The Online Course Show

Welcome to another TOCG episode! Today I’m here with me, myself, and I, because I wanted to take some time to walk you through a topic that comes up a lot when I coach new course creators. That topic is traffic: why you absolutely need to find ways to drive traffic to your course and how to make that happen. "Stay consistent." -Jacques Hopkins There are three main paths to build traffic that I’m covering in this episode, and as you listen through I want to you to choose just one to start with – and make sure you listen all the way to the end for a traffic-driving secret that works great for me and can make a huge difference for your online course, too! In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:31) YouTube as a traffic source for my piano course and many other courses (3:23) Podcasting for building traffic (and how this has been working for me for my second course) (4:09) Why different media types are more suited to different types of content (4:27) Choosing at least one traffic-building strategy for you new course (4:44) A few simple tips for blog-driven traffic and how this has worked even for me as a non-blogger (6:05) Putting out quality YouTube content in 2018 (7:07) A commonly-overlooked key to creating good YouTube videos (8:11) What your main concern should be if you want your YouTube channel to stand out (10:15) Two other extremely important keys to catching viewers’ eyes and converting them into clicks (13:56) Podcasting to direct traffic towards your sales funnel (15:07) The resource I recommend you check out to learn how to podcast (16:16) Blogging to build authority in the minds of your potential customers (16:56) How people usually find my courses (17:39) Why creating my first course was a real eye-opener about how traffic-building strategy really works (19:30) My #1 piece of advice for course creators when it comes to generating traffic That about does it for today’s solo episode! Which traffic-building strategy appeals to you the most? Please drop me a line and let me know – I’d love to hear from you! And don’t forget to tune in for another episode of TOCG coming up soon. Links Bonjoro Free Trial ClickFunnels Free Trial Canva Pat Flynn’s Podcasting Resources Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

Happy Monday! I had a really interesting chat with Kerstin Cable recently, and I’m glad you’re here to listen in! Kerstin is a polyglot and online course creator who has a very unique main course – plus some more traditional ones as well. We talked about her rationale behind the language-learning approach she teaches, and what she shared gave me a lot of food for thought. "Make [your course] about half the size you think it should be." -Kerstin Cable I’m still mulling over what Kerstin shared in today’s episode, and I invite you to do the same after you listen to our chat! In This Episode, We Talked About: (3:28) Kerstin’s courses and which she considers to be her “flagship” (5:46) The unique setup and approach of her main course (7:05) Her target audience and their typical pain points (8:57) What Kerstin advises for people like me who are frustrated with their language progress (or lack thereof) (12:41) How she developed her resources from her own language learning experience and other’s feedback (13:43) Why she steered away from video content for her flagship course (15:35) How her courses help students achieve their language-learning goals (19:46) Kerstin’s live analysis of how someone like me could best benefit from her unique learning approach (26:39) The way she’s set up her resources on Teachable (28:26) Sales for her newest course so far, and how her podcast works as a marketing tool (29:29) Other ways she drives traffic to her website (31:44) How Kerstin balances her passions and interests with more practical concerns (32:33) Why her courses aren’t all on the same platform (34:08) How the “80/20” rule can be a great value proposition for students (35:23) Kerstin’s advice for people interested in creating their first course We covered a lot of interesting 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 Bonjoro Free Trial ClickFunnels Free Trial Kerstin’s Main Website Teachable Udemy Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

