Skillshare is a great platform that empowers people to create and sell online courses. It has 4 million users and counting!
If you’re looking for a career change, and you’re interested in teaching online, then keep reading! In this article, we will explain why it’s the perfect time to create your own unique course to sell online! If you’re looking for a career change, you should try teaching online!
Skillshare is a low barrier to entry (it’s free to upload your course), and it provides you with a built-in marketplace of keen members who are eager to learn new skills!
Why Should You Consider Teaching Online?
The job market hasn’t been stable after the pandemic. In fact, it has been on a downward trend since then. People are losing their jobs, and the trend seems to pick up in the future.
So, you need to realize that if your job is safe right now, it might not be in the future. A lot of those jobs won’t be coming back, even long after the pandemic is over.
Life has changed and will continue to change. The way things are going, we may all be working from home in the future.
Soon, face-to-face meetings and physical lectures would be things of the past. Zoom will probably replace face-to-face meetings and college lectures!
Plus, it’s not like artificial intelligence is going to help the job holders either. While it makes our work easier, automation will also replace many jobs in most sectors.
So, it’s easy to assume that the post-covid era is going to move more towards digitization. Only the people who evolve in these unprecedented times are going to thrive.
By teaching online, you not only will move into an emerging market, but you can also help others in these testing times.
This is your opportunity to provide a valuable service for people and thrive in the post-Covid economy. Teaching online can be an incredibly rewarding career in the coming days.
How Creating An Online Course Can Change Your Life
If you are knowledgeable in any topic and want to make money from it, creating an online course is the best course of action for you.
Even before the pandemic hit, the e-learning sector was booming like never before. Its value was expected to reach $300bn by 2025 according to Global Market Insights.
Moreover, the industry is only going to see better days ahead.
The best thing about online course creation is that you don’t have to work more than once, and the money keeps coming in, on autopilot.
People are learning virtually everything online courtesy of the internet and the readily available material on it. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that online courses are going to be the next big thing in the online money-making industry.
Moreover, the content you create in an online course is a lot more rewarding than any other form of content.
For instance, you can charge a lot more than an eBook.
You don’t have to even show yourself in an online course; all you have to do is create a PowerPoint presentation and record your videos.
Plus, as your online course is present over the web, you can have students from all over the world.
Not only that, there isn’t much cost associated with creating an online course either. The only thing that you’d be investing is your time; most of which will be dedicated to content creation.
Deciding What Online Course To Teach
Deciding on the right course to teach is important because you want it to be profitable. A course can only make you money when it solves a particular problem for a specific audience.
So, you can create anything your audience wants to learn about. For instance, it could be:
Nutrition or healthy cooking
Home and garden
Life coaching or mentoring
A lot more
Online course websites like Skillshare are seeing good demand in topics like mental health and fitness. However, the better way to go about it would be to teach something you already have a good grip on.
It could also be something that you can quickly figure out. After all, good teachers don’t leave the path of learning.
You could create a course on something that complements your business. For instance, if you are a blogger, you could create a course on different aspects of blogging.
Like “How to drive traffic to your blog posts?” Or, “How to do SEO of your Blog?”.
Plus, if you are a service provider, you can teach people how you do that. This way, they won’t have to hire someone like you.
While deciding on a course topic, make sure it somehow connects to your brand’s voice, values, and goals.
Earning Potential on Skillshare
There is virtually no limit to what you can earn from your Skillshare courses. It does take some time to build a sizeable audience, however.
Instructors that have a good audience size earn upwards of $100,000 a year.
How Do Skillshare Payments Work?
There are essentially two ways to earn passive income from your Skillshare courses:
(1) Get a 7% commission against every subscription you generate through your referral link.
(2) Receive royalties based on the watch time of your course (per minute basis).
So, in addition to increasing your course watch time, you can maximize your revenue by attracting more people to the platform.
