[Making Of… #6] No-One Wants To Buy Your Course
What’s this? In 2021 I made a course called From WordPress To Webflow. This post is one of a series of behind-the-scenes emails I wrote as I went along, exclusively for my email list (start here).
Before my wonky digestive system interrupted proceedings for a week, I’d been seriously in the course-creation zone. For several days, in fact.
I love it when that happens.
I wasn’t planning the outline and structure of the course. Nor was I scripting or making any videos.
I was peeling the onion.
Don’t worry, my new Webflow course hasn’t diverted wildly off-topic into some bizarre web design / cookery mash-up.
(I always recommend you drill down and find a niche when making a course, but that would be a step too far.)
So…. you know how you peel the skin off an onion, and then there’s another layer to peel, then another, then another? There’s always another layer you can go to.
When I got lost in the course-creation zone a couple of weeks ago, I was metaphorically ‘peeling the onion’.
Let me explain.
You see, the harsh truth is:
No-one wants to buy your course.
Really. No-one really relishes the prospect of shelling out several hundred bucks and sitting their bum on a seat working through hours of videos.
So what do they want?
What they really want is a transformation.
In fact, if you’ve got your audience targeting right, they’re desperate for the transformation and results your course is offering.
Many, many (many) tech-related courses settle for the “I’ll record my screen and show you what I know” model of teaching.
This is fine, to a point. But it’s probably not a great deal more valuable than what’s freely available on YouTube.
One of the key differentiators with truly excellent life-changing courses, that people will tell all their friends about is…
The teacher was willing to go the extra mile.
The fact is, your customers are investing dollars and time because they want a shortcut. What they’re buying is the shortcut to the results and transformation they want.
And the more of a shortcut you can provide, the quicker you can get them to their desired transformation, the more valuable your course will be to them.
There are several aspects to this, but one of the most important ways you can provide that super-valuable shortcut is by going the extra mile.
And to do that, I often liken the process to peeling an onion.
What do I mean?
I can assure you, no actual onions are ever harmed in the process of making an online course.
Next, I’ll dig into precisely what I mean, with specific examples.