The Online Course Show

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

Well folks, we are on the other side of the new year and I’m back with another podcast episode for you! This time around, Matt Giovanisci of Money Lab joined me to share his course creation process and more. His take on certain topics is a bit out of the box, and it was really cool to have the chance to chat with him. "Find your wheelhouse and know the material inside and out. Don’t script everything to a T, use bullet points, and be authentic." - Matt Giovanisci Not everyone’s course creation process is the same, but many of Matt’s tips could be great food for thought if you’re just getting started on your own online course journey. Enjoy listening in! In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:07) How Matt got into the world of online courses (3:27) Matt’s business experiments (6:37) Transitioning into entrepreneurship after other jobs (7:46) How he created his first course in 6 days (10:03) Why most people take much longer when creating their own first courses (11:02) How Matt make sales with no SEO and little traffic (12:20) Matt’s other courses and pricing strategy (15:36) His advice for people who want to create their own course quickly (20:15) Thoughts on how to balance time between different ventures (22:14) Why Matt has downsized his team (24:10) His “anti-teaching” approach (28:18) Matt’s advice for people who know what they want to teach but haven’t created a course yet That’s all for today, but I’ll be back soon with more cool tips and great insights from fellow course creators. Happy New Year, and don’t forget to subscribe! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Matt’s Website Matt’s Podcast Gumroad Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

It’s New Year’s Eve! I don’t know about you, but I’m super-excited about what’s ahead in the coming year. Chatting with Daria V (successful course creator, speaker, and expert on using LinkedIn in sales funnels) on today’s episode has given me some great ideas that I think will resonate with many other course creators, too. "Create the community… Many times we want to jump right into sales, but it can’t be done if people don’t trust you yet." - Daria V. Daria shared a wealth of insight during our conversation, and I’m still mulling over what I learned in today’s episode. Enjoy listening in! In This Episode, We Talked About: (3:08) How Daria got into the world of online courses (4:07) The ways her courses meet needs within her target markets (7:04) Her Linkedin sales funnels (7:44) The must-have resource that’s inspired Daria’s webinars (9:39) Thoughts on live vs. evergreen webinars (11:35) Her webinar sales script (13:04) An important concept that helps Daria get new email leads every day (15:00) Why her course benefits so many different kinds of freelancers (16:18) Her recommendations for me on how to use LinkedIn for my business (19:30) Daria’s advice on online course tools (21:12) How to stay on track and motivated (25:52) Her best tips for new or aspiring course creators That’s all for now, folks! See you on the other side of 2018. Links Bonjoro Free Trial Daria’s Website WebinarJam MailChimp Thinkific Expert Secrets Book Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

2018 is almost at an end, but I’m here with another episode of The Online Course Guy! This time around I had the pleasure of speaking with Karen Campbell, an online course enthusiast who’s taken what she’s learned over the years to create her own successful art courses. Karen’s entering a new phase of her business strategy, so it was really neat to catch a glimpse of what that looks like and what she’s planning. "Record everything and figure out how to edit it later." - Karen Campbell I really enjoyed my conversation with Karen and hearing about where her online courses are headed. There was a little something for just about everyone in this episode, so I hope you enjoy listening in! In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:28) How Karen got into the world of online courses (5:11) The first steps she took and new skills she needed to develop for her first course (7:19) Thoughts on how initial hurdles can deter new course creators (7:46) Karen’s first videos and how her content has changed over time (9:37) The importance of finding a niche (12:05) What Karen wish she had known about funnels (16:06) Social proof and demonstrating product value (18:41) Where Karen’s traffic comes from (21:05) Getting started with funnel strategies (23:08) Her Amazon offerings and ways to leverage books as part of her funnel (26:12) Karen’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 Karen’s Website Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

I’m back with another episode of The Online Course Guy podcast! It was such a pleasure to chat with Kate Bee of The Sober School, and we got to cover some of my favorite topics on building an online course business. "Just doing it is probably the best thing, because you aren’t going to figure anything out just by thinking about it." – Kate Bee I really enjoyed speaking with Kate about what course creation and running an online business looks like for her. I hope you like what you hear! In This Episode, We Talked About: (3:35) How Kate got into the world of online courses (7:01) Her initial course creation process - and what motivated her to make it happen (10:08) How she found her startup funds (11:06) Building her course content (12:30) Kate’s course launch strategy (13:58) Creating community and providing support to students (14:52) How her Facebook group for students provides added value (15:23) What it’s like to run Kate’s course (16:02) Her enrollment numbers and pricing structure (17:20) Thoughts on successful course launches and strategy (23:04) The challenges and benefits of webinar launches (27:34) Kate’s favorite course platform (29:22) How she’s built traffic and grown her email list (34:25) Running a course business without a team (36:00) Her advice for aspiring course creators That’s all for today, but I’ll be back next week with more cool tips and great insights from fellow course creators. So if you haven’t already, don’t forget to subscribe! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Kate’s Website Ruzuku ConvertKit Expert Secrets book Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

