Trainers and coaches have more opportunities than ever before to create and offer digital products. A few years ago, the motto was: "Exchange a free e-book for an email address." Digital products, such as e-books or newsletters, were mainly used as freebies for marketing purposes. What has changed? Creating your own online courses and offering additional digital products makes sense for trainers and coaches.
Note: This article was first published in March 2016 and updated in November 2018.
Today, more and more trainers and coaches are creating their own online courses, achieving several goals:
They pass on their knowledge to their target audience and generate additional revenue.
They expand their offerings: In addition to seminars and course offerings, these trainers can now also offer online courses or online coaching. The time spent creating the online course pays off over a longer period, as course support afterward requires less time.
If the content is relevant and helpful for the target audience, the marketing effect is automatically achieved. Customers who are convinced by a (free) course are likely to book paid offerings as well.
Creating Your Own Online Courses: Some Tips
Maybe you already have a video or materials that you could also use for an online course. You can find concrete steps for implementation in this blog post: From a Learning Video to Your Own Online Course. When it comes to digital products and expansions, trainers and coaches always face the choice: “make or buy.” How much money do you invest when you use your own time for it? If you can earn your hourly rate during that time, then you have a rough estimate of what your time investment costs. If, for example, it concerns fragmented times, then it is indeed just a time investment.
Time and money are not even the biggest hurdle, according to our experience. Creating your own online course also requires the appropriate knowledge. Most trainers possess didactic fundamentals and have already created media (e.g., texts, images, worksheets, quizzes, etc.). The choice of platform has a significant impact on the level of prior experience and knowledge. Getting started is considerably more challenging if you also have to deal with web development and the technical configuration of the course (e.g., security settings, email distribution lists, and payment providers, managing and integrating multiple service providers for streaming and quizzes, optimizing display for mobile devices).
The First Search: Free Offers for Online Courses
Many trainers and coaches do not want to invest any money at the beginning and initially look for free offers. Therefore, the choice often falls on a WordPress solution for the first online course.
WordPress has many strengths. However, creating and managing online courses is not necessarily one of them. For a blog or a homepage, WordPress is a reliable solution. David Goebel describes in this blog post how he created his first online course with WordPress and what lessons he has learned from it.
If you are considering implementing your online course with WordPress, you should take a look at his blog post. Building a running WordPress course requires knowledge and time. I have tried this with various WordPress plugins. Once the course is created and the content is uploaded, managing the WordPress site still takes time.
blink.it vs WordPress
With the blink.it app, you can create online courses. I want to contrast our offer from blink.it with a WordPress solution.
blink.it | WordPress |
|---|---|
Ready to go! We provide everything you need to start course creation immediately. | Depending on the hosting solution, you have different options here. Many hosts offer pre-installed solutions for €3 to €10 per month. |
Yes, you can offer your courses under your domain. We are happy to set that up for you. | Your WordPress solution can, of course, also be equipped with your domain. This is usually handled by the host for you. |
No, we take care of that for you. | It depends on which host you booked and what happens with your WordPress solution. If you want to work with WordPress, you should at least be somewhat familiar with databases. For example, if you have to delete thousands of spam messages, you will need to do that in the database and not in the WordPress interface because it takes a lot of time. |
Less is more. We offer an appealing design without much frills. It is important to us that the blink.it app looks good and is easy to use. If it's important to you, you can get a custom design to match your brand. | Here, WordPress offers a multitude of customization options. If you know what you want and which WordPress design is right, you have a lot of freedom here. |
No, your course will work from the start without further configuration. | Yes, to offer courses via WordPress, you need to install and configure some additional plugins. Good plugins are paid. A popular plugin for a membership area is Digimember. This costs €27 in the Pro version. When using plugins, you should always ensure that they are kept up to date by the developers. Finding the right plugins can take time. |
If your content is well-prepared, you can create a course in 30 minutes and invite the first participants. | Depending on prior knowledge and hosting solution, installing a WordPress platform can take just a few minutes. Installing and configuring the necessary plugins will take more time. Additionally, with a new installation, the design must be adjusted. |
Our user management provides you with all functions in one view, so you don't have to click through endless menus. | Through plugins. Some of these are paid. |
We continuously optimize our loading speed so that your participants are not frustrated when visiting your course. | Your WordPress host provides a fast WordPress site in the basic version. Depending on which and how many plugins you use and how many participants access your course, the loading speed may become slower. |
No, with us you get as much storage space as you need for your content. | It depends on the hosting provider. The cheap WordPress solutions generally offer 25 GB of storage space. If you use videos in your courses, this may become tight. |
No, with us your videos are automatically converted and delivered in the best streaming quality on all devices. | Depending on your host and the bandwidth used, costs may arise here. You need to convert videos yourself. Of course, you can also use an additional video host, but then you manage another service. |
Security and data protection are our top priorities! Our servers are located in Germany, and we commit to complying with German data protection regulations. Our clients include banks and insurance companies who require the highest security standards. We meet this standard and offer it to all customers. | The security of your WordPress solution will depend on the hosting solution and the installed plugins. Many hosts offer an update service for the WordPress installation, but plugins are not updated automatically. Because WordPress is so popular, WordPress sites are a popular target for hackers. WordPress plugins are the most common entry point (see the latest evaluation by Wordfence). |
If you have questions or need advice, we are here to help! | All hosts will offer you technical support for your WordPress solution. If you have problems with plugins, you will need to contact the developers. |
We believe, as a trainer or coach, you should focus on what you do best and enjoy the most:
Express your charisma and personality. In the course, this happens naturally. Online, you reach your participants with a video recording.
Inspire your participants with your content.
Develop training concepts. Implement training and coaching methods.
Support your participants and promote their learning.
Market your products or have them marketed.
We focus on what we do best:
Making the administration of your online courses as easy as possible so that you can spend your time on marketing.
Providing your content quickly and securely on all devices, so you can keep your cool.
Offering your participants a user-friendly and engaging platform. This way, your participants enjoy learning on the platform and are more motivated to use your online content.
What experiences have you had with WordPress or other providers? Are you considering creating an online course? We at blink.it are here to help you with advice and support!
