How to Choose a Profitable Course Topic That SELLS
Not sure what to create your online course on? Worried that you’re not “qualified enough” or that no one will buy it once you’ve created it?
By the end of this video, you’ll have my foolproof formula for coming up with a course idea that you enjoy teaching, that helps your audience solve their problems in a big way, and that is SUPER profitable.
My name is Brie Kirbyson and I used this EXACT formula to come up with a course idea that has generated $25,000 for me so far – and I blog all about what it takes to run a successful and profitable online course business here at CourseBoss.co.
Now it’s your turn!
Here's my three-step foolproof formula for coming up with an incredible course topic that wows your audience and actually sells.
Step 1: Is it something that you know, are good at, or have experience & knowledge with?
Here’s what you do:
> Start a list of ALL the things you’re good at, things you’ve had experience with, and things you’re more knowledgeable about than the average citizen.
> Remember: No idea is too small or insignificant, and no idea is “stupid”. We’re suspending judgment for the moment.
> Write down whatever comes to mind – and we’ll narrow your ideas down to the best of the bunch in a later step.
You DON’T have to be a leading expert in your chosen topic in order to make a great course on it. This mindset holds up a lot of potential course creators.
But the truth is, you simply have to know more than your audience does.
You don’t have to limit yourself to topics where you’ve had professional training or schooling. These can be things you simply have unique experiences with!
Having Trouble Coming Up With Course Topic Ideas? Consider…
> What have you spent the most time doing in your life?
> What skills have you picked up on the job?
> What do your friends and family tell you you’re good at, or what do you receive the most compliments about?
Step 2: Is it something causing your target audience “pain” or is it something they struggle with?
In addition to being something you have expertise in, your profitable course idea should target a specific pain point or struggle that your audience has.
The overarching purpose of your course is to help someone overcome their pain or problem to achieve a specific transformation, outcome, or win.
You want your topic to be around a pain or problem that is common for members of your audience, one that they struggle to solve on their own.
The easiest way to look at this is to consider whether your course is a PAINKILLER or a VITAMIN.
> Is the outcome of your course a “nice to have”? Then it’s a vitamin, and you’ll need to pick a topic or problem that your audience is more desperate to solve.
> The best courses are painkillers. They solve a big pain or problem that your audience is motivated to solve RIGHT NOW, because the pain is just too much to deal with.
Take a look at your list of course ideas, and put them through the Painkiller/Vitamin Filter.
> For each, ask yourself: Is this an important problem for someone in my audience to solve? What happens if they don’t solve it? How motivated are they to solve their pain right now?
> Label each idea as a Painkiller or Vitamin.
> Vitamin ideas are not great course ideas, so eliminate them all until you only have Painkiller course ideas left.
Comment below and tell me what your idea is… and is it a vitamin or painkiller? Is it a “nice to have” or something that needs to be solved RIGHT now?
Step 3: Is it something people are willing to pay for?
You don’t want to spend weeks creating your course only to find out that it isn’t profitable because no one will buy it.
So we need to answer the question: “Is your course idea a profitable one?”
Here are two methods for finding out if you've got a profitable idea on your hands...
Method #1: Find out if your target audience is already spending money to solve the problem
Do some searching on Amazon, Google, and even inside Facebook Groups to see what products or services your audience is talking about.
Are there other courses out there on the same topic or targeting the same problem?
Are people already buying products, apps, software, or coaching on this topic?
If the answer is YES, your idea is a potentially profitable one.
Method #2: See if there are already competitors in the space
Again, bust out your Google-fu skills and find out...
Are there other courses that teach around the same or similar topics?
Contrary to what you might assume, having competitors is a GOOD sign that there is money to be made and people are spending money on solutions.
No competitors is usually a warning sign that a topic or niche isn’t very profitable.
No competitors, or very few of them? Best choose another topic.
Putting it all together:
If you followed the three steps above, you should be left with a few course ideas that…
A) You are uniquely experienced or knowledgeable about
B) Solve a problem or pain that your audience desperately wants to solve
C) Is something people are willing and likely to pay for
This is a GREAT starting point for building a profitable online course business!
Got more than one idea left?
Go with your gut, or pick the one you’re most excited to work on!
But Wait! There's More...
Now you’ve got your profitable course idea, but it ISN’T quite time to get started on the course creation side of things.
There are a few steps to take BEFORE you get started in order to be absolutely sure your new online course will be a smashing success!
And I have just the thing:
Sign up below for my FREE Profitable Online Course Creation Starter Kit to get the REST of my process for creating a killer digital course.
Included are how to come up with a memorable name that grabs the attention of all the RIGHT people, digging deeper into your audience’s pains and problems, and validating and pre-selling your course BEFORE you spend a single minute creating it.
That way you can walk into the course creation process ABSOLUTELY SURE you’re creating something people actually want.
