Ever wonder how some people are able to crank out profitable training course after profitable training course?
They make it look so easy.
I remember the month when I created five training courses. It was a lot of work, but the reward was very high.
Training course creation can be a breeze for you too if you approach it in the right way. This blog post will give you clarity on how you can approach training course creation so it’s light work.
#1: Outline The Training Course
For this blog post, I will assume that you already have a training course idea. Once you have that idea, you need to outline that training course. Here’s how that works.
The first step to outlining a training course is to conduct a brain dump. A brain dump is when you think of several ideas related to the training course topic. You want to think of as many ideas as possible.
The more time you spend brain dumping, the more you will have to work with.
After the brain dump is over, the next step is to find common themes with all of the video ideas that you wrote down. Those themes will become sections within your course and the corresponding videos will fit into each section just like parts of a chapter.
That’s all there is to it. You have successfully outlined your training course.
#2: Identify Talking Points For Each Video
Once you have identified the video ideas within your training course, you must identify the talking points for those videos. You don’t have to prepare a script for this.
Write your talking points as if they are supposed to be the key takeaways that people should get from your videos.
The best part about these talking points is that they don’t have to be long at all. I usually put all of my talking points on a single index card:
If you want to use ScreenFlow or Camtasia for your videos, you could face additional work. When I first started created Udemy courses, I thought that creating slides made the courses better, so I decided to do KeyNote presentations.
While I still delivered on my value, the problem is that creating all of those KeyNote presentations takes FOREVER. Direct-to-camera videos take much less time in the prep work and the production.
The only time I recommend using ScreenFlow or Camtasia for a training course is if you want to show your students how to use something on the web by showing them.
For instance, I can tell you how to use the HootSuite Bulk Scheduler, but wouldn’t it be easier if I showed you how to use it in a video?
#3: Hire As Many Freelancers As Possible
Outsourcing changed my life. I tried not to say “changed my life,” but there was really no other way of putting it.
As the work mounted up, I realized that I would be stuck with everything that I was doing. That meant I couldn’t explore any new opportunities. I didn’t have the time to do so.
Then, I decided to outsource all of the busy work. Scheduling tweets, creating pictures for blog posts, editing blog posts, and growing my Twitter audience were just some of the things that I outsourced.
The result was that my time opened up like crazy. I instantly had more time to create more videos for my training courses.
In today’s world, and probably long before, you can’t make it by yourself. The lonely wolf in the woods is going to starve to death. You don’t want that to happen to your business.
The most successful entrepreneurs have teams behind them.
I know the two biggest complaints of outsourcing. The complaints revolve around budget and the classic, “Why would I pay someone else to do something that I already know how to do?”
I knew how to do all of the things that I outsourced to my freelancers. The problem is that those activities took up my valuable time which as a full-time student, I don’t have much time to begin with.
I am approaching the point in which the only things I will do for my business are create videos, write blog posts, conduct podcast interviews, respond to my audience, and promote myself.
My freelancers will take care of the rest so I can focus on the priorities that I enjoy the most.
Some of the freelancers who will help you with your training course include a video editor, someone to write video descriptions, and a copywriter.
#4: Do A Little Bit Each Day
It is better to do a little bit for your training course each day than it is for you to attempt to do it all in one day. It’s more manageable this way.
Imagine doing three videos per day for an entire week. While it involves a little work each day, it’s doable. Now imagine choosing one day of the week and doing 21 videos.
What would your voice sound like on that final video? Could you still show people your passion or would it get sucked away? Could you still deliver value?
See why it’s better to do a little bit each day versus designating a day to get it all done?
Building this habit is just as simple as doing it each day for 66 days. Even if you only record one video on some days, one video is better than nothing…and it will help build the habit.
Once you do a video every day for 66 days, that habit will stick. Soon you’ll find it effortless to show up every day and record videos.
#5: Get Into A Workflow
Ideally, when you record the videos, you want to record your videos for the day in one shot. It’s better to record three videos in one sitting than it is to record one video in the morning, one video in the afternoon, and one video at night. Here’s why:
Even if you managed to have a perfect workflow despite stopping yourself short twice, you still have the time cost of setting up.
For me, that means turning the lights on, getting dressed in appropriate attire for the video, turning on the microphones, and hitting the record button. When I’m done, I have to turn everything off and then get dressed into something more casual.
I don’t spend my entire day in a collared shirt 🙂
Instead of only doing that once, I’d have to do that three times.
To help get into the workflow, I identify video ideas and talking points in advance. Staring at the camera trying to think of your next video idea is the video creator’s version of writer’s block.
It’s easy to avoid with just five minutes of preparation for each video.
In Conclusion
Creating training courses doesn’t have to be hard. The level of difficulty depends on your overall approach.
I have created as many as five training courses in a given month. If a teen can do it, then you can do it too.
Are you thinking about creating a training course? Have any tips on how to create a quality training course faster? Which of these tips did you like the most? Sound off in the comments section below.
