200 Online course ideas to bank more cash

It’s tough to get sales if you do THIS thing

It’s tough to get sales for our online course if it’s based on the usual niche.

Like: “how to lose 20 lbs in 90 days”, or “become more productive when working”, or “how to nail your GMAT exam”.

Why?

Ask yourself this question: am i a “celebrity” in my niche?

For example, in my niche… am I as famous as:

• Tony Robbins is in personal development?
• Dan Kennedy is in marketing?
• Tim Ferris is in productivity?

No? Then our course will be forgotten as fast as people see it because they disappear faster than free samples at Costco.

After reading this post, you’ll understand The ExIn Method to come up with 200 untapped online course ideas.

That’s how your online course will stand out from the crowd.

The ExIn Method

Ex stands for Expertise.

In stands for Interest.

Instead of creating courses based on 1 niche, create courses based on 1 niche FOR a specific audience.

Examples:

• Work out your way to a great body → Work out your way to a great body for men professionals
• Build great relationships with your children → Build great relationships with your children for the busy dad
• Speak on stage like a pro → Speak on stage like a pro for technical founders

Then…

After we’ve become the big fish in a small pond…

We can always expand to a bigger pond.

The start is always the hardest because we start from 0 (no momentum). We need to make sure the friction at the start is as low as possible.

3 questions to implement The ExIn Method

Ask yourself 3 questions:

1/ What are you good at (EXpertise)?

2/ What are you interested in that could appeal to a specific group of people (INterest)?

3/ What problem can be solved based on your expertise and interest?

Finally, you combine EXpertise with INterest.

Example #1

1/ What are you good at (EXpertise): Mindfulness

2/ What are you interested in that could appeal to a specific group of people (INterest): Programming

3/ What problem can be solved based on your expertise and interest: Stress and burnout faced by programmers

Combine EXpertise with INterest: Mindfulness for programmers

Example #2

1/ What are you good at (EXpertise): Email marketing

2/ What are you interested in that could appeal to a specific group of people (INterest): Online learning, digital product, coaching, consulting

3/ What problem can be solved based on your expertise and interest: Coaches and course creators who are great in their fields but not good at marketing themselves

Combine EXpertise with INterest: Email marketing for coaches and course creators

2 real examples of successful online courses that use The ExIn Method

1/ Pet Portraits: Capture studio-quality photos of your pet

Student demand is high — there are 5,055 students enrolled (and counting).

Let’s break it down:

• Expertise: photography
• Interest: pet owners
• Problem that can be solved: instead of poorly-taken shots of your pet, now you can take beautiful, “instagrammable” pictures so you can keep the memories with your pet for a lifetime

2/ SEO for Devs by Monica Lent

Let’s break it down:

• Expertise: SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• Interest: developers / programmers
• Problem that can be solved: developers are great at coding but they don’t know how to market themselves. With this course, they’ll know how to market themselves through SEO.

Pros & con of The ExIn Method

Con

Let’s start with the con:

Obviously, the market size will be smaller since we’re merging 2 factors: Expertise x Interest.

For example, a generic “How to lose weight weight” course has a bigger market than a “How to lose weight for professional working men” course.

Pros

[h4] 1/ Instantly stand out

You instantly stand out from amongst the hundreds of thousands of content creators / course creators who create courses only based on niches…

AND they don’t include the “for” part.

E.g.

• How to lose weight
• How to be productive
• How to build a successful online business

In this day and age, attention is the most important currency. If you can’t catch people’s attention in 2 seconds, they’re gone.

.

[h4] 2/ Build rapport

Those who’re a perfect fit for your online course will feel you’re directly talking to them — that you understand what they’re going through.

.

[h4] 3/ Build authority & credibility

You’re viewed as a SPECIALIZED expert.

For example, suppose John is a technical developer working in a prestigious company. The pay is good, but the workload and scoldings from his boss is unbearable. He is under extreme pressure and is stressed out.

If he sees the 2 courses below, which do you think he is more likely to buy?