How much can you earn by teaching on the platform will majorly depend on your niche. Some topics can generate more revenue than others.
Let’s take a few examples.
(1) Mariya Popandopulo, a photographer made more than $1000 on her first month teaching photography on Skillshare.
(2) Whereas, Ron Mulvey, an art’s teacher made $107 in his first month on the platform.
Now, it all comes down to the number of minutes your students watch. On average, for every minute of watch time, you get $0.05 to $0.1 in revenue.
So, let’s say by the end of your first month, your total watch time is 10K minutes. That would translate to $500 to $1000 in that single month.
Once you have your course up on the platform, your major job is done. So, you sit back, relax, and see the revenue flowing in.
Of course, the more you market your course, the more money you’d attract.
Features and Benefits of Skillshare
Categories
The course content on Skillshare falls under one of three categories:
Create: This is all about creative stuff. For instance, creative writing, illustrations, graphics design, web development, and much more.
Build: This one is more about building a business. For instance, freelancing, leadership, entrepreneurship, marketing, and more.
Thrive: Lifestyle and productivity are the main subcategories in this category.
A huge selling point of Skillshare is that the platform has reputable instructors with great followings. Here are a couple of prominent names:
Brad Woodard: A graphic designer with a following of more than 35000.
Tiago Forte: A productivity trainer with a following of more than 28000.
Skillshare – Benefits
Probably the most attractive thing about Skillshare is that you don’t need anything other than your knowledge to get started. You can start teaching for free on Skillshare right now!
Plus, the interface is user-friendly and easy to get accustomed to. So, even if you have no experience with online teaching, you won’t have a problem.
Skillshare also provides the flexibility to design your course with the easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder.
Moreover, as a content creator, you can choose from a wide variety of courses. As Skillshare is a hub of close-knit communities, you get to interact with your students more effectively.
Not only that, but the platform also allows you to give practical assignments to your students, helping them learn more effectively.
Plus, all your students need to access your content is a stable internet connection and a device. This works for the benefit of students as well as teachers.
Thanks to the subscription model, a learner can enroll in any course of their choice on the platform. Plus, you can enroll in as many courses as you want
Skillshare VS Udemy: Probably the number one reason learners might tilt a little bit towards Skillshare is the subscription model.
As a learner on Udemy, you need to pay for every course. Whereas, you pay a monthly subscription fee on Udemy and can learn from a plethora of available courses.
So, Skillshare seems to be a lot more cost-effective option.
Skillshare – Cons
While the platform creates a win-win situation for learners and teachers, there are a few tiny gripes worth mentioning.
For one, Skillshare allows the students to leave comments and timestamps on a video. This can be distracting as you try to focus on a video
Secondly, Skillshare doesn’t let a subscriber keep learning from a course after they discontinue their subscription
So, if at any point, a student stops paying the subscription fee, they won’t be able to access any content on the platform
Tools You Will Need to Get Started
If you decide to host your course on a reputable platform like Skillshare, the number of tools you’d require is pretty low.
A video camera: Ignore this if you don’t want to appear yourself before a camera to demonstrate your concepts.
Even if you do want to film yourself, a good mobile camera can do the job effectively.
A video editor: A video editor like Camtasia is probably the most important tool that you’d need to get your course up and running.
Camtasia is a paid video editor that’s pretty straightforward to use. However, going with a paid video editor isn’t a necessity.
Shotcut is a good free alternative to Camtasia.
Graphics Tool: You’ll also be needing a graphics tool for your course workbooks. Canva is a free and incredible graphics software that can cater to all your graphics needs.
For branding, you’ll have to invest in the paid version of Canva.
Skillshare Support for Course Creators
As an instructor, you can always contact customer support. Skillshare has a help center with an extensive FAQ section. So, they’ll first redirect you to that.
You don’t have the option to directly call or chat live with a representative. When the FAQ section doesn’t have what you need, you can submit a ticket to get help on any related matter.
