How to Become an Expert in Your Online Course Topic

5 minute read

Needless to say that when it comes to online course creation, you need to have some knowledge about your online course idea.

While you don't have to be the world's top expert in your field, you should have a good understanding of your niche and online course topic if you want to deliver a great learning experience and sell a profitable online course.

If you have found a great online course topic for your next online course but are not an expert in the niche yet, keep reading below. Today we will share our tips on how to become an expert in your online course topic and expand your knowledge to be ready to create and sell a self-paced online course!

If you haven't found the perfect online course topic yet, check out this article from our blog: How to Come Up With an Online Course Topic [+ 40 Profitable Course Ideas]

What is the ideal level of knowledge to sell an online course?

Many online course creators worry that they aren’t qualified enough to teach others, or that they are not experts in their fields or online course topic. They fear of being perceived as a "fraud" in the eyes of potential buyers.

This internal feeling of being “found out” or exposed as a fraud for being underqualified is mainly known as "imposter syndrome." Imposter syndrome is very common among entrepreneurs and creatives who teach others. Learn more about imposter syndrome here: How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome When Selling Online Courses

No rule says that to be an online course creator, you need to have a set level of knowledge or skills around a specific topic. You don't have to take an exam or even have any certifications to become an online course creator.

The most important thing - and what your students care about the most - is that you can provide value with your course. Your students want to achieve a specific result: most of them won't care about your past qualifications or achievements. They care about achieving a transformation in their lives.

That said, certificates and qualifications can help you boost your image and social proof. However, they are not necessary for you to make money with online courses.

We talk more about certifications here: Do you Need a Certification to Start Selling Online Courses?

Also, check out this article about providing certificates to your students once they complete your online course: Offering Certificates of Completion in an Online Course: The Pros and Cons

So you don't need a certificate to sell online courses, but what about your level of knowledge?

There is no easy way to measure your knowledge of a specific topic.

We believe that in order to teach an online course and provide value, you only need to be one step ahead of your students.

If the knowledge gap between the creator and the students is too large, it might be harder to teach them and relate to their learning progress. Being only one or two steps ahead of your learners means that you still remember all of the common pitfalls and nuances you also experienced while assimilating a new skill that got you to where you are now.

This can actually help you be a better instructor to your students and offer more concrete and actional answers to their questions. So your ideal customers might just be people who are one or two steps behind you in their learning journey.

So in terms of your teaching ability, you shouldn't worry about being the absolute expert in your field when selling online courses.

That said, let's see how you can improve your knowledge of your online course subject and become an expert in your field.

Tips to Become an Expert in Your Online Course Topic

Becoming an expert in your niche has many benefits. Not only will you be able to teach others, but you can improve your status and the way your target audience sees you. Your expertise has the potential to make your online course more desirable to the eyes of your potential audience.

Here are a few ways to improve your expertise around a specific topic:

#1: Identify your topic and expertise area

The first step to becoming an expert in any area is to be genuinely interested in the subject. If you are not passionate about your online course topic, you will never be willing to put in the time and effort required to master it.

While if you are interested in the subject, you want to teach, the training and studying can seem effortless to you, and you are more likely to enjoy the process and yield better results.

#2: Learn the topic step by step

It can help to focus on one specific task at a time and divide your subject into segments. When you study a new topic, there are many aspects of that topic you need to learn to become an expert.

Start by training on the foundational concepts and learning the basics first before moving on to more advanced tasks.

Another idea is to focus on one area of your topic at a time. Work until your master that area, and then move on to the next one. For example, if you want to become a digital marketing expert, categorize all the different areas of digital marketing you want to learn and start by mastering one of them (ex: Paid advertising) before moving on to the next area.

#3: Invest consistent effort

You won't become an expert at something overnight. To master a new skill, you have to devote time and energy to learning and practicing.

Set aside some amount of time each day to practice the topic that you are learning. Some suggest that it takes 10,000 hours of studying and practicing a subject to achieve the level of expertise.

#4: Set learning goals

As we already mentioned, you don't have to be the world's top expert in your field to sell an online course about it. It can help to identify precisely what you want to master and how deeply you want to learn it.

Once you have determined these goals, then you can start training and studying toward this direction.

#5: Seek guidance from others

It's ok to ask for help, take an online course or find a mentor. Since you are planning to sell online courses, enrolling in a competitor's online course can help you better learn about your topic and also get inspiration for your own online course. See how other creators are treating their online courses, what they are good at, and what elements they are lacking.

#6: Gather feedback

Continuous, constructive and detailed feedback is essential to continually improve and become an expert in your field. When a mentor or another expert or peer offers you feedback, you can start implementing immediate changes in your performance and improve your knowledge.

Conclusion

Becoming an expert in your field takes a lot of time, effort and constant dedication. Keep in mind that when it comes to the online course creation process, the most important thing is to provide value to your students.

Being an expert in your field is not enough to build an engaging online course. You also need a great online course platform by your side so you can focus on creating instead of worrying about the technical details.

This is where Heights Platform comes in.

Heights Platform helps you create your whole online business with engaging online courses and build an awesome online learning experience for your students with the help of gamification tools, projects, assignments, a whole online community space and more. Creating an online course is easy with Heights Platform. Start your free account today!

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Post Topics: How We Learn