Whether you choose online coaching or an online course, when you enter the online teaching arena, you can choose to do many things. A lot of beginners are unsure as to where to begin. Should I build my own course? Or, should I be an online tutor instead? Questions like this can stop you right in your tracks. It is practically difficult to be very good at more than one thing at once. Focus on what works for you first, excel in it to build the business, and then maybe hire someone to do what you are not exceptional at. 

But for now, let us focus on online coaching and online courses to find out which one you be better off doing. 

What makes them different from each other? 

For online courses, you will be creating all required content, assignments, and tests. Students will most likely be studying/working at their own pace and you can have multiple students at the same time. You can create the content once and continue to sell the course for a long period of time. But it is recommended to periodically update your course with the latest findings and advancements.

On the other hand, in coaching, you will have one student or a small group of students. These take place in real-time over periodically scheduled sessions. Your involvement with the students will be much higher as you will play a more active role here. 

Both of these can be interactive, virtual, and run for a specific time period as required. You can customize the details of your course or program to help craft the experience you want to give your students. 

Are online courses for you?

Given below are five reasons that could encourage you to consider creating and selling an online course – 

A passive source of income

One of the most common reasons why so many people choose to sell online courses is the prospect of building a passive source of income. In the case of an online course, you can create a course and sell it for a long time without making any major changes to it. 

The course content is mostly self-contained, and your students will be able to work through it as and when they desire. Your involvement will be next to nothing depending on how well you structure the course content. The functions that will require a huge chunk of your attention are marketing, sales, and customer engagement 

Pay close attention to how you manage your income because it is essential for financial security. By taking the time to understand more about modern business banking solutions, you will be able to access your income hourly to check your payments, you will get paid faster, and all processes regarding income will be secured.

Are you a strong content creator?

The ability to create solid content is a critical aspect of offering an online course. A good content strategy for your course translates to better-structured lessons that are applicable to lots of people. To be the most effective, you should also be comfortable with video and audio production. You should be able to think from your customer’s perspective to take complex topics and convert them into easily comprehensible formats for them. To get the kind of passive income that many edupreneurs enjoy, you need to invest time and effort upfront.

Does the topic fit the course format? 

Another reason why you might want to consider creating a course is if you think a topic is better suited for the course format. For example, if the topics are something your students might be doing as their hobby, they would like it better if you offer them a course as they can learn it on their own. From a revenue perspective, a course has a better return on investment than coaching. 

The topics are vast

If your topics of choice are vast, so are the things you can do with it. That is, you can spin off multiple courses from one topic. For example, if you are a digital artist, you can create separate courses on Photoshop, video editing, and game engines like Unreal engine to create art. If you have many course ideas, you can offer multiple options to potential customers, thereby increasing your revenue. 

You already have a conversion-ready audience

It is not necessary to have an audience even before your course is ready for the market. But it definitely helps to have a pool of potential customers to whom you can market the course. Your ROI will be much higher if you have amassed hundreds or even thousands of followers who are conversion-ready. 

Is online coaching right for you?

Coaching provides a different experience to students than what courses do. Below are some ways to know if online coaching is more up your alley –

Curated experience 

Coaching is a great choice if you want to provide a curated experience to your students. Since you are more involved with your students, you can provide unique supplemental resources, recommendations, and advice. This is a huge advantage that courses likely don’t have. Coaching is for you if you want to build a long-lasting relationship with your students. 

Higher rates

The personal attention that coaches provide does not come cheap. Sometimes a single sale for coaching can earn you more money than selling multiple courses. If students are satisfied with your quality of coaching, the chances of them becoming retainer clients are high. 

Smaller networks

If your network is relatively small, then it might be better to go for online coaching. The most successful coaches structure their programs to monetize their knowledge but also their time. So, you can break even and start profiting faster. 

When topics require individualized attention

Some topics are so complex that creating a course around them won’t be enough. This is because each student will have their own pace and style for learning. So, you will have to provide personal attention to each student for them to get the desired results. Deeply analyze all of your topics to identify the ones that will need you to put in that extra effort to impart knowledge.

When topics require in-depth knowledge transfer 

If the purpose of teaching is to transfer deep understanding of knowledge, coaching is definitely a better choice. As discussed in the previous point, some topics require you to dive deeper to understand your student’s challenges. Only then should you decide what style of coaching will work for each one of them.

Further Reading: How to teach an online course that students want

How Learnyst can help?

We have been in the industry for long enough to understand not only the needs of students but also online educators. Whether you are planning to be an online tutor or build your own course, we have just the right solutions to get started and get selling. 

To know more about Learnyst and how it can help you, get in touch with us now!