How to Plan Your Online Course Content in 2023 [Updated]

Do you know creating excellent content and sharing valuable information are the foundation of becoming a successful online creator? We know many online creators who have evolved in the online course business. Good content can improve your website’s SEO rankings, enhance branding, and product awareness, and inspire your audience to buy your online course. Sharing knowledge and expertise through an online course will allow you to set yourself as an authority in your field. It is good to nurture a community of like-minded individuals around your business and expand your reach.

But when you’re creating your first online course, you may feel overwhelmed with the entire process. Planning, researching, making PPT slide templates, and writing scripts for live promotional webinars take time and energy. However, planning your online course content is a daunting task when you don’t have any teaching background. But we will help to ease your concerns and ensure you that it’s easier than you imagine.

Here we will discuss how to plan your online course content and we will guide you to construct your online course.

How to plan your online course content\n

Table of Contents

Plan your online course content

Planning and structuring your course content makes a solid base for your whole course business, and here is the guide on how to do it. If you’re inclined towards creating the most excellent resource on your topic, understand your audience requirements and place it accordingly. It gives your audience the space to decide what they want to learn.

1) Choose the correct subject matter

The topic you select is entirely in your hands and can be anything from health coaching to cooking, as per your expertise. However, your correct subject matter determines your online course’s success. Understand the love for the subject, prepare the content and demonstrate why your content is different from other creators. Show your expertise throughout your course. Try and think about what you do best and what people come to you for advice. Those topics usually work well as an online course. Ask yourself what you like to know more through learning so that you can become a fantastic teacher on the subject.

2) Deciding for whom your course is for

When you have designed and planned your course, now determine and understand your target audience. Is your audience willing to understand the basics of your topic or looking for an advanced level? Get clarity on this point. Don’t be confused but understand your audience’s pain points, give them the solution and show them the path how to obtain the results. Once you determine your audience, get ready and start planning. Create each lecture short and crisp with every piece of information. The video content should be between 15 to 20 mins, helping students to understand every point quickly, and when required they can rewind the video hassle-free and watch it.

3) Research the topic broadly

Research, research, and research is the key to success as an online educator. Whether you’re already an expert on your subject, it is the most precious time to do deep-dive research until you know everything. As part of your learning process, go beyond the course and understand every step in detail. Go the extra mile to find a variety of resources on the topic, and explain your learnings inside the class. Conduct keyword research to see what type of queries people are looking for.

This test will help you plan better and execute. Understand from this the kinds of questions people ask and are interested in. You can include any subcategories within your niche if required. For example, if you plan on teaching a course about how to take care of indoor plants, you’ll want to include the basics such as water and natural light. But also add value, look for unique angles and broaden the scope of your course.

4) Write and design the course outline

The most mesmerizing part of the course is writing and developing the curriculum. Write down a list of the various lessons you love to teach online. Break down each topic you want to cover into small classes. Go in a rational order and add your ideas smoothly to ensure the learning process is easy and engaging. Remember that teaching is about directing your audience through ideas step by step. Make this clear in your course and define the objectives of each lesson. Also, never forget to add an introduction and a conclusion to your chapter at the end of each class. Repetition helps in learning processes. Consider adding assignments and activities as part of your course curriculum. It is one of the best ways to engage your students. Start your lessons with theoretical discussion, give some examples, teach the topic, and follow up with an assignment at the very end.

5) Create the course content

As you have already created the outline of each lesson, now this will be slightly easy for you. Add all the contents together and then explain it naturally. Use PPTs in explaining your thoughts as it saves lots of time. If you have any existing content repurposing it into your online course will help get you to start. Based on the previous materials, you can also outline the content. Understand what form, of course, you like to make and how you like to communicate with your audiences. As most creators use video as their form of communication. However, you can also use written content, audio recordings, and PPT slides as per your need.

Filming

Creating an online course can be done with simple equipment so don’t use fancy instruments. You don’t have to be a pro in making a video to create a high-quality course, the level of teaching in education matters. You can also film yourself speaking to the camera and record your screen. Your videos don’t have to be perfect and fancy. We recommend using a microphone so that you explain and the record is done with good quality.

Editing

After you complete filming your content, invest time in editing the raw footage. There are many free video editing software available to use. While editing the video, try to break up the video by adding small pro tips, and bullet points while explaining the lesson. Add titles, like the name of the course, and give captions to make the lecture accessible to search. You can also include background music in your video.

Class assignments

Create assignments for each of your lessons. These can be in the form of downloadable PDF files. It will help students to take a printout if they need it.

6) Time to bring your course online

Once your course content is ready, it’s time to create the platform. If you already have your professional website, you can add your online course in that section. If not, you can use online course platforms like Graphy for website building and uploading your content. Upload your lessons either as videos or organized as lessons for students to understand.

7) Market your content

You’ve spent a lot of energy and valuable time planning your online course content, now time to market it. It’s time to elevate it and get course registrations. To market, your online courses go for paid and free promotions. Create a logo to look extra professional and stand out.

Here are some tips to market your exclusive online course:

Email marketing

Send email marketing campaigns using Graphy and mention early bird discounts.

Open social media accounts and start promoting your course.

Paid ads

Execute paid advertising such as Google Search Ads and Banner Ads.

Referrals and reviews: Get referrals, reviews, and positive testimonials from ex-students.
Website pop-up: Add a pop-up to promote your course on your website.
Influencers: If you have the budget for marketing, partner with industry influencers to reach your audience.