Creating Engaging Online Courses
Rachel invites Melissa Guller onto the show. As the founder of Wit & Wire, Melissa helps creators turn their skills and passions into profitable online businesses. Melissa has experience teaching thousands of students through her courses at General Assembly, where her mission is to help creators make a living online doing what they love. In this episode, Melissa tells Rachel how competition is good for business, and that we shouldn’t be afraid of it. In Melissa’s view, competition shows that there is a demand for what you’re offering, and that when it comes to selling your online course, your teaching style and experiences will set you apart from others. Melissa and Rachel also talk about the difference between creating books and courses, and how the latter are the better value because there are no ongoing costs. Melissa then tells Rachel that courses don’t have to be perfect the first time around, that they can continually evolve and adapt to changes in education. Melissa also stresses the benefit of keeping courses shorter, which makes them more appealing. Some other things to consider when planning a course, according to Melissa, are knowing beforehand what the outcome of the course should be, or what students should take away from the course, as well as the course experience itself and how it’s marketed. Melissa mentions features like live coaching and the course community that help contribute to the overall packaging of the course. Lastly, Melissa explains that even with automated courses being designed to reach the maximum number of students around the world, she still believes in the importance of connecting with individual students and staying involved.
Thanks for listening, and be sure to check back next week for another episode of Rachel’s interview series!
