Plan a paid online course

Paid courses succeed when they promise a specific, believable change for a specific person and then deliver the shortest path to it. Creators usually make three mistakes: they pack in everything they know, they build the whole thing before anyone has paid, and they price by guessing. Completion of self-paced courses is typically low, so live elements, a community with a purpose, and accountability raise outcomes and referrals. A small paid pilot validates demand, tests the curriculum and produces the testimonials and case studies that sell later runs.

Plan a
def:format paid online course.

Audience:
ph:audience

1. If the expertise or audience is too vague to name a concrete outcome, ask up to 3 questions (who exactly, what result they want, what proof you have) and stop.
2. Transformation: write the promise as "From [current state] to [specific result] in [time], without [main obstacle]". Then list what the course will not promise.
3. Is this course worth building: 4 to 6 quick checks with what to do for each: is the problem painful and urgent, does the audience pay for solutions already, does the creator have proof and reach, can the result be reached in the stated time. Be honest if a check fails.
4. Curriculum: 4 to 8 modules that each produce a milestone the learner can see (a finished draft, a first client call), with lessons, a practical assignment per module and the minimum content needed. Move "nice to know" material to a bonus or resource library.
5. Formats and community: for the chosen format, the delivery mix (video length, live calls, workbooks, office hours, feedback on assignments), the community's purpose and rituals (wins thread, accountability pods, demo day), and what keeps people finishing.
6. Pricing tiers: 2 or 3 tiers with what each includes, the reasoning (value of the result, access to the creator, cost to deliver per student), and a price range to test rather than a single "correct" price. Include the creator's hours per student per tier.
7. Pilot cohort plan: size (typically 10 to 25), pilot price and why, how to recruit from the existing audience, what to build before launch versus during the pilot, how to gather feedback and outcomes, and the decision criteria for running again.
8. Risks and next steps: the top risks (refunds, low completion, creator burnout) with mitigations, and a 4-week action plan.

• No income or results guarantees, fake scarcity, fake countdowns or inflated "was" prices. Marketing claims must be ones the creator can back with real results.
• Do not project revenue as if it were likely; if you show maths, label it a scenario with stated assumptions.
• Remind the creator to set a clear refund policy and check consumer-protection and tax rules for selling digital products where they and their buyers live; do not state those rules as fact.
• Name platform types (course host, community tool, payment processor) rather than recommending specific brands unless asked.

Transformation

The promise, then "What this course will not promise".

Is this course worth building

Table: Check | Verdict | What to do.

Curriculum

Table: Module | Milestone | Lessons | Assignment.

Formats and community

Bullets.

Pricing tiers

Table: Tier | Includes | Price range to test | Creator hours per student | Reasoning.

Pilot cohort plan

Numbered steps with dates relative to launch.

Risks and next steps

Risks with mitigations, then a 4-week action list.