12 battle-tested online course launches tips I learned in the trenches
Find out how Austin L. Church went from an unsuccessful launch to a profitable online course having learned valuable lessons. Learn these twelve key points to help aspiring creators of courses.
Feeling embarrassed -- that's what I was feeling as I informed me and my "students" on March 23 in 2018, that I would not be beginning my course at all.
Then, flash ahead to the 4th of December 2019, and I did achieve success in launching (profitably, I might add) an online class called the Freelance Cake .
Completing the course was like wearing roller-skates and wrestling the brown bear that was soaked in molasses. It was tough to say the least.
My wife and I have three young demolition experts living at home, and due to a variety of events and circumstances, last fall became the most difficult time in recent history to achieve a lofty target.
Yet I launched my course online. How?
This blog post contains twelve things that I have done well this time around along with a smattering of sensible and interesting tips for future course creators.
So if you have been unsuccessful in your attempts to develop an outstanding product, keep reading.
In case your company's online presence is still pretty new and you're looking to get advice from someone who has combat-related scars, keep going through the articles, too.
12 tips for creating and launching an online course
Tip #1 - Work from a written plan.
In the past, I've mentioned that the course I launched for 2018 failed to pan out. This time I decided to try something different and expect outcomes that were different.
I made a plan, which followed these steps:
Thinking about the various challenges freelancers and consultants confront, particularly those looking to earn more money while enjoying more independence.
It is a good idea to divide these topics in six groups of affinity, or "modules," such as "Pricing" and "Pipeline".
Creating a table of contents for content development.
Then, cutting roughly half of the text.
The creation of content into 1-hour blocks
Doing one of those one-hour blocks to my daily workflow.
Utilizing my maximum strength in the morning whenever possible, I will knock out the next morning's Freelance Cake task.
On some days, I didn't even have a full hour to work on Freelance Cake. I had to deal with urgency: a client's branding project was to be sent to the post office; a sick kid needed to be picked up from school.
The time I thought I'd have to do the online course went by. However, my written course plan helped me avoid the digital rabbit trail, and especially my mind-slaving inbox that was a time-waster.
Having the plan right in front of me enabled me to make the most of the time I had to had.
If I wanted to avoid feeling depressed or overwhelmed by the number of things I did not do I'd go through my planner, identify the next one or two bullet points, and add them to my planner.
You can follow these steps to reproduce my success
Write out a plan. A word of advice to those who are wise: Rigid plans don't perform. Flexible plans do. Flexible plans that are captured by a planner that is physically based are among the most effective.
Reduce the quantity of contents in half. (Chances are that the initial quantity would have been too much for your students, and you could always come back with another course!)
Notice and remove impediments like choices, distractions, or conflicting priorities.
Achieve minimum viable progress. Feed the elephant.
Tip 2 - Make sure you are right-sized for your objectives.
In 2017, at the Tribe Conference, Jon Acuff gave me a new concept--"right-size your objectives". His book "Finish is a study of this idea and supports it with compelling research:
"When my researcher sent me his report regarding the 30 Days of Hustle, there was one thing that stood out that those who cut their goals in half increased their performance from past similar goals by an average of the 63 percent mark. Additionally, 90 percent of the participants who cut their goals by half reported having more motivation to continue working to achieve their goal. This inspired them to continue as well as pushed the participants to push themselves harder since it seemed achievable. ."
Did I instantly take Acuff's suggestion? Yes, definitely. This cotton-headed ninny muggins is forced to take things the hard way.
In June, I began telling the readers of my (usually) weekly emails that my course was scheduled to begin in August. The weeks flew by I was able to make some progress, 1 hour at a stretch, and meanwhile, I realized I was grossly underestimating how much work I would have to complete.
Create 23 lessons, modify them, produce the audio raw, and edit and export the cleaned-up version... What is that? Do 230 hours of work. This is the time I lost track.
The 230 hours worked at a rate of 1 hour per day equals 7.6 months. THAT GOAL would have been feasible.
The course I came up with and launching the course online in a little under six months because I was able to work extra hours on nights and weeks in order to make my progress faster.
