Creating your first online course can help you share your expertise and earn income in a growing $350 billion e-learning market. Here’s a quick summary of the process:

• Pick a Topic: Focus on your strengths and ensure there’s demand for your idea.

• Structure Your Content: Break your course into 4–8 modules with clear, measurable learning goals.

• Create Materials: Use videos, PDFs, quizzes, and other formats to keep students engaged.

• Set Up on Muse: This platform simplifies hosting, payments, and analytics with plans starting at $0/month.

• Market & Sell: Build a sales page, set a price (average $137 for first-time courses), and promote through email and social media.

Follow these steps to turn your knowledge into a course students will value and complete. Ready to start? Let’s dive into the details.

How to Create an Online Course for Beginners (start to finish)

Step 1: Pick Your Course Topic

Choosing the right topic is the first step toward creating a successful course. It should align with your expertise and appeal to your target audience. This will lay the groundwork for effective course planning.

Identify Your Expertise

Start by reflecting on your strengths and experience in these areas:

• Professional Background: Consider your career achievements and specialized skills, like managing email campaigns or mastering SEO.

• Personal Growth: Think about personal milestones or transformations that others might find helpful.

• Frequent Advice Requests: Pay attention to the questions people often ask you, whether at work or online. These can highlight areas where your knowledge is in demand.

Validate Market Demand

Before diving into course creation, make sure there’s a real audience for your topic. Here’s how you can check:

• Look for discussions in forums, social media groups, and other online spaces your audience frequents.

• Explore platforms like Reddit and Quora to see what questions people are asking about your subject.

• Talk directly to a few potential students to understand their struggles and goals.

• Offer a free resource to gauge interest and engagement.

Understand Your Audience

Once you’ve confirmed interest, get to know your potential students better. Ask yourself the following:

The better you understand your audience, the easier it will be to create content that speaks directly to them.

Narrow Your Focus

Avoid broad topics and instead zero in on a specific niche. For example, instead of "Digital Marketing", consider "Instagram Marketing for Small Businesses" or "Email Automation for E-commerce." Define the transformation your course offers and solve a clear problem for your audience. Once your topic is finalized, you’re ready to outline your course for maximum impact.

Step 2: Structure Your Course

Now that you've chosen your topic, it's time to lay out a clear path for learning. A well-organized structure helps students absorb the material effectively.

Map Out Your Lessons

Break your course into 4–8 modules, each containing 3–7 focused lessons. This keeps the content manageable and engaging.

Each lesson should focus on a single concept. Start with an introduction, cover the main idea, and end with clear takeaways.

Write Learning Goals

Once your lessons are mapped out, define objectives to measure progress.

• Be specific: Instead of "Learn geometry", try "Calculate the area of a shape, the hypotenuse of a triangle, and the circumference of a circle."

• Make it measurable: Ensure students can demonstrate what they've learned.

• Keep it realistic: Set goals that align with the course's length and scope.

• Focus on relevance: Stick to skills and knowledge your students are eager to gain.

Choose Content Types

Use a variety of content formats to cater to different learning styles.

Incorporate these four content categories into your course:

• Blueprint Content: Outlines, progress trackers

• Action Content: Exercises, worksheets, practical tasks

• Nurturing Content: Pre-course surveys, Q&A sessions

• Knowledge Content: Lessons, case studies, presentations

Focus on material that delivers practical outcomes. Stick to the essentials and ensure students can apply what they learn right away.

Step 3: Create Your Course Content

Now it’s time to develop your course with content that keeps students engaged and helps them reach their learning goals.

Record Clear Video Lessons

Videos are a great way to connect with your students. Focus on the essentials for quality rather than aiming for perfection:

Keep videos short - ideally under 10 minutes. Add captions or transcripts to make your content accessible to all learners.

Once your videos are ready, enrich them with supporting materials.

Make Learning Materials

Videos are just one part of the equation. Add resources that reinforce and expand on the key points:

Use a variety of formats - visual, written, and interactive - to cater to different learning styles. Practical exercises are especially helpful because they let students apply what they’ve learned right away [1].

Order Your Content

After creating your lessons and materials, organize them in a way that supports effective learning:

1. Start with Fundamentals
   

   Begin each module with the basics before moving into advanced topics. This builds a strong foundation and keeps students motivated.

