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Learn How to Create Expert
Online Course Step by Step

Online learning is becoming more and more popular nowadays. Statistics show that 44% of US institutions have fully adapted online learning platforms and tools since the outbreak of COVID-19.
Creating online courses is essential for teachers, educators, and freelancers who are making money by selling their knowledge. Today we’ll share the process of creating an online lesson with detailed steps.

Quick answer: To create an online course, choose a topic with audience demand, validate its value, research the subject, write a clear lesson outline, record high-quality course content, edit the lessons, publish them on a suitable platform, and promote the course through a credible profile and audience engagement. For video lessons, Filmora can help record screen/webcam content, edit course videos, add captions or narration support, and package lessons with reusable creative assets.

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Preparations for Making Online Courses

Step 1. Pick the Right Topic


The topics you choose should be suitable for you. What’s your interest? What are you good at? You are recommended to select the things you have passion for in the long run. Don't worry that you cannot provide a professional-level course, just ensure that the content has its value. You can make a list of the topics you are interested in, and choose the ones that show your skills and experiences best.

In addition, pay attention to the concerns of your audience. You need to identify your target audience first, what are their needs? Their ages, occupations, online learning habits, and so forth. You can ask a group of friends, post questions on the forums, or start an online survey to know the real interests of a potential audience. The more detailed information you know, the better your topics can be.

Step 2. Test Your Idea and Predict the Value


Video courses usually take a lot of time and effort, so it’s very important to make sure your idea has business value. Thus, it’s necessary to test your thoughts before getting started. Here’s how you can test a topic.

First, you can use Google Trends and Keyword Planner to inspect the trends and popularity of a specific topic; Second, build a landing page for your upcoming course and post it on your social media to see the reflection; Finally, check what topics your competitor used on their video courses and select the ones that have more viewers and buyers.

Step 3. Research the Topic Extensively


To make a knowledgeable and complete course on a specific topic, research it and gather every necessary item. Perform keyword research to see what the popular content is saying; Discover different types of content on the subject, such as YouTube videos, webinars, authoritative literature, and more. From doing this, you’ll get the main point.

In addition, to provide a better and more impressive course than your competitors, you need to provide something that has added value. The added value of a course can be a relaxing learning style, a unique angle to describe the topic, etc.

How to Create Online Courses

Write an Outline
An outline helps the learners understand the content system quickly.

It's necessary to write an outline whether you are going to make a curriculum or a single lesson. The outline of a curriculum helps learners quickly understand the content system, and the structure of a single lesson allows the audience to preview before the course starts. The best way to write an outline is, to pick up a key topic and then break it into several niche topics; this will ensure the key topic covers more necessary detailed information.

A video outline requires even more details than an article, that’s why you need to use a mind mapping tool. A mind mapping tool like EdrawMind is able to help organize every idea and sort out a course plan quickly. Besides, this software also allows users to add color text, images, and export a clear and visual outline for learners to preview and review.

Moreover, EdrawMind offers rich education templates for different scenarios to create a lesson outline in minutes. You are recommended to consider more video details and mark them in the outline, such as a quiz in a certain part, a tip for one niche topic, or an effect you need for a particular point of time.
Film or Record High Quality Content
Edit Video Courses
A perfect video lesson is the key to transferring your knowledge.

Once the recording process ends, you need to edit your clips to produce a final video lesson. The basic editing steps include audio enhancement, text effects, transitions, titles, and credits editing. There are many popular video editing programs on the market and it's not easy to choose a suitable editor. For beginners and people who have basic editing skills, I would recommend Filmora as the best choice.

Filmora is a powerful and easy-to-use video editor with rich educational video intros and related elements. You can trim, split, and detach audio and video from the