This guide is about how to create and sell online courses in a way that feels natural, even fun, and leads to real results. I’ll walk you through the step-by-step, with the main keyword “create and sell online courses” woven in naturally.
I’ve taught, struggled, iterated and succeeded (yes—and learned a ton of lessons the hard way), and I’ll share those with you here.
In this introduction I’ll help you understand why you might want to create and sell online courses, what’s possible, and how you’ll benefit. Then we’ll move into a clear roadmap you can follow.
Table of Contents
- Choosing the right topic and audience
- Structuring your course with clarity
- Developing the content (videos, worksheets, etc.)
- Setting up the platform and pricing
- Marketing and selling your course
- Engaging, evaluating, and improving
- Pros & Cons of creating and selling online courses
- Conclusion
Choosing the right topic and audience
Let’s start with the foundation: What will your course be about? And who will buy it? Because no matter how glossy your production, if you create a course nobody wants, you’ll spin your wheels.
My story: A few years ago I taught a live workshop on productivity tools for freelancers. When I shifted it online, I realised many participants didn’t know which tool to pick—so my first online course became “Pick the right productivity app for your freelance business”. It resonated because I had lived it, used the tools, made mistakes, and solved that exact problem. That made the choice of topic real, specific, and credible.
Find your topic
- Think of something you know well and have used yourself—your experience matters.
- Consider what urgent problem your potential students are facing. For instance: “How do I organise my email inbox so I stop feeling overwhelmed?” That’s more compelling than “Email management 101”.
- Narrow the niche. Instead of “photography”, maybe “smartphone street photography for parents”. Narrower means fewer competitors and clearer audience.
- Make sure there is demand. Use free tools like Google Trends, search forums, look at existing courses in a similar topic. Are they well rated? Do people ask for help? This step helps validate that people will pay for your course.
Define your audience
Once you have a topic, identify your ideal student: How old are they? What experience do they have? What problem keeps them up at night? The clearer you are, the easier it is to speak to them in your course and in your marketing. For example: “Busy parents who want a photography hobby but only have 30 minutes a week”. That’s specific—and it sets you up to create a course that fits their life.
When you combine your expertise + a narrowly defined audience + a real problem—that is the sweet spot for a sell-able course.
Structuring your course with clarity
Now that you know what you’ll teach and who you’ll teach it to, let’s talk about how you will teach it. Clear structure makes the difference between a course students finish, and one they abandon.
Define the learning outcome
Start with the end in mind. Ask: “By the end of this course, my student will be able to ___.” Fill in the blank. Example: “By the end of this course you will be confidently using three productivity apps and managing your weekly tasks in under 45 minutes.” Having that outcome keeps you focused and helps your students see the value.
Build the outline
Break that outcome into chunks (modules), then into lessons. Example:
- Module 1: Choose your productivity app (lesson: compare features)
- Module 2: Set up your workflow (lesson: create task lists)
- Module 3: Weekly review habit (lesson: reflection template)
Work backwards: What do they need to know in module 3? That becomes module 2’s goal. Then module 1 leads into module 2.
Keep lesson size manageable
Don’t make 60-minute monstrosities for each lesson. Shorter, focused lessons (10-20 min) with clear tasks keep students engaged. Many students drop off because lessons feel overwhelming. So set them up to win early. The platform the course is hosted on will also matter (more on platform in a moment).
Include variety
Video, audio, downloadable worksheets, quizzes, assignments—mix it up. It’s not only about imparting knowledge—it’s about helping action happen. Real people value doing, not just watching. Some research shows that courses with interactive tasks have higher completion rates.
My personal tip: When I built my first course, I pretended I was in the student’s shoes and wrote down all the questions I would ask if I were starting fresh. Then I created lesson sections to answer those questions. That made the course much more empathetic and user-friendly.
Developing the content (videos, worksheets, etc.)
Let’s roll up our sleeves. Creating content is where you transform your outline into real teaching.
Recording video lessons
- You don’t need high-end equipment at first. A decent webcam or smartphone plus good lighting and quiet environment will work.
