You don’t need a lot of money to create an online course. You just need the right tools.
One of the biggest things that turns people off from creating their first online course is not knowing which tools to use. Do I need this program or that program? Do I have to use that particular thing or can I use this? What’s the difference between X and Y? Wait, do I need all of these money draining things or ???
You decided to create your course to provide answers, not be inundated with more questions. And you surely didn’t sign up to do this to spend a ton of money before you make some.
So I put together a loooooong list of all the expensive tools I use to record, deliver and sell my online courses. I mean the list is so long, you’ll probably be scrolling for-ever to get to the bottom. Ready? Here goes:
Canva.com
I use this to create everything: my logo, slides, worksheets, social media graphics, blog headers–everything. Spend a pretty penny on it too–a whole whopping $0/month. I use the Pro version, which is $13, but you can definitely get by with the free.
Loom.com
Made all those pretty slides for my course, now I need a way to record myself talking over them? Loom.com it is! Not much else to say here. It does what I need it to do. Oh, how much is it, you ask? Zero dollars and zero cents.
Squarespace.com
Oh, Squarespace, how do I love thee? Why? Because it’s easy, it’s beautiful, and I can do it by myself. Who has money to pay for edits every time I need something added to my site? I host my course on my site, and when someone adds something to their cart but doesn’t buy, my employee Mr. Squarespace sends them a reminder email! Well worth the $46/month
ConvertKit.com
This employee of mine makes communicating with my clients/students a breeze. I pre-write emails in ConvertKit, connect it to my Squarespace (via free Zapier), and when people sign up for things or purchase my course from my website, they get all the information they need delivered by ConvertKit. The automation feature is included in the $29/mo level. #worthit
Yea, that’s pretty much it. Are there other tools out there? Yep. In fact, I’ve used Teachable and even delivered a course for super cheap using only Google Drive, but these tools above allow me to create and delivery some really professional looking courses for $88/month. Oh, forgot to mention how I record videos where I’m talking directly to the camera! For that I use my high tech, top notch iPhone and this super optional lapel mic. That’s it!
Disclaimer: Some of the links above may be affiliate links, meaning should you love the products as much as I do and decide to use them, I may receive a commission at no cost to you. :)
Hi, I’m Aisha, and I am more than just one thing.
Rather than tell you what I do, I’d rather tell you who I am. I am an empowerer of people. I love to help people name their strengths and talents, and then encourage them to do something with those gifts. As a fundraiser, I help donors use their financial resources for good. As an educational consultant, I help parents see their children’s gifts, so they can choose schools that honor and develop those gifts. As a Dare to Lead™ Certified Facilitator, I help parents and teachers let go of the woulds, shoulds and coulds, so they can model what it looks like to live imperfect lives with grace. And here, I help everyday people see that they are so much more than their job, so they can use those skills to create something that changes lives (theirs and others’). That’s it…for now. ;)