Note: Do you have an idea of what the auditory equivalent of water torture is? Hearing your voice, and then editing audio of low quality. In the dark. at 11:17pm.
We must do the things that we have to do in order to help our viewers.
My original launch date was set in August. If I'd taken Acuff's suggestion to heart, I would have been right on track throughout the whole time.
Your homework here is straightforward:
Find the launch date you have in mind then double the number of days.
Or, cut your goal for content in half. For example, if your table of contents has 40 lessons, you can launch more efficient versions of the course that has 20.
Better yet, do both. If you end up being a bit later than planned make use of the extra time research and developing launch tactics.
Tip #3 - Ask for help.
This tip for launching your course may cause confusion for some, since you're already proficient at calling on reinforcements. Allow me to be blunt This is not me.
My mom has told me that I insisted on tying my own shoes at the age of 3. The "I'm going do it by myself" attitude is a sign of tenacity and insanity.
Thankfully, now, when I continue to push by a blind mule's determination and my shrewd wife Megan will always say gently, "Who can you ask to help you?"
"Oh yeah. Help. That. Umm... I suppose I could text some people."
People are eager to share their knowledge, particularly those insights that result from their own stubbornness foolishness, insanity and failures.
As I changed my Freelance Cake from a video course to an audio-only class I was texting my buddy Matt who had shared an article about voice recording using a studio at home .
Another of my friends, Gabe, actually helped me setup a system and told me exactly which free software tools to download and the best way to utilize them. (If you're curious, he recommended the Audacity program .)
I actually listened to them, and I constructed my own recording studio in my home for just $30.
My advice? Seek help early and often. It will speed up your progress, experience less time-waste and frustration, and bless your friends and coworkers in the process.
Tips #4 Make sure you are committed to the minimum viable progress.
I've come to be skeptical of any process that requires big blocks of 3 or 4 hours of work that is interrupted. The idea of waiting for them to come up could have resulted in the same as postponing the launch of Freelance Cake indefinitely.
Minimum viable progress was much more effective for me. Instead of adding vague tasks such as "work at Freelance Cake" to my daily agenda, I'd identify the tiny sliver that I had to complete in the days prior to adding that task to my planner.
As the project gained momentum, the meaningful steps of progress started to appear differently:
When I first started Freelance Cake, I would commit to finishing the rough draft for a single lesson or editing longer lesson drafts for one hour.
In the end, I set my sights on recording myself reading a lengthy course or two shorter one-minute lessons.
As I drew closer to the finish line, my daily milestones were more precise: 10 minutes of audio editing, a single launch email composed as well as a punch list of final changes that I sent to my identity creator.
It is possible to accomplish anything in a single hour pace. If you work hard enough in 1-hour blocks, finishing your training will become as if it's a matter of. I want you to have this g-force sensation!
So what does minimum viable progression look like for your particular course?
Follow these steps for an understanding of the approximate number of 1-hour blocks you will need to finish:
What are the different phases your course comprise? (For example, Freelance Cake included planning, writing lessons, editing, recording raw audio, post-production on that audio, production of all supporting materials, set-up of my online course platform then finally the day of launch.)
Take five minutes to think about each phase.
How many 1-hour blocks do you have in your daily schedule? What days do you take break? break--e.g., Sunday?
How many discrete, one-hour blocks will you need? Take note of them.
Add that number to the total, and then multiply the result by 1.5.
What's the reason? Since "estimate" can be a synonym for "guess". You have just guessed at the number of hours you need, but as with all humans are, you've fallen victim to the planning fallacy .
So trust me, and then give yourself an additional 50%.
Tip 5 - Make the best trade-offs.
If you commit to at least a minimum amount of progress, you'll have one less minute to put into other projects. The time blanket will only be extended to a certain extent. Something will be left uncovered.
You must make trade-offs regardless therefore, you may prefer to be deliberate regarding them. Pick your trade-offs or else someone else will!
While I was working on Freelance Cake, I stopped a number of things:
Blogging
Socializing with friends
Reading as much fiction at night
Adding new project leads to my Balernum consulting pipeline at the same speed
Answering unimportant emails and text messages
(That last one was an extreme move for a recovering people pleaser.)
