Got an Online Course, But No One is Buying It? Here's How You Can Make Your Online Course So Irresistible People Will Beg You to Take Their Money
Dann Eliezer Salvador
??Direct Response Copywriter | I'll help you get more students for your online courses in 90 days or less using my Conversion Funnel Maximizer Method
Have you tried creating an online course and realized no one is buying?
Have you tried running ads to promote it, but you end up losing more money and not getting a return on investment (ROI)??
Or have you tried hiring a copywriter (or wrote the copy yourself), but no matter how excellent the copy is, it’s simply not converting?
If that’s the case, then there’s a good chance that your online course doesn’t have a product-market fit.
Let me explain.
A product-market fit simply means having a product that satisfies a strong market demand.
No matter how hard you try, if your online course doesn’t satisfy a demand, it won’t sell.
Even an A-list marketer or copywriter cannot save a bad product.
Spending thousands of dollars on advertising won’t do you good, either.
That’s why you must validate your course idea before spending time and resources creating it.
By knowing your market, you can create an online course that satisfies a demand in the market.
But for this article, I want to discuss how to create irresistible online courses that will make people beg you to take their money.
In this article, you’ll discover:
So, let’s dive right in.
What Makes People Buy Online Courses in the First Place, Even Though Free Information Is Already There Online?
I'd say this is one of, if not the biggest, objections people have when selling any online course.
"Why do I need to buy your online course if I can learn everything online?"
If you can't address this objection, you'll lose the sale.
If you want to sell your online courses like crazy, you must first understand why people buy them.
Knowing these reasons will allow you to:
That said, here are the 8 reasons why people buy online courses despite the abundance of free information online.
#1. Structured Learning and Convenience
Online courses often offer a structured curriculum, organized modules, and clear learning objectives. With a structured approach, prospects will no longer have to spend much time searching for and piecing together free resources.
While free information exists online, it can sometimes be scattered across various sources. Because of this, it requires significant time and effort to find and piece them together. Paid courses offer convenience by providing all necessary materials in one place.
#2. Quality Assurance
Paid online courses often come with a level of quality assurance. If you have a certified expert teaching your online course, it creates trust for your prospects. They'll know that the information provided has been vetted, organized, and presented by people with years of experience in the field.
#3. Personalized Support and Feedback
Prospects can receive personalized guidance, support, and feedback, which can help accelerate their growth more than learning alone.
This support can take the form of an exclusive group, group coaching calls, or one-on-one calls, which can entice prospects to invest in an online course.
#4. Certification and Credibility
One of the biggest factors that entice people to buy an online course is the certificate they'll get. This credential can enhance their resume, which holds a significant value in the job market.
A great example is DigitalMarketer's certification, which allows marketers to specialize in certain areas of marketing and earn a certificate. This includes social media specialists and direct-response copywriting specialists, among others.?
#5. Exclusive Content or Access
Some online courses offer access to exclusive content, tools, or resources not freely available elsewhere. This exclusive content could be templates, frameworks, cheat sheets, etc., that could help prospects shortcut their way to success.?
A great example here would be the copywriting program I enrolled in. Our copywriting coach gives us a list of businesses and emails we can contact to help us land a copywriting client.
#6. Motivation and Accountability
Because prospects invested in an online course, it can serve as a motivation to go through and complete the course. Additionally, structured deadlines and accountability within the course can help prospects stay on track with their learning goals.
By having an accountability system, prospects are more likely to finish the online course and take action to achieve their goals.
#7. Specialization and Deep Learning
Most of the information you see online only covers the surface level of the topics. This alone could barely help prospects move closer to their goals. However, with paid courses, they can dive deeper into specific topics or niche areas that offer more comprehensive and specialized knowledge.
As you can see, all of these reasons revolve around one thing.
Value.
If you can show how valuable your online course is compared to the free stuff available online, prospects are more likely to invest in it.
You want to show them that what you teach in your course is not easily found in a simple Google search.
So, how can you make online courses more valuable?
We'll use what is called a "Value Equation."
The Value Equation that Allows You to Create Online Courses that People Desperately Want
The Value Equation is a formula created by Alex Hormozi in his book, “$100M Offers: How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No.”
If you haven’t read that book, I highly recommend that you do.
People buy because of a product or service’s perceived value, not because of the price.
If people see your online course as valuable, they will buy it.
Even if you’re giving away something for free, people will not want it if it is not valuable to them.
If you understand how to provide value, you can sell your online courses at a higher price point.
Inside the Value Equation, Alex Hormozi mentioned four variables that drive value. You want to increase the two variables and decrease the rest.
