7 Quick Ways To Know If Your Online Course Idea Is A Winner Without Wasting Time And Money

“Will this idea even work?”...

Many entrepreneurs new to the exciting and profitable world of Knowledge Commerce get stuck in the mud over analyzing the answer to this simple question.

Wondering if your idea will sink, float, or fizzle before ever having your first sale is something all entrepreneurs go through. So if that’s where you’re at right now...it’s totally ok. You’re one of us.

In this article we’re going to cover 7 quick strategies to help you go from “brakes on” to “breakthroughs” in launching your first online course.

So if you have unique skills, knowledge, or even just a passion that you’ve been wanting to monetize online and create a business around…

Here’s your first “secret” to getting there faster with your sanity intact...

MAINTAIN MOMENTUM.

Success online, whether it’s your first day and you’re still using AOL and dial up...or you’ve been at this for nearly 20 years like our team here at Kajabi has...it’s all about taking action and maintaining momentum.

In our experience launching our own products and helping thousands of others launch theirs using the Kajabi platform, the faster you can move through the process below, the faster you’ll succeed.

Have Idea → Validate Idea → Create Product → Generate Sales → Scale

So that idea you’ve got rolling around in your head right now...

Ready to find out if it has the seeds of a frustrating flop or the foundations of your new freedom filled future?

Well let’s get to it then...

1. The Almighty Google Search

Let’s just handle this one right up front shall we?

I’m sure more than once you’ve had a brilliant, world changing, Nobel Peace prize kind of idea, only to Google it and find out 19 other people and their mom are already doing the exact same thing.

Well instead of the normal routine of cursing the internet...remain calm. Trust me.

Here’s why…

If there are already people selling courses, coaching, or any sorts of digital product in the same niche or sub-niche which you’re wanting to enter...this is a GREAT thing.

Reassuring even.

These good folks have already done the hard work for you! They’ve validated your market and the bones of your idea.

So this is not the time to give up!

There’s a 99.99% chance that no one has cornered your market. All 7 billion people in the world and they all will only buy this one yoga course? Not a chance.

If there are others succeeding then you can too!

Think of it like this...lots of people like hamburgers right? Well if you have an idea to start a hamburger restaurant and search “hamburger restaurant” in Google...you’re in for some bad news.

But good news if you read article right before your search!

Because you’d see McDonalds, Burger King, Five Guys, In N Out, and a million other places all essentially serving what appears to be the same thing. A meat patty in between two buns.

So yes, there’s plenty of room for YOU to wildly succeed even if (or especially if) others are already doing what looks like your exact same idea.

So take your course idea, Google “your niche + course”, and see what comes up.

Hopefully there’s some already out there!

If you want more help going from idea to your first online course, completely free, check out this brand new 3 part video series we just released.

2. Talk With Real Human Beings

I know this sounds crazy. Talk? With real people? Have you lost your mind!? ; )

But this is one of the fastest ways to get a real clue if your course or mini-course idea has any legs.

And it’s especially even easier if you already have existing customers you can talk to. But if you don’t, you can still talk to your family, friends, or anyone you know who might be interested.

It goes like this…

• Call, text, or message a real human being.
• Simply tell them about the course idea and the problem it would solve.
• Tell them everything that would be included, as well as any bonuses.
• Let them know it’s in “beta stage” right now and the first few people will be working personally with you and get a huge discount.
• Ask them their thoughts and gauge their excitement or feedback.
• Ask them to buy and offer a money back guarantee.

See how this gets you both market feedback from a real person and the opportunity to make your first sale? All without very much risk to you or the person you’re asking.

Many successful digital entrepreneurs will do this before they’ve ever even recorded a single video for their course.

Seek to validate the idea first, then once you’ve got one or two paying customers you have a good idea you’re onto something and can start making some bigger moves.

And yes...I know this isn’t some huge or shocking tip. But what’s simple isn’t always easy. You may have told someone your idea sure...but have you asked them to buy yet?

If not, now's a great time to put it to the test :)

3. No Pain No Gain

Successful knowledge commerce products are typically created to help alleviate a specific pain.

Maybe someone has tried to learn photography by watching a hundred random YouTube videos and now feels more confused than when they started…

That’s a pain.

Or maybe quite frankly, other online educators just haven’t properly taught them in a way which resonated with them or helped them finally take action.

As a course creator you want to constantly be on the lookout for pain points in your market.

Say for example you’re passionate about nutrition and you’re thinking about creating an online course based around the Keto Diet. Here are a few ways you can search out pain points:

• Amazon: Go to Amazon, search “Keto Diet” and click on some of the e-books with the most reviews. Read through the 3,2, and 1 star reviews and see what people are complaining about. They’re essentially giving you pain points which you can build into your product or incorporate into your marketing.
  
  
• Reddit: Similar to Amazon, simply go to Reddit and search your specific keywords. You’ll see plenty of positive and negative. Both can help, but in validating your idea you want to use these pain points as a way to create a unique and different product.
  
