Today, I’m doing something NEW on the podcast. I don’t think I’ve ever shared an interview from another person’s podcast with you, but this episode from Mara Kucirek’s podcast (Create a Better Course) was so good that I knew I wanted to share it with you today. If you want to see the nitty-gritty behind the scenes of launching a signature online course, this is one episode you do not want to miss.
If you haven’t yet, make sure to also listen to episode 261 where I interviewed Mara about all the things “online courses”, from creating them to selling them well.
This interview was especially fun because Mara is a STUDENT of Booked Out Designer (and Podcast Success Blueprint which wasn’t done at the time of this recording). She asked really good questions because NOT ONLY is she brilliant and so strategic when it comes to online courses, but she also has that insider student perspective.
Here’s just a glimpse of what we talked about:
- How to get your course off your to-do list and into the world
- How to beta launch your course
- Live launching vs. Evergreen models
I've also just shared a lot of behind-the-scenes on how (and why) I’ve made some of the decisions that have led me to make multi-six figures off of my online course (and enrolled 200+ students without running ads).
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:
Search for episode 264!
3 Takeaways to Add to Your Notebook:
There is so much gold in this episode that it’s DEFINITELY worth the listen, but here are three quick takeaways to give you a little teaser (and something to add to your notebook).
I Got to Teach Better Because I Choose to Be More Specific
Originally, I was wondering when I was creating my first signature online course: should I make this course just for designers? Or should I make it for service providers in general? There is a lot in the course that can apply to both. I knew there was potentially more reach and more to be made out of marketing to more people. For me though, I ultimately am glad that I niched the content down to just designers. I got to teach better because I got more specific. If I were to be like, “Okay, this is for copywriters, photographers, every single person”, I feel like I would have had to back up so much in the lessons and take out a lot of the meat that makes it special for designers. Sometimes signature online courses that are so overgeneralized miss a lot of the deep stuff that's going to help your students get results.
Read more: How To Get Paid To Teach What You Know With Laylee Emadi Smith
I Didn’t Want to Beta Launch a Course… But Then I Never Got Around to Making It
I had the idea and even started a waitlist for a LONG time before creating my course (over a year). I think I was frozen at the idea of how big of a course it felt like, plus I was feeling imposter syndrome, and I was very stuck on the idea that I did not want to beta launch this. Even though I knew about beta launching, and I understood the logic behind doing that, I had decided that it was not for me. I wanted to make it and then sell it. But the problem was, I never got around to making it. I was busy, I had clients, I had a podcast. So it took a really long time to get going with it.
Something that finally had me get going, was when I got friendly with the idea of beta launching. What that means, is that you're selling it before it's made. Even to me when I heard that, it felt so sleazy to me. I want people to have so much high value. I didn’t want to sell something I hadn’t made yet. I had all these mental ideas that by doing that I was getting the best deal and they were getting the short end of the stick as a student.
When I started thinking about beta launching more, I really knew people wanted this from me, so I didn’t need to “beta launch to see if the course was wanted or needed”. I didn’t need the cash flow because I had my template shop. But then I also started looking at myself being like, what I do need is the motivation and to set time aside and people affirming that this is what I want. When I thought about it that way, I decided beta launching was the right move and I have the sales page up a few weeks later.
Once I decide something, I’m pretty quick to take action! And as you’ll hear in the episode - it sold out within just an hour and a half. So it was definitely worth it!
Read more: Behind The Scenes Of My Multi-Five Figure Beta Course Launch (That Sold Out In Less Than An Hour!)
Just Because You Turn Your Signature Online Course Evergreen Doesn’t Mean You Don’t Have to Sell It Anymore
A mistake I see a lot of people make when they go evergreen, is that they stop selling it. And when you don't sell anymore, that means you don't make any sales anymore. What I've done is: the course is evergreen, but I’ve also molded live launching into it. So since taking it evergreen, which again was only last year, so not that long ago, I've done a promotional period that I've called Booked Out Week twice, where I put the course on sale. I treat it like a launch, with a discount and special bonuses. I also create pre-launch content around it to get people ready to buy too.
In my opinion, I think it's worked really well. I like that balance of “it's always for sale and it does make sales consistently every month”, and then when I do one of these promos, it's like, “Hey, if you've been thinking about buying now, I'm going to give you all these reasons to buy now, from hearing people talk about it, giving you a discount, and some limited time bonuses”
I think of this the same way e-commerce stores do like a “Black Friday” sale. Sometimes you need to have a push to promote your signature onine course and that can work really well.
Want to Sell Out YOUR Courses?
I hope you're enjoyed this flipped type of episode with Mara interviewing me. Remember how I said in the intro that I've had over 200 students inside Booked Out Designer and have generated multiple six figures in revenue all without ads? Are you wondering how I did that? There's a lot to it honestly, but one BIG way is actually through this podcast that you are reading about right now. I use my podcast to drive traffic to my paid offers, and I would love to teach you how to use your podcast or start a podcast to do the same.
In my course Podcast Success Blueprint, I teach how to make real money from podcasting and so many other things. With 77 lessons total, I teach you everything from how to get started (naming your podcast, doing your artwork, deciding on the direction of your show) and more advanced strategies like monetizing it, hiring team members, staying organized, and creating strong systems so that your show does not take over your life. Sign up here!
Links Mentioned:
Tune into Episode #261 when I interview Mara all about online course trends
Listen to Mara's Podcast: Create a Better Course
Shop our Showit Website Templates (use code BBPODCAST for 10% off!)
Join me inside Booked Out Designer
Sign up for the Podcast Success Blueprint!
Want the insider scoop? Join my Free Facebook community!
Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram
