Turn Your Knowledge into an Online Course – a Simple Guide

Almost every service-based business needs an online course. Are you tying to plan out your online course but keep getting stuck on what content needs to go where?

We’ve made the process of planning out and creating your online course simple with The Content Creation Machine – 5 simple steps to create content. 

Step 1: Plan

Using our Content Creation Machine’s Online Course Template, populate it with the information from each of your Think RAPT models. (Don’t have your models yet? Our Craft Your Pitch Course will show you step-by-step how to make them and has all the templates you need!).

An online course uses your Process Model as it’s core modules. So, for Think RAPT, our Process Model is:

We use these 5 steps as the core modules in our online courses.

Modules vs Lessons 

Generally, online courses will have “modules” and “lessons”. But what’s the difference? 

A module is a larger unit of content or instruction, while a lesson is a smaller, more focused component within a module. Modules are typically used to organise and structure a course or program, while lessons are used to deliver specific pieces of information or skills within a module.

For example, a course on financial planning might have a module on saving and investing, and within that module, there might be several lessons covering different topics, such as saving for retirement, investing in stocks, and managing risk.

Modules are often used to group related lessons together and provide a clear structure for learners to follow. They can also include assessments or other interactive elements to help students reinforce their understanding of the material.

Fill out your Plan

We really do like to keep it as simple as possible. At its core, here is what your plan will be based on modules (your process model), broken down into lessons. Here’s what we mean: 

E.g.

Keeping your videos short is ideal – under 5 minutes. You will probably need more than one video for each step. 

Try to focus on teaching just one thing. We don’t want video lessons that go on for hours! 

We want to make sure videos are short and sharp so students stay engaged and make progress through the course easily. 

And then for each thing you teach – what are you going to get the student to DO? E.g. a worksheet, quiz, or assignment. 

You might also like to think about supporting or extra material. These aren’t critical for the student to engage with, but might improve accessibility for your course such as video transcripts. 

Step 2: Produce

With your plan in place, go ahead and create your content. 

There are many different ways you can create course content, including video lectures, written materials, quizzes, and interactive activities. 

Video Lectures

Here are 2 key types of video lectures you might like to create: screen sharing and face-to-camera.

Screen Sharing 

If you’re showing people HOW to do something on their computer, or if you have a slide show, you’ll want to know how to screen share. 

Lots of recording platforms can do this – we recommend Zoom.us, but there are others (either with or without your face in the corner).

Face-to-camera

Face-to-camera videos are great if you’re the star of the content. It might not be every video you want to do this for, but maybe for a few scattered throughout the course.

Here are some tips for easily recording face-to-camera videos:

• Use a smartphone or a digital camera with video capabilities. You can even use a good quality web-cam. These devices are easy to use and can produce high-quality videos.
• Find a well-lit location with minimal background noise. This will help ensure that your video is clear and easy to hear. Some people invest in a professional background – e.g. a popup green screen. 
• Use a tripod or other stabilising device to keep your camera steady and prevent shaky footage.
• Use a microphone to improve the sound quality of your video. Good quality sound does make a huge difference to the overall quality of your videos. Poor sound quality creates the impression that your content is also poor quality. We don’t want that! 
• Practise your script or outline beforehand to reduce the need for multiple takes.
• If you’re using a smartphone, try using a clip-on lens to improve the quality of your video.
• Finally, don’t be afraid to experiment with different camera angles and shot types to add visual interest to your video.

Written Materials

For written materials this might include:

• Text/images in the lessons of the course
• Handouts such as MS word documents, PDFs etc.

Hot Tip: Use a template or style guide to ensure that your materials are consistent and easy to read.

Quizzes

Depending on your course platform, quiz functionality might be a native feature. If you’re not using a course platform, but want to include quizzes, Google Forms is a fantastic option.

Here are some tips for designing quizzes to test your students’ knowledge:

• Start by identifying the learning objectives for your quiz. What should the student absolutely know by the end of the module? This will help you focus on the most important information and ensure that your quiz aligns with the goals of the lessons/modules.
• Use a variety of question types, such as multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer, to assess different types of knowledge and skills.
• Avoid using leading or confusing questions. Instead, use clear and concise language that accurately reflects the content being tested.
• Use a balanced mix of easy, medium, and difficult questions to challenge your students and assess their overall understanding of the material.
• Provide feedback on incorrect answers to help students learn from their mistakes and improve their knowledge.
• Use images, videos, and other multimedia elements to make your quiz more engaging and interactive. Using blank visual models here or visual models as aids can be a great way to help students retain and recall information. 

Step 3: Polish.

Now we need to do some housekeeping to get ready for students. 

• Edit and get your videos transcribed so you can easily add captions and provide a transcript to make your content more accessible. Pictory.ai makes it really easy to edit your videos.
• Proofread your written material
• Test your quizzes.

Step 4: Publish

Once your course is complete, it’s time to make it available to your students. 

Choose a platform 

There are many different platforms that you can use to publish your course, such as Thinkific (which we used for many years), Udemy, Coursera, or Teachable. Consider factors such as the platform’s features, pricing, and audience when making your decision.

Set up your course

Create an account on your chosen platform and follow their guidelines for uploading and formatting your course content.

Customise your course page

Add a descriptive title, a compelling course description, and any relevant images or videos to your course page to attract potential students.

Set your pricing

Determine how much you want to charge for your course and set your pricing accordingly.

Step 5: Promote

Finally, it’s time to promote your online course. 

Here are some strategies for promoting an online course:

1. Use social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, to promote your course and reach a wider audience.
2. Create a landing page or website for your course that includes detailed information about the course content, learning outcomes, and any special features or bonuses.
3. Offer free resources, such as webinars, ebooks, or videos, to showcase the value of your course and build interest in your content.
4. Consider running paid advertising campaigns on platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads to reach a targeted audience.
5. Partner with influencers or other experts in your field to promote your course and reach a larger audience.
6. Encourage current students to share their experiences with your course and leave reviews to help attract new students.
7. Finally, consider offering discounts or special promotions to encourage people to sign up for your course.

Go and Create Your Online Course

In this post, we’ve outlined our 5-step process to creating a great online course.

A big hurdle that people face is how to lay it out and what content to include. When you have your Think RAPT System, you simply use your Process Model to outline the modules in your course and break that further down into lessons.

We’ve aimed to give you lots of practical tips throughout this guide and can’t wait to see what you create!