Though I do believe I would be more efficient in selecting and communicating my choices before however, I managed to accomplish the most important things done each day.
The test is in the pudding. Freelance Cake launched.
Choosing your trade-offs is magic. Involuntary or explicit "no's" can help you make space on your agenda.
And if you really need to focus make a regular time with yourself to work towards your goals. Don't schedule anything on over these blocks. Don't apologize. Shoot, don't even tell the people who asked for your time why you're not available.
These questions will help you to:
What are I committed to not doing ? I develop and launch my program?
What commitments and obligations do I need to change?
What am I now saying"no" to?
Tip #6 - Start ahead of time to ensure you're prepared.
Freelance Cake was not finished when I went live with it. There were a few missing lessons along with the vast majority of accompanying materials were text files, not beautifully created and brand-named PDFs.
No one ever complained. I repeat, none of my students wrote me or told me, "How dare you sell us something that is only 75% finished!"
Now, I did dutifully grind through audio editing to finish the six lessons. My project manager came through for me and converted the unfinished content into gorgeous sources.
Then I decided to take action. I knew I had to be done by Christmas and I reasoned that my most avid students would probably not reach the finalization of my material before I was able to finish my course.
Several factors helped me overcome my perfectionism:
After I was able to mark a date for launching in my calendar and shared it to my email list. Keeping my word became much more important than perfecting the audio.
I pivoted to a more suitable medium. Making "good sufficient" audio was a lot easier for me than creating "good enough" videos. That one strategic choice took a lot of the friction off my way.
Ask yourself this question: "Would a different path offer less resistance and help me to launch earlier, without negatively impacting quality?"
Tip #7 - Make a product you're proud of.
Quality is the key word, so don't compromise. Don't release anything into the world that you don't wish to utilize.
In his autobiography Let My People Surf , Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia founder discusses the need to create equipment for climbing that he could trust with his life.
If Freelance Cake were a really poor course, I would not die. My students wouldn't either. However, I also wouldn't have served to the best of my ability.
We must show respect to our audience members by giving them our best.
Different tools have made it easier than ever to design digital courses. It is possible to create a complete video course using just your smartphone! Yet, if you are unprofessional or sloppy in the way you present your course, your learners will be able to tell.
Didn't you feel at home in high school when your teachers weren't bringing their very best?
Give your students the love of your life by giving them your best, and If you don't think your effort was good enough for somestudents, great it's okay to ask the feedback of your students and utilize it to improve the quality of your course.
The rule of the thumb: Assume the students you teach are very intelligent and knowledgeable then you'll succeed.
Tip #8 - Recruit beta testers.
A way to increase the quality before you launch is by inviting certain of your most ardent supporters or your most faithful followers to go through your course.
Freelance Cake is a much better course since beta testers offered critiques such as, "Hey, you mentioned this resource in the lesson itself, but you never mention it in the notes."
Or, "You overwhelmed me with too many statistics here. How about you share three of the most significant ones and offer the rest as a download?"
Uh... genius. I appreciate the complimentary consultation!
Keep these suggestions in mind:
You can either give the course to your beta testers for free or provide them with a significant discount.
If the beta testers have to pay for the course, as mine did, then provide them with lifetime access to the more recent edition of your course.
If you later lower the price (for reasons of any kind) then you should refund your beta test participants the price difference
Make your beta testers feel like royalty, and be prepared for them to amaze your with their thoughtful, helpful, and detailed comments.
Beta testers will take the piece from Swiss cheese and make it into an exquisite Cuban sandwich. Also, a freelance cake.
Tip #9 - Have more pleasure.
Often when we're working on an ambitious goal, the work takes on an element of gravity. We may not be putting women on the moon, but we're fighting the Resistance (a la Steven Pressfield), and we're making our contribution to a better world.
This is serious stuff, right?
In the past, I was too focused on launch events for products. I didn't have fun anymore in the process, and frankly both the product as well as the launch suffered for it.
