3 Reasons Why Most Course Creators Fail

Have you failed at making an online course? Or, alternatively, have you failed to even start creating your course? If so, don’t worry- you’re not alone. Actually, many aspiring course creators fail in making their online courses. 

In my experience working in the digital education space, I’ve boiled down 3 main reasons why people fail to make course sales and get their course creation business off the ground. 

If you're in the process of creating a course, already have one, or even just aspire to make one, don’t miss this lesson!  

Now, there are lots of ways to fail at creating a course. There are also lots of ways to succeed. But these three mistakes I’ve seen time and time again, and they never end well. If you know to avoid them from the start, you’ll be light years ahead of your competitors. 

They Create the Course Before They Sell It

Many course creators spend months or even years plugging away at creating something that they, at best, ‘hope’ will sell.

'HOPE' is a risky game to play. I don't recommend gambling with your business and your future this way. 

To combat this, I recommend selling the course FIRST.  It can be done ethically, this isn’t selling the bridge to nowhere. As long as you’re transparent, their feedback will allow you not only to create a course that really will make sales, but also to create a course with super relevant topics and content. 

You can create the modules as they work through them, and it won’t even change their experience negatively- but only will make it more relevant to them. 

Don’t Know Their Audience or Market

How can you sell a course if you don’t know who you’re selling it to? 

Possibly the most frequent mistake I see course creators make is that they’re not clear on who their course is for and who it's not for. They don't know what people want. They don't understand the real challenges their audience struggles with and what problems their audience is motivated to solve. They haven't done the research to understand their market. They don’t have any idea what their audience truly wants and needs. 

Don’t assume things about your audience- just ask them instead. 

Without knowing these things, you’ll simply never be able to make sales! Much like when dating romantically, I suggest you try to woo your audience and really get to know them. Ask them questions, be transparent, and start a dialogue rather than just talking at them and hoping they give you money. 

You can even send polls out to get real answers from your audience- this is a great tool that will allow for super relevant content in your course. 

They Don’t Know What To Put In Their Course

This mistake is actually a byproduct of mistake #2. 

When you don’t know your audience, you don’t know what knowledge they need. That often leads to creators giving their audience WAY too much information.

Many times, I see creators that want to give their students everything. 10 years of experience, packed into a 6-hour course? Please don’t do it! 

I call this the curse of knowledge. We as experts forget what it's like to be a beginner- but your audience needs the foundational knowledge before delving deep into advanced things. 

Lose your industry jargon, and imagine you’re trying to teach your grandmother this knowledge. By boiling down your message into universally understandable language and media, you’ll be able to foster a real understanding and give your students the results they desire. (And that’s what it’s all about.) 

If you can avoid these common course creation pitfalls when creating and selling your online course, you’ll be on the road to a passive, money-making machine of a business in no time. Remember to keep it simple and give your audience what they want!