A/ How to reduce stress

B/ How to reduce stress for tech professionals

3 steps to implement The ExIn Method

Step 1

List out the main market categories:

• Business & entrepreneurship
• Personal development
• Technology & IT
• Arts & crafts
• Health & fitness
• Language learning
• Finance & money
• Lifestyle
• Career advancement / development
• Academic subjects

.

Then list out the sub-market within each category (a.k.a. the niche):

1. Business and entrepreneurship
   • Niche: digital marketing, sales, entrepreneurship, e-commerce, affiliate marketing, online business strategies
2. Personal development
   • Niche: mindset, confidence, productivity, time management, goal setting, self-esteem, creativity, public speaking, storytelling
3. Technology & IT
   • Niche: programming languages, web development, mobile app development, AI / machine learning, data science, UI / UX design, software tutorials (e.g. Canva, Google Sheets), blockchain, AR / VR, cybersecurity
4. Arts & crafts
   • Niche: drawing, painting, photography, graphic design, creative writing, music, sewing, knitting, woodworking
5. Health & fitness
   • Niche: nutrition, weight loss, meditation, yoga, personal training, mental health, alternative medicine
6. Language learning
   • Niche: English, Spanish, Mandarin, French, Japanese, Korean, etc.
7. Finance & money
   • Niche: budgeting, debt reduction, investing in stocks, real estate, cryptocurrency, trading, retirement planning
8. Lifestyle
   • Niche: cooking, home organization, gardening, pet care, travel, relationship, fashion
9. Career advancement / development
   • Niche: job search strategies, resume / CV writing, interviewing skills, salary negotiation, leadership, industry-specific skills
10. Academic subjects
    • Niche: math, science, history, literature, SAT, GRE, GMAT

.

Then pick a niche that you have EXPERTISE in.

Step 2

Think about what you’re INTERESTED in that could appeal to a specific group of people, like:

1. Gaming: gamers
2. DIY and Crafts: DIY enthusiasts, crafters
3. Cooking and Baking: foodies, culinary enthusiasts, bakers
4. Nature and Outdoors: nature enthusiasts, outdoor adventurers
5. Photography: photographers, photography enthusiasts
6. Writing and Storytelling: writers, authors, storytellers
7. Fashion and Design: fashionistas, designers
8. Music: musicians, music lovers
9. Languages: linguists, language learners
10. History and Culture: historians, culture enthusiasts
11. Science and Technology: scientists, technologists, engineers
12. Health and Wellness: health enthusiasts, wellness advocates
13. Personal Development: self-improvers, personal growth enthusiasts
14. Business and Entrepreneurship: entrepreneurs, business professionals
15. Social Sciences: social scientists, researchers
16. Law and Legal Studies: lawyers, legal professionals
17. Philosophy and Religion: philosophers, theologians
18. Arts and Humanities: artists, humanists, scholars
19. Education: educators, teachers, educational professionals
20. Travel and Tourism: travelers, tourism professionals

.

Step 3

Combine the above two lists from Step 1 & 2 to create a matrix of AT LEAST 10 x 20 = 200 online course ideas.

Here’s the thing though… under Step 1 — there are multiple niches within each main category.

Meaning you’ll get much more than 200 ideas when you pair each niche (Step 1) with each interest (Step 2).

Some examples:

1. Investing x photographers:
   • How to build a million-dollar photography business via smart investments
2. Public speaking x lawyers:
   • Persuasive legal arguments — mastering the art of public speaking for lawyers
3. Fashion x nature enthusiasts:
   • Sustainable fashion design — combining eco-friendly materials and timeless style
4. Personal development x technology:
   • Mindfulness for programmers: stress management in tech careers
5. Fitness x technology:
   • Fitness tracking & data analysis: using tech to optimize your workout routine
6. Health x gamers:
   • How to stay healthy even when playing 10 hours of games a day
7. Language learning x travelers
   • Speak mandarin semi-fluently in 4 weeks so that you have peace of mind when traveling to china
8. Personal development x musicians:
   • Creativity for musicians: how to use meditation to boost creativity and reduce performance anxiety
9. Technology x foodies:
   • Using smart kitchen technology, AI & IoT (Internet of Things) in culinary
10. Creative writing x bakers:
    • How to write recipe blog posts so persuasive, they make your readers salivate

For totally lazy folks — ask AI for help

If you’re still lazy even after I’ve shown you the 3 simple steps… you’re in luck.