Through Freelance Cake, granted myself the privilege of playing the host in a fun event. At the best parties, hosts have more fun than everyone else.
And that let-your-hair-down, kick-up-your-heels liberation is attractive as well as infectious for your audience.
Many of my initial emails were, frankly, ridiculous.
For example, I wrote one which was an untrue interview with my mom. I was imagining what it would be like to have her have me ask a variety of questions on the subject, only to meanwhile get distracted by whatever else she had to know about.
It was fun creating the email and all who read it enjoyed a laugh. My readers responded by commenting that they enjoyed the emoji, photos, as well as gifs.
Consider this: The best educators are usually quite proficient at entertaining their pupils. They let the teaching sneak in while the pupils are distracted.
The reminders I received helped me to relax during my launch:
Create your mess as a message. Your viewers will connect to messes better because their lives have plenty of them.
It's nice to see Mary Poppins and her characters on the screen However, we'd rather take lessons from imperfect, flawed weirdos. Unleash your weirdo.
Have more fun with your course and your launches. Put your self into your content and your communication.
If you get people laughing it's a sign that you've made deeper connections with them.
Tip #10 - Write down your strategy for branding.
I realize that having a distinct the brand's strategy could be something new for some.
My team of Balernum is responsible for creating a branding strategies for clients. I'll shed light on some of our process. We help clients gain understanding of eight aspects that define their brand
Vision (though we've found that it's better to speak about the mountains in the direction that you would like to be)
Mission (what you're committed to doing each day so that you can reasonably expect to reach the mountain)
Values (These aren't like posters that hang on your wall; they're the core working principles that will help you make the right decisions, both during good times as well as in bad times, prior to you replying to an email and after you take on a new hire. A good rule of thumb is to think about five to six practices or habits that you could not imagine not still being true in 10 years' time.)
Brand personality.
Goals for Brands and Business Goals
Audience
Positioning
Messaging, including your value proposition
If you do nothing else, at least make sure you have the clear benefit proposition of your online class:
Set a timer to run for 10 minutes.
Record every distinction which is relevant to your program. (Examples are your experience or experience, impressive case studies, an easy and effective procedure, plug-and play templates that took years to perfect or even a dozen interview with other specialists that you can't find anywhere else.)
Look up 4-5 courses offered by competitors and see what claim they're proposing. Are you able to identify their key points of differentiation? If yes, note them down.
Compare your differences with those of others and figure out which differentiators don't really represent differentiators since everyone is making that similar assertion. An excellent example of this is "great Customer Service."
After you've eliminated any interconnection with other courses you'll know what makes your program distinct. Choose the top 3-5 features of your class and incorporate them into your value proposition.
The following plug-and-play templates will get you started with the last step:
My course assists BLANK with BLANK by providing them with BLANK, BLANK, AND BLANK. The other courses provide BLANK however, the name of the course differs because it offers BLANK.
It's likely that you'll end up with lengthy paragraphs like the one I wrote:
Freelance Cake is a business growth course that is designed for freelancers as well as consultants. The creator, Austin Church, has always earned six figures when freelancer. His funny (and true) stories make the course enjoyable. The lessons come with homework . . .
After you've been able in order to increase the clarity , you can whittle the text down to a simple and concise statement. That value proposition belongs on the sales page of your course and in your launch emails and also as the reason why you're breaking off with your toxic ally. JK.
Be aware that your school's secret recipe likely won't consist of a blend of best-ever, one-of-a-kind, discovered on a mountaintop within the Himalayas ingredients.
Instead, it's the unique combination of a bunch of ingredients. Some are common and some uncommon.
Let me give you another Freelance Cake example:
Some freelancers have consistently made six figures.
Other freelancers have created online classes.
Some freelancers have great stories to tell.
Some freelancers have also created worksheets, templates, and checklists.
Some freelancers offer methods to study traveling on the go--e.g. by listening to podcasts.
Some freelancers are able to follow a specific structure.
As time passed, and I merged these different components, Freelance Cake became something very special.
What do I need to know?
