How To Create Mini Course

Creating a mini course is a quick and effective way to share your expertise and earn income. Mini courses focus on teaching a single skill or solving a specific problem in 1–2 hours. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know:

• Why Mini Courses?
  • Affordable for learners ($20–$100).
  • Quick to create (days to weeks).
  • Great for testing ideas before creating full-length courses.
• Steps to Create a Mini Course:
  1. Pick a Topic: Focus on one specific skill or problem that aligns with your expertise.
  2. Validate Your Idea: Use market research, surveys, and keyword analysis to ensure demand.
  3. Structure Your Content: Break it into modules and lessons with clear, actionable outcomes.
  4. Create Materials: Use videos, guides, and downloadable resources to engage learners.
  5. Choose a Platform: Platforms like Crevio make setup and delivery simple.
  6. Set Pricing: Most mini courses are priced between $47–$147.
  7. Market Your Course: Use social media, email lists, and a strong sales page to attract students.
• Quick Comparison: Mini vs. Full-Length Courses:

Pick Your Course Topic

Choosing the right topic is key to creating a successful mini course. Start by identifying your skills and validating your idea with potential learners.

Know Your Skills and Target Students

Think about the areas where you excel and how you can help others. Focus on skills or knowledge you’ve mastered and feel confident teaching. Repeated questions from peers or colleagues can often point to your strongest teaching areas.

For instance, if you’re a baker constantly asked about bread-making techniques, that could be your perfect niche. As XayLi Barclay, a Thinkific expert, advises:

"When you are starting out on your online course creation journey, it’s smart to pull out just a portion of that bigger online course idea and use that to start creating your mini-course. Be sure to ask your audience if they’re interested in what you’re creating before you start creating it." – XayLi Barclay, Thinkific Expert

Your expertise should align with what learners want. Validate your idea to ensure it meets their needs.

Check Market Interest

Before you dive in, make sure there’s real demand for your course topic. Market research can provide valuable insights. Kathy Alameda emphasizes its importance:

"Never skip your market research, as it will reveal a lot of important and relevant information about the demand for your course topic, its impact on your audience, and its profitability." – Kathy Alameda

Here are some practical ways to gauge interest:

Focus Your Topic Scope

Mini courses work best when they address a single problem or teach one specific skill. Narrowing your focus ensures your course is clear and actionable. Here are a few examples of well-defined mini courses:

• A digital marketing expert teaching "Build Your Lead Magnet"
• A beauty influencer hosting a "3-Day Eye Makeup Challenge"
• A photographer offering "Telling Stories with Photography"

When refining your topic, consider these factors:

1. Achievable Outcome
   Your mini course should promise a clear, attainable result by focusing on one skill or solving a specific problem.
2. Target Audience Needs
   Address a common challenge your audience faces. For example, instead of covering all aspects of photography, focus on a specific area like composition or lighting.
3. Practical Application
   Choose a topic that allows students to apply what they learn right away. The best mini courses give learners actionable skills they can use immediately.

"Mini courses also give you an opportunity to test the waters on any particular topic or niche that you’re interested in pursuing." – Thinkific

Map Out Your Course Content

Once you’ve chosen your topic and defined your outcomes, it’s time to outline your course content. This step ensures your material is clear, actionable, and easy to follow.

Set Clear Goals

Start by defining specific, measurable goals. These objectives guide your content creation and make it easier for students to track their progress.

Here’s a simple framework for crafting objectives:

Once your objectives are set, organize your material into structured modules that align with these goals.

Break Down Your Content

Organize your course into manageable parts to ensure students can follow along easily. Here’s how:

• Core Modules: Divide your course into key sections. For example:
  • Module 1: Design Fundamentals
  • Module 2: Essential Supplies
  • Module 3: Baking Techniques
  • Module 4: Assembly Methods
  • Module 5: Final Touches
• Individual Lessons: Break each module into smaller, actionable lessons.
• Step-by-Step Progression: Build lessons in a logical order to help students gain confidence as they advance.

Pick Your Teaching Methods

After structuring your content, decide how to deliver it in a way that keeps students engaged and helps them understand the material. Match your methods to the topic and your students’ learning preferences.

Here’s a quick breakdown of delivery options:

Incorporate exercises that let students apply what they’ve learned right away. Connecting theory to practice helps solidify their understanding and boosts retention.

Make Your Course Materials

Creating polished course materials is key to delivering valuable learning experiences for your students. Here’s how to craft content that stands out and supports effective learning.

Film Quality Videos

You don’t need expensive gear to produce professional-looking videos. Affordable equipment can do the job if you focus on the essentials:

According to TechSmith, 75% of highly-rated videos feature clear audio quality. To set up your recording space effectively, follow these tips:

• Frame yourself from the mid-chest up, keeping your face in the upper half of the screen.
• Position a ring light directly in front of you to eliminate shadows.
• Record a short test clip to check for clear audio and ensure there’s no distracting background noise.
• Use a tripod to keep your footage steady.

"The sensor in your camera is designed to capture light, so the better light we can give it, the better it’s able to do its job and give you a great image." – Ben Toalson, Resident Video Pro

Pair your videos with additional resources to reinforce learning and make the material stick.