Because you can ask AI to help you.

Here’s the prompt you can use:

1/ I’m trying to create an online course. Help me to decide the topic of the course by using the below guidelines.

2/ Read +++ Step 1 +++

3/ Read +++ Step 2 +++

4/ Execute +++ Step 3 +++

.

+++ Step 1 starts +++

These are the 10 main categories and niches one can create an online course on:

1. Main category: Business and entrepreneurship
   • Niche: digital marketing, sales, entrepreneurship, e-commerce, affiliate marketing, online business strategies
2. Main category: Personal development
   • Niche: mindset, confidence, productivity, time management, goal setting, self-esteem, creativity, public speaking, storytelling
3. Main category: Technology & IT
   • Niche: programming languages, web development, mobile app development, AI / machine learning, data science, UI / UX design, software tutorials (e.g. Canva, Google Sheets), blockchain, AR / VR, cybersecurity
4. Main category: Arts & crafts
   • Niche: drawing, painting, photography, graphic design, creative writing, music, sewing, knitting, woodworking
5. Main category: Health & fitness
   • Niche: nutrition, weight loss, meditation, yoga, personal training, mental health, alternative medicine
6. Main category: Language learning
   • Niche: English, Spanish, Mandarin, French, Japanese, Korean, etc.
7. Main category: Finance & money
   • Niche: budgeting, debt reduction, investing in stocks, real estate, cryptocurrency, trading, retirement planning
8. Main category: Lifestyle
   • Niche: cooking, home organization, gardening, pet care, travel, relationship, fashion
9. Main category: Career advancement / development
   • Niche: job search strategies, resume / CV writing, interviewing skills, salary negotiation, leadership, industry-specific skills
10. Main category: Academic subjects
    • Niche: math, science, history, literature, SAT, GRE, GMAT

+++ Step 1 ends +++

.

+++ Step 2 starts +++

These are some interests that could appeal to a specific group of people:

1. Gaming: gamers
2. DIY and Crafts: DIY enthusiasts, crafters
3. Cooking and Baking: foodies, culinary enthusiasts, bakers
4. Nature and Outdoors: nature enthusiasts, outdoor adventurers
5. Photography: photographers, photography enthusiasts
6. Writing and Storytelling: writers, authors, storytellers
7. Fashion and Design: fashionistas, designers
8. Music: musicians, music lovers
9. Languages: linguists, language learners
10. History and Culture: historians, culture enthusiasts
11. Science and Technology: scientists, technologists, engineers
12. Health and Wellness: health enthusiasts, wellness advocates
13. Personal Development: self-improvers, personal growth enthusiasts
14. Business and Entrepreneurship: entrepreneurs, business professionals
15. Social Sciences: social scientists, researchers
16. Law and Legal Studies: lawyers, legal professionals
17. Philosophy and Religion: philosophers, theologians
18. Arts and Humanities: artists, humanists, scholars
19. Education: educators, teachers, educational professionals
20. Travel and Tourism: travelers, tourism professionals

+++ Step 2 ends +++

.

+++ Step 3 starts +++

Combine the above two lists from Step 1 & 2 to create a matrix of 25 online course ideas.

