Today’s the day! You’re ready to create your first online course!
The ideas are flowing, and you just know it’s going to help so many people! You understand the importance of saving time and helping more people by creating passive revenue, but how do you know which platform is best for the goals you want to reach with your course?
In this post, we’ll take you through everything you need to consider before choosing an online course platform. Plus, we’ll share our top three favorite platforms that we always recommend to private clients.
Questions to Consider
Before you jump in, ask yourself these questions to ensure the platform you choose to work with will meet your needs.
Does it make sense for your budget?
This is an ongoing overhead cost, so be sure to have a financial plan ready. You need to be aware of the kind of monthly payment you can realistically afford. In this article, you’ll find options for every price point.
What does the platform include in the monthly fee?
You’ll want to make sure you plan ahead and choose an option that offers a flat monthly cost rather than a pay-per-student model. You’ll also want to consider whether you’ll need to uplevel your membership in the future as you look to add more courses to your platform.
Does it allow you to embed videos?
It’s essential to find a platform that makes it easy to embed videos. You put a lot of time and energy into your course, and you won’t want people downloading or sharing links for free.
Is it user-friendly?
You want a platform that is easy for you to manage without much difficulty or frustration. Take the time to read reviews and watch product tutorials before you purchase. If the option is available, sign up for a free trial to ensure the platform will work for you.
Best Online Course Platforms for Digital Entrepreneurs
Let’s take a look at three platforms we recommend to our private clients.
#3 Learndash
What we like about this platform:
It works as a WordPress plugin, so it integrates nicely into your website and is highly customizable. This is great if you want to create a one-of-a-kind product with plenty of customization options on your website domain.
Why this platform may not work for you:
Unless you’re pretty techy, you may need some help getting it up and running. A website designer with extensive WordPress experience will do the trick! You can embed videos, but they need to be from a third party (we suggest using Vimeo here).
#2 Thinkific
What we like about this platform:
Thinkific is moderately customizable, user-friendly, and cost-effective! It includes membership options, and you can reach unlimited students while offering unlimited courses.
Why this platform may not work for you:
Although it is customizable, you may find yourself wanting more options. There are also fewer email marketing tools and webpage options.
#1 Kajabi
What we like about this platform:
Kajabi is more of an all-inclusive platform. You have a website, sales page, and email marketing together. There is a membership community, and you can take advantage of their video hosting capabilities. The website itself is somewhat user-friendly; some elements may seem hard at first glance, but most of our clients can figure it out and create excellent courses on this platform.
Why this platform may not work for you:
It is the most expensive of our recommended platforms. If you have more than one course, you pay a higher monthly premium. It may cost more if you aren’t comfortable with tech and need to hire a professional to assist with your course build-out on Kajabi.
Does our list of platform pros and cons leave you feeling overwhelmed? We can help!
Check out our DIY Passive Revenue Course, where you’ll learn how to build your course from scratch with tips and tricks we use with our private clients.
Are you ready to create your course but not feeling the DIYer vibes?
Tracy Jenkins joined the LI Team as a copywriter in November of 2020. She has collaborated on 50 projects with us, writing everything from emails and social media to course layouts for clients. She has over 1,700 followers on Medium.com and is making a move from her 9 to 5 to full-time writing this summer!