5 Profitable Online Course Models

Did you know that the e-Learning industry is all set to undergo a stratospheric growth expansion? All predictions for its rapid rise to date have been bang on the money which makes what’s about to happen all the more exciting.

You see, the experts at Research and Markets are forecasting future revenues of nearly one billion dollars a day by 2025!

With a global pandemic leaving no country or community untouched, many of us find ourselves stuck at home facing uncertain futures. During the last year people in lockdown have been turning to e-Learning even more. They’ve been searching online for new information, new ways to keep themselves occupied and new ways to supplement their income. Parents saw their kids using e-Learning while the schools were shut. So, that means a whole new generation coming through already accustomed to online education.

e-Learning is becoming the norm. And the industry is about to explode!

It’s not just the big players and top marketers that are clambering aboard though. Many ordinary people are turning their unique passions and talents into high-quality online courses. They’re producing courses that provide value and transform the lives of their customers while bringing in a steady passive income for themselves year on year.

It’s here to stay and we’ll use e-Learning more and more in the post-Covid society that’s yet to emerge. Which means there’s plenty of room on board for you!

It’s easy to get overwhelmed and confused about what type of course you should create as there are so many different models out there. However, it’s crucial to do your research and find out what your prospective students needs and wants are, in addition to identifying what type of learning model they’d prefer. For example, would an email course be more their style, or would a private training group work better for them?

5 Profitable Online Course Models

Below are examples of profitable online course models. As well as some ideas on how you can use them to develop and design your own unique course.

1. Paid Email Course

Make sure you have a reliable email service provider set up to deliver your emails. We’ve used both AWeber and GetResponse and recommend both. You can create an autoresponder email sequence to deliver your emails at the precise time you want them sent out.

It’s a good idea to include a call to action in each lesson or module to motivate your students. You could add downloadable material to accompany each lesson or module such as workbooks, action plans, cheatsheets, mindmaps and so on.

An example of a paid email course could be a 30-day meditation course where you’d send out a short daily guided meditation and encourage students to write up 3 things they’re grateful for every day in a gratitude journal. An investment for an email course typically ranges from $47 up to $197.

2. Paid Online Workshop

These courses are usually delivered on learning management platforms like Thinkific or students are directed to a special password protected page on your website.

Your aim should always be to deliver dynamic and fresh content. It’s crucial during these workshops that you hold your student’s attention and keep them interested. You can also keep them engaged with games and quizzes to encourage interaction. Playing music before your session and during breaks is another great way of keeping them focused and ready for action.

An example of a paid online workshop might be teaching authors how to self-publish their books on Kindle Direct Publishing with live examples of each step they have to complete in order to publish their masterpiece. The typical investment for an online workshop ranges from $97 to $1,000 or more.

3. Private Training Groups

Group members can alert the admins to the fact that they’ve interacted with the guide by clicking “I’m done”. Admins can also view group insights as well as being able to see specifics on guide and post completion.

This is a great way for marketing leaders who are considering training teams, coaches, speakers or authors, to teach about their topic in an easily accessible way by adding training modules in the form of videos, supplementary materials and links.

If you already have an existing Facebook group, you can add units. To set up units for your group, head over to “Edit Group Settings” and change the group type to Social Learning.

Giving your members access to all your freebies means they can download them easily and get instant value. You can then insert a call to action within your free downloads for them to invest in your paid products or courses. You could also include a time-limited discount voucher as an incentive to make a purchase.

4. Challenge Based Courses

Host your challenge-based courses via Facebook where you can create a real buzz around them. Or you could offer an email challenge course or have your course hosted on a private page of your website. The price range for challenge-based courses usually start from $10 for a short 3-day challenge to $1000 or more for longer challenges.

5. Comprehensive Courses

Remember – not everyone learns in the same way.

• Some people prefer to watch video training by an instructor because then they feel like they’re being taught by a “real human being”.
• Many people listen to audio whilst they go about their daily lives so it’s important to include audio files in your training pack.
• Visual learners like image-based content so make sure you include infographics, graphics, photos, and so on.
• Workbooks, cheatsheets, checklists and so on are easily digestible and your students can use these materials to quickly grasp concepts.

Often these in-depth courses are hosted on platforms like Kajabi or Thinkific. You can set your course up so that your students can go through it at their own pace. Price ranges from $197 up to over $2000.

Next Step

Take some time to build up a picture of your ideal student. Consider things like:

• Who are your potential students?
• Have you identified their gender, age, job, income, etc?
• What do they want to achieve from doing your course?
• What are their future goals?
• How much would they be willing to invest to acquire the training you’re offering?
• What is their preferred learning model?

You could always create a free mini course to test your target market’s reaction. This gets people signed up and then you can offer them your paid fuller version, making sure to highlight the benefits.

Remember – it’s as important to entertain your students as it is to inform them. Make sure to include a variety of elements in your course that do this.

If you’re thinking about entering the online education world then I hope my 5 Profitable Online Course Models post has given you a few pointers to get you started.

To Your Success