All the way back on episode 29, I interviewed Helena Lui about how she had quit her job after developing her online course. Since then, she’s multiplied her income many, many times over with her course business. I had to have her back on to hear how her business has grown and what has or hasn’t changed for her over this past year. "Scale with ads. Keep at it. Be persistent with your goal. Every day try something new." -Helena Lui Helena and I delved into some very important insights on all things webinar-related and much more! So get ready to take some notes and enjoy listening in! In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:48) Reviewing where Helena was at back in January of 2018 (6:48) Her webinar and sales funnels (8:06) Handling webinar chatlines (12:36) The importance of providing clear information in webinars (13:52) Lessons Helena’s learned through hiring someone to help with her webinar (19:26) How outsourcing is going and how she plans to develop and outsource new content (23.13) Helena’s sales funnel setup (plus why she wants her webinar attendees to join the webinar on a desktop computer) (25:12) How she addresses the four possible outcomes after someone registers for a webinar (28:29) A niche-specific way that Helena offers her students value if they enroll (29:34) What happens if someone goes through her funnel and isn’t ready to enroll until later (31:15) How increases in revenue have affected her lifestyle and business structure (35:07) Tips on optimizing Facebook pages and posts (36:43) Helena’s main business expenses (38:19) Her advice for course creators who want to multiply their business revenue (40:01) Determining what to upsell and what to include in an online course Thank you for listening in – I hope you enjoyed what you learned! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Helena’s Website Content Multiplier Formula Mouse Flow Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

Buckle up for another episode of The Online Course Guy – this time covering some topics that I’ve never discussed on my podcast before. Gina Horkey joined me recently for a fascinating discussion on the ups and downs of running an online course business. As a successful course creator, Gina has a wealth of ideas and perspective that is super-relevant to this industry "It’s not all about being the seller [or] all about being the buyer. It’s a relationship." -Gina Horkey It was awesome to hear Gina’s thoughts on online courses and how to handle the business side of things. I’m still mulling over what I learned in today’s episode, and I think you’ll enjoy what you learn, too! In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:56) How Gina first got started in the world of online courses (6:23) The evolution of her courses over time (7:40) Her existing content and what she’s currently working on (10:10) Balancing working on improving old content and developing new content (11:11) How Gina teaches email management processes (14:37) Helping VA’s and entrepreneurs connect with each other (19:02) Why Gina offers workbooks for sale separately from her courses (21:14) Her sales funnel structure and thoughts on scarcity (24:05) How Gina’s different course purchasing options perform (25:50) The pros and cons for Gina’s favorite tools for online courses (29:11) Her perspective on money-back policies (34:23) Considering different ways to handle refund requests (39:52) An unfortunate pet peeve: payment disputes (46:41) Gina’s recommendations for new course creators 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. See you next week for another episode of The Online Course Guy! Links Bonjoro Free Trial Gina’s Courses VA Finder Case Study on Email Management Thinkific   The Online Course Guy Pinterest VA Course SamCart Drip PayPal Stripe Piano in 21 Days

I’m back with another interview episode, this time with Heather Jones, a.k.a. The Brain Trainer. Heather’s built quite a following on Instagram and is teaching her students how to lose weight and much more. Like all the best teachers, she’s teaching topics she cares about and is enjoying sharing knowledge that she’s already applied in her own life. "We get stuck in “It’s not going be good enough, who am I to do this, I don’t have all the certificates, I’m not an expert.”… But there’s going to be people that need you." -Heather Jones   It was great to hear Heather share her thoughts on course creation and Instagram engagement – especially since my wife and I are actually taking a course on Instagram right now! I hope you enjoy what you hear. In This Episode, We Talked About: (3:34) How Heather got into the world of online courses (5:38) Why she’s shifted gears from a completely different profession into her current business (6:37) What prompted her to take the knowledge she acquired and put it into course form on Teachable (7:46) How Heather’s initial launch went (8:31) Her current course offerings as they’ve developed over time (8:57) The role that phone consultations take in Heather’s interaction with prospective students (12:04) Where most of her traffic comes from (13:26) How she’s built her Instagram following (17:05) The strategies she uses to maintain connection with followers and create engaging content (20:40) How the GDPR has affected Heather’s business in the UK (23:12) Some of Heather’s favorite online tools (24:44) Her biggest business struggle these days (25:24) Heather’s advice for beginning course creators That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Guy. Links Bonjoro Free Trial Heather’s Website Teachable Insight Timer TOCG Episode 61 Life as Paper Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy