A step by step guide to create an online course and turn it into a six-figure online business.

DISCLAIMER: Links included in this post might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting me so I can continue to provide you with free content each week on my blog and on my YouTube channel!

Last year, my online courses generated around $575,000 in revenue for my business.

And even back in 2021, the year I launched my first online course, I made $96,000.

Here’s the truth: there is definitely money to be made with online courses.

So, if you’re a content creator who’s been curious about creating a course of your own, this post is for you. I’m walking you through everything you need to know to create, market, and sell an online course, so you can start building a 5- to 6-figure income stream.

Sound like something you’ve been dreaming about? Let’s dive in.

As always, if you’d like to watch instead of read, click the video below.

How to Create, Market & Sell Your Online Course

To help you make the most out of this guide, I’m breaking it down into four parts:

1. Picking your online course topic
2. Outlining your course
3. Creating your online course
4. Launch and marketing strategies to help you make money

Let’s go!

Step 1: Picking Your Course Topic

One of the biggest misconceptions when you create an online course is that you have to be a coach, educator, or expert. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

You don’t need to be an expert and you don’t even have to feel like an expert. In fact, it’s usually the things that come the most naturally to you, that people will pay to learn. 

If you’ve gained experience in a specific area and seen real results for yourself, that’s enough. You can turn your process into a course and teach others how to do the same.

Here are some examples of online courses:

• School of cakepops (Rachel)
• Christmas Lights Training Course
• Thomas Franks Notion course
• Indoor Gardening Course

So how do you know what topic to pick? And, how can you know in advance that it will be something people would actually pay for? 

1: Look at Your Most Popular Content

As a content creator, your best testing ground is your organic content! In the past year, which videos got the most engagement? Which videos gained you the most followers? What questions did people ask in your comments section of those videos? Chances are, the answer is in there!

2: Survey Your Audience

This option works best if you already have followers who are your target audience (not family and friends). If you already have an audience (even if it’s small), you can ask your followers: “If I made a course, what would you want me to teach?” 

You could do this through your Stories, a post, or by sending an email to your email list. 

If you don’t have a following yet, look at your competitors’ content (or niche neighbors) and their audience. When you’re looking at your niche neighbors, keep an eye out for questions that they’re audience is asking them and typical themes that they’re creating content around. 

3: Identify Recurring Questions in Your Comments/DMs

Next up, look at recurring questions in your own comments and DMs. Are people always asking, “How do I grow on TikTok?” Are they asking you “Where did you get your cake pop cutters?” Or maybe are they lost in figuring out how to maintain a tidy home?

Start to really pay attention to what people are asking, because every question that you get asked could be packaged into your online course.

4: Ask ChatGPT

Finally, you can ask ChatGPT. This is a great resource for doing research. Here’s a ChatGPT prompt that you can use to research a possible online course:

“I’m a ______ Content Creator that creates content on XYZ topics. My audience is mostly [DESCRIPTION] who struggle with [PAIN POINTS]. Can you create a list of online course ideas I could create to sell?”

Make sure to fill in all the blanks and be as detailed as possible. The more information you give ChatGPT, the more accurate your responses will be. 

Do you already have a topic in mind? Let me know what it is in the comment. I’d love to see what types of courses you are excited about creating! 

When you have a topic in mind, make sure it checks all of these boxes:

• Does it align with your expertise or your content? Does this course topic make sense for you? Are you already creating content in this area? 
• Does it solve a major pain point for your audience? Aka, what are your followers constantly struggling with or asking about? 
• Does this topic have demand in your niche? Are people actively searching for solutions for this problem?
• Does it lead to a transformation? Can you take some from Point A (struggling) to Point B (successful)?

If your topic checks all of these boxes, then you are ready for step two to create, market and sell your online course. 

Step 2: Outline Your Course

When it comes to outlining your course, my favorite method is the Sticky Note Method. 

This is what I have done every time I’ve created an online course (and I’ve created over 10 courses in the past five years). I will always use this method. 

1: Grab Your Sticky Notes

You’re going to start by writing down everything you want to teach on individual sticky notes. Break down each step that someone would need to take to get from A to Z. This is the brain dump session to create an online course. 

When I do this, I like to color coordinate my sticky notes. One color is the topics I would teach or the questions I would answer. Another stick note color might be additional resources (checklists and downloadables) that I could make to help cover the topic further. 