If you can apply the Value Equation to your online course, I won’t be surprised if you start seeing more enrollees in your next course launch.
Now, let’s discuss what each of those means.
Dream Outcome
The first variable of the Value Equation focuses on increasing the dream outcome of your prospects.
When they enroll in your online course, what is the ultimate outcome they want to achieve??
What is the most significant benefit they will get?
Does your online course paint a vivid picture of their dream outcome?
How will your online course transform their life?
It’s all about showing them how your online course can help them achieve their goals and solve their problems.
Let me show you an example.?
Let’s say that you are selling an Amazon FBA course that teaches people how to start an Amazon business so they can make 6 to 7 figures while only working 3 to 4 hours per week.
You want to list down the dream outcome they will get. Here are some examples:
If you show them the transformative potential of your online course, you can increase its perceived value and appeal.
But you shouldn’t stop there.
That’s because an Amazon FBA course is one of the many vehicles that can help people achieve these dream outcomes.?
These other vehicles include:
These other vehicles also promise the same dream outcome.
Technically speaking, those are your competitors.
When people compare 2 different options that promise the exact same desire, the value of the dream outcome cancels out since they are just the same.
Your differentiator would be the other 3 variables.?
It’s going to be a difference between people paying for an online course worth $5,000 and the other being $97.
Perceived Likelihood of Achievement
The second variable of the Value Equation focuses on increasing the perceived likelihood of achievement.
You want your prospects to feel confident and certain that enrolling in your online course will yield the results they want.
Ask yourself, “How likely are my prospects to achieve their desired outcome when they buy my online course?”
Let’s take the previous Amazon FBA course example.?
Say that both Amazon FBA courses have the same features, benefits, and methods.
Would you rather buy from a course with 50 different case studies and testimonials and have word-of-mouth referrals from authoritative figures in the Amazon space…
…or would you buy the one with only 3 testimonials and case studies with no visible trust badges?
There’s no question that you’ll pick the former.
That’s because you are more certain that the former will give you results than the latter.
Throughout your messaging, you must show testimonials, success stories from past students, credibility elements, and tangible evidence of your online course’s effectiveness.
That way, you reinforce their belief that they can achieve their dream outcome through your online course.
Time Delay
The third variable of the Value Equation focuses on decreasing the time delay between buying your course and receiving the benefit you promised.?
Here’s the truth. Nobody likes to wait around for results.?
So, the shorter the distance between the initial purchase and achieving their dream outcome, the better.
Your prospects want to see tangible results fast, and your course should deliver on that promise.?
There are two ways you can deliver value to decrease time delay.
It’s important to know these two.
People buy for the long-term outcome but stay long enough because of the short-term experience they get.
These milestones are like “small wins” they’ll get along the way that will help build momentum to visualize their ultimate goal.
Let’s use a different example.?
Say that you’re selling a Freelance copywriting course that promises the same dream outcome as the Amazon FBA course example earlier.
It could take roughly 16-24 weeks to start hitting $5k-$10k a month. That would be your time delay.
But, if you can tell them something like…
“Inside our copywriting program, we’ll also give you copywriting templates and outreach scripts that you can use to write a sample copy for your potential clients FAST. You’ll then send those samples to your dream clients to show them how you can provide value to them. If you do this consistently throughout the program, you could potentially get high-paying clients that pay you at least $2K per project in just a few weeks after you enroll.”
See how effective that is?
Offering a quick win like this (landing $2k per project) will help instill confidence and certainty that your students will likely achieve their dream outcome—consistently hitting $5k-$10k a month.?
Effort and Sacrifice
The fourth and last variable of the Value Equation focuses on decreasing the effort and sacrifice your prospects must make to achieve their dream outcome.
The effort and sacrifice are the “costs” that can occur along the way to get the desired outcome.
Let’s face it. All of us are inherently lazy.
People don’t want to waste their time on complicated, labor-intensive work that drains their energy.
That’s why it’s crucial to design your course in a way that minimizes the effort and sacrifice required to achieve your prospects’ dream outcome.?
Let’s take the previous examples and compare the two in terms of the effort and sacrifice they must make to achieve their dream outcome.
As you can see, there are some differences between the two.
Even if the dream outcome is the same, the value between the two differs.
If you can remove any perceived effort and sacrifice on your online course, its appeal will increase.
Now that you know how to make your online courses irresistible using the Value Equation, there’s a good chance that you’re not the only one offering the same offer.
As more and more coaches and experts sell online courses in the market that promise the same dream outcome…
…how will your online course stand out?
If multiple Amazon FBA courses promise the same financial freedom, how will you attract the attention of your prospects??
