Building an online course can be a game-changer for your business. But it can also be a tricky, overwhelming process – especially if you’re not aware of the pitfalls that can pop up along the way. Over the past few years, I’ve worked with many course creators, and I’ve seen some common mistakes come up time and time again. Luckily, most of these are easily avoidable once you know what to look out for.
In this post, I’m going to walk you through the five most common mistakes course creators make when building their online courses – and how you can avoid them. If you’re planning your next course, make sure to keep these in mind!
1. Overloading the Course with Information
One of the biggest mistakes I see course creators make is trying to cram everything they know into a single course. I get it—you want to deliver massive value to your students. But throwing too much information at them can quickly lead to overwhelm. Remember, your course isn’t about showing how much you know; it’s about guiding your students through a clear, focused transformation.
Instead of covering everything, focus on the key concepts that will help your students achieve the outcome they signed up for. Less is often more when it comes to creating a course that’s easy to follow and digest. If you find there’s too much content, consider breaking it up into a series of smaller, more focused courses.
2. Skipping the Market Research
I can’t stress this enough: Before you start building your course, you need to know if there’s actually a demand for it. So many course creators skip this step, only to launch to crickets. They’ve built something they’re passionate about, but they haven’t validated whether their audience wants or needs it.
Do some research first. Talk to your audience, run polls, or create a simple survey. This will give you valuable insights into the exact pain points they’re facing—and ensure your course solves a real problem. It doesn’t have to be a huge research project, but a bit of homework upfront can save you a lot of frustration (and empty enrollments) down the line.
3. Neglecting Course Structure and Flow
You can have the best content in the world, but if your course isn’t well-organized, your students will struggle to stay engaged. I’ve seen so many courses that bounce from topic to topic without a clear structure, leaving students feeling lost.
The solution? Create a roadmap for your course. Before you record a single video, map out your course from start to finish. Think about the most logical flow for your content. What do your students need to learn first? What’s the step-by-step process they should follow to reach the outcome you’re promising? When you structure your course in a way that makes sense, it not only makes the learning experience smoother but also helps your students achieve better results.
4. Forgetting to Focus on Engagement
It’s easy to assume that your course content alone will keep your students engaged – but the truth is, people are busy. They’re juggling work, family, and a million other distractions. If your course doesn’t actively engage them, there’s a good chance they won’t finish it.
So, how do you keep your students engaged? It starts with your content. Use a mix of teaching styles – video lessons, downloadable worksheets, quizzes, or even live Q&A sessions. Try to make it interactive. This encourages students to participate rather than passively consume the material. You want to build touchpoints in that motivate them to stick with it, even when life gets in the way.
5. Underestimating the Power of Marketing
Here’s the thing: You can create the most incredible, transformative course, but if you don’t have a solid marketing plan, nobody’s going to see it. I see a lot of course creators pour all their energy into building the course and then scramble at the last minute to throw together a launch. Or worse – they assume the course will sell itself. (Spoiler alert: it won’t.)
A successful course launch requires a solid marketing strategy. Think about your sales funnel early on. Build your email list before the course is even ready, create buzz on social media, and craft a launch timeline that gives you plenty of time to build anticipation. The more prepared you are, the smoother your launch will be.
Build Your Course with Confidence
Building an online course is a big undertaking, and while there are plenty of challenges along the way, avoiding these five common mistakes will set you up for success. The key is to keep things simple, focused, and strategic. Start with market research, structure your content carefully, engage your students, and plan your marketing well in advance. With these strategies in place, you’ll be well on your way to creating a course that not only delivers value but also drives the results you’re looking for.
And remember, if you’re feeling overwhelmed at any stage of your course creation process, I’m here to help. Whether you need support with tech setup, content structure, or your launch strategy, I’ve got the tools and experience to guide you. Let’s get your course out into the world – without the stress!
Ready to start building your online course? Check out my Get Me Started package for a complete lead magnet funnel setup, or go all-in with my Build Me package for full course-building support. I’ll help you avoid these common pitfalls and get your course up and running smoothly.
Like this post? Pin it for later
