I can’t be the only one who used to sit around and think about what kind of magic someone would need to sprinkle on their course to turn it into a million dollar money maker. I knew it was possible to create a course that would earn millions, but I couldn’t figure out HOW.
Over $11m later, I’ve learned a thing or two about what it really takes to make millions per year selling courses and the good news is you don’t have to be a magician to make it happen.
So buckle up because, today I’ll be sharing 3 keys to creating a million dollar course that sells on auto-pilot.
My name is Caitlin Bacher, CEO of Scale With Success®, and I’m on a mission to help course creators all over the world grow their business in a way that is profitable and scalable. I’m sharing revealing insights about what it really takes to scale an online course business to millions of dollars per year. Join me here to discover the tough decisions I’ve had to make, the biggest failures I’ve had to bounce back from, and the learnings that emerged every step of the way. I’m so grateful that I have the chance to tell you everything right here on Scale With Success®: The Podcast. Let’s get started.
Making a million dollars from selling a course was once something I thought only “famous” or “fancy” people did. I certainly didn’t feel fancy, so I was thrilled when I began expanding my network and got to know loads of successful course creators who were making millions per year from their courses on topics like guitar, pilates, microsoft excel, stock trading, art, and more.
These were just normal, everyday people and you’d NEVER know they had multi-million dollar businesses. What they all had in common was determination to achieve their goals even when things got hard.
They didn’t waste time complaining or comparing themselves to others. They just focused on doing the work, putting one foot in front of the other – even when things got hard. They saw each unexpected challenge they were confronted with (and there were many) as an opportunity to get stronger.
Now, I’m one of those people who have made millions from selling my course and over the years I’ve learned a lot from my own experiences and from watching my clients go through the process of selling their own courses.
So, today I’m sharing 3 keys to creating and selling a million dollar course to show that it doesn’t take magic to make it happen, but the results do feel pretty magical.
1. Love your topic
It goes without saying that choosing a topic that YOU love to talk about is important. I’ve seen many course creators try to force themselves to create and sell courses on topics they think they SHOULD do and not those that they WANT to do.
But, truthfully it takes time to find a topic you’re truly passionate about and the only way you’ll FIND it is by taking action.
Here’s what I mean.
Some people will stay stuck in their heads for years trying to choose a “perfect” topic for their course. They spend too much time thinking and not enough time doing.
Putting a ton of pressure on yourself to choose a perfect topic is a recipe for disaster. So, while I do think it’s important to pick a topic you love – it’s perfectly fine to get started teaching about a topic you like.
Over time, you will shift and grow as a course creator and you may decide 6 months or a year from now that you want to create a new course on a new topic – and that’s ok. My own interests have shifted over the years and I’ve created courses on a number of topics until I found one that I’m truly passionate about.
If I didn’t let my interests shift and flow, I’d still be selling a course about how to use Pinterest and probably wouldn’t be very happy doing it.
As you settle into a topic you love, you’ll begin to connect it to a bigger mission and that’s where the real magic happens. Your mission is what will compel you to move forward even during moments of deep frustration.
Our company mission is to help online course creators scale their business to change the world. Every client we work with has the power to impact millions with their courses, so by helping our clients grow, in turn they are helping others grow – no matter what subject they teach.
So, our program teaches course creators how to sell their course on auto-pilot, but our mission runs much deeper than that and for the people on our team it’s what creates the MOST excitement around fulfilling.
2. Teach what you know
Aside from teaching a topic you’re actually interested in, you want to choose something that you already know about – and you know more than you think.
One of our clients was a housekeeper and she developed a system for cleaning homes quickly, so she packaged her method into a course and sold it to busy parents who felt like they didn’t have time to keep things tidy.
Another client loved arts and crafts and got really great at creating portraits of her dog with needle felting. So, she taught her method to others.
Another client had a knack for microsoft excel and was the “go to” person in the office for creating insightful visuals inside excel that represented data in a way that was easy to understand.
Each of these clients went on to build businesses that generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue each year, just from selling ONE of their courses.
They were able to find that unique cross section between finding a topic based on their unique skill set AND that they loved to talk about.
It’s so common for people to discount what they know and assume that their skillset isn’t special. But, from the examples I showed you a minute ago – you can see that EVERYONE has something to offer.
One of the big questions I get asked is “will people actually pay to learn this?” and there’s an easy way to find this out. Go on google, or tiktok, or pinterest, or youtube and type in the subject you want to teach about – then see what comes up.
Chances are high that you’ll see a ton of content related to the very topic you want to teach about which means there IS an EXISTING demand for it. It means there are people scrolling the internet actively looking for the steps required to solve their problem related to your topic.
Maybe they’ve tried needle felting and it looks bad. Maybe they’ve bought microsoft excel spreadsheet courses before, but they want to learn more. Maybe they don’t want to hire a housekeeper and want to figure out how to clean their own house in a timely manner – but, they feel completely overwhelmed and need someone to walk them through the steps.
Teaching what you know is one of the most generous things you can do for someone and there are people out there right now struggling with the very thing that you already know how to do.
3. Connect with your audience
When you choose a topic based on your own lived experience and that you are passionate about, it becomes easier to connect with your audience.
Your head will be filled with things that you want to share with them – mistakes to avoid, myths to bust, and strategies to save time.
But, despite all of that it’s normal to feel like you just don’t know what to post. Sometimes this can happen after a particularly creative posting streak.
You’ll go through a period where the free content you’re posting is flowing freely and then one day you just feel stuck.
One of the things that I tell my clients all the time is that you don’t have to be consistent in order to post consistently.
I’m a big believer in creating systems that you can create once and continue to run on auto-pilot so that you don’t have to feel super creative or inspired every day of your life because that’s just not going to happen – no matter what you teach.
When using automation the right way, it can be a tool to connect more deeply with your audience and ensure that they’re seeing the right content at the right time FOR THEM.
And that’s one reason why I absolutely love selling my course on auto-pilot, it’s all based on consent and permission. When you’re launching you’re shoving everyone down the same funnel and they’re all getting the exact same content at the same time – but, automation gives you the opportunity to create a path for people to follow where THEY get to decide what’s next.
This approach really shortens the sales cycle because it’s finely tuned to meeting people where they are and delivering the exact content they need to inspire them to move to the next step.
It’s more enjoyable for your prospects and more profitable for you.
Not only can automation help you connect more deeply with your audience, it enables you to do it in a way that is sustainable for you.
Most people don’t know this about me, but I’m actually a huge introvert. I enjoy being around people, but if I want to recharge – I need to do it alone. This is a unique problem for course creators who are a personal brand, like myself.
And it’s led to me figuring out creative solutions, like selling on auto-pilot, to ensure that I am preserving my energy so when I do show up for my clients, I’m rested and ready.
So, to recap the 3 keys to creating a million dollar course:
1. Love your topic because it’s something that you’re going to be talking a lot about
2. Teach what you know because people value YOUR unique life experiences
3. Connect with your audience consistently because you never know when someone is really open to hear what you’re saying – today could be the day they’re ready to enroll
I appreciate you being here and make sure to tune in next week for another episode of Scale With Success® The Podcast.
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Today’s episode is brought to you by Scale With Success® Accelerator — an online course designed to help you generate launch-sized revenue without lanching. If you want to learn MORE about our proven method for success, click here to watch my free masterclass. See you in there!
