Online Course Creation Platforms: Opportunities for Freelancers and Career Shifters

Online course creation platforms open up new opportunities for professional growth and career change, allowing you to share knowledge and earn. Regardless of your area of expertise - be it IT, design or applied sciences - these platforms allow you to turn your skills into a sought-after product. In this article, we take a look at the best solutions for creating and publishing courses to help you take your professional life to the next level.

What is an online course platform?

An online course platform is a distance learning tool for putting educational content online for students. It provides easy access to your knowledge from your computer or mobile phone, making you available to students. Once your course is created, all that's left to do is find students and develop marketing strategies to attract attention.

The best platforms for creating online courses are:

1. Teachable

Teachable is part of the LMS (Learning Management System) family and is a tool for creating and selling online courses that is available to everyone, regardless of specialisation or level of training. The platform allows you to create online courses, learning modules and coaching sessions with personalised support for each learner. The free version of Teachable will not be available in 2024, but the platform offers a 14-day free trial.

At the end of the trial, you can choose from packages: basic for $39 with a 5% commission, Pro for $119 with no commission, or a business package for $299 for large organisations. Paying for an annual subscription will save money, but beginners are better off starting with a monthly plan. Teachable's benefits include unlimited courses and students, coaching options, ease of use, and an intuitive interface, but the platform is only available in English.

2. Podia

Podia is an online course platform that connects over 25,000 content creators and offers many tools for creativity. On Podia, you can create unlimited courses, students and files without paying transaction fees, and enjoy in-built email and 7-day-a-week customer support. However, the platform is limited in customising course design and support for course creation is only available in English.

3. Learnybox

Learnybox is a French online course publishing platform that allows you to manage all aspects of selling online learning. It offers a tutorial explaining all the features of the site and allows you to create courses by choosing from the themes and designs offered. The platform offers three packages: free Discovery for beginners, Infopreneur for €99 per month with a limited number of courses and Expert for €299 per month for unlimited use.

4. Kooneo

Kooneo is a French LMS platform popular with over 13,700 infopreneurs. It offers a wide range of features such as contact management, email and secure zones, and also supports the sale of physical products. Kooneo can be tried for free for 30 days, after which there is a base fee of €22.5 per month plus a percentage of turnover, which decreases as revenue increases.

5. LearnDash

LearnDash is a WordPress extension that works as an LMS and turns your website into a platform for selling online courses. The app supports sequential lesson unlocking features, tests, and online chats with students. Packages start at $159 for a single WordPress site and can go up to $329 for 25 sites, offering unlimited course creation with no interest on sales.

6. Udemy

Udemy is an international learning platform that allows instructors to publish their courses for free and make money from selling them. The platform retains a certain percentage of the revenue generated from the sale, which ranges from 3% to 50%, depending on who referred the learner. Udemy provides good SEO and does not limit the number of courses and students, but it has strict price limits and does not provide access to students' personal data.

How to create an online course?

Creating an online course requires a consistent approach and careful preparation. The following steps will help you successfully develop and market your educational content:

• Validate your course idea: Before creating a course, make sure the topic is in-demand and interesting to potential students. Research keywords on Google, study the popularity of the topic on learning platforms and social media to see if there is interest in your course;
• Use the best tools to create your course: Select the right tools and platforms to host your course. Consider hosting such as WordPress, and choose video editing software and quality marketing solutions for promotion;
• Determine the price of your online course: Calculate the cost of your course, considering the audience and depth of material. Analysing the prices of similar courses and understanding the competition will help you set a fair and attractive price;
• Create a sales page for your course: Make your course's sales page compelling and informative, emphasising its uniqueness and value. Take inspiration from successful examples, but avoid copying - emphasise your competitive advantage;
• Promote the online course: Use social media, YouTube, and paid advertising platforms to promote the course. Post on topic pages and groups, tailoring your adverts to your target audience;
• Provide your students with the best possible support: Keep in touch with students, answer their questions and offer additional materials. A personalised approach and quality support will help you gain student loyalty and increase the popularity of your courses.

Conclusion

Online courses open up new opportunities for earning and career changes. Choosing the right platform and a quality approach to course creation will help you succeed. Share your knowledge and turn it into a sought-after product!