How To Get Paid Upfront To Create & Then Launch An Online Course In 7 Days

Last Updated on: 5th August 2022, 09:33 am

One of the biggest things that can stop you from launching an online course is PROCRASTINATION.

I find that the best way to combat this – is to simply come up with the idea then LAUNCH it quickly, before you let any doubts slip in.

When I launched my first program back in 2013, I’d been building a mailing list slowly and had nearly 1000 subscribers. My only methods for collecting email addresses back then were:

• Past and current clients
• Prospects who had enquired but not converted
• Subscribers to a 7 step email course I’d put together (most of these had opted in via a WordPress Plugin called Pop Up Domination)

I hadn’t been actively building a list as I do today (I hit 30,000 subscribers over the weekend), but I did keep in touch with them and send them occasional useful articles and special offers. At least half of the people on the list had met me, seen me speaking, or were connected to me through a networking group of some sort meaning my list was pretty responsive.

NOTE – I strongly suggest you add everyone who enquires to your mailing list if you don’t already do this, then make sure you stay in touch via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and every way you can.

So when I decided to launch a course on Paid Traffic, in this instance Google AdWords – I knew I’d be turning to my list first to help me launch it.

The first step was sending out a survey, asking them what they’d like to know about Google Adwords. I used Survey Monkey and asked them a few simple questions.

The benefit of the survey was that yes, I discovered what people wanted to know about AdWords – but also my list now knew what was coming. It turned out that there was a large unmet need for AdWords training in my network, and I had over 80 responses.

The next step was I wanted to make sure it would sell – so I bought a copy of OptimizePress, knocked up a quick salespage telling people what they’d get, added some Paypal buttons and sent it out my list, along with results from the survey.

I offered 2 different payment options, fullprice at £197 or 4 instalments of £57 for lifetime membership. I later turned the same course into a membership site, adding in weekly calls, audits and a Facebook group – these early members were upgraded and got a serious bargain!

NOTE – I got this salespage up and running within 48 hours of the survey and I truly believe this is what led to the success here

I added a deadline, and told people the course would be completed on a set date, giving them a date 2 weeks in the future.

Selling 15 just from this salespage, I had now proved the concept to myself and had been paid to create the course. I subsequently locked myself away for 2 days, recording all the training videos with Camtasia and adding them to the OptimizePress website I’d created.

NOTE – The name of the program wasn’t great, in fact I renamed it 2 months after launching.  The site itself wasn’t amazing and after launch I paid for a professional redesign. The important point is that I just LAUNCHED. No one complained about the branding or the daft name – no one thought less of me. I just saw the opportunity and launched FAST.

Of course, once the course was launched – I then needed to move onto finding new ways to sell the program. So I quickly added in other marketing such as live webinars, automated webinars etc etc.

However the point is – I would NOT have ever launched my first course if I hadn’t proved to myself first that the concept worked via surveying my list and then selling from a salespage.

Sometimes you just need to take action and get it OUT there!

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If you’d like to see how to get a 5 figure per month online program up and running FAST in your business – click here to view the free training

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