Many educators in different industries are capitalizing on online learning, including business, technology, art, cooking, gaming, and even sports. There are many reasons why people create online courses. Some of the most common reasons include:
- To share their knowledge and expertise
Many people create online courses because they want to share their knowledge and expertise with others. They may be experts in a particular field, such as business, marketing, or technology, or they may have a passion for a particular topic, such as cooking, gardening, or photography. By creating an online course, you can reach a wider audience and help others learn new skills or improve their knowledge.
- To make money
Online courses can be a great way to make money. Some even boast making six to seven figures in total from their online course sales. If you create a high-quality course that people are interested in, you can charge a fee for access. You can also sell advertising space on your course website or promote your course through affiliate marketing. There are also some great options when it comes to online-course marketplace, such as Coursera, Udemy, Udacity, Turion, and so on. Plus, your audience can be a lot larger than doing it locally, where space availability is a restriction.
- To gain exposure
Creating an online course can be a great way to gain exposure for yourself and your work. If your course is successful, it can help you to build a reputation as an expert in your field. This can lead to opportunities for speaking engagements, consulting, or even writing books.
- To build a community
Online courses can be a great way to build a community of people who are interested in the same things as you. By creating a forum or discussion board for your course, you can encourage students to interact with each other and share their experiences. This can help to create a sense of community and support, which can be beneficial for both students and instructors.
- To connect with your students better
Not many people know this, but building your online courses allow you to connect with some of your students in a better way. People who choose to learn online generally value flexibility or don’t have a lot of free time to take in-person courses. In-person courses require participants to be at a place at a certain time, not to mention potentially commuting in terrible traffic. Most online-course marketplace do not offer the convenience to connect with your students to answer their most pressing questions, when they cannot attend in-person courses. Turion is an exception, as it allows teachers to directly connect with the students, either via video-calls or in-platform chat. This also helps to build a meaningful connection between the students and teachers.
Wondering how you can start creating an online course and sell it? Here’s our full guide.