I've received emails from students, and the emails brought me to tears with testimonials that aren't solicited:
"By mailing an email to an old customer, I've gained more business from them, and they've just agreed to a monthly retainer program. Hurray! That's why I can easily claim I've more or less repaid the price of the class by sending just a single email."
Hooray, indeed!
Fair warning: Creating a clear brand strategy will take time and effort. So if you know right now that you're likely to ignore this step make sure you have a value proposition.
Once you do, communicating the reasons why your audience should be interested about the online course you've created can be similar to walking downhill rather than going uphill.
For my overachieving friends who are out there, I've put together an extensive post I wrote on the top branding mistakes .
Tip #11 : Discover ways to streamline your life.
A specially-designed platform smoothed the runway to prepare for my course launch.
The support staff was extremely responsive and accommodating that they deserve my money and my enthusiastic seal of my approval.
There are a few points to add to this last point:
With relatively little effort (meaning, logging into my domain's registration system and contact support via email) I was able use my own domain, freelancecake.com , for my web page.
They have invested heavily in their know-how and a variety of resources to help online creators create their work, promote, or even launch their work.
Integration of ConvertKit with ConvertKit has enabled me to keep the majority of my effort and follow-up within my preferred email marketing software of choice. In addition, ConvertKit has integrated email marketing capabilities for the folks who want it.
When I was able to figure out the drag-and drop visual editor I needed for my course sales page, I was off to the races. I'm not a programmer (or an artist, for that matter) however, I was able to utilize templates with lots of negative space to achieve an aesthetic that I am very proud of.
The pricing is fair--one flat monthly cost and no fee for transactions.
It's not over. You are able to view whether or not.
There's no need to worry about it, and the point I am making is that creating and running a course is difficult enough without the need for the use of clunky software or tools that add additional friction.
Therefore, don't go for the cheapest. If your goal is to sell your program, concentrate on the long-term ROI. Make sure you invest in the best equipment to make life easier now.
Now, back to Austin.
Tip #12 - Do a premortem.
We all know what a postmortem is. contemplating the causes of your mistakes and pulling out insights you can use to do better.
Premortems are conducted, before your launch. If I had done a premortem to prepare for my Freelance Cake launch, I framed the exercise like this...
Imagine two years been passed since the launch of your training program. The launch was a complete loss. Discuss the factors that contributed to this failure.
In essence, I handed the microphone over to my anxious and said, "Have at it!" By ruminating on everything that could go wrong, I could finally admit my anxieties and fears. Wow! What an eye opener!
I later turned the premortem into something that was even more beneficial: Freelance Cake Guidelines & Affirmations.
Every launch is imperfect, and many soon-to-be-successful products never attain their full potential because their creator gives up too soon and moves on.
The launch isn't a one-time event. Learn from what you've learned to help make the products and subsequent launch better. Even courses that aren't great can become improved and more efficient over time.
What's the most effective aim for your course's online launch?
Make sure you take your class out into the world to ensure that you get market information from actual students.
Is my course answering an actual need?
Does the course have a an appropriate product-market match? If not, why?
Does it have any gaps?
Was it too cheap or too expensive or just the right price?
There are many ways to deal with your disappointment. You could be able to let the initial disappointment (usually caused by false comparisons and unrealistic expectations) grow into a suffocating depression. It is possible to give up and then Eeyore into a dark wood of despair.
Do not do it. Do a premortem!
You'll be able to anticipate your mental hangups and prepare for the possibility of them. When you know what can be going wrong, you'll be able to prepare for it. It is possible to hedge against the risks.
My mental space before and following the launch was better and balanced due to the fact that I had a premortem.
(Plus, I later flipped each of the discrete saboteurs in my premortem into a loose scheme to keep the momentum going. This was an overall win.)
Another suggestion is to use a pen and physical journal to do this activity Think like journalist. The subject is an incident. The more thorough and detailed your account of the incident, the better prepared you will be to launch your venture successfully.
What should you do?
I know that I handed you the firehose on the face. (Just think about what it would be like to be engaged to me!)
I've made you feel like a pro and turned this document into a useful checklist plus the exercise for making a strong worth proposition for your class.
Visit this page to get the link to download the cheatsheet .