For example, here are some of the topics that I wrote down on sticky notes when I was outlining my YouTube Course: 

• How to set up your channel for success
• Setting proper expectations for YouTube growth
• Branding
• Long form v.s. Shorts
• Setting up your channel (channel tags, description)
• YouTube Algorthim
• When to invest in gear
• Editing software
• How to find copy-right free music

I listed every individual thing that I thought someone would need to know in order to start and grow their YouTube Channel. 

If you’re having a hard time thinking of these individual topics, ask your audience. Get feedback, remember to note down all of the FAQs that you are getting. Look up commonly asked questions on your course topic, find gaps in the market and let them create the course with you. 

2: Arrange the Sticky Notes from A-Z

Once you’ve brain-dumped everything onto sticky notes, it’s time to organize them in order from A to Z. Start by asking yourself: What’s the very first thing someone needs to know? Then continue arranging each note step by step.

As you sort through them, you’ll likely notice patterns or recurring themes. That’s how your modules begin to take shape.

For example, when I was outlining my YouTube course, I saw a clear group of lessons that all had to do with getting started. That became Module 1: Setting Up Your Channel for Success. Inside that module, I included lessons like:

• Setting expectations
• Branding
• Setting up your channel from scratch
• Understanding the YouTube algorithm

Then Module 2: Brainstorming Videos Ideas That Get Clicks had lessons like:

• SEO
• Competitor research
• Coming up with video ideas
• Creating a content calendar
• How to create a good title and thumbnail that will get clicks

Now, another option for outlining your course could be by looking at other courses similar to yours. 

I personally don’t like to START with this because the sticky note method allows you to create your own unique outline without being influenced by or accidentally copying someone else. But you can look at other courses after you’ve outlined yours, just to see if there was anything that you may have missed. 

Of course, you could even go back to ChatGPT to help you outline and brainstorm your course. You can feed your outline into ChatGPT and ask it for feedback. This could be a great way to find out if you’ve missed something, or maybe ChatGPT could help you come up with bonus materials, downloadables and templates to go with your topics. 

3: Move it Online

Once your course outline starts to take shape, transfer it into an official format using Google Docs or Notion. When I created my very first course, I used a simple Google Doc. These days, I prefer using Notion because it keeps everything organized in one place but you can use whatever tool works best for you.

If you want to see an example of this with one of my online courses, skip ahead in this YouTube video to 9:40.

And remember: your outline doesn’t have to be perfect.

Start by creating what’s called your MVP version: Minimum Viable Product. This means the most basic version to create of your online course that still delivers the transformation you’re promising. My first course wasn’t fully polished. It didn’t include fancy downloads or extra resources, but it worked. It delivered the results I set out to teach.

Since then, I’ve continued to update and expand my courses over time and you can too.

Now, let’s move on to step three to create, market and sell your online course.

Step 3: Create Your Online Course

This is the biggest step and it’s going to take you the most time. You have to script, film, edit, and set up your course on a hosting platform. So, I’m going to talk about the tools you need for each of these steps.

1: Scripting

We already talked about this with your outline, but you can keep your scripts in Google Docs or Notion. I’ve done both in the past for my courses. When I started out, everything went into my Google Drive, whereas my last course was outlined and scripted in Notion. 

Both are free, you can choose the tool that works best for you. 

Now, there are two types of courses: talking head video training (like I usually do on YouTube) or slideshow based courses where you don’t have to record yourself. Instead you create slides and record voiceovers. My courses are usually a mix between the two.  

2: Slides

When I create an online course, I make all of my slides in Canva. They have plenty of free templates that you can choose from, just make sure to filter your search by “Presentations” and look for a template without the ‘Crown’. 

Or if you want something that is more unique, you can buy templates from CreativeMarket.com. 

3: Recording

For lessons that are talking-head based, you can use your camera or your phone to record these. If you’re doing slides, record yourself presenting the slides using Zoom or Loom. 

4: Editing

I edit all of my videos using CapCut (yes, I still use CapCut!). It’s free, beginner-friendly, and super intuitive which is why I always recommend it for anyone just starting out.

That said, if you prefer something else, there are plenty of options:

• DaVinci Resolve (also free)
• VN Editor
• Final Cut Pro
• Adobe Premiere Pro

I’ve started using Adobe Premiere Pro for more advanced editing, but keep in mind that it’s a paid tool, and definitely not as easy to learn. So if you’re brand new to editing, I wouldn’t start there.

