How to launch an online course

The Guide to Creating and Launching an Online Course

What I’m going to show you is a hybrid of the best methods and techniques, in a simple, easy-to-understand way, which form the Flow Online methodology.  

We have used this to achieve success for our clients, and it works, so we documented it all, from start to finish and created a step-by-step guide.

And you can see it all here.

You will also see statistics from real projects, and testimonials from real people.  I’m giving it all to you, and I have a reason for doing so I’ll tell you about later.

Launching Works. This is what it can do for you…

The first time I used the Launch Method was in 2016. The client had created a course for dentists, a residential course where you spent 13 full days away from your practice, spread over an academic year.

There was already some scarcity because it started in September; you had to be enrolled by a certain date to be on the course.

The course was re-worked to an online blended version, which had never been done before at that stage, and the results were amazing. Launching for the first time was scary, and there was a lot to organise and learn.

During that first launch the sales reached over £90,000, which we can say was a six figure launch (in US dollars). That course is launched 3 times per year now rather than just once a year, and we have added more online courses since then.

What is Launching and Why Should You Launch Your Course?

If something is available all the time, you think, “it can wait, I’m busy right now, I’ll do it tomorrow”… and you know tomorrow never comes – right. What if the ‘something’ was an event that is only there for a few days, or has some special stuff attached to it now (bonuses) which go away tomorrow, or the price is much lower now, but goes back up to normal next week?

Academic courses usually begin in September, or January (depending on the type of course), but the point is it is an event – you either get in by a certain date, or you are out. Scarcity brings people off the fence, and calls them to make an action.

Just for a minute imagine you have an online course that is available all the time. What makes people enrol? You can advertise it, and that may get them to see your course page, but without scarcity there is not quite enough incentive for them to make a final decision, and you may have to advertise to them many times before they are ready to commit.

What if you made it into an event, with a build-up, a crescendo, leading to an end? Now you can demonstrate authority, build trust, and give people an incentive to make a decision. Most sales are made on the last day of the launch, it really does work.

What is more, you can create the same event time after time, if the market allows for it. You don’t have to stick to an annual enrolment.

What if you don’t have a course yet?

If you have not built your course yet this series of articles will set you off in the right direction, and you may also want to see the Course Creation Checklist, which will help you get started.

If you have an offline course or a one-to-one service, creating your course online is the next step. You will benefit from the whole series, and if you want to get quick sales for your course, this workshop video will also help you to Sell Courses Online.

If you have online courses and you are not getting the sales you want, you are going to get a proven system – a methodology that has produced 6-figure course launches multiple times.

Why am I giving away the whole methodology?

We have gone into real depth with this, because we have found that the more successful you are, the more likely you are to need our services in the future.

That sounds counter-intuitive right, but I’ve done the study – it makes sense for us to give you all the knowledge you need to do this yourself, and I’ll tell you why…

Because first you need to understand how it works, and when you get busy being successful, you will see improvements that you need help with… and who do you ask for that help? Flow Online.

So, get a large glass of water, buckle up, and get your notepad ready.

Another thing, this is serious stuff that will change the way you do things forever, so switch off any other devices and be ‘present’.

You get this methodology right and it will change the way you do things forever.

The next 10 chapters are packed with information to share with you. This is what you will learn:-

• Why you should build an online course, and how to get started
• Who is your ideal customer, and why getting to know them will help write your killer sales page
• Every website has holes which let your leads go off to competitors, and how to Plug The Gaps
• What is a Lead Magnet, and why you must have one
• The optimum way to attract customers, and how to automate the process
• How to grow your audience and build lasting relationships with your buyers
• Using ethical email marketing to build trust and authority
• How to launch your course or online product for the first time
• What are the different types of launch and how you use each one
• How to decide on your next product or course and when to up-sell or resell to your buyers