- Write short scripts or bullet-points for each video so you’re clear and confident.
- Speak to the camera like you would in a room—warm, conversational, not robotic. Imagine you’re sitting across from a student.
- Keep the visuals clean (slides with large text, minimal clutter). Avoid walls of text.
- Closed captions are a plus—many students like them.
Bonus types of content
- Worksheets or checklists: Handouts students can print and fill.
- Quizzes or assignments: These help reinforce learning and give students the feeling of doing something—not just watching.
- Community discussion: If you use a platform that supports it, add a forum or comments section where students can ask questions—and you or your team can answer. That increases engagement and trust.
- Bonus or “extras”: If you have special interviews, case studies or downloadable resources—these add perceived value.
Repurposing content
If you already have blog posts, podcast episodes, YouTube videos related to your topic—great! Use them. They can become part of lessons, or become promotional material. This saves time. For example, I had old webinars I ran live—so I recorded them, cut them into shorter lesson videos, and turned them into module content.
Quality over perfection… but polish matters
While you don’t need Hollywood production, you still want your video and audio to be clear. Poor sound quality, shaky video or rambling lessons make students lose trust. So invest enough to make your content smooth. Over time you can upgrade.
Setting up the platform and pricing
Now we shift into “business mode”. Creating is half the journey; selling requires smart setup and strategy.
Choose your hosting platform
You have a few options:
- Host on an established course marketplace (like Udemy, Skillshare). The advantage: built-in audience and less setup. The downside: you often give up some control or revenue.
- Use a dedicated course platform (like Teachable, Thinkific, etc). You get more branding, more control, ability to capture emails, etc.
- Host on your own website (e.g., with a WordPress + LMS plugin). Best control, but more setup & maintenance.
Set your pricing strategy
Pricing can feel tricky, but the goal is simple: your price should reflect value, not just cost. Some tips:
- Research what similar courses cost. Are you offering more value? Less? Match accordingly.
- Consider tiered pricing: e.g., basic self-paced, premium with Q&A call, bundle with bonus modules.
- Think how many students you need at this price to hit your financial goal. For example: If you want €5,000 and you charge €100, you’ll need 50 students. If you charge €500, you’ll need 10. That ties back to your earlier goal-setting.
- Pre-selling can reduce risk: Offering early-bird pricing, limited seats, and gathering testimonials early helps. Some platforms show this works well.
Build your landing/sales page
This is where you “sell” your course. Key elements:
- Headline that speaks to an outcome: “In 6 weeks, you’ll have your website live and generating leads”.
- Story of why you created the course (your experience, your “I used to struggle with this” moment).
- Clear modules/lessons overview so students know exactly what they’ll learn.
- Testimonials or social proof (or even early student feedback) build trust.
- A compelling call to action (enroll now!) and clear price.
- FAQ – answer objections (What if I’m new? What if I don’t have time?).
When I built my course, I put short video testimonials of early students—they said things like “I cut my admin hours in half in two weeks”. That kind of proof helped a lot.
Marketing and selling your course
Great—the course is ready to go. Now you need eyeballs. Creating and selling online courses means creating excellent content and inviting the right people to it.
Build your audience ahead of launch
Before you ask people to buy, start building trust and awareness.
- Collect email addresses via a “lead magnet” (free checklist, mini-course, webinar) that ties into your main course.
- Share value via blog posts, YouTube videos, social media posts that show your expertise and give a sample of what’s to come.
- Engage in communities (forums, groups) where your ideal students hang out. Answer questions—not to sell right away, but to help and show you know your stuff.
Promotional tactics
- Email campaigns: Send a sequence of helpful emails (not just “Buy now”)—e.g., What’s stopping you? How to choose the right tool? Student success story. Then launch the course.
- Content marketing & SEO: If your website/blog is optimised for keywords your audience uses, you’ll attract organic traffic. For example, someone googling “how to organise tasks as a freelancer” might find your article and then your course.
- Social proof and testimonials: Share real results from students. Videos help.
- Affiliate marketing: If you can incentivise other folks to promote your course (and pay them a commission), you get more reach.
