I remember when I was brainstorming to create my first online course. I must have been stuck for at least a few weeks.
…but I just couldn’t come up with anything good! I mean was I really an “expert” at anything?
Anyways, I started to list off possible ideas and decided to create an accounting course – BORING! I know, I know.
I launched the course and it made a few bucks, but nothing spectacular.
In fact, even today I think the total profit from the course averages to around $6 bucks per hour considering the large amount of time I poured into it.
Since that first online course, I have made several more with varying degrees of success.
In general, I have found the best way to create an online course is based on:
- A hobby or passion of yours (i.e. music, art, woodworking, etc.)
- Something that you did to make money or improve your life
- Something that relates to your job (i.e. skills that you use on a daily basis)
But I know how difficult it can be to get the ball rolling so I wanted to help you out.
Now, the list I’m about to give you mostly relate to the “big 3” markets – Health, Wealth, and Dating/Relationships.
So here is a list of 10 profitable ideas for online courses that you can start today!
1. Teach Yoga
This will be a popular one if you are a yoga teacher and/or if you have a big following on Instagram.
Teaching an online yoga class is great! There is a ton of built in demand for several reasons. First, yoga is very popular (obviously haha).
Second, some people are too afraid to go to their first class because they don’t know what to do.
Personally, I was afraid to go to class because I didn’t know what to do. There were so many poses and I had trouble keeping track of all their names!
So what did I do? I went on YouTube to learn them before going to class so I wouldn’t look too much like an idiot!
And I’m 100% sure I’m not the only person in this category. There is a big market for online yoga courses.
If you already have a good following on social media (like Instagram or YouTube), go ahead and create an email sign up and get people to sign up!
Start planning your course and give email updates and freebies to get people interested.
This is a really amazing way for yoga teachers to make extra money.
2. Dating Advice
I have always said the big 3 markets are: (1) Wealth, (2) Health, and (3) Dating/Relationships.
The dating market is HUGE! If you can offer a differentiated product, you will sell a ton of online courses.
You can go pretty niche with dating products. Most people offer “dating for shy guy” products, but that’s really broad.
Going after a specific niche market like dating for Asian Americans, dating for divorced dads, etc. can be a much better targeting strategy.
There are a ton of ways to promote your content including YouTube and Instagram. Dating products typically sell very well once you become more established and build a good brand.
The trick is just getting over that initial hump.
3. How to Make Money
It’s all about the money! Who doesn’t want to make more money? Teaching others to make more money is a very lucrative business.
If you have any experience even with a semi-successful side hustle, you can teach an online course about it. Let students gain some insight into how you make your money.
And you don’t need to be an expert that makes millions of dollars a year to teach a course on how to make money. It took me a while to figure that out.
Even if you make a few grand a month with a unique side hustle, offer a course about it.
I teach several online courses about investing, selling erotica, and much more.
4. Website Design
Even if you have done basic website design for local businesses or your own side hustles, you can make a course about it.
It doesn’t have to be anything complex. It would be a quick course teaching people how to build a WordPress website.
Some topics include:
- Which domain name provider and host to choose
- How to install wordpress onto your blog
- Which themes to use
- How to install and use plugins
- …and so much more!
The entire course would probably be around 3 – 4 hours long and much of it would be done in real time (as you show people how to actually do it).
5. Freelance Writing
If you make any money freelance writing online, this is one for you!
Teach people how they can replicate your success! When you teach people an online course about how to make money, be sure to tell them what they will be able to achieve after the course.
Here are some ideas/topics that could be discussed in the course:
- How to find clients
- How to pick a good niche
- Setting your bill rates and maintaining good relationships with clients
- How to create a portfolio to show potential clients
- How to cold call or email potential clients
Jorden Roper from Creative Revolt is a great example of this.
She started a freelance writing business years ago and made it work and now has a course teaching people how to do the same thing!
6. Fitness Classes
This idea is similar to the yoga idea I mentioned a little bit earlier. And this one works great if you have a good Instagram following.
If you are a trainer or just someone who takes fitness very seriously, consider teaching a fitness class.
It could cover a bunch of things like:
- How to lift weights
- How to eat properly
- or how to gain muscle or lose weight
The possibilities are pretty much endless. In fact, you could probably make 20 courses on fitness topics and still have a bunch of ideas left over.
7. How to Cook
Believe it or not, a lot of people in today’s world don’t know how to cook! And why would they?
There are a ton of fast casual restaurants now like Panera, Chipotle, and so many others. And with Uber Eats delivery, you don’t even have to step outside your house to order food now.
Unfortunately, this means young professionals today don’t know how to cook.
This is a good market if you are a chef/cook at a restaurant. Hell, even if you’re a line cook at your local Applebee’s you could teach people a thing or two about cooking.
8. Art/Calligraphy
Creating an online art course is great because art is a big hobby a lot of people fun.
And like I always say, it’s a lot easier to sell fun than it is to sell information/education.
Art is really a broad topic. It includes things like drawing/sketching, oil painting, calligraphy, and even photography.
If you have experience in any of those areas, you can create a course around those areas.
One of the best ways to create promote yourself this way is through Instagram.
A while ago, I stumbled onto this guy who had a big Instagram page for calligraphy. He had around 120,000 followers (can’t remember is username for the life of me).
Anyways, he had a short 2 hour calligraphy course that he would promote on his page. And I bet he converted a lot of his viewer base.
9. Music
Music is another broad market that is ripe for online courses. This could include things like playing an instrument, singing, or composing music.
Even if you are in a cover band, you could probably teach the average music noob like myself a thing or two.
You don’t need to be to win the top billboards to be able to make money teaching music online!
Some good idea for courses include:
- How to play the guitar
- The basics of singing
- How to compose your own album!
10. Programming
These days, programming is a very popular online course niche. In fact, I would say programming courses are often the top selling online courses.
If you look on Udemy, you’ll see many of the top selling courses are all about programming.
This is great news if you are a programmer or spent time taking computer science courses in school!
There are so many things you can do here. You can teach people a programming language or teach them how to build a basic video game.
Final Thoughts: Profitable Ideas For Online Courses
Overall, coming up with profitable ideas for online courses is important. You don’t want to take 20+ hours to build an online course that never sells.
Like I said before, I have found the best way to create an online course is based on:
- A hobby or passion of yours (i.e. music, art, woodworking, etc.)
- Something that you did to make money or improve your life
- Something that relates to your job (i.e. skills that you use on a daily basis)
Anyways, I hope this post helps you find some profitable ideas for your next online course!