The Online Course Show

Recently, I had the chance to talk with Louise Dean about the story behind her successful novel-writing course and how her passion has become her business. Louise had a fascinating start to her online course journey, and shared some great tips and tools that could be useful no matter what your niche is. "Proceed with glee! . . . Keep it really personal, really friendly, really truthful and honest." - Louise Dean I’d love to hear what you found most interesting about this interview – feel free to drop me a line and let me know. In This Episode, We Talked About: (4:04) The social experiment that eventually prompted Louise to create her first online course (6:17) How Louise found a group of people willing to take her novel-writing challenge (7:20) Why she sets a time limit for the structure of her course (9:01) How her original course compares to her current course iterations (10:01) How Louise has set up her course content (10:37) Why she provides additional courses beyond her 90-day offering (13:38) Louise’s challenge to me - this one took me by surprise! (14:14) How many students she’s had to date and how she continues to find more (15:40) The built-in review-gathering process in her course (16:11) Louise’s favorite tools and services (18:31) Scheduling and marketing on Instagram (19.39) How Louise stays on top of things without a traditional team in place (20:37) Her advice for new or struggling course creators Thanks for listening and learning along with me today. Stay tuned for another great episode coming soon! Links ClickFunnels Louise’s Website Kajabi PlushForums Acuity Zoom Sked IFTTT Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

Rather than interview a course creator this week, I’m bringing you something a little different but very relevant. Deadline Funnel is one of the most important tools I use when it comes to selling my online course, and I know a lot of other people out there who feel the same way. So it’s my pleasure to bring you an interview with Jack Born, founder of Deadline Funnel and marketer extraordinaire. "If you see the potential, don’t let your doubts and anxiety . . . stand in the way." - Jack Born Jack shared insights on funnels, marketing, and communicating with integrity. So grab a cup of coffee and get ready for an awesome interview! In This Episode, We Talked About: (3:15) The top question my listeners have for Jack, and the story behind his reply (8:23) Jack’s thoughts on authenticity and integrity in funnels (11:59) Product launch strategies and limitations (14:49) How to handle sales after a deadline ends (18:23) Evergreen marketing, timing, and business growth (20:23) Jack’s advice on helping students benefit from your course (24:00) How automation can free you to improve other aspects of your business (25:10) The problem with some launch strategies (26:58) The danger of not having a deadline - and what having one can mean for your sales (30:19) An example of how Deadline Funnel has worked for a business similar to mine (34:14) The quickest way to help new students experience a “win” (36:43) How Jack would respond to questions about automated emails (40:17) Dealing with late enrollment requests (46:44) How to increase conversions through the structure of your funnel (50:48) Webinar discussion and The Sunk Cost Fallacy (57:51) Jack’s thoughts on increasing ROI with deadlines  (59:22) How you can get started with Deadline Funnel We covered a lot of ground today, so I hope you’ll drop me a line and let me know your favorite part of the conversation! I’ll be back with another episode soon. Links Deadline Funnel Jack’s 3-Part Article  Email inquiries for Jack’s webinar replay strategy Piano in 21 Days

After a bit of a break, I’m back with another online course creator interview! Jason Resnick of Rezzz.com and I had a great conversation about the topic of today’s episode: interaction. It’s one simple word – but how do you handle interaction with the people who are on your email list, let alone enrolled in your course? "Be open to [your audience’s] ideas… Hear how these people want to learn, and then apply that to whatever you’re building." –Jason Resnick It was great to chat about some of the similarities and differences between how Jason and I handle interaction. There’s a lot here to mull over, so put on your thinking cap and enjoy! In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:22) How Jason aligned his course with prospective students (3:05) What “interaction” means to Jason and how he implements it at different points along his funnel (6:45) How and why he uses one of my favorite apps (9:10) The reason behind Jason’s interaction-heavy approach (10:22) The skepticism that we sometimes encounter when sending personalized messages (13:34) Why and how Jason created his own online course (20:12) Using a membership model (22:26) What Jason’s course actually entails (24:23) The pros and cons of different community platforms (26:09) Why he chose to create a membership site instead of charging students a one-time fee (28:20) The platform and plug-ins Jason uses for his course (30:09) How Jason gets things done as a one-man show (32:11) The ways that having an online course affect Jason’s life (34:04) Jason’s advice for new course creators Thanks for listening and learning along with me today. Stay tuned for another great episode coming soon! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Jason’s Website Slack Restrict Content Pro Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

