Are you a coach looking to broaden your reach and create an online course to share your expertise? You’ve come to the right place! In this blog post, I’ll provide you with a few tips to help you choose the right platform to host your online course. Choosing the right platform can be daunting but don’t worry! I’ve got you covered. Let’s get started!
There are a few things to consider when choosing a platform to host your online course. The first thing you’ll want to consider is your target audience. Who are you trying to reach with your course? Once you know who your target audience is, you can start to narrow down your options.
Another important factor to consider is the type of course you’re creating. Is your course going to be mostly video-based? Do you want to include a lot of interactive elements? Will you need to accept payments? Answering these questions will help you narrow down your options even further.
Finally, you’ll want to consider your budget. There are a lot of great course platforms out there but they come at a variety of price points. Knowing how much you’re willing to spend will help you make your final decision.
Now that you know a few things to consider, let’s take a look at a few popular course platforms.
Thinkific
Thinkific is a great option for those looking to scale. They offer everything from course creation and hosting to marketing and payments. They have a wide range of features and pricing options available, including a free plan. This is very limited though, so you’ll need to ensure it does everything you need it too and will allow you to have 1 course and 1 community. There are no transaction fees with Thinkific. Top tip, make sure your pricing plan integrates with your email marketing system as you may also need to use Zapier! Check it out here.
Podia
Podia is another great option for those looking for an all-in-one solution. From creating courses and coaching products to digital downloads, webinars and bundles, it really can do a lot. There is a free trial where you can draft a product to see if it suits you. Unlimited communities are offered in the paid plans as is email marketing. Coupons and upsells are also available on higher plans. It’s nice and easy to use in my experience and you can also host you website from there. Prices start from $33 a month. Learn more about Podia’s plans and features here.
Kajabi
Probably the ultimate all in one system, but this obviously comes at a price! As well as online courses you can create coaching products, memberships, communities and even a podcast. Manage everything all in one place including your funnels. Prices start at $119 a month so it’s worth checking out all the features and doing a price comparison with any other systems you already pay for that can be scrapped, find out more here.
Teachable
Teachable has a free plan available to test it out with 1 course. Simple to use and well established. Email marketing is available on paid plans as well. The one thing to look out for with Teachable is that there are transaction fees as well as payment processor fees on their free and basic plans, which can add up! Compare their features and pricing here.
Udemy
Udemy is a popular platform for those looking to create video-based courses. They have a wide selection of courses on a variety of topics. Udemy courses are generally less expensive than courses on other platforms, and their marketplace is competitive so you’ll need to stand out. They have their own marketplace for students to browse through courses on topics of their choice. Courses are reviewed by Udemy before they are accepted. They’ll take and process any taxes and a 3% fee. It’s best to thoroughly read through their FAQ’s section here to ensure it’s right for you.
It’s important to choose the right platform for your course because it can impact a number of things, including the reach of your course, the overall cost, and the types of features and tools that are available to you. To make the best decision for your course, be sure to consider all of the factors that are important to you.
What other factors do you think are important to consider when choosing a platform to host your online course? Let me know in the comments below!