The Course Mentors Podcast
Hey there, future course creator!
Ever feel like turning your know-how into an online course is like trying to solve a Rubik's cube blindfolded? Well, grab your headphones because "The Course Mentors Podcast" is here to be your secret weapon!
Meet Aimee and Odette (that's us!), your new best friends in the course creation world. We've been in the trenches for over a decade, and for the last five years, we've been rocking the online course space. Now we're here to spill all our secrets in bite-sized, 15-20 minute episodes that'll fit perfectly in your coffee breaks.
No fluff, no filler - just real, actionable advice that'll take you from "um, what's a landing page?" to "holy moly, I just hit six figures!". We're talking everything from crafting your course to marketing it like a pro and building a business that'll have you pinching yourself.
Whether you're dreaming of ditching the 9-to-5 grind, adding a sweet extra income stream, or just want to trade demanding clients for students who think you're the bee's knees - we've got your back.
Think of us as your personal cheerleading squad, but instead of pom-poms, we're armed with proven strategies and a healthy dose of "you've got this!" energy. We're here to give you the straight-up truth (with a side of fun) to help you crush your goals and create that freedom-filled life you've been daydreaming about.
So, ready to turn your expertise into course gold? Tune in to The Course Mentors Podcast. And hey, once you're done implementing our awesome advice, swing by Instagram @thecoursementors and show us what you've created. We can't wait to celebrate your wins!
Let's make some course magic together, shall we? 🎉
The Course Mentors Podcast
Promise, Deliver, Profit - Course Creation Made Simple
Hey hey, future (or current) course creator!
In this ep, Aimee Hill and Odette Ede are about to break down the BIG question: “with so many shiny objects in the course creation world, where exactly are you supposed to focus your energy?”
After coaching hundreds of incredible women on course creation, we've seen every shiny-object-trap, rabbit-hole and side-quest imaginable. Today we're cutting through the noise to simplify your approach to course creation.
In this no-fluff, action-packed episode, you'll discover:
The ONE sentence that'll make your course irresistible (spoiler: it's not "50% off")
A 10-minute hack for creating a course outline that practically sells itself
Why your course shouldn't be a kitchen sink (and what it should be instead)
The magic of reverse engineering your course (no time machines required!)
Forget about domain names and social media strategies for a hot minute. We're focusing on the real MVP: the transformation you're promising your students. Because let's face it, they're not buying your course for a new bedtime story.
Whether you're a seasoned course creator or still scribbling ideas on cafe napkins, this episode is your golden ticket to Course Creation Wonderland. We'll help you sidestep those "what was I thinking?" moments, pull yourself out of the what-am-I-even-doing rabbit-hole and craft a course that's focused, effective, and student-approved.
Ready to turn your knowledge into a course so irresistible, your students can't help but rave about it? Tune in and let's get to work!
Want to create your own 6-figure course? Apply to join Online Course School https://thecoursementors.com/application
Got questions or want more free content? Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/thecoursementors/
Catch us every Wednesday for your weekly dose of course creation wisdom. Got questions or loving the show? Let us know on IG @thecoursementors. For more on our courses and mentorship, check out Online Course School's website https://thecoursementors.com/application.
Hello and welcome to the Online Course School podcast where we talk everything. Online course success. I'm Amy. Hill and I am Odette Eade and today we're going to be talking about the one thing that you need to do this year to launch your online course. Okay, are you ready for what it actually is? No, amy, tell me, how was your week? What have you done?
Speaker 2:Give me one thing You're going to make them wait. This week has been great. Actually, it's been really neutral. I feel like I don't have anything to bring to the table. Cool, oh, it's my birthday in two months and we're planning a little trip away.
Speaker 1:Wow, you are so organized. I don't organize my birthday until like the day before.
Speaker 2:I think we're going to go. I don't know, I don't want to say it, in case we don't do it. What?
Speaker 1:are you?
Speaker 2:thinking Egypt. Yes, is that random.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm not sure I'd do it with a one-year-old, but sure. Well, we're going to give it a Maybe that?
Speaker 2:or the great Aussie vacationing spot of Bali. Two very different places, two very different places.
Speaker 1:One's a lot easier than the other.
Speaker 2:Well, I know, but we're thinking about it. We've got a notebook and then you know my husband a spreadsheet. It'll probably change a million times before then and then it'll probably just end up being the Gold Coast Probably.
Speaker 1:I've been at the beach for a week. It's been amazing and I am fairly relaxed and I've read a couple of books and I am ready to get into some work. I can hear it in your voice. Thank you, I guess.
Speaker 2:Speaking of work, let's bloody get into it.
Speaker 1:What is the one thing that you have to do in order to launch an online course this year?
Speaker 2:It's to understand what it is, in one sentence, that your students are going to achieve from your online course.
Speaker 1:That is the exact place you need to start.
Speaker 2:Look, and that might sound pretty logical, but what we see too often is people rushing out to go and purchase a domain, to go and purchase a course platform, to start recording videos, to go get a logo made All of those things that you think you have to do at the start of a business we see people doing at the start of their online course journey.