Recently I had the pleasure of speaking with Millette Jones: coach, speaker, and online course creator. As someone with plenty of experience on both sides of the podcast mic, Millette was able to share some great tips not only her course covering podcast guesting, but also sharing practical ways that anyone can get started pitching podcasters. "If you’re just getting started, remember that you’re always an expert on your own story… Share your story and that will bring value to your audience." -Millette Jones Our conversation definitely gave me some food for thought, and I think you’re going to benefit from what Millette shared, too. Enjoy listening in! In This Episode, We Talked About: (3:20) Millette’s course on how to get booked for podcasts - and what initially sparked her interest in teaching online (4:59) The steps she took to create her business (6:13) Her number one observation on where people who want to get onto podcasts go wrong (7:35) The difference between tooting your own horn and demonstrating the value you can bring to a podcaster’s audience (8:15) The craziest pitch Millette’s received in her entire career, and her thoughts on how it could been handled better (12:34) Her ideal student and what they can expect to learn with Millette’s course (13:37) How she launched her course (16:25) Why she’s happy with slow and steady sales growth (17:47) The challenge of creating community around course enrollees (19:41) Which platform and tools Millette is currently using (22:29) The amount of time she has to spend on her course to keep it running successfully (22:24) Other aspects of her business and a new area she is expanding into (25:24) Where the majority of her traffic comes from (25:56) Why she includes a banner on her site notifying visitors of cookies (27:24) Millette’s thoughts on how podcast appearances can benefit entrepreneurs and course creators (29:21) What she recommends for people who aren’t comfortable pitching themselves as podcast guests (31:33) Her biggest current struggle with her business (32:06) Millette’s advice for course creators who are just getting started Thanks for listening and learning along with me today. I’ll be back next week with another interesting episode of The Online Course Guy! If you haven’t already, don’t forget to subscribe! Links Bonjoro Free Trial ClickFunnels Free Trial Millette’s Website (with a freebie for my listeners) Thinkific MailerLite ThriveThemes Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

What if you could start an online course with zero competition in your niche? That’s what Dr. Greg Bottaro has done, and it was so cool to speak with him and hear all about it. He also offered some great insights into starting online courses and how to find the niche that fits you best. "Find out how your passion and interests meets other people’s needs… Figure out what your experience and expertise can do to help the world." -Dr. Greg Bottaro It was great to get Dr. Greg’s perspective on what has worked for him (and what hasn’t), and I think you’ll enjoy listening in! In This Episode, We Talked About: (4:10) What that led up to Dr. Greg creating a course (6:37) How he moved from teaching one-on-one into the world of teaching online (7:37) Dr. Greg’s most popular course and his thoughts on potentially updating it in the future (8:48) Why he’s loyal to Teachable as a course platform - for now (10:03) How creating courses led him to write books as well (plus a potential downside) (15:13) The pros and cons of the lack of competition in Dr. Greg’s niche (17:51) Dr. Greg’s lead magnets and how he builds traffic (19:13) How his marketing strategy has evolved and what he’s planning on tweaking in the future (22:33) How he developed his pricing structure (23:38) Balancing work and family when working from home (25:54) His biggest struggle in his business these days (28:06) Dr. Greg’s advice to anyone considering making their own online course That’s all for now, folks! See you on the next episode of The Online Course Guy. Links Bonjoro Free Trial ClickFunnels Free Trial Dr. Greg’s Website Teachable Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

Neil Napier was my guest for today’s episode, and having him on was definitely inspiring! He’s course creator whose mission is to help online entrepreneurs gain confidence and make sales, one tangible goal at a time. He’s also the co-founder of Kyvio, a tool for online entrepreneurs and course creators. "Simply get things done as best as you can, put it out live, and get some feedback [to] see what people think about it." -Neil Napier Neil has some great info and tips to share, especially for people who might be hesitant about getting started with their online course. He also provided some interesting insights into how Kyvio can help course creators set up sales funnels and membership sites from start to finish. In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:46) Why Neil got started in the online course space (3:43) The learning curve he faced when creating his first course and a few of the tools he used (5:07) The tool he now uses for his funnels, email marketing, and membership sites (hint: this own company) (6:52) The pros and cons of Kyvio, ClickFunnels, and Kartra (8:10) The process Neil uses these days to help identify what his audience wants before he creates new courses (12:03) His recommendations for online course sales page (13:24) How to determine and create the content for sales videos (14:49) Kyvio’s business motto and the community they’re creating around tangible goals (16:08) The sticking points that can prevent people from achieving their first $1,000 of course income (18:00) What course creators can expect if they’re learning from Neil about how to reach that $1,000 goal (20:04) Why he’s happy to share so much valuable content within his Facebook group and podcast (21:37) His recommended next steps for course creators have hit their first goal and want to grow further (22:28) Neil’s traffic-building strategies depending on budget and niche (23:02) His most important advice for aspiring course creators That about does it for today – don’t forget to join me for the next episode! Thank you for listening in. Links Bonjoro Free Trial ClickFunnels Free Trial Neil’s Facebook Group Kyvio Camtasia Screencast-O-Matic Kartra Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