5: Hosting Your Course

Finally, you’re ready to upload your course content to a hosting platform. For this step, I recommend using StanStore. 

If you’d like to see why I recommend StanStore, skip ahead in this YouTube Video to 15:40.

Setting up a course on StanStore is incredibly easy and I love it from the student’s perspective too. Your students can access your course seamlessly on both their phone and desktop, and Stan makes it super simple for them to find exactly what they need.

When you’re ready to build your online course, just log in to Stan, scroll down to “Add a Product,” and select eCourse. From there, Stan walks you through every step to get your course up and running in no time. 

Now that you have your course ready to sell, it’s time for the last step on how to create, market and sell your online course. 

Step 4: Launching and Marketing Your Course

So, how do you actually sell a course in a way that feels authentic to you? 

There are plenty of approaches when it comes to selling an online course. In this guide, I’m going to share with you a few tips for launching your online course and a few tips for marketing in general. 

1: Launching

Let’s talk about launching your course. This is the big announcement that your course is officially live! It’s where you build excitement, offer exclusive deals, and often teach a live class to go along with it.

But here’s what most people don’t realize: launching a course starts weeks before it actually goes live. Honestly, I’d even say it starts while you’re still creating it.

Here are a few things I did to set myself up for a successful launch—specifically for the MVP version of my very first course, which brought in $96,000.

Here’s what that first launch looked like for me:

• Brought my audience along for the ride: I made them feel like they were creating the course with me. I shared behind-the-scenes moments, asked for their input, and kept them involved at every step. Because they were so in the loop, the launch didn’t feel like a surprise—it felt like a celebration.
• Created a waitlist: This helped me gauge interest and gave my most engaged followers a chance to be the first to sign up. Having a waitlist is the reason that I was able to make money in my sleep for the first time in my life. 
• Teased the launch date: I gave my audience plenty of time to get excited, start saving, and count down with me.
  Did a live launch: My first course launch was a live launch, meaning the course was only available to enroll for a limited time. After that, enrollment closed until the next launch. This gave me time to gather feedback from my first students and improve the course before opening it again.

If this sounds like a lot, it is! But don’t worry, I have a completely free 6-week launch plan that you can download here. 

2: Evergreen Marketing

Also, you don’t have to do a big ol’ launch if you don’t want to. Especially if you already feel like you’re taking on so much. Instead, you can simply set your course to live and start selling it. 

Here are a few things that have helped me with evergreen marketing, and making a consistent 6-figures every year since I started selling online courses:

1. Putting Your Course Links Everywhere

• Put your course link in your bio, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube descriptions.
• Create pinned posts that direct people to your course.

2. Create Content Around Your Course Topic

The best way to drive organic traffic to your course is by posting content that’s genuinely helpful around your topic. And no you don’t always have to be “selling” in your videos. The call to action doesn’t have to be “check out my course” every time.

I post a lot of free content that has nothing to do with promoting my paid offers. Why? Because I believe generosity builds trust. When you’re consistently teaching what you know, answering questions, and showing up without holding back, your audience will naturally become curious about your paid resources.

That said, once you build up your confidence, it’s totally okay to start mentioning your course more directly. A lot of creators feel uncomfortable with sales-y content at first but it is a skill you can practice! One of my favorite low-pressure ways to talk about a course? Share your student wins. Let the results speak for themselves.

3. Create DM Automations

I was honestly nervous about using DM Automations when I first started. I worried it might hurt my engagement or feel impersonal. But since implementing them, I’ve actually seen a huge increase in sales for my digital products.

The best part? You don’t have to mention your course in the video itself. Instead, your caption can include a simple call to action, something like “Comment CAMERA below!” and that comment will automatically trigger a DM that shares your product or course info.

If you’re using StanStore to host your course, you can set up DM Automations directly inside the platform. No need to pay for or learn a separate tool, Stan makes it super simple to integrate automation into your content strategy.

4. Make sure you have really good funnels

This step is a little bit more advanced, but it’s essentially a form of email marketing that slowly upsells your audience. You start by creating something that they can get for free, in exchange for their email. Once they have that free value, you continue to serve them through an email funnel, eventually upselling them to a much higher ticket offer. 

If you want to learn more about how to do that, watch this video next. It will teach you how to turn your ‘Link in Bio’ to a 5-6 figure funnel for your business. 

Thank you so much for being here. I’ll see you in the next one! Follow your joy.