How to Create An Online Course for Skillshare
Diet Zest is passionate about empowering the community and helping people to teach and learn skills. Our mission is to support you in any way possible.
We’re going to show you how easy it is to create your online course on Skillshare! Learn the steps and tools that will help you create a successful online course business. Your profitable online business starts today!
Doing the Groundwork For Your Course
How to Get started – Checklist
Create a Skillshare account for free
Come up with your profitable course idea
Start creating your online course/ Create a class draft
Work at your own speed to publish your class whenever you are ready
Promote your course launch!
What are the aims and objectives of your course?
Before jumping into content creation, ask yourself:
What’s the goal of your course?
What change can your students expect after taking your course?
How to Make Your Course Stand Out?
Ask yourself:
What will be your course’s content?
Can you offer extra material to your students?
Are there similar courses on the platform? If so, are there any topics you can cover better?
How can you add extra value to your course content?
Think of any other ways to make your course stand out from the others. Why would your prospects prefer to watch your course over your competitors’?
Consider incorporating the following into your classes:
Expert Interviews
Bonus content
A question-and-answer list from every class
Worksheets
If you don’t do any of the above, you can package your course in a unique way and help your students understand the topics better.
Content Quality and Depth
While creating your course, be mindful of a few things:
(1) Your students don’t know anything about the subject you are teaching them. So, try not to assume anything and start the topic from scratch.
(2) Your content should be easy to consume; so break it into small parts.
(3) Also, remember that you won’t be putting in the effort again for years to come. So, as you’d be reaping the benefit of your content for a long time, give your best.
Drafting Your Course Outline
While creating your course, make sure you have a content plan in place. This can help you deliver organized and professional content. You can get detailed tips from Skillshare Teacher Manual if you need actionable tips.
The average duration of a Skillshare class is somewhere between 20 to 60 minutes, with 2 – 5 minutes sections within. Try to keep your classes between 20 and 35 minutes for maximum student retention.
You’d also want to decide on your method of teaching. You can’t simply sit in front of the camera; you won’t be able to retain your students’ attention that way.
Instead:
Use screencasts, PowerPoint slides, and demonstrations to appeal to the watching eyes.
For best results, write a script in small parts so that you can change the visuals about every 30 seconds.
Make sure to check out Skillshare Teacher Manual for any additional tips.
Filming and Editing Your Course
Filming Your Class
Getting in front of the camera can be daunting for some. That’s perfectly normal. What you can do is, get in front of a mirror and talk like you would talk with your students. This will help you prepare yourself for the recording.
Record your video in a well-lit spot with minimal visual distractions. Of course, the place shouldn’t be messy.
You can film yourself with your phone’s camera. Just make sure it’s not lower than 720p.
Keeping the camera at an appropriate level is important. While you can also use a stack of books, a tripod will be ideal if you can invest $10 to $20.
If you want to use your laptop for recording, iMovie and Movie Creator on Mac and PC, respectively can help you out.
*Lighting*
You don’t want to record your video only to find out that it is too dark to publish, right? For best results, do your recording in the daytime.
For stream classes, a lightbox might be a good option. You can get a lightbox for around $40 on Amazon.
Another option would be a Softbox lighting studio kit that consists of lightboxes, a lamp, and tripods. You can set them all and establish your own professional studio.
Plus, keep your background noise-free. A plain background without any wallpaper would be ideal.
*Audio*
You don’t want any background noise in your videos. So, before recording your video, ensure complete isolation from the outside world.
You’d need a good mic to record your audios, but it doesn’t need to be expensive. You can get one for around $50 - $100. Some mics come with Bluetooth, so you don’t have to plug them into your device.
It’s okay to make mistakes. If you go for perfection, you won’t be as effective. Just trim out the unnecessary parts after you are finished with a video.
Don’t use background music. It can be distracting for some students. Plus, you might get into trouble for copyright infringement.