Speaker 1:Absolutely those things. They just come when they come. That's the easy stuff. If you need a domain, you can go get a domain. You know that's the stuff you don't overthink A lot of the time as well.
Speaker 1:The other thing I hear people touting all the time is you have to start building an audience. Oh, my God right, it's not the thing you need to start with. What are you going to say? People come to us all the time and they've seen on social media that they have to start building an audience and they're panicking that they haven't got an Instagram and they haven't started talking about their course. And I say, well, what's your course? They say, well, I don't know. I sort of do this. Well, of course you can't talk about it. Don't feel bad that you can't talk about something that doesn't exist. If you can't explain what you do in one sentence, how are you going to make a month's worth of posts about it? How are you going to make a curriculum about it? If you don't understand what it is? Somebody is getting out of what you do. Of course you can't start building something and of course you can't start building an audience around it, and you shouldn't.
Speaker 2:People are going to follow you because they want to get something from what they're following, and if you don't have anything to talk about, you can't create content about it.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. You can't build a business around. Oh, I'll figure out what the customer actually gets later. That's crazy. It's like opening a cafe and not knowing what kind of food you're going to serve. Oh, I might just open a cafe, oh, okay. Well, what do you do? What do you cook? Japanese, Do you? Is it modern Australian? What are you talking about? You're going to open out of it.
Speaker 2:What people get out of your online course. That is the meat of the potatoes as well, and I think people get too wrapped up and I know I did at this very start of my journey. They get too wrapped up in the materials of your online course because they think that's where the value is. So a lot of people think that their students are going to be paying for the worksheets, all the videos, all the tutorials right, but they're not. People aren't paying for the worksheets, all the videos, all the tutorials right, but they're not. People aren't paying for that Crazy. I know. They're actually not paying for the videos at all. They're paying to get the outcome that they purchased.
Speaker 1:Absolutely the worksheets and your videos. That's just the vehicle that gets them there. What they're actually purchasing is that result from you, when they want to be. That's what you're selling, that's what you're selling.
Speaker 2:Okay, to show you what I mean, I'm going to read some examples. Are you ready, ready? I've got them prepared, let's do it. I have a course about renovating, or I want to do renovations.
Speaker 1:Okay, so do I already know how to build? Do I visit my first home? How long is it going to take? It sounds like a really hard thing to do.
Speaker 2:How about if I figured that out and I came back to you?
Speaker 1:That sounds hot. That sounds like something I want, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Do you want your dream house?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I want my dream house. I do, that's what I want, well.
Speaker 2:I'm going to help you with that.
Speaker 1:Done.
Speaker 2:I have a physio course.
Speaker 1:Okay, am I already a physio and it's going to upskill me? Is it for people who I don't know? What do people need physio for? Is it for sports?
Speaker 2:injuries, having a baby.
Speaker 1:Having a baby. Is it for recovery? Am I the patient or am I a physio? What's the physio course?
Speaker 2:Okay, okay, and then if I would have figured that out.
Speaker 1:I could have. I have an at-home physio course to increase mobility in advanced age. Okay, that's something I can work with. I immediately know it's not for me. I'm not advanced age. That was very politically correct too. Instead of old people, old people, old people. That automatically rules me out, which is a good thing, because I'm not that customer. I know to move on. You know your course shouldn't be for everyone. That's a whole nother thing.
Speaker 2:but Don't even get that started.
Speaker 1:We are not getting into niche work right now, but that's something I can work with. That's something I can think oh awesome, my grandma needs that. Oh, she really struggles with, I don't know, getting out of bed in the morning. This is perfect for her. You know, if you can tell somebody what it is that you actually do in a concise sentence, even if it's not for them, you put it into their brain. They understand what it is. It sounds hot and sexy. You're either going to buy it or you're going to tell somebody about it. But if you can't get to that point where you're really clear on the exact thing you do, which is very specific, very niche again a different topic. We'll go into niching at some point, I'm sure. But if you can't break it down into that one concise sentence, there's no way of selling it, there's no way of finding who it's for, there's no way of targeting ads towards it. Basically, it's the foundation that you build everything on.
Speaker 2:Exactly, Understanding exactly what it is that your students are going to get out of their online course. That's the key and the foundation to every other thing that you're going to do. That's the foundation to your social media. That's the foundation to creating content, to creating your website, to creating all the rest of your marketing materials Understanding what it is that people are going to get out of what you're teaching.
Speaker 1:Exactly that's why I am so passionate about people starting at the right point. If you don't know what you're doing, if you don't, if you're not really clear on exactly what it is that you do, you can't sell it, you can't create content, you cannot, you can't create your course video. Yeah, you can't create your curriculum. That's why people struggle. Oh, you know, what should I put into my course? This is what I sort of do.
Speaker 2:It's the wormhole. It's the wormhole spiral of death that we see people go on all the time, which is you know, I'm a physio, I'm going to create a physio course because I'm a physio, right. And then they start creating an Instagram page. First, they start doing their TikToks about physio stuff, just all of it every bit of physio thing that they know.
