Blog - Page 13 of 30 - Jason Van Orden

How to Launch a New Online Course in 3 Weeks

In this post, I’ll continue the case study about my client, Alexandra, to show you how we launched a new online course in just three weeks without tech headaches, time-consuming production, a fancy sales funnel, or a course website.

When we last left Alexandra’s story, she’d lost half of her income due to COVID, so we decided she’d launch a course for stage performers.

That’s when I stunned her, saying we’d launch the course in three weeks.

Alexandra looked at me in disbelief. “But how am I going to record all of the videos in that time? Don’t I need to set up some kind of course website? I keep hearing I need a sales funnel, too.”

I reassured her, “You’re not going to do any of that. We’ll use my Lean Launch Method to sell your course quickly and easily with as little cost and risk as possible.”

“How do I do that?” she asked.

“You don’t need to create any videos because you’ll teach the course as a live pilot via Zoom the first time. You have six modules. That’s six weekly calls.”

Her look of disbelief softened a little.

The vital first step when creating an online course

In my last post, we talked about how you already have 90% of what you need to launch an online course or program that expands your reach and generates consistent, scalable new income.

In this post, I’ll share a case study illustrating how I helped a client launch a new course in just three weeks and the vital first step for creating an online course your customers will eagerly buy.

In March 2020, when the pandemic hit, my client, Alexandra, lost more than half of her income sources over 48 hours.

Her freelance gigs as a choreographer, theater director, and movement analyst were delayed indefinitely. The only income that remained would come from her position as an adjunct professor at Princeton.

We hopped on a call to discuss her options.

“This is scary. I’ve got two kids to support living in New York City. I feel like my career identity has been gutted because so much of what I do has suddenly just vanished. What can I do?”

After empathizing with how stressful the situation was, I proposed a solution.

? Making chicken soup with alchemy

“My mom is an alchemist.”

That was the only thought going through my brain as I stared at the miracle she’d conjured.

It was the day after my daughter was born. I was hungrily rummaging through the kitchen for something to eat (groggy from a long night of waking up every 45 minutes to see if the baby was okay).

I opened the fridge…nothin’.

I looked in the pantry…meh.

I checked all the cupboards…yawn.

Somehow, we’d forgotten to stock up on groceries.

That’s when my mom (who’d flown in to help) walked into the kitchen and said she’d make something to quell our hunger.

I stepped aside, wondering how she could feel so confident, given I’d already checked the kitchen for anything worth eating.

I watched as she grabbed a mostly-eaten rotisserie chicken and a few random vegetables from the fridge.

Rise Above The Noise And Attract Your Ideal Clients

What does it take to rise above the noise and attract your ideal clients like a beacon in a sea of sameness?

Be someone’s “jazz klezmer.”

In the age of near-infinite choice on the Internet, consumers are accustomed to finding the perfect movie, book, community, entertainment, or information to fit their needs.

If they’re itching to listen to an esoteric genre like jazz klezmer, Spotify has them covered with a curated playlist.

Want a dark, foreign, existential, twisty-turny, sci-fi show that pushes you to think? Netflix has you covered. (BTW, the show I’m alluding to is Dark, and it’s well worth a watch.)

It’s as much the same when prospective clients consider who to work with.

Your prospective clients want someone who aligns with their specific goals, needs, tastes, and values.

Recently, I went looking for someone who could help me alleviate the anxiety symptoms I’ve been dealing with the past few years.

I’d already read books about the latest science about the nervous system and scanned the landscape to narrow down my options.

Now I needed someone who could help me make sense of all the information and find the best way to apply it to my circumstances.

Here’s why not enough people are buying from you

There’s a critical piece of the puzzle that we often miss when promoting courses and programs.

It goes beyond helping our intended customers believe that we have a solution that works.

There’s one more level of trust that you must establish before they will invest time, money, and energy in your course.

It’s a simple matter of self-efficacy. In other words…

Does the prospective customer believe they are capable of achieving their desired outcome? Further, do they believe they are worthy of that outcome?

Let’s look at an example.

I have a client in the self-compassion and mindfulness space. A bit of empathy for the intended customer reveals they likely harbor a good deal of anxiety or shame.

Their journey has been a rollercoaster. They’ve tried other mindfulness practices and paths to increased self-acceptance. However, things haven’t always turned out as they hoped. They’ve probably “failed.” They’ve probably put off finding a solution, further increasing their sense of shame.

They’ve internalized a belief that something might be wrong with them, that they are somehow not able to “make mindfulness work for me.”

We could write the world’s best copy leading them to believe that my client and their course are credible and deliver results.