Create Support Materials

Once your videos are ready, provide students with resources that reinforce key concepts and encourage hands-on application. Consider including:

• Practice worksheets to help students apply what they’ve learned.
• PDF reference guides or cheat sheets for quick access to essential information.
• Step-by-step checklists for tackling more complex tasks.
• Customizable templates to make implementation easier.

Make sure each resource aligns closely with the learning objectives of your course.

Make Clear Visuals

Effective visuals can elevate both your videos and support materials, making them more engaging and easier to follow. Use Canva to design professional, cohesive graphics and slides:

• Template Selection: Start with Canva’s pre-designed templates to maintain consistent branding.
• Visual Organization: Stick to a consistent font and color scheme, and use plenty of white space to avoid clutter.
• Content Integration: Arrange topics in a logical sequence, using clear transitions to guide learners through the material.

Strong visuals not only make your content look polished but also improve retention, helping students grasp and remember the material more effectively.

Set Up Your Course Platform

With your course content ready, it’s time to focus on delivering it effectively. Here’s how to prepare your mini course for launch using Crevio, a platform designed to simplify the process.

Pick Your Platform

Crevio is a user-friendly, mobile-ready platform that allows you to set up and deliver your mini course in as little as 30 minutes.

Here’s what Crevio offers:

• Mobile-optimized store for easy access across devices
• Flexible content delivery options
• Custom branding to match your style
• Built-in payment processing for hassle-free transactions

"You want to spend your time creating and promoting your courses, not wrestling with a confusing interface. The right platform will allow you to understand all the key options and navigate the interface in 30 minutes or less."

Set Up Your Course Look

Once you’ve selected Crevio, customize the platform to align with your branding. Here’s how you can adjust its appearance:

Consistency in branding across all course pages helps create a professional and cohesive experience for your students.

Set Your Price

Pricing your course involves thoughtful consideration. Here’s a guide to help you decide:

Research indicates that first-time mini courses often sell for around $137.

Key pricing factors to evaluate:

• Value Provided: Base your price on the transformation your course delivers.
• Payment Flexibility: Offer both one-time payments and subscription options.
• Market Position: Start with a competitive price and adjust based on feedback.

"By valuing yourself, your course, and the work you put into course creation, you’ll be able to come up with a fair price that your audience will be more than willing to pay for."

Crevio’s Basic plan, priced at $29/month, lets you publish up to five products without transaction fees (standard payment processing fees apply). As your business expands, the Growth plan at $89/month provides unlimited products and additional features like custom domain support.

Launch and Market Your Course

Write Your Sales Page

Your sales page is the key to turning visitors into paying students. It should include these essential sections:

"Your sales page is your best asset for proving your course’s value and cluing your audience in to the transformation they can expect to experience as your student." – Morgan Timm, Content Marketer

Once your sales page is ready, it’s time to map out your launch strategy.

Plan Your Launch

A well-planned launch can make all the difference. Start preparing about four weeks before your course goes live.

Pre-launch Phase (Weeks 1–2):

• Offer a lead magnet that aligns with your course topic.
• Publish weekly blog posts that cover related subjects.
• Set up an email sequence to nurture your audience.
• Create a Crevio landing page with a waitlist option.

Launch Phase (Weeks 3–4):

• Host a live Q&A to engage with potential students.
• Send email updates to your waitlist.
• Introduce early-bird pricing to incentivize sign-ups.
• Interact directly with engaged subscribers to build excitement.

"A properly-executed course launch will give that extra boost in revenue, students, social media activity and overall buzz around your course that you are looking for." – Vasco Cavalheiro

With your launch plan in motion, the next step is to amplify your efforts through social media.

Share on Social Media

Social media platforms are powerful tools for reaching your target audience. Videos, in particular, are highly effective – marketers report that videos are 12 times more likely to be shared than other content types, and 87% credit video content for driving sales.

Best Practices for Social Media Promotion:

You can also create a free 5-day challenge to showcase your expertise. For instance, PT Collective uses short, engaging YouTube videos to consistently attract course sign-ups.

To make the most of Crevio:

• Highlight student testimonials.
• Upload engaging preview videos.
• Provide discounts for your social media followers.
• Use high-quality visuals to grab attention.

Conclusion

Creating a mini course might be more straightforward than you think. As Justin DeMers puts it:

"It doesn’t work to just shove a full course into a smaller time frame or a smaller container. For a mini course, you have to think in terms of small promises. What is something that’s on someone’s to-do list that you can tackle? What can be done in 30 minutes or 60 minutes? Like, actually get done?"

To make your mini course effective and appealing, focus on these core elements:

"If you are just starting out on your online course journey, a mini course is an awesome way to test an idea with low time and money investments. One of my first mini courses developed into a larger course that we offer today!" – XayLi Barclay, Online Video Coach and Thinkific Expert

Real-life examples, like Lauren Bateman earning over $2M by teaching beginner guitar skills through focused courses, show the incredible results achievable with a well-executed strategy.

Start by identifying your area of expertise, understanding your audience’s needs, and creating clear, actionable lessons. Focus on delivering a transformation, not just information, to ensure your mini course leaves a lasting impact.

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