The Momentum Memo
Off The Charts Business Podcast with Nathalie Lussier
#131 What It Takes To Launch An Online Course Successfully
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#131 What It Takes To Launch An Online Course Successfully

Hi there!  This is a special episode about what it takes to launch an online course.

There’s a lot more to the whole setup and launch process than most people realize, so I’m sharing some of the unexpected things that help give you kick-ass results.

One of the things I recommend is trying to sell your course individually before selling it online.  This helps to figure out if it’s something people want. After all, if you can’t sell it in a one-on-one in-person conversation, chances are you’ll have a difficult time selling it online.

There’s a lot of stuff that aren’t necessary when it comes to launching your course, but it’s easy to want to imitate everything other people do for their marketing and course launch. Don’t do this!

For example, some people believe that spending a ton of money in Facebook ads guarantees success.  But this isn’t always true. Maybe your targeted audience isn’t properly set in the Facebook ad manager, or maybe your sales page just isn’t converting the traffic.

You also don’t need to find the “magical format” for your launch materials. Whether you’re going with video, audio, ebooks, or a PDF download, the important thing is to have a clear, compelling message across the board.

The Time You Spend in Setup

If you’re anything like me, you’ll probably end up procrastinating until the last minute to get the important things done.  But it is incredibly important to prioritize! The more you get done early, the more valuable feedback you can take in.

You’ll also have to keep in mind that you will spend a ton of time simply writing the copy and answering questions about your course.  Take time to communicate the why of your course, since that attracts people as much as the results it promises to offer.

If you find that you don’t have enough hours in the day to write the amazing course description, sales page headline, course materials, and promotional materials, it’s ok to hire it out!

When writing, pay special attention to the name of your course.  It should clearly communicate the content and be a title that can really stick out and last.  Trust me: although I’m guilty of going for “cute” and “clever” titles, the clear and straightforward ones are definitely the best.

Selling the Course

In this podcast episode, I also talk about the task of really selling the course.  Don’t rely on affiliates to do this for you; your success is dependent on your efforts.

Keep in mind that the price tag you set on your course – and whether or not you offer payment plans – will greatly impact the amount of sales that you get.

More Tips & Tools

If you’re looking for more tools on how to make sure your course launch is an amazing success, check out my comprehensive reflection: 38 Things Nobody Talks About When Launching an Online Course.

Discussion about this podcast

The Momentum Memo
Off The Charts Business Podcast with Nathalie Lussier
The Off The Charts Business Podcast is for multi-passionate entrepreneurs. Here you’ll learn how to design a scalable business to spend more time outside away from the screen, through actionable ideas, real-world examples, and pep talks from your host Nathalie Lussier, founder of AccessAlly.
Nathalie Lussier started making websites when she was 12 years old, and graduated with a degree in Software Engineering and a job offer from Wall Street. In a gutsy move, she turned down this job to start her own business right out of college.
Today, Nathalie is the CEO of the AccessAlly WordPress plugin for ambitious course creators, membership site owners, and community builders. She has been featured in Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Venture Beat, Mashable, Business Insider, Yahoo! Finance, and Under 30 CEO.