How to build an online course (step-by-step)

...and why you should put some time aside to work ON the business.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Creator Science]( Presented by [Craft + Commerce](=) Hello my friend! There's no better feeling than getting some work done ON the business. Yes, as creators we're typically responsible for creating new content each week...but to me, that's working in the business and not on it. Creating content is necessary to sustain, but not sufficient to build something resilient. This week I made some upgrades to my website infrastructure and automated some new processes – namely, capturing testimonials (more on that below). It's hard to carve out time to work ON the business – but I really encourage you to do it. In fact, it might be easiest to block off an entire day or part of a day for something like "CEO Work." Maybe it requires compromise – instead of creating content this week, you spend more time leveling up your systems and processes. I think that's a worthwhile trade every now and then. In fact, this week's essay is one of my greatest hits (because I ran out of creative gas)! A few weeks from now, the fact that I shared an existing essay rather than a new essay will be forgotten by both of us. But these new systems I put in place...they'll still be working on my behalf. Do yourself a favor and block off some time this week to do some higher-level work that will payoff BEYOND this week. You'll thank me! ​ [Sponsor Image](=) PRESENTED BY CRAFT + COMMERCE Join me in Boise! Craft + Commerce is happening June 8-10 This three-day event is designed to help you connect with fellow creators, learn from experts, and discover tools and strategies to grow your business. Craft + Commerce includes inspiring keynotes, workshops, meetups, live ConvertKit support, and social events. This is the perfect opportunity to gain valuable insights, network with your peers, and have a blast doing it. I'll be there (speaking!) and I hope to see you there too. I've wanted to go to this event for years. Right now, you can take $50 off your Craft + Commerce ticket. Want to bring a friend? You’ll save even more! [Register Now](=) ​ ​ [Featured Image]() FROM THE ARCHIVES How To Build An Online Course On September 17, I launched the presale page for my newest course, [Build A Beloved Membership](=). On November 12, I finished building the course. That's almost two months of hard work to go from idea to reality – and the reality is that this is the best course I've made! If you're considering building your own online course, let me share the process I followed so that you can follow or adapt it to build your own course. [Keep reading (9 min) ↗]() ​ CLICK WORTHY 🔥 Check these out 🤔 [What are your favorite questions?]() – I don't know about you, but I'm a big fan of thoughtful questions that force you to reflect. I asked Twitter what their favorite questions were, and (besides the trolls) they didn't disappoint. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🧰 [ConvertBox](* – I've started using ConvertBox to power the popups and CTAs across my digital properties. It's really, really powerful, the design is fantastic, and it's a lifetime license. *Proud affiliate --------------------------------------------------------------- 🧰 [Senja (testimonials)](=)* – I recently began using Senja to capture testimonials for my courses, membership, and even this newsletter (more on that below). Beautiful tool and I'm a big fan! *Proud affiliate ​ NEW EPISODE #149: Daniel Pink How to write like a New York Times bestselling author [Creative Elements Cover Art]() ​[Dan Pink]() is the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including his latest, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward. As part of the research for this book, Dan analyzed 16,000 regrets from more than 100 countries. It’s a great book and I highly recommend it. His other books include the New York Times bestsellers When and A Whole New Mind — as well as the #1 New York Times bestsellers Drive and To Sell is Human. Dan’s books have won multiple awards, have been translated into 42 languages, and have sold millions of copies around the world. Before he was an author, Dan worked in several positions in politics and government, including serving from 1995 to 1997 as chief speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore. You may also know Dan from of his TED talk, the puzzle of motivation which has received more than 10 million views. This episode is audio-only. [Play episode]() [Apple Podcasts]() [Spotify]( [Stitcher]() [YouTube](=) New to the show? Start with a [curated playlist](). ​ LAST WORD 👋 Share some love for this newsletter? This week I spent some time implementing a better system for testimonials using a tool called [Senja](=). I'm really enjoying it and feeling great about systematically capturing some social proof from readers like you! Now I just need some initial testimonials. 😬 If you enjoy this newsletter, please consider sharing a short message of love! It will get added to our living, scrolling wall of testimonials on the homepage: = ​ [Leave a testimonial](=) ​ No pressure or expectation. In any case, thanks for reading! Cheers, Jay --------------------------------------------------------------- [Photo of Jay Clouse]( Jay Clouse [Say hi 👋 on Twitter]() or [Instagram]( ☎️ [Book a 1:1 call with me]( Thanks for reading! Reply any time. [Edit your profile]( or [unsubscribe here](. This email was sent with [ConvertKit]( and designed using [Palladio](=). Want to work together? - [Work with me 1:1]( – book a coaching or strategy session. - [Sponsor this newsletter](=) – get in front of 23K+ creators. - [Join The Lab](=) – my membership community for creators. - [Courses & Workshops](=) – learn the essential skills to become a professional creator. Send mail to P.O. BOX 797, Worthington, OH 43085