If these courses offer the same benefits, promise, and methodology, people will choose the cheapest price.
In other words, your online course will become commoditized.
You won’t be able to charge your online course at a high price.
So, what do you do?
How to Avoid Your Online Course From Being Commoditized in the Market
As more online courses are released in the market, the market is undoubtedly becoming more sophisticated.
People have already heard the same claims repeatedly and are getting sick and tired of it.
So, how can you deliver value and help them achieve their dream outcome with your online course if the market has already heard these claims many times?
This is where you introduce a Unique Mechanism.
In marketing, it is a term we use to describe a unique method or process inside a product that delivers the dream outcome.?
In other words, it is your unique method of delivering those results to your prospects.
While more and more online courses claim to be “better” than others, you should focus instead on being “different.”
You can’t say, “My competitors have a 5-step process to achieving a desired outcome, but I have a 7-step process which makes me different.”
That’s not how it works.
Your unique mechanism is your method, system, or component in your online course that no one else has. It is uniquely yours, and it’s difficult for your competitors to copy.
Your unique mechanism must be new and relevant and solve a “one big domino problem” that, when solved, all the remaining problems will topple down like a domino.
How to Find Your Unique Mechanism
STEP 1 - Market Research
First, you want to identify your target market.
You want to know their pain points, frustrations, and dream outcomes they want to achieve.
I have an article here about how to get information about your target market. When identifying your target market, you want to also uncover:
Let’s say you’re selling a fitness program for men wanting a model-like physique.
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List your competitors’ solutions and determine what people like and don’t like about them.
The information you’ll get here will help you identify your unique advantage over your competitors.
Remember, you don’t want to just be unique.?
You must also be relevant and useful to your prospects.
STEP 2 - Find the “Problem Gap”
Next, you want to identify the problem gap in your market.
A problem gap is also known as the “Unique Mechanism of a Problem” (UMP).
The UMP is the real reason your prospects haven’t solved their problems before.
When solving your prospects’ problems, you must find a symptom (or gap) no one mentions.
Here’s an example.?
Let’s take the fitness program example earlier.
The problem gap would be like, “If you’re training too hard, you’re actually hurting your gains. Recovery is as important as lifting and exercising.”
The problem gap is training too hard and not prioritizing recovery, which is the number one reason people don’t get the results they want despite working hard in the gym.
Of course, this is assuming that nobody else brought up this problem gap.
That’s why you would need to research to see if anyone has made the same claims or findings based on the problem gap you revealed.
STEP 3 - Break down why the problem exists in your prospects’ life
The next step is making them feel understood about the problem.
The rule of thumb in copywriting is that if you can articulate your customers’ problems better than they can, they’ll listen to you and assume you have the right solution.
You’ll do this by creating a “logic chain.”
This is basically outlining how you discovered your solution.
For our previous example, a logic chain should be something like this:
It follows a simple formula. If A = B and B = C, then A = C.
Next, you want to add in any relevant research or study that aligns with your claims.
That way, your claims would be more believable.
STEP 4 - Create a solution to solve the problem gap
Lastly, you present the solution to your prospects, and then you explain how this solution works.
This solution must be unique, relevant, and proven.
Let’s take our previous example.
In fitness, your body has an Optimal Training Frequency (a unique mechanism). If you train too hard, you won’t grow muscles.?
You need to apply this new training principle to achieve maximum results while spending less time in the gym.?
Here’s how to apply it in your workouts (the solution to the problem gap).
Then, you explain why they need to do these solutions to achieve their dream outcome.
Putting Everything Together on a Sales Page
Okay. So, now you’ve created/refined your online course and identified your Unique Mechanism, then what?
Do you tell people, “Hey, this is my course. Here’s why it’s good. Buy now!”
Of course not.
You must be strategic in how you position yourself and present your online course to your prospects.
You’ll do this by creating a sales page.
A sales page is a single page designed to sell your online course.
It should be able to:
It’s not as simple as “Hey, here’s my course. Buy now!”
Instead, a sales page is written strategically to turn visitors who never heard from you into paying customers.
With that being said, there are 4 elements that make up a high-converting sales page.
A-list direct-response copywriters who wrote million-dollar promotions follow these 4 elements that make up a sales page.
Let’s dive in on what each of those elements means.
Lead
The Lead section is the emotional core of your sales page. It consists of headlines and opening sentences.
The goal is to grab your prospects’ attention, build intrigue and curiosity, and draw them into reading the rest of your sales page.
Writing your Lead section isn’t easy.?
First, you must know your market’s most painful problems and biggest desires.
Your headline and opening sentences should speak to their emotions so they’ll stop what they are doing and read your sales page.