2. Create Learning Pathways
   

   Use course features that require students to complete key lessons before moving forward. This ensures they don’t skip ahead to material they’re not ready for.

3. Ensure a Steady Pace
   

   Break content into weekly modules with 3-4 lessons each. Include time estimates for every section so students can manage their schedules without feeling overwhelmed.

Step 4: Set Up Your Course on Muse

Now that your course content is ready, it’s time to bring it online using Muse.

Why Use Muse for Your Course?

Muse makes it simple to host and sell your course without needing technical skills. Here’s what it offers:

• Integrated payment processing for hassle-free transactions

• Unlimited course pages to expand your content

• Real-time analytics to monitor performance

• Customizable branding to match your style

Tools Muse Offers for Course Creation

Muse provides a range of tools to help you deliver your course effectively:

Using Muse’s block-based editor, you can easily organize your content into modules with videos, text, and downloadable resources.

Muse Pricing Plans

Choose a plan based on your course size and enrollment expectations:

Note: Prices are billed annually.

The Premium plan is a great starting point, offering features like custom domains and advanced analytics with lower transaction fees. If you’re just getting started, the Basic plan lets you test the waters before upgrading as your course grows.

Step 5: Sell Your Course

Build Your Sales Page

Create a sales page that turns visitors into students. Start with a clear headline, add a short professional video introduction, and include concise text that highlights the benefits of your course. A video introduction alone can boost conversions by up to 80% [2].

Here’s what to include:

• Course Overview: Use a professional video to showcase the course content.

• Learning Outcomes: Highlight the skills students will gain, problems they’ll solve, and how it can save time or increase revenue.

• Course Curriculum: Break down your modules into easy-to-understand sections.

Set Your Price

Choose a price that reflects the course’s value and aligns with market expectations. For reference, the average first-time course is priced at $137 [4].

"Premium pricing brings in SERIOUS customers that are there because they want to be there, and they are invested in the program. Serious customers lead to better success stories. Better success stories lead to more serious customers. Plus, with premium pricing it doesn't take thousands of customers to grow a 5-figure, 6-figure, or even a 7-figure business." - David Siteman Garland [3]

Offering payment plans can make your course more accessible while keeping its perceived value intact. Once pricing is set, focus on getting the word out.

Promote Your Course

Use email, social media, and content marketing to spread the word about your course:

• Build an email list using Muse’s form tools and share sneak peeks of your course.

• Announce limited-time offers on social media.

• Publish blog posts and free resources, optimizing them with Muse’s SEO tools.

Consider offering early-bird discounts, referral incentives, and running targeted ads. Testimonials from beta testers can also help create urgency and build trust.

"An engaging website will educate your target audience and bring them from a problem-aware stage to a solution aware!" - Affan V, Head of Marketing Operations at Think Orion [5]

Conclusion: Launch Your Course

You've got the steps to create your first online course - now it’s time to make it happen. Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. Launch your main content and improve it along the way.

Before you go live, make sure you’ve covered these essentials:

• Your course content and technical setup have been thoroughly tested

• You have an email list of interested students

• A sales page that clearly explains the course benefits

• Secure payment processing through Muse

• Clear terms and conditions for your course

Here’s a handy pre-launch checklist to help you stay on track:

Once you launch, use the feedback you get to improve your course. Keep your students engaged with live webinars, timely responses, and opportunities for feedback. Muse’s built-in analytics and engagement tools can help you track how students are doing and refine your course based on real data.

Your first course is just the start. Many successful course creators began small, then expanded their offerings based on what their students wanted and needed. Focus on giving your students real value, and growth will follow.

"Premium pricing brings in SERIOUS customers that are there because they want to be there, and they are invested in the program. Serious customers lead to better success stories. Better success stories lead to more serious customers. Plus, with premium pricing it doesn't take thousands of customers to grow a 5-figure, 6-figure, or even a 7-figure business." - David Siteman Garland [3]

Now that you’re ready, it’s time to make your debut. Use Muse’s user-friendly tools to simplify your launch. Log into Muse, start your first lesson, and welcome your students - they’re waiting for you!

Related posts

• How to Price Digital Products: A Guide for Beginners

• Starting an Online Coaching Business: Complete Guide

• Best Tools for Creating Digital Products in 2025

• Building a Personal Brand: Step-by-Step Guide