Your course equipment shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg. As someone who’s just starting out, you don’t need to spend much.
*Eliminate Distractions*
Make sure nobody enters your room/office while you are creating your video.
If you don’t have a suitable place, ask a friend if you can use theirs.
Go through your content and make sure there are no mistakes before recording:
Use your own voice in the demonstration/screencast videos.
You can use this guide from Skillshare on filming.
*Editing Your Video*
If you don’t have any prior experience of editing a video, don’t worry. It’s not rocket science; you’d be able to do it with some practice.
You can use free editors like iMovie or Quicktime. Third-party software like Camtasia and OpenShot is also a couple of good alternatives.
After importing your footage into the software, cut out any unnecessary parts like pauses, ums, and stutters to make your video flow well.
You don’t have to edit your video in one go. It can be a time-consuming process, so divide it into multiple parts.
Here is a detailed guide on video editing by Skillshare.
Publishing and Marketing Your Course
Congrats! The tough part is over. The next step would be to upload your course videos by clicking on the “Create a class” button.
Skillshare allows you to upload multiple videos at a time. You’d need to upload every section of a video separately.
You can also upload a thumbnail of your video. A thumbnail should be easy to read and attention-grabbing.
Canva is an effective free tool that you can use to create appealing thumbnails. The pixel dimension of a cover image/thumbnail for a Skillshare class is 1280 x 720.
Marketing Your Class
You can create the best content around the most in-demand topic out there, but what good it would be if no one watches it?
Make sure to create a description or a video and market your course to relevant audiences. Your personal social media profiles would be a great starting point. Don’t forget to encourage your audience to share your course.
Additional Ways To Market Your Skillshare Course
Create a website or landing page presenting your course in every aspect
Write blog posts around your course content, helping them understand the value of your course
List your online course in directories like Courseindex.com
Use email marketing to promote your course
Write guest posts on other blogs and try to attract their audience
Attend conferences and network with potential students
Skillshare also lets instructors make some money by promoting their platform. All you’d have to do is make more people sign up for your course on the platform. For every subscription, you get a $7 commission in your account
Ask for help: Getting the word out can be time-consuming; you can speed up the process by asking for word-of-mouth referrals. It’s probably the cheapest and most effective form of marketing
You can also work with social media influencers to recommend your course to their audience. Make sure their audience is related to your topic and you build a relationship with them first
Check out some effective marketing tips for your class from Skillshare here.
Interacting With Students
Provide the best content and service to your students so that your students recommend your course to their peers. This way, you’d be able to attract existing students to your future courses as well
Be polite and professional with your students. Be available and responsive
Don’t ignore complaints and negative feedback. They can help you improve your course. Honest feedback is an asset to your online business
Keep refining your course content until you feel there is no room for improvement. This is an impactful way of standing out from the crowd
Monetization – Making Money On Skillshare
This is the part you’ve been doing all that effort for. Skillshare pays you for every minute someone watches your course content. It adds $7 to your account for every student you bring to the platform
Top teachers on the platform are making thousands of bucks every month. Use this fact to stay motivated and create multiple courses
Conclusion
Irrespective of why you want to change your career path or pivot it into a new direction, it can be pretty exciting and rewarding.
Even if you have some active years ahead of you, it’s never too late to embrace a more rewarding career path.
You can transfer your existing skills and knowledge to others by teaching online with platforms like Skillshare. Or you can always take a step back and learn some new exciting skills before teaching them to your students.
However, you do need to take action to be successful. Nobody can make you successful except you. If you are looking for a career change, you can create classes on Skillshare right now and make passive income from them.
We wish you the best of luck with your exciting journey with Skillshare!
Additionally, check out our dedicated Skillshare page.
Diet Zest earns a small commission from Skillshare, for every person who signs up for a free trial on Skillshare, after visiting links on our site. This does not add to the cost of the product/service for you, and it provides a small amount of income to help keep Diet Zest going. 🙂
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