how to prequalify your course idea

by Nadia Jacobs 4 min read

Grab a piece of paper, whatever’s closest, and write down at least four people that you need to talk to in order to prevalidate your course idea. After validating my course idea, I move on to preparing for my course launch — the topic of the next blog post in our series on creating learning offers.

Full Answer

Why do you need to validate your online course idea?

Why Do You Need To Validate Your Online Course Idea? Creating an online course can be a great way of creating a passive income for yourself. Th​is is true whether you're a brand new internet entrepreneur looking to take your first step, or somebody already established ​online looking to diversify their income sources.

Should you ask your audience for feedback on your course idea?

When you ask your audience for their feedback, it doesn't just help you validate your course idea. It also gets your followers excited and engaged. As part of the process, you might slowly release teasers and little bits of information about the course to get people hyped.

Should you create an online course?

Creating an online course can be a great way of creating a passive income for yourself. Th​is is true whether you're a brand new internet entrepreneur looking to take your first step, or somebody already established ​online looking to diversify their income sources.

Should you create a forum for your online course?

As an online course creator, forums represent concentrated collections of people who are passionate about your particular topic. That can be a gold mine when it comes to course sales! But forums usually don't take kindly to people who are just coming to spam information about their course.

How do I validate my course idea?

5 Steps to Validate an Online Course IdeaStep 1: Analyze the demand for existing content. Pay attention to what people do, not what they say. ... Step 2: Validate demand with search tests. ... Step 3: Ask your target audience. ... Step 4: Validate demand with lead magnet tests. ... Step 5: Run a pilot program.

What does it mean to validate a course?

What is Course Validation? Each new course has to go through a validation process before students can be recruited to it. Validation is used to ensure that a new course is appropriate academically, that the academic standards and quality are suitable and that students will have the best possible opportunity to learn.

How do I develop my course?

How to create an online courseChoose the right subject matter.Test your idea.Research the topic extensively.Write a course outline.Create the course content.Bring your course online.Sell your online course.Market your content.More items...•

How you are planning to make sure that you finish the course successfully?

manage time over in order to successfully complete an online course:Make the course a priority. ... Take the course with a friend or colleague. ... Set aside one hour a day to work on the course. ... Make a study plan. ... Make a calendar or schedule. ... Get rid of distractors. ... Set goals and incentives.More items...•

How do you make a course and sell it?

In this article, you'll find an overview of the 10 major stages of online course creation:Pick the perfect course topic.Ensure your course idea has high market demand.Create Magnetic and Compelling Learning Outcomes.Select and Gather your Course Content.Structure Your Modules and Course Plan.More items...•

How do you structure a course?

How to Structure Your Online Course?Group Similar Ideas into Modules.A progressive flow that depends on the order.A collection of tips – not dependent on order.Select Type of Content.Organize Online Course by Choosing a Format.Providing Supportive Content to Students.Consistency is Important.Add a Link for Discussions.More items...•

How do I create a course module?

Modular Course DesignIdentify key topic areas. Each module should point to important categories of content or conceptual pieces in your course that help guide students to recognize the big ideas. ... Label your modules clearly and consistently. ... Create modules of consistent structure.

What are the 5 tips to be successful in online learning?

5 Tips to Succeed in Online LearningDevelop a Schedule. Commit to making your online coursework part of your weekly routine. ... Set Specific Goals. Create daily goals and set reminders for yourself to complete tasks within specific windows of time.Get Connected. ... Create a Designated Study Space. ... Stay healthy.

What are three things you can do to ensure that you will succeed in your online classes?

Here are 10 easy steps to ensure success in your online classes.Connect with your instructors as soon as possible. ... Confirm the technical requirements of the course. ... Create a schedule and stick to it. ... Always ask questions. ... Stay organized. ... Have a clean, quiet and consistent workspace. ... Do not procrastinate.More items...•

How can I improve my online courses?

Nine ways to improve online course design:Make it personal.Set clear learning objectives.Make the course easy to navigate.Keep accessibility in mind.Engage students through communication.Encourage active listening.Design engaging questions.Provide effective exams.More items...•

7 Ways to Validate Your Online Course Idea

Creating and selling an online course is a goal that many online business owners have.

1. Ask Your Audience

One way to validate your online course idea is to simply ask your audience.

3. Analyze Your Existing Content

Another great way to validate your course idea is by analyzing your existing content.

4. Create New and Free Content

Related to the previous tip, another way to validate your course idea is to create new and free content.

5. Create a Lead Magnet

Building on the previous tip, you could also validate your online course idea by creating a lead magnet and see how it performs.

6. Do Competitor Research

Next, you can also do competitor research to validate your course idea.

7. Pre-Sell Your Online Course

Last but not the least, another way to validate your idea is to pre-sell your online course.

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Look at Market Data to Assess Demand

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If you can get data that suggests enough demand for your course idea, it will be a clear validation of your idea. This approach is pretty quick, and using all the methods listed within this section will not take you more than a few hours. So, I recommend looking at data as the first approach to every course creator who pla…
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Use Indirect Methods to Understand The Demand

  • Using indirect ways to assess demand is another quick approach that can be extremely useful for two reasons. Firstly, sometimes you may not always find enough market data to validate demand even if your idea is viable, so you will need to use indirect methods to assess the idea. Plus, these methods can also help you reevaluate your course idea and assess if you need to narrow it dow…
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Reach Out to Your Target Audience

  • Reaching out to your target audience and getting feedback from them can be the most reliable approach to validate your course idea. At the same time, the methods listed in this section are likely to take more effort and resources than the ones we have covered so far. If you plan to create a premium course and are willing to put more effort into val...
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Summary

  • In this guide, we have covered nearly all the possible ways to validate your course idea and who should use them. Now, let’s quickly summarize them here. As a first step, you should gather market datathrough all the possible ways to gauge demand for your course idea, and it shouldn’t take you a lot of time. If you can’t get enough data, you should use indirect methodslike studyin…
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