How to Choose a Topic for your Online Course: Tips and Tricks

Are you thinking about creating your first online course but don't know where to start when it comes to choosing a topic?

One of the questions I hear A LOT from aspiring course creators is "what topic should I even choose for my online course?".

This question can tie them in knots and keep them stuck, in some cases for years; but the good news is that with a bit of thinking time and some simple exercises, you can figure this out.

This doesn't need to be where your course creation journey starts and ends!

If you have ever asked yourself this question, don't worry I've got you covered!

In this article, I'll explain a few techniques you can use right now to help you choose a topic that will make your course much more likely to be a success.

I'll start by outlining some general ideas to consider before delving into specific techniques you can use to get more clarity.

What Topics Are You Passionate About

Pick a topic you're passionate about and have expertise in. Your enthusiasm for the subject will shine through in your course, and your expertise will give your students confidence in the quality of your material.

A good question to ask yourself is 'what topic do people often ask me questions about, that I am knowledgeable about and really enjoy talking about?'.

Assess the Level of Demand

Research the competition to see if there are already courses on that topic.

It's important to make sure there is an audience for your course before you invest time and energy into creating it, so it's actually a good thing if there are other people who are already selling courses on the topic.

It proves that there are people who are already investing in learning about the topic.

If there are no obvious subject matter experts you can check out for your research, a good place to start is to have a look at the courses currently selling on Udemy.

You can also do a simple Google search for courses in your chosen niche.

Audience Research

Think about your ideal audience and what they are striving to achieve in their life or business.

When I am thinking about creating a new course or training, the first question I always ask is, 'who do I want to help with my course?'.

If I don't know who I want to serve with my course, it will be very difficult to create a product that delivers desirable results that people will want to buy.

Understanding who your ideal students are and what result or transformation they are looking for is essential when it comes to creating content that meets their needs.

Identifying exactly who your ideal audience is will also help you improve your marketing. For example once you have identified who your ideal audience is, it's reasonably easy to figure out how to get in front of them and to speak to them in a way that they are much more likely to relate to.

Once you have identified your ideal audience, a question you should now be able to answer is 'where does my audience hangout online?'.

Uncover Their Pain-points

Identify a specific problem or pain point within your topic that you can solve for your ideal audience. This will make your course more valuable to your students and give them a clear reason to enrol.

Another good question to ask yourself is 'what problem(s) do people regularly ask me for help with?'.

Or maybe you have overcome something in your own life that you can now teach others how to overcome!

If you struggle to think of the pain points or problems your ideal customer would want to solve by buying into your course, instead think about their desires! What is it they want to achieve? What are their hopes and dreams for the future?

When it comes to investing in your course, people will do so either to move away from pain or towards pleasure, so understanding these powerful motivations will also help you craft marketing messages that will resonate and prompt them to take action.

Validate Your Course Idea

Finally, validate your idea by talking to potential students or getting feedback from industry experts. This will give you a sense of whether your course idea is resonating with people and if there are any adjustments you need to make.

Of course the best way to validate your idea is to pre-sell your course before you have created it, but that's a topic for another blog.

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Next Steps

So now you know what to consider, it's time to get a bit more clarity on your potential course topics and identify ideas that are most likely to lead to success.

I like to divide the above ideas into 'internal factors' and 'external factors'. Internal factors are specific to you and external factors relate more to external circumstances such as market demand.

Internal Factors

Considering the internal factors first, grab a sheet of paper and make it into two columns. In the first column write the heading 'Knowledgable' and in the second heading write the work 'Passion'.

In the first column you are going to brainstorm all the topics you are knowledgeable about and then score them 1-10, depending on level of knowledge.

In the 'Passion' column you should brainstorm all the topics you are passionate about (regardless of current skill and knowledge) and score this from 1-10, depending on how passionate you are about that particular topic.

Once you have done this exercise you should clearly be able to see which topics you are most knowledgeable about and which you are most passionate about, and where you potentially have a close match (high level of knowledge and high level of passion).

This topic or topics are highly likely to be good candidates for your course!

External Factors

Once you have your short-list of topics, the next step is to evaluate the external factors. This will involve researching what the level of competition is etc.

As part of this analysis you'll also want to consider your own audience and whether or not you already have access to your ideal customer profile.

If you are not sure, you can test your course idea with your audience to see what engagement you get from them. This is easily done on social media when you can publish speculative posts to gauge the likely demand.

For this research, grab another piece of paper and divide it into three columns this time. In the first column write the topic ideas that have passed your initial Internal research.

In the second column write the heading 'Commercial Viability' and in the third column, write the heading 'Audience Research'.

When it comes to the commercial viability of your ideas you will want to go through your list and check whether there are already courses on these topics that are selling.

You'll also want assess whether or not they hit at least one of the core basic human needs to survive and thrive, reproduce and human connections.

In these columns you can put a tick next to the course ideas that you have established are likely to have sufficient demand.

When it comes to your audience research you might find it helpful to create separate Word documents where you make notes from the conversations you are having with people in your audience.

Ninja Tip:

I would highly recommend doing your audience research via Zoom and recording the conversations (with their permission of course), because there will be absolute gold in these sessions.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've embarked on an exciting journey to craft your online course, and now armed with the knowledge to choose the perfect topic, success is within reach.

While the process of topic selection may seem daunting initially, approaching it with a logical and research-driven mindset will undoubtedly lead to tremendous rewards as you progress in your course creation venture.

Remember, the key to a thriving online course lies in the careful balance between your expertise and the interests of your target audience. By identifying a topic that ignites your passion and aligns with market demand, you lay the foundation for an engaging and impactful learning experience.

Investing time and effort in the topic selection phase will set you up for success, allowing you to create a course that resonates with learners, drives growth, and fosters a community of dedicated students.

So, go forth with confidence and take this first step towards making a positive impact in the world of online education.

If you want to learn more about how to choose a topic for your first (or next) online course, LearnWorlds recently hosted a really useful webinar on the topic.

Best of luck on your course creation adventure!