This is a first for this podcast: my guest today is not only a successful course creator – she’s an online course coach and consultant! Though Janelle Allen and I work in the same online space, we really aren’t competitors. That’s because we have different approaches and different niches we are reaching. "At the end of the day, I think [your online course] has to be something beyond making the sale. It’s about having an impact and helping someone." - Janelle Allen It was great to geek out over online courses and coaching with Janelle! Enjoy listening in, and don’t forget to check out her podcast too (link below). In This Episode, We Talked About: (3:02) What being an instructional designer means to Janelle and why she focuses on user experience (5:42) Janelle’s perspective on understanding your market as online course creators (6:58) Course content and the value of building learning communities (10:14) Debunking myths about passive income (11:54) Janelle’s podcast and how the power of listening has led her to expand her online offerings (14:19) Focusing our efforts as course creators (16:12) How Janelle teaches her students to validate their course concept and launch (17:37) Favorite launch strategies and the importance of “ask campaigns” (21:08) Comparing course platforms (25:14) Why Janelle’s opinion of Udemy has shifted over time (27:14) How to get testimonials and social proof (30:31) Janelle’s favorite resources and tools (31:37) Her perspective on how online courses can change lives Thanks for listening and learning along with me today. Stay tuned for another great episode coming soon! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Janelle’s Website Janelle’s Podcast Thinkific Podia ClickFunnels Lead Pages Drip TypeForm RightMessage ConvertKit Crowdcast Zoom Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

It’s me, myself, and I on today’s episode! But there’s a good reason why. Though I haven’t covered this topic much up until now, that’s about to change thanks to a great suggestion from one of my listeners. (Hi David!) So without further ado, today I want to take some time to share with you about how having my online course business impacts my family. "This is all by design… It took a lot of hard work and a lot of failures throughout the years, but now I’m at the point where it’s easy to go away [with my family]." In This Episode, We Talked About: (1:31) Gaining the opportunity to travel as a family in the past, present (and hopefully future) (4:13) An interesting tip from an author whose other advice has proven trustworthy for my business (5:32) The main tasks that I will make time for each day while traveling (7:20) A last-minute decision I made right before my trip (in contrast to a productivity hack I usually live by) (9:18) The difference that being your own boss makes (11:21) What quitting my “9-5” taught me about ego and how seeing the direct impact of my work motivates me now (13:30) The excitement of knowing how my online course benefits my family I hope you’re feeling inspired by what I shared today! Don’t forget to check out the links below if you are thinking of starting your own online course. Links Bonjoro Free Trial Profit First book Clockwork book Freshbooks Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

Does the idea of making videos for your online course scare you? Believe it or not, you don’t have to have videos to teach a course. Course creator Tanner Guzy has the proof in the pudding – he’s reached 6-figures with primarily text-based lessons! "See what works and what doesn’t, then you can adapt… you can plan yourself into oblivion, whereas if you’re out and actually doing stuff that’s where you’ll start to see results." - Tanner Guzy I really enjoyed my conversation with Tanner! As a student of his myself, it was cool to hear how his business works from the inside. There’s lots to think about and lots of great advice to take in. In This Episode, We Talked About: (3:39) What led Tanner to create his first online course (4:50) How he found his niche (6:07) His first steps towards course creation (8:17) Launch strategy and sales techniques (9:12) Tanner’s experience with a popular course platform (9:57) An atypical approach to course content format (13:24) His current sales funnel (19:01) Coaching vs. courses (20:22) Where Tanner’s traffic comes from (his answer was a first for this podcast!) (25:13) What he’d do differently if he was starting over Thank you for listening in – I hope you enjoyed what you heard! I’ll be back with another episode soon. Links Bonjoro Free Trial Tanner’s Website Product Launch Formula Expert Secrets Teachable Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

Today’s guest has helped create a huge number of courses and has 9 years of experience in the online course world. It was a pleasure to speak with Randi Buckley on all sorts of interesting topics from refunds and customer satisfaction to outsourcing and more "Just go for it. You might have to test out what works for you… take what works and see what sticks." - Randi Buckley Randi’s passionate about what she does and had plenty of great advice for aspiring course creators. I hope you enjoy listening in on this conversation with a seasoned veteran of online courses! In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:45) Randi’s online course offerings and how she got started (4:51) The timeline for creating and marketing her first course (7:03) Where Randi hosts her courses (7:46) Her take on course availability and scarcity (9:09) The secret behind where most of her traffic comes from (10:45) Her thought process on using her name as branding (12:09) How Randi approaches outsourcing (13:49) What she would do differently if she were starting over today (16:59) Her advice for beginner course creators (18:54) Randi’s unique take on refunds and maintaining customer happiness (22:58) An example of a recent refund I gave and Randi’s thoughts on how she would have handled it That wraps it up for today, but don’t forget to subscribe so you can keep up with all the latest episodes. Until next time! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Randi’s Website Ruzuku Teachable Zoom Dapper Fox Design Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