Second, you must know the type of traffic coming to your sales page.
If you don’t know what traffic is. Traffic simply refers to the flow of visitors that goes to your website.?
In marketing, there are 3 types of traffic.
The reason why you want to identify this is simple.
If you tell people who don’t even know you and your online course straight up to buy your course...
...then your chance of turning that into a paying customer is almost impossible.
That’s why how you write your copy should align and resonate with the types of traffic that visit your sales page.
According to David Ogilvy, the father of advertising…?
“On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”
So, if your lead fails to grab their attention, your entire sales page could fall flat.
That said, here are the 3 types of traffic.
Cold Traffic
These people are complete strangers. They don’t know you, your brand, or your online course.?
Your goal here is to introduce yourself, indoctrinate them, and build KLT (know, like, and trust) with them before selling anything to them.
Your approach here is more about being indirect by telling stories and providing interesting information that’s relevant to them.
Here are some ideas for writing the lead section for cold traffic.
Warm Traffic
These people already know who you are, your brand, and your online course.?
These people follow you on social media, engage with your brand, read your content, and even subscribe to your email list.
These people haven’t bought anything from you yet. So, the goal here is to educate them further about their problems and get them to buy.
Here are some ideas for writing the lead section for warm traffic.
Hot Traffic
These are people who already bought from you.
They know you, they enrolled in your online course, and they loved it.
If they bought from you, there’s a good chance they’ll buy again.?
So, the goal is to re-engage with them and get them to buy a more expensive offer.
Here are some ideas for writing the lead section for hot traffic.
Sales Argument
While the Lead section forms the emotional core of your sales page, the Sales argument section forms the logical core.
Now that you’ve grabbed your prospects’ attention and made them feel something…
…your goal now is to make them think and position your online course as the most logical item to buy.
You see, people buy based on emotions and justify them with logic. It’s crucial to have both emotions and logic on your sales page.
While emotions play a significant role in purchasing decisions, it’s essential to provide logical reasons why your prospects should invest in your online course.?
A good rule of thumb here is that your Sales argument should be connected to your lead.
Much like the Lead section, the type of Sales argument you’ll use will depend on the traffic temperature.
There are 3 types of sales arguments. One for each type of traffic.
Creation Story
This is a story about discovering the method or solution you’re offering.
Creation story works well for cold traffic.
People love to hear stories. It evokes emotions and allows you to make an emotional connection with your prospects by building likability.
It also bypasses the “BS radar,” which stops them from thinking, “Yeah, right. I don’t believe you.”
When you hear or read stories, you won’t feel that you’re being sold to.?
So, how do you write a Creation Story?
Here’s a simple formula that you can follow to write your own Creation Story.
Myths and Misconceptions
This Sales argument focuses on shifting your prospects’ beliefs while exposing the dangers, misbeliefs, and problems within your industry.?
Myths and Misconceptions sales argument is perfect for warm traffic.
Your goal here is to replace your prospects’ old beliefs with new ones so that these new beliefs will help them achieve their dream outcome faster.?
This will make them more receptive to buying your online course.
Here’s how to write Myths and Misconceptions sales arguments.
Urgent Opportunity
The Urgent Opportunity sales argument focuses on FOMO and getting buyers to buy again.
This sales argument type is perfect for hot traffic.
Your goal here is to simply tell them an urgent opportunity about your offer.
When writing this sales argument, ideally, you want to answer these questions:
Offer
This is where you introduce your online course to your prospects.
Here, you show what the online course is, what it can do for them, what makes it unique, and what they will learn in each module.
In this section, you want to include:
Highlight the specific outcomes and results students can expect by enrolling in your online course.?
Make it easy for your audience to understand your course's value proposition and why it's the best solution for their needs.
False Close
The False Close section is where you reinforce the value of your offer and encourage prospects to take action.?
This section serves as the final push to convert prospects into paying customers.?
Sometimes, prospects are not fully sold on what you offer, and they may need a little nudge to push the Buy Now button.
In this section, you want to include:
Conclusion
That’s how you create and refine your online course to get people to buy it.
You’ve discovered the Value Equation by Alex Hormozi, which will help make your online course so irresistible that people would be silly to say no.
Inside the Value Equation, you must:
You’ve also discovered how to stand out from the competition via Unique Mechanism using a simple 4-step process.
Lastly, you’ve also discovered how to write a sales page that compels people to buy your online course.
If you follow this guide, I won’t be surprised if you start seeing better results.
If you need additional help launching your online course and getting more students in 90 days or less in your next launch, schedule a 30-minute strategy call here with me.