Speaker 2:They think I've got to know every single thing in the entire world about physio and I've got to tell every single person everything, every single thing in the world that there is to know about physiotherapy. And if you're a physio and you're listening to this, you're going that's impossible. And it's because it is. It's impossible. And then the first thing they do is they go and get a course platform. So they google online course platform. They get one, they get kajabi or thinkific or teachable or whatever and then they get into the back end of it and they start making a website.
Speaker 2:So that's the first thing that those platforms prompt you to do is make your website. So they start making a website and then they go, oh, should I need a logo? Because the website needs a logo, right? So they start making a logo about physiotherapy. And then the final step of all of that is creating your course videos. And then they start creating a curriculum and some course videos of physio stuff, everything about physio. And then, a year down the line, they come to us and they say help me, I have a course. It teaches physio. And we say what do you mean?
Speaker 2:because that's a university degree yeah, that's a kitchen sink course. That's what we call, and kitchen sink courses are everything but the kitchen sink everything you've ever known about, a subject of all time ever. And then you've put it all in. You've value packed this course, crammed it full of everything that could you possibly could fit inside an online course, and it helps no one, because at the very beginning, you never said to yourself what are people going to get out of this course? And when you create something for everyone, you, you create something for no one.
Speaker 1:Yes Times 1,000. When you create something for everyone, you create it for no one. You need a compelling offer. You need to say this is what you specific person gets out of my specific course.
Speaker 1:Mic drop you specific person. It's very templated, but it's true. You can't create anything without the foundations built, and too often we see courses built and so much time sunk into something that doesn't have a foundation. People haven't got super clear on what it is they do. They don't know who it's for, what it actually sets out to achieve, and with any business, you should know what your customer is getting.
Speaker 2:So if you're listening to this podcast right now and you're hearing us waffle on about what it is that you're going to achieve, that do you think is their homework right now?
Speaker 1:Figure out. What is it that you want your student to come away with? Doesn't have to be the whole world. You don't have to change every aspect of their life. If you have an eight-week course, it should do this. One great thing. One great thing it's not for everyone, it's for one person, because that one person there's millions of them out there in the world, so you're not cutting yourself off from anybody. You are saying to that one person I have exactly what you need. And they say thank you, this was exactly what you need. And they say thank you, this was exactly what I needed. Here's my credit card. Here's my money, okay.
Speaker 2:So to surmise, people aren't paying for the inclusions, okay, they're not paying for the worksheets. They're not paying for the videos. They're paying to renovate their house in six weeks. They're paying to increase their mobility at an advanced stage. These were the most boring examples we've ever come up with in our entire life.
Speaker 1:We have a lot more exciting people doing courses.
Speaker 2:We have incredible people doing incredible courses, and these are the examples. I think, because we have incredible people, we had to try and pick something that wasn't currently in our cohort, and so we've gone with the most boring things that exist. I mean, if you're a physio, that's not boring. Anyway, people aren't paying for the inclusions. They're not paying for the tutorial on stretching. They're paying to increase their mobility. They're not paying on the worksheet and the mood board for building.
Speaker 1:They're paying to renovate their house to its dream standard and a vague understanding of what you offer. It's not going to make people listen.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it needs to be sexy, it needs to be big, it needs to be bold Big, sexy, bold and specific. We need to be able to make it a promise. We need to be able to say, at the end of six weeks, eight weeks, 12 weeks, six months, whatever you will get out of this X.
Speaker 1:When you know your outcome, you can build the path to get to it and you can guarantee your student success. That's the secret to creating a great foundation, and the reason people struggle so hard in the beginning of online courses is because they are not building the right foundation.
Speaker 2:That's the secret. That's the secret to understanding how to create an exceptional online course. It's asking yourself that tiny, tiny question at the very beginning what is it that my students are going to achieve at the end of this course and working it backwards? Reverse engineering.
Speaker 1:Reverse engineering?
Speaker 2:Yeah, totally, that's what it backwards. Reverse engineer, your course. Reverse engineering yeah, totally, that's what it is. So if you can ask yourself that today you're lapping people that have just started creating videos without knowing where it is that they're going, ultimately, a course is a course. It's a course, it's a course of action. It's a path, a pathway.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so where are you getting at the end of it?
Speaker 2:Well, guys, I hope that you enjoyed this episode today, and I hope that some of this was insightful intriguing and intelligent, beautiful.
Speaker 1:We hope that you got something out of that. We hope that you know that if you are starting to build an audience, if you are starting to download random platforms, stop and understand what it is that you're doing to help people and then give us a call sign into our dms messages absolutely this is this is what we do. It's a foundation. This is what we do in stage one of the online course school, because you can't do anything without knowing this really well.
Speaker 2:It was an absolute joy to talk to you guys today. I hope you enjoyed it and we'll see you next week.
Speaker 1:Thanks for joining us. See you next week.
Speaker 2:Bye.