For today’s episode I brought on Marisa Meddin, a former marketer and e-commerce entrepreneur who’s now focused on her online course business teaching parents how to prep their children for college. We had a great chat and talked about a topic I haven’t really covered much in other interviews, so I hope you enjoy listening in!   "Think about what you want your life to look like and work backwards from there." -Marisa Meddin I know I came away from our talk with lots of food for thought, and I think you will too! I hope you’ll drop me a line and let me know your favorite part of our conversation. In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:50) What let Marisa to create a course and stop selling physical products (5:08) The information her online course covers and who it’s for (6:22) How she identified her niche (8:08) What it took to get from the idea stage to launching her course (9:26) Her take on her current lack of competition in the online course space (11:28) The greatest challenge she faces when differentiating between her course and one-on-one coaching (12:07) How she markets and attracts traffic, plus she’s currently spending on certain types of ads (13:38) Marisa’s favorite tech tools (16:46) Her sales funnel setup (18:44) How she currently uses scarcity techniques, and where she’s looking to increase scarcity in the future (20:25) What Marisa’s daily routine looks like (21:10) One of the big benefits she’s seen since starting her own online course (22:53) How she makes sure she keeps her days and workload on track (24:35) Our thoughts on choosing where to draw the line between what you’re willing to provide to customers compared to what they’re willing to pay (28:44) Outsourcing and how job creation for others can help course creators reach their lifestyle goals (30:25) Course pricing strategies and how charging what you’re worth can benefit your customer as well as you (36:10) A cool tool for a very specific purpose (37:53) Marisa’s top advice for aspiring course creators We covered some interesting ground today, so make sure you subscribe to get all the latest updates from my podcast. Links Bonjoro Free Trial ClickFunnels Free Trial Marisa’s Website Teachable ConvertKit LeadPages Zapier SamCart Place It Mockups Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

Recently I had the chance to talk with Instagram influencer and online course creator Elise Darma. She had plenty of great tips not only for Instagram but for how to develop a personal brand and create a community around the knowledge we course creators are trying to share. "If you’re starting from absolute scratch, build your community first." -Elise Darma I’m still mulling over what I learned in today’s episode, and I think you’ll enjoy what you learn, too. Enjoy! In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:51) Why and how Elise balances her travelling with time at home (4:37) Her course format and why teaching different topics online can come with different challenges (6:00) How Elise keeps her students accountable for what they’re learning (7:04) The way her background informs her two courses (8:19) What led to the creation of Elise’s first course (11:07) Why she developed a pre-launch sales strategy, and how she handled content creation on a tight timeline (13:35) The sales results she’s gotten since debuting her course (14:13) How Elise learned the skills that she’s now teaching (16:58) The way she posts on Instagram to create a personal brand story (18:10) Her perspective on how coaching and project managers factor into the success of her brand (20:23) Elise’s advice for people interested in hiring a coach (22:07) Ideas for marketing through Instagram - even for those of us selling non-physical products (27:05) Her webinar funnel and sales sequence (31:08) Thoughts on using ClickFunnels and evergreen webinars for marketing (34:02) How she gets traffic to her funnel (38:12) Her perspective on how some people seem more focused on revenue than profit (41:11) Elise’s advice for anyone interested in created their own online course We discuss all that and much more, so don’t forget to shoot me an email and let me know what you enjoyed about today’s episode! Links Bonjoro Free Trial ClickFunnels Free Trial Elise’s Website Elise's Masterclass Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