Welcome back to my latest episode! I’m getting into the swing of things with more interviews with real online course creators – people who’ve actually managed to take their passion or hobby and turn it into a tangible learning program for others. My guest this time was Trevor Dimoff of EpicSongWriting.com. He’s relatively new to the online course world, but he’s hit on a really cool method of identifying what his market needs and how to create relationships with potential students. "Talk to people and find out what they think… [you] need to know how to communicate with someone who is just getting started." - Trevor Dimoff   I loved hearing Trevor’s story, because it puts a fresh spin what course creation and marketing can look like. He also was transparent about what he feels his early mistakes are, and what he’s learned from them. I think you’re really going to enjoy the food for thought in our conversation. ???? In This Episode, We Talked About: (3:25) My previous episode on making sales over the phone (3:58) Trevor’s process creating and updating his course (5:32) Why he started a blog before an online course (5:58) The research and phone call process that gave him insight into his market (9:02) Trevor’s approach to teaching songwriting online (9:46) What makes his course preparation different from a lot of other course creators - and how it made his launch a success (11:47) Marketing and course development (13:15) Trevor’s pricing strategy and content delivery (14:19) A mistake involving complexity (15:09) The timeline for Trevor’s initial course (16:40) His new launch strategy and some regrets (19:04) Why he’s hesitant to outsource so far (19:26) Trevor’s advice for aspiring course creators That’s all for today, but I’ll be back soon with more cool tips and great insights from fellow course creators – don’t forget to subscribe! Links Bonjoro Free Trial OCG Episode 11 Zoom Camtasia Trevor’s Website OCG Listener’s Link Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

At long last, I’m back with an all-new episode of The Online Course Show! Lately I’ve been seeing some awesome growth in newcomers to the show, which has been really exciting. In fact, some of you have told me that you went all the way back to episode 1 and have been binge listening ever since!That got me thinking, and I realized that I need a new starting point for those who have only just discovered my podcast. I’ve learned a lot since my first episode, and I’m summarizing it all right here in this new Online Courses 101 episode. "Have a purpose for why you’re doing this and what you want to create… Push through and do not give up." -Nate Dodson Nate Dodson was with me right at the very beginning of my podcasting journey, so it’s only fitting that he’s joining me for this episode. I hope you like what you hear! In This Episode, We Talked About: (3:14) A quick introduction for those of you who don’t know me yet! (4:08) Website updates and a brand-new community for online course creators (4:52) What I have to offer you - even if you’re a complete beginner (12:34) An introduction for Nate and his online course journey (22:28) Nate’s coaching experience with me (24:11) Where his course business is at today (26:05) How Nate answers the “what do you do?” question + his microgreens business pitch (29:36) What he feels he’s gotten right (and wrong) with his online course business (32:17) My own online course journey (42:14) How I got past a long-term revenue plateau + my current average revenue (44:38) What I think I could have done better early on (47:30) What I do each week to keep my piano course “machine” running (50:20) Why Nate and I have a seasonal approach to working on our businesses (51:28) The reason we meet on a weekly basis (56:41) The why and how of webinars (1:00:31) Nate’s advice for aspiring course creators (1:03:17) Avoiding a mistake that far too many new course creators make (1:07:21) Our tips and favorite resources for people who want to take their course to the next level (1:18:12) Where to start if you are interested in starting your online course journey We covered a lot of ground today, so I’m curious about which parts of today’s episode stood out to you the most! Feel free to drop me a line and let me know your favorite part of the conversation. Plus, don’t forget to check out all the resources and goodies linked below! Until next time… Links Bonjoro Free Trial My new online course Facebook group Online Course Accelerator Next Level Courses ClickFunnels trial Expert Secrets book The 4-Hour Workweek book Piano in 21 Days Vivid Vision book The 10x Rule book Start With Why book Who book Building a Storybrand book Profit First book The One Thing book Nate’s Website

Ever feel like you’re darned if you do, darned if you don’t? That’s what so many fellow course creators have expressed to me on the topic of Facebook ads. But not to worry – on today’s episode, Monica Louie shared her top tips for Facebook ads, and talk about how she’s developed both a course and an agency on this challenging topic. "Give them some value. Build that relationship before you make the offer." - Monica Louie It was great to chat with Monica and glean some really cool info along the way. I’m still mulling over what I learned in today’s episode, and I think you’ll enjoy what you learn! In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:34) How Monica got started in the world of online courses (5:15) Starting out with a course and building to an agency (7:38) The importance of having Facebook ad knowledge - or choosing to outsource (10:56) Monica’s course launch strategy (12:15) Her sales funnel and affiliate sales (13:06) Monica’s course pricing strategy (14:25) The online platform and tools that works best for her (16:30) How Monica got a testimonial from one of my favorite online entrepreneur gurus (18:16) Her advice for course creators who want to boost their ROI with Facebook ads (21:10) Advice specific to people who already have a solid funnel (22:31) Monica’s recommendations for my Facebook ad targeting Whew! That about does it for today – don’t forget to join me for the next episode of The Online Course Guy! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Monica’s Agency Monica’s Course Free FB Ads Starter Kit Teachable Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy Drip LeadPages Asana Voxer TOCG Episode 41