  
• Facebook Groups: You’re most likely already a member of different kinds of groups on Facebook, but now is a great time to join a few that are related to the niche you’re thinking of going into. This quickly puts your finger right on the pulse of what’s working and what could be done better.

These are simply 3 suggestions to help identify pain points. There are hundreds more.

The main idea is to look for ways in which your current ideas matches up with pain points of the market you’d be helping. If it does, you’ve just taken a huge step towards knowing you’re on the right track.

4. If You Build It They “Might” Come

In the best selling book “The Lean Startup”, author Eric Ries explains what he calls an “MVP”. Minimum Viable Product.

For those who might feel weird selling a product they haven’t created yet, this is the next best option. Instead of creating your entire course before you know if anyone even wants it, you’ll create a minimum viable product.

Like a sample at a grocery store it’s enough to give someone a taste of what you offer. If they like it, they’ll throw it in their “cart” and you can drip out the content to them week by week.

So if your course idea is to teach people archery, you’d simply start by creating whatever content would be included for week 1 of your course and maybe a brief sales video.

That’s it! That’s an example of an Minimum Viable Product.

Kajbai makes this incredibly simple to do using our “Mini Course” product. With templates built right in all you have to do is upload a few videos and you have everything you need to go and validate your idea.

What if in 24 hours from now you had your first sale?

Our brand new 3 part video series shows you exactly how to create an MVP style mini course faster than you can say “I Love You Kajabi”. Click HERE to get the first video.

5. The Secret of Getting Attention

So you have your idea. You want to launch an online course teaching people how to grow their business using social media tools like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

You plug in “Social Media Courses’ into trusty ol Google and of course you’re immediately flooded with all sorts of courses promoting the same thing. And remember... we’ve already agreed that this is now a good thing, ok?

This idea is already validated. Now it will be the job of your marketing to make it stand out, be unique, and solve problems in a way which currently aren’t being addressed.

Here’s all you need to do…

Be 10% different. Focus just on this and it’s nearly foolproof since the idea is already tested and proven.

Effective marketing is NOT rocket science...it’s neuroscience! The name of the game in online marketing is generating attention then focusing it towards a problem which you can solve.

So remember this simple saying:

Different gets attention.

Since your idea has already been tested and there’s already others out there succeeding with it, you just identify a few problems which aren’t being fully addressed and you focus on being just 10% different.

If everyone is saying “How To Grow Your Business Using Facebook”...

You could say “How To Grow Your Business Using Facebook Lives”...

Or “How To Grow Your Business Using Facebook AND Pinterest”...

10% different...that’s all you need.

6. Validate With Your Social Media

This one may be the least complicated, yet most effective of them all.

We personally know members of the Kajabi Team and those whom now use our platform who tested their idea, launched their first course, and made their first sale all from simply posting about their idea on their social media.

Do you have Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter?

Great. That’s all you’ll need for this one.

If there’s been a course idea you’ve had but just haven’t taken action on it because you’re not sure if anyone will want it...here’s how to find out.

Write the absolute best post you can. To capture attention and stand out, use a fun image and a headline like “My Weird Online Business Idea…”

Flesh out everything you can about this idea... Who it helps. How it helps them. Why it’s different. How cool the course will be. How you’re looking for beta testers. Etc.

Then post that baby and see what happens. It’s a simple action which can lead to sales.

One of our members here at Kajabi did this and without even having a product or experience in his niche, made over $400 in pre-sales and launched a 6 figure business within his first year.

What are you waiting for?

7. Just Do It, Seriously!

This is fitting that it’s our last one.

Nike was really onto something when they conjured up the whole “Just Do It” campaign.

Because here’s the thing…

You could read 100 more ways of how to validate your idea, but none of it matters until you “just do it”. What if instead you simply decided right now that whatever idea you have, you’re going to find out whether it’s go or no go. TODAY!

You’re fine either way, but you’re going to find out!

Do one of the strategies above, combine a few of them, do something totally different...but whatever you do, remember this:

Imperfect action always beats perfect inaction.

But only always.

And the best news of all?

We’ve just released our brand new 3 part video series teaching you how to go from idea to first sale in as little as 3 days. You can check it out right HERE.

Have Idea → Validate Idea → Create Product → Generate Sales → Scale

Use Kajabi to Turn Your Knowledge And Content Into Products You Can Sell

We know that you have something to teach the world. We also know there are people out there who want to learn what you know.

That’s why we created Kajabi. It’s a full-featured platform that allows professionals like you to create their own businesses from home.

Create online courses, establish membership sites, and sell other digital products. We offer tons of marketing tools to help you spread the word about your products and earn more revenue.

Of course, launching a business represents a huge commitment. We understand that.

To help ease you into the process of creating a Knowledge Commerce business of your own, we offer a 14-day free trial.

Get unfettered access to our tools, templates, and other assets so you can fully explore what Kajabi has to offer.

Are you ready to become your own boss? Now’s the time.

Get unfettered access to our tools, templates, and other assets so you can fully explore what Kajabi has to offer.

Are you ready to become your own boss? Now’s the time.

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