How to Plan Your Online Course Content & Record It Quickly (+ Free Download)

Are You Ready To Create Your Online Course?

So you’ve created content for a fantastic online course you want to put out into the world. There’s just one problem. How to plan and record the content in a way that’s not only going to educate anyone who purchases your online course, but that presents the information in a way that’s easy to understand and implement. Overall the key is to plan the online course content recording in a way that allows you to stay focused and quickly deliver the online course and NOT get stuck in the details. 

We’ll unlock the mystery behind planning your online course content recording and set you on the path to success! 

Identify Your Major Takeaways

So, what do you want your students to take away from your course? What should they be able to accomplish after completing your course? Once you determine that, you can start there and work backward to discover what modules you need to design to get your students to that point by the end of your course. 

Specifically, really focus and nail down the pain point your students will be entering your course expecting to solve. Make sure that you serve that need by the time they’ve completed your modules. In other words by knowing why your students are deciding to attend your course, you’re already halfway to teaching them how to solve that problem. How your students feel at the end of their time with your courses will disproportionately determine whether they think your courses have empowered them with relevant, useful knowledge. (Therefore, will want to work with you again in some paid capacity, think: group coaching, 1:1 coaching, mastermind, etc.) Therefore one of the best ways to help them feel good about your course is to target and address the common reasons your students would want to take it first! 

Asking Questions

Thus it may seem like I’m asking you to read the minds of your student. I mean how could you possibly know what they are thinking your courses will help them with? By asking them, of course! So make sure to do some market research. Then tap your existing clients by having them fill out a questionnaire that includes asking them what they’d like to see in an online course. How much time would they devote to taking a course? What type of content would they like to consume (video, workbooks etc)? What price they would expect to spend? How would they measure success (what would make them feel thrilled at the end of your course)? Nonetheless the idea here is to ask a lot of questions to help guide you through the type of content your course should include. 

Meanwhile, you can use my free Ultimate Product Launch Planner to map out the release of your online course and take some stress out of the launch!

Elevate Your Course With Video

Undeniably we live in a visual world. So much of our content is naturally delivered in bite-size videos all across the web. You need to present your course with a video. I prefer bite-size chunks in each module to move the student through the course in a timely manner. 

Surprisingly, video recording your content is the quickest way your audience can build trust with an authentic, professional you. Anything you can write, you can present better with video. Some people learn best with audio, some by reading, and others visually. So by incorporating video into your course with captions, you’re suddenly serving all three learning types! 

You can make profound, immediate connections with your audience via video versus simply providing them with the same information in text only. Specifically, you have much more control over your message’s tone, emotional conveyance, and quality when you deliver it through video than with text alone. Earning you immediate trust with your clients that will translate into positive word-of-mouth marketing for you!

Source Locations, Teammates, and Equipment

Depending on your course, you may need a more elaborate space to utilize as your “set” when you shoot your video modules. Presentation is everything, and it’s important that your backdrop reflects a level of professionalism to underscore your wealth of knowledge.

Video Recording Essentials

• Microphone 
• Pop Filter 
• Ring Light 

Lighting is paramount when it comes to shooting good video. Therefore, poor lighting can ruin how you look on video tank your professionalism in the eyes of your students. This article from Techsmith breaks down the importance of proper lighting setups to get the best results possible. And teaches you exactly how to set up 3-point lighting (if you want to go a bit more professional!)

Practice Makes Perfect

The beauty of shooting video is that you can always do another take! So, set aside ample time to go over your thoughts and notes to create a script of exactly what you want to convey to your students. The more you can be “off-book” when you present your thoughts to the camera, the more you’ll come across as genuine and knowledgeable. (You never want to seem like you’re reading a script!)

Before your shoot day, schedule some time to practice speaking to the camera. The more relaxed and prepared you are when recording your modules, the fewer takes you’ll have to do and the less stressful your shoot day will be. Have someone you trust go over your notes like they’re a student taking your course and make sure your ideas are coming across the way you intend! Therefore I would recommend shooting all of your content in one day if possible (that way your overall look/feel is consistent during the entire online course!)

Hire A Professional Editor

Once you’ve done the work of recording all of your footage, the work to edit everything into a polished package begins. If you’re not already skilled at editing footage, don’t decide that this project is the moment when you decide you’re going to learn! Put your footage in the hands of a professional editor and breathe a sigh of relief while much more capable hands finesse your footage into a quality presentation you’ll be proud to promote online. 

Now if you want to be completely done with the process and let a team of professionals champion your recorded course from start to finish, a digital marketing team can do just that. I’ve implemented strategies for all kinds of clients for all levels of online courses, and I’d love to schedule a consulting call with you to discuss how my team and I could take your online course to the next level! 

My Challenge For You 

Maybe you’ve been thinking about launching your online course, but you’ve found yourself stuck somewhere in the planning and recording phase. So, take a few minutes to map out your online course. 

Grab a piece of paper and let’s get started. 

1. Define those outcomes/results and objectives: What do you want your students to be able to do after they’ve completed your course? What do you want them to understand? 
2. Determine how you will know they have achieved the outcomes/goals that you promise. How will you check what they have learned? 
3. Plan the learning experience to ensure your students experience small wins throughout your online course. What will they learn? How will you keep them motivated and engaged? Which activities will lead to their desired results? 

Map Out the Course

1. Who is your ideal audience? 
2. What are their problems/challenges? What do they need to be able to do? How will your course help them do it? 
3. How can you guide them from where they are today to where they want to be? 
4. What’s the objective? This is where you need to map out what they will learn – ie: After this online course, you should be able to XYZ. Mpa out what the desired actions you want your students to take to solve their problem? 
5. Map out the information. Write down the specific content they will need to achieve each objective. 
6. Start recording your content. Make a list of the content that you will need to record. What videos will you create to ensure that your students will achieve the stated objectives? 
7. Remember to ask yourself, how will they have achieved the objective? 
8. Map out the collateral you’ll need. Will you offer handouts, printables, quizzes, assignments, worksheets etc? What collateral do your students need that will help them via accountability and help them retain the information (by doing some homework!)

And if you need help planning, writing/designing, recording, marketing, and executing your online course, book a free 15-minute call with me, and let’s chat about how we could help you develop and market your next online course!

So What Did We Learn?

• Your course should teach people how to solve their specific challenge
• Your online course should have a combination of text, video and collateral to help convey your message and make sure your students reach the desired results
• Plan out your online course – every piece of it, that way everything will come together easily 
• When it comes to recording, plan out your locations, equipment, scripts, and crew in advance
• Practice prior to your shoot days to maximize efficiency – practice really will make you feel more confident on shoot day
• Hire professionals to edit and market your online course
• Lastly, market, market, market – once your online course is ready, ensure that your ideal target audience can easily find it and sign up! 

My team at Jennie Lyon Digital Marketing Services Inc. and I are passionate about helping our clients plan, build and scale an online program. We’ve created online courses from scratch for our clients, and we’re happy to help you take your business to the next level with an online course. Set up a free 15-minute call with me anytime. I’d love to see how we can help you develop and market your next online course!

Links for this episode: 

• Ideal Client Avatar Worksheet
• The Ultimate Product Launch Planner (Free Download)
• Get the Perfect Lighting for Video (Techsmith)
• Schedule a free call with Jennie today! 

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