Today’s interview was jam-packed with inspiration, so I’m glad you’re here! Mike Goncalves is a life coach, podcaster, and successful course creator who is all about helping people live their best life. He’s learned some fascinating lessons while growing his business, and shared a lot of insight that any new course creators can learn from. "Create something even if you think it’s ugly and dumb and no one’s going to buy it. Create it anyway, and put it out there." -Mike Goncalves I really appreciated Mike taking the time to share his perspective on evolving course offerings over time and leveling up in all sorts of ways when it comes to running an online business. Enjoy! In This Episode, We Talked About: (3:31) Mike’s online courses and where he is focusing his efforts these days (4:44) How he views his courses when looking at his business overall (6:10) His main website and how he funnels traffic towards his favorite aspect of teaching (8:16) Why he doesn’t market aggressively for his courses (at least for now) (9:56) The drive behind continuously improving course content (10:47) The positive and negative sides to feedback Mike received on one of his course’s names (12:28) How past hiccups have ultimately helped him improve his business - and why imperfect efforts are nothing to be ashamed of (13:38) The important steps Mike has taken to ensure the success of his newest course (18:39) Why he decided to partner with a fellow expert in the coaching space while working on his newest course offering (20:09) How past experience has shaped the way he’s set up his current partnership (22:37) Mike’s approach to launches and enrollments (24:33) The interactivity that really set’s Mike’s course apart (25:56) His course pricing strategy (27:46) How he handles the tech side of his business (29:28) Mike’s biggest struggle these days, and his counterintuitive response (32:02) His advice for aspiring and new course creators What was your favorite tip or insight from today’s interview? Please feel free to drop me a line via email and let me know – plus don’t forget to subscribe! Links Bonjoro Free Trial ClickFunnels Free Trial Mike’s Website Wordpress Wishlist Member Optimize Press Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

If the title of today’s episode has you worried, join the club! When I was researching my guest Mark Lassoff and his online courses, I came across a popular article he wrote last year that could seem pretty controversial for those of us who are online course creators. Fortunately, I had the chance to chat with him and hear firsthand more of his perspective on how to provide great content and succeed in the online course space. "You have to differentiate yourself through your personality, through what you teach, and what you actually give to your learners." -Mark Lassoff Mark is clearly passionate about what he does, and that carries over in the way that he gave such careful thought to my questions. I hope you enjoy our conversation! In This Episode, We Talked About: (2:52) An interesting article Mark wrote last year - and why he’s spreading a message of quality over quantity when it comes to online courses (4:41) Deconstructing a popular myth about course creation (6:55) The initial reason Mark believes he experienced a huge amount of success so quickly (7:57) His perspective on failure and following your passion (8:28) Some great food for thought for people who are really determined to succeed with their online course (10:52) How courses can play a part in transforming lives (12:34) The current role of SEO and rankings in Udemy courses (13:26) The story behind Mark’s transition from in-person teaching to creating online resources (14:32) His company’s transition into additional platforms while still incorporating Udemy (18:02) His perspective on continuing to teach many of his own courses as his business grows (18:32) Mark’s advice for course creators interested in expanding into the video streaming space and digital television (20:30) His biggest business struggles (21:12) What he would do differently if he was starting over today That wraps it up for today, but don’t forget to subscribe so you can keep up with all my latest episodes. Have a great weekend! Links Bonjoro Free Trial ClickFunnels Free Trial Framework TV Udemy Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy

One of the things I love about doing this podcast has been learning from fellow course creators – some of whom are teaching topics that are super-different that mine and some who are actually my competitors. Recently I had the pleasure of speaking with Zach Evans, a fellow course creator focusing on teaching piano online. Hearing where our businesses are similar and different provided some interesting food for thought. "Here’s a video. Watch the video, do exactly what I say, and see if it works. If it works, you can sign up for my course." -Zach Evans on his marketing approach It was awesome to have a chance to finally speak with Zach! I hope you enjoy listening in. In This Episode, We Talked About: 3:34) How Zach initially started building his piano resource business 6:35) The reason he set up so many websites and courses, plus his thoughts on the process today 9:22) Zach’s marketing approach and sales funnels 11:36) Where his traffic comes from 12:58) His target audience and ideal customer 14:07) The ROI he’s currently getting on different social platform ads 16:30) His thoughts on costs per lead in paid advertising 17:25) A surprising observation on who our courses tend to attract 18:18) Why Zach has set up his courses on a membership model 19:11) The online tool he relies on for his business 20:05) The amount of time Zach spends on his business each week, and what he’s using his free time for these days 21:11) How creating successful online courses has impacted his lifestyle and goal setting 22:13) Zach’s current biggest struggle in his business 23:23) His advice for new course creators We discuss all that and more, so don’t forget to drop me a line and let me know what you enjoyed about today’s episode! Links Bonjoro Free Trial ClickFunnels Free Trial Zach’s YouTube Channel Ontraport Leadpages Piano in 21 Days The Online Course Guy