Creating written course content is an area of business that I fell into by accident.
To my pleasant surprise, I found out that creating courses can pay well. It can also provide consistent work for freelance writers and even virtual assistants.
But the very best thing about creating courses and other education material is it will keep you booked for months.
Creating the written part of a course is a lot like writing multiple very in-depth blog posts that drip out in a sequence.
Here are some ways you can dabble in coursework:
Play to Your Strengths
In my experience, there are two skill sets or roles behind a top-notch course. The client may take on one or none of these roles depending on how much they decide to outsource.
First, there’s a project manager who keeps the project on schedule, organizes deliverables, and manages the output of the creators. They also oversee the tech aspect of the course product.
Then there are the creators (or ghostwriters). They work very closely with the expert through a series of interviews to synthesize their knowledge into content. If you’re someone who’s great at administrative tasks, offering project management services to people who need help creating courses may be right up your alley.
If you’re a writer, video editor, or working in another capacity related to content creation, working on the actual deliverables is an area where you can bring in bank.
Choose an Industry
Every single one of the courses I created have come from a referral. I’m able to get referrals because I made a name for myself within one industry.
I’ll tell you right now, the coaching, business development, blogging, and self-development spaces will likely be harder to sell this service in. There are already plenty of copywriters and virtual assistants out there who are offering related services in these fields. Moreover, many people within these niches are writers and project managers themselves so they wouldn’t need to invest in you.
Think bigger.
Try other lucrative industries like real estate, financial services, legal services, or even engineering. These are industries where experts have money to invest and may potentially have years worth of valuable knowledge to pass on to their customers.
I find that brainy clients are often the ones that need the most help in organizing their knowledge into an easily digestible course. The benefit of working with an expert is that you, along with other beta testers, are able to offer feedback on how thorough the course is.
Start Small When Creating Course Content
Nothing in business happens fast. Creating this side of my business has been a slow burn. Gauge interest with current clients first before making a sweeping change to your business model.
Creating course content is something that I do in addition to other freelance writing projects because I prefer not to put all of my eggs in one basket.
If you already offer blog posts, email copy, and other marketing material to businesses and entrepreneurs, ask if they’ve had an idea sitting on the back burner for a course, challenge, or program.
The transition from one form of content to another is pretty simple.
When you have a course under your belt and a reputation for good work, it gets easier and easier to get the word out.