- Paid ads: Consider running ads (Facebook, Google) when you have a clear conversion funnel. Be sure your ad cost per acquisition is less than your course price, or you’ll lose money.
- Launch events / webinars: Host a free live training that leads into your course offer. Use urgency (limited seats, early-bird discounts) for momentum.
My launch story: I launched my first course without much fanfare and got about 8 students. Then I sent a personalised follow-up email to everyone who showed interest but didn’t buy—offered a bonus module and a deadline. That turned 5 more into paying students. That taught me that follow-up matters a lot.
Engaging, evaluating, and improving
You don’t finish once the course is live. Selling online courses is an ongoing process: engaging students and improving your product will drive referrals and better results.
Engage students during the course
- Send welcome email and set expectations.
- Ask for feedback early: “What do you want more of?” “Is anything unclear?”
- Encourage students to post in the community or on a dedicated space for questions.
- Provide live Q&A or office hours (once or twice) if you can—it boosts satisfaction.
- Celebrate small wins: “You’ve finished Module 1! That’s great.” These micro-moments help keep motivation high.
Evaluate results
- Track completion rates: Are students getting stuck in a specific lesson? That may indicate a content gap.
- Survey students: What did they like? What was confusing? What would they change?
- Collect testimonials and case studies: Use these in your marketing.
- Update content: Topics evolve. If your course teaches something that changed (software update, new best practice), refresh the modules. Keeping your course current shows professionalism.
Scale and iterate
- Offer advanced modules or a follow-on course for students who finish.
- Bundle multiple courses together.
- Raise the price over time as you gather more proof and deliver more value.
- Experiment with different promotions, affiliate partners, or launch formats to see what drives enrolments.
Pros & Cons of creating and selling online courses
It’s only fair to look at both sides—so you go in with open eyes.
Pros
- Passive-income potential: Once your course is live, you can earn while you sleep, especially if you optimise marketing and enrolments.
- Scalability: One course can serve hundreds (or thousands) of students simultaneously.
- Flexibility: You set the schedule (if self-paced), you choose the topic, you build your brand.
- Authority & impact: You get to position yourself as an expert, help real people solve real problems, and build a community.
- Leverage existing content: If you already have blog posts, podcasts, or webinars, you can repurpose them into course modules and save time.
Cons
- Up-front work is heavy: Designing, recording, editing, building the platform is a lot of work. Many beginners underestimate that.
- Marketing required: Great content alone doesn’t sell itself. You need to drive traffic, build trust, and convert. That takes effort and sometimes budget.
- Competition: Many topics are being covered by lots of courses—so you need a unique angle or high-quality production. Simply “me too” won’t stand out.
- Student support & updates: If students expect interaction (Q&A, community), you must deliver. Also you’ll need to keep content fresh.
- Revenue variability: Especially at the start, you may not hit big numbers right away. It takes iteration and momentum.
My personal experience: I underestimated the marketing side. I thought “I’ll build it and they will come.” Spoiler: they didn’t—until I treated it like a launch project with outreach, audience building and follow-up. So while the upside is very real, the work is also real.
Conclusion
There you have it—a full beginner-friendly guide on how to create and sell online courses. You now know how to pick the right topic, design your course structure, develop engaging content, choose a hosting and pricing strategy, market and sell effectively, engage students and iterate your offering.
If you remember just a few core ideas:
- Focus on a specific audience with a clear problem.
- Design your course so it leads them to a measurable outcome.
- Build a sales funnel (landing page, email list, promotions) before and during launch.
- Treat the course like a product and marketing project, not just a video upload.
- Commit to supporting your students and evolving the course.
If you’re ready to create and sell online courses, you’re in a great spot—your voice, your expertise, your story matter. Take the first step: write your outcome statement. Sketch your module headings. Reach out to potential students and ask them one question: What’s the biggest challenge you face in this topic?
You can do this. Your knowledge can help someone—and yes, you can build a thriving course business around it. The path ahead is clear—now go build, launch, and share your course with confidence.
