How to create an online course in just 7-Days?

Aradhana Sarma
Dec 27, 2020
4 min read

Creating an online course in just 7 days is ambitious, but with the right strategy, it's possible! Here’s a structured day-by-day plan to ideate, validate, create, and launch a creative course (like cooking, baking, art, craft, or other creative skills).

Day 1: Choose & Validate Your Course Idea

Goal: Identify a profitable course topic and validate demand.
Brainstorm: List 5-10 creative skills you’re good at.
Market Research: Check platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, YouTube, and social media to see what’s trending.
Narrow Down: Pick a niche that combines passion, expertise, and demand.

Validation:

Conduct a quick poll on Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit.
Ask potential learners what they struggle with.
Check Google Trends and keyword research (use tools like Ubersuggest or AnswerThePublic).

Day 2: Outline & Structure the Course

Goal: Create a step-by-step course framework
Decide Course Type:
Short workshop (1-2 hours)
Mini-course (3-5 lessons)
Full course (5+ modules)

Outline Content:

Introduction (Why this skill is valuable?)
Basics (Tools, materials, setup)
Stp-by-step guides (techniques, tips, hands-on work)
Advanced skills or troubleshootin
Bonus (Templates, checklists, or downloadable resources)
Conclusion & next steps

Plan Lessons: Use a simple structure for each:

Title
Objective
Steps & visuals (diagrams, examples, or practice exercises)

Day 3: Create Course Materials

Goal: Start creating content (videos, PDFs, templates).
Record Video Lessons:
Use a smartphone + ring light or webcam + microphone
Keep videos short (5-15 mins per lesson).
Use simple edits (CapCut, iMovie, or InShot).

Design Handouts:

Canva for PDFs, worksheets, and checklists.
Google Docs for lesson summaries.

Prepare Resources:

List of materials needed.
Links to buy materials online (affiliate marketing opportunity!).

Day 4: Edit & Organize Course Content

Goal: Finalize content and make it structured for learners.
Edit Videos: Trim mistakes, add captions, and enhance clarity.
Arrange Modules: Use a logical learning flow.
Upload to a Platform: Choose where to host:
Udemy, Skillshare (marketplace with built-in traffic)
Teachable, Thinkific, Podia (your branding, higher profits)
Gumroad (for selling PDF-based courses)
YouTube (if offering a free course to grow your brand)

Day 5: Set Up Course Sales Page & Pricing

Goal: Build a landing page & pricing strategy.
Pricing:
$10-$50 for beginner workshops
$50-$200 for premium courses

Sales Page Includes:

A compelling headline (e.g., "Master Cake Decoration in Just 7 Days!")
Who it’s for + benefits
Lesson breakdown (what’s inside)
Testimonials (if any)
Call-to-action (Buy Now button)

Set Up Payment:

Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay (for Indian audiences)
Gumroad (for digital product selling)

Day 6: Marketing & Promotion

Goal: Get your first 10+ sales.
Soft Launch to Inner Circle:
Offer early-bird discounts to friends, family, or social media followers.

Social Media Teasers:

Post short video snippets on Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts.

Behind-the-scenes (course setup, recording, your process).

Email Marketing:

Write a launch email sequence.
Offer an exclusive discount for early sign-ups.

Collaborate & Get Referrals:

Partner with influencers or bloggers in your niche.

Join Facebook groups & Reddit discussions.

Day 7: Launch & Get Feedback

Goal: Start selling & refine based on student feedback.
Announce Publicly: Email list, social media, and blog.
Offer Limited-Time Bonuses: e.g., free coaching session for the first 10 buyers.
Engage Students: Ask them to share feedback, testimonials, and user-generated content.
Refine Based on Feedback: Improve video quality, add FAQs, and tweak course flow.

Bonus: Scale & Automate for Passive Income

Create a funnel (free mini-course → upsell paid course).

Run Facebook & Instagram ads to reach a wider audience.

Repurpose content into a YouTube channel or eBook.

Launch a community (WhatsApp/Discord) for paid members.

With this 7-day plan, you can launch your first online course and start earning quickly! Would you like help picking a course platform or marketing strategy?

How To 'Choose' Your Online Course Topic?

Often new course creators come to me with a couple of ideas that feel different and unrelated.

Gargi for example, a Chartered Account by profession is debating teaching an online course on Excel Spreadsheets - and at the same time, she also loves making epic party food and wonders about teaching a course on Gujrati Snacks.

Saurabh, a professional photographer, is considering a flagship video editing course bundled with a few other mini-course—but he'd also love to share his batting skills in Cricket.

Notice a trend here? Well, everything is teachable, and that's how creative we all are. Trust me!

Your perfect course topic should be a combination of THREE (3) things:

One topic is usually something you feel you should do—the smart option. And the other is something that sounds like a dream to you—the adventurous option. There's not one clear answer here. The truth is, something different might make sense for everyone, and you'll have to decide which route to take. That said, if you're having trouble deciding what course topic to focus on, these questions should help you decide and get even closer to the right decision.

Which course idea is the easiest, fastest, and least expensive for you to create? When you pick something, easy, fast, and inexpensive to create, that means you are taking away some of the blockers that could prevent you from making real progress. The niche the course gets, the more work you tend to put into creating it to perfect it for a high ticket price. (We'll talk more about the money aspect of course creation in my upcoming posts)

Which course idea will you enjoy the most? When you pick one that you enjoy the most, you are more likely able to have the energy and motivation to keep doing this. This is also going to make your content creation process a lot more fun and spontaneous because fun and enjoyment make everything easier, isn't it?

Which course idea aligns with your long-term goals? When you pick a topic that aligns with your goals, it means you are more likely to sustain a business around it and add more and more value to your audience. Such a choice usually leads to one choosing a course topic that ultimately establishes their credibility in their respective niche.

If I were you, I would write down all that comes to my mind without holding back. Once I have it all out on the table, I would take a step back to let my subconscious process it and finally come back to the board and make the most feasible choice that my intuition tells me.