Some examples:

1. Investing x photographers:
   • How to build a million-dollar photography business via smart investments
2. Public speaking x lawyers:
   • Persuasive legal arguments — mastering the art of public speaking for lawyers
3. Fashion x nature enthusiasts:
   • Sustainable fashion design — combining eco-friendly materials and timeless style
4. Personal development x technology:
   • Mindfulness for programmers: stress management in tech careers
5. Fitness x technology:
   • Fitness tracking & data analysis: using tech to optimize your workout routine
6. Health x gamers:
   • How to stay healthy even when playing 10 hours of games a day
7. Language learning x travelers
   • Speak mandarin semi-fluently in 4 weeks so that you have peace of mind when traveling to china
8. Personal development x musicians:
   • Creativity for musicians: how to use meditation to boost creativity and reduce performance anxiety
9. Technology x foodies:
   • Using smart kitchen technology, AI & IoT (Internet of Things) in culinary
10. Creative writing x bakers:
    • How to write recipe blog posts so persuasive, they make your readers salivate

+++ Step 3 ends +++

Don’t build your online course just yet

Think like a business owner.

Many folks say to validate your online course before creating it — which is spot on.

But they validate based on research & survey — which is mehhh.

The thing is…

You can research and survey until your fingers fall off from all that typing…

And you still can’t be certain if people are actually going to shell out money to buy your course — even if they SAY they want to buy in the survey or if research shows your course will be a hit.

It. Doesn’t Matter.

It’s like asking our friends if your new haircut looks good — they’ll say yes, but deep down do they really think so or are they being nice?

Humans do NOT do what they say… especially when it comes to money. Heck even families fight over money lol.

The right way to build your online course is to sell it before creating it.

But because the idea of “selling before building” is new to most people, they don’t believe it can happen in real life.

But there are already people doing this, as explained in this post.

Recap

I hope this post gives you some actionable insights to come up with an online course idea that suits you.

Follow The ExIn (Expertise x Interest) Method to make your course stand out.

And remember as Lao Tzu said: “To know and not to do is not yet to know”.

Hence I trust you’ll implement and come up with a profitable online course idea very soon.

FAQ

What should my online course format be?

It depends on your preferences and strengths.

See this Online Course Decision Matrix:

This spreadsheet tool tells you the course format you should build based on the preferences you enter. Get it free here.

How do I sell my online course?

If you already have an audience, sell to them in a non-salesy way.

The order to sell to is to:

• Previous clients whom you’ve gotten good results for
• Existing clients and customers
• Direct network that are a good fit for your offer
• Leads / potential students you’ve conversed before via chat / email / call
• Email subscribers
• Social followers

If you don’t already have an audience, build it first, then sell to them.

I’ve previously written in detail about this popular topic here: How to sell online courses.

I’ve decided on a topic for my course. How deep on the topic should I cover?

1 course should only solve 1 specific problem.

Why?

1/ To maximize your revenue

This way you can create more offers (that solve different problems) to sell.

.

2/ To encourage implementation

This way students are more likely to complete the course and take action on what they’ve learned.

If the course is too complex or has too much information, they’ll be overwhelmed → Don’t take action.

Focusing your course on only solving 1 problem makes things digestible.

.

3/ To boost satisfaction

When students take action and get good results, they’re more likely to buy your other courses. They might also refer you to their friends and peers.

What kind of online course sells the most?

Courses in these big 3 markets: health, wealth, and relationships.

If you think about it, it’s no surprise — everyone wants to be and stay healthy, everyone wants to have good relationships with their families and friends, and everyone wants to be wealthy.

How do I make my online course stand out?

Apart from the ExIn method covered in this post, actually care for the results of your students / customers too.

Their results are everything — even more important than how much sales you made from selling the course.

Because at the end of the day, when you made an impact in their lives (in this case help students solve their problem)…

They’ll tell their friends and network about you.

Bonus

• If you’re already doing “sales funnel” things like email marketing, automatically following up with “almost customers” who abandoned your cart is one of the lowest-hanging fruits to tap into for additional income. Check out these 10 abandoned cart email templates here. This is as “almost passive income” as you can get.
• When talking about online courses, it’s inevitable you’ll run into some digital marketing terms you might not understand. If that’s the case, click here for a comprehensive list that includes simple explanations & examples.

Links