way to get seen and promote your business.

Having a course makes you an acknowledged expert in your topic. Promoting your business comes naturally.

6 – Online courses have very low start-up costs

An online course business is a business that you can start with very little financial investment. The cost of creating an online course is just low.

So what will you need? Let's discuss.

Here's what you'll need:

• An online course platform to host your course. There are many options out there, some more expensive than others, but you can do it for around $40 a month on average.
• A way to record your videos (assuming you have videos). You can do this very cheaply with Loom.
• A slide creator (assuming you have slides). Macs come with Keynote and PCs come with PowerPoint. You can also use free tools like Canva or Google Slides.
• A way to take payments

7 – Creating an online course will grow your email list

We all know that growing your email list is A #1 important.

“For bloggers, email is still one of the most powerful forms of communicating with your readers. And, it can yield dramatic results for those looking to gain more leads and earn more revenue as a result.”

bloggingwizard.com

There are a lot of ways that you can grow your list, but online courses are certainly one of them.

You grow your email list with courses in a few ways.

First, when people buy the course, they have to hand over their email.

Second, if you're running a webinar to sell your course, those people are giving their emails too.

Third, if you're offering a lead magnet that leads to your course through a funnel, again, you're getting those emails.

Email lists are the name of the game and they're one of the reasons why you should create an online course.

8 – Online courses are easy to manage

There's not a lot of upkeep with online courses. Most days, you won't touch it.

But here are a few things you might have to do:

• Interact in your students Facebook group (if you have one)
• Host coaching calls or office hours (if you provide that as a bonus)
• Make course updates if something changes
• Respond to occasional student emails
• Make tweaks to your funnel to optimize it
• Keep track of your stats

It's not much time at all.

9 – You can teach the material once and students can learn at their own pace

Creating a course is a big project and can take a lot of effort. But after you create it? It's done and out there in the world.

Students can learn on demand, whenever and wherever they want. You never have to show up live to teach the course.

How do you create an online course?

You'll need a few things to create an online course.

Course platform

This is where your course will live. You'll need to choose a course platform that offers the features and tools you need to create and deliver your course.

Most course platforms offer:

• Gated access (so a student needs a unique password to log-in and access the material)
• A way to present videos
• A way to present text
• A way to provide downloadable resources like workbooks or checklists
• A way to organize your content into modules (larger sections) and lessons (within each module)

Popular course platforms

Some popular course platforms include:

• Thrivecart (my FAVORITE tool that I HIGHLY recommend…you can read my review right here)
• Teachable
• Thinkific
• Teachery
• Searchie

Thrivecart is my number one choice for the best course platform. Here are some screenshots of my newest course, Course College.

Checkout platform/payment processor

You need a way to get paid. I use and HIGHLY recommend Thrivecart. It's an outstanding system that can also host your course for you, all for one-lifetime access payment.

If you don't go with Thrivecart, you'll need another way to get paid. Preferably one that can take PayPal AND Stripe (credit cards).

Course creation materials

Depending on how you're creating your course, you may need things like:

• A microphone (not essential, but it really does make a difference). This is the one that I use and love.
• A web cam, if you'll be on camera. If not, then nevermind. This is the one I use.
• A slide creator. PowerPoint comes standard on PCs and Keynote comes standard on Macs, so no extra cost there. You can also use free tools like Canva or Google Slides.
• A screen record. I recommend Screenflow (if you're on a Mac).

Sales page creation tools

You'll need a sales page from your course. There are a ton of sales page platforms, but a few are:

• Elementor (what I use)
• Leadpages
• Divi
• Showit
• Squarespace

Plus, some course platforms like Teachable and Thinkific have a sales page builder built right in.

What is the cost of creating an online course?

It totally depends. There are free tools, there are crazy expensive tools, and everything in between.

If you want to do it for free (or at least very, very cheap), you can.

But if you have a budget to spend, even a small one, there are some phenomenal tools out there that make online course creation easy and that produce spectacular courses. Products like Thrivecart, Easy Webinar, Leadpages, Convertkit…and so many more.

So really, it's up to you.

So what are you waiting for? If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, there has never been a better time to get started.

You can make passive income, work from anywhere in the world, and help other people while doing it. Not to mention that growing your email list is a breeze when you have a digital product to promote.

What’s not to love?

So go ahead and give it a try—you might just be surprised at how easy and fun it is.

Liked this post? Make sure to pin it below!

More course tips you'll 💖:

• 11 Ways to Blog More Consistently
• Sell Online Courses on Autopilot With an Evergreen Webinar Funnel
• Thrivecart vs. Teachable. Who's the winner?
• Deadline Funnel Review

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