Building Your Best Course

Thinking about designing a course or trying to tweak one that hasn’t quite caught on yet?

Jonathan and I lay out the seven steps to building what we call an “authority course”—i.e. rich compelling content that delivers valuable outcomes minus the usual hype, including:

Addressing the chicken/egg nature of developing an idea for your course with targeting the ideal audience for it.

Why building cohorts will improve the effectiveness of your course (and your future sales).

How to build your course materials with reasonable deadlines that match your comfort level with teaching the topic.

Why we hate launch hype and what to do instead.

Quotables

“The majority of the time you probably are thinking of teaching something bigger than you need.”—JS

“When we’re trying to teach something that involves significant behavior change, that’s when I really love building a cohort.”—RM

“I found it (the cohort experience) drawing me back almost like a social media network might because I wanted to find out what happened with Jason’s thing that he was working on.”—JS

“When you have a cohort, you are actively engaging with them. And for people who are sort of natural teachers, that feels amazing.”—RM

“You do want to figure out what you think is going to make the most sense for you—not drain you, keep you energized, keep you engaged teaching the thing that you want to teach.”—JS

“I want to have a really clear direction (when prepping material). I want to know how many sections and what’s going to go in each one so that it makes sense.”—RM

“If we sound cynical (about launches), it’s because we are.”—JS

“If it’s right for you, I want you to have it. That is the (launch) message.”—RM

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Recent Episodes:

April 22, 2024

It’s A Wrap!

We have a BIG announcement wrapped in a short episode of The Business of Authority. If you’re a fan, you’ll definitely want to tune in. We talk about where we’re taking the show and how your feedback will impact our next steps.

April 15, 2024

April Dunford – Obviously Awesome REPLAY

When I started reading April Dunford’s book, I couldn’t wait till we had her on the show. In Obviously Awesome, she simply yet powerfully explains the importance of positioning and how to do it. She’s no less fabulous on the show—she not only clarified what positioning is and why it’s important, but she also shared her own journey to her current positioning and niche (hint: it’s wildly successful).

April 08, 2024

The Passion Economy with Adam Davidson REPLAY

You may have heard our guest Adam Davidson on NPR (he co-founded their Planet Money podcast), but his—well, passion—is what he calls “The Passion Economy”. He makes the case—including some mesmerizing stories—that we can create deeply impactful, financially successful businesses from our deepest talents and passions.

April 01, 2024

In Defense of Repetition

How do you get better at anything? You practice. LeBron shoots free throws—Gaga sings scales. Consulting and advisory is no different. Upping your game requires embracing repetition— continually practicing all the elements of your craft and the business skills you need to flourish

March 25, 2024

Genius Zone vs. Productivity

When Louis Grenier of Everyone Hates Marketers called out working in your genius zone as a recipe for burn-out, well, Jonathan and I had to push back. We argue that working in your genius zone is not about being “hyper-ultra-mega productive”, but about working in flow state

March 18, 2024

The Pros And Cons Of An Application Process

Have you considered adding an application process for your service(s), but weren’t sure whether it would help or hurt? Jonathan and I have both used applications for different programs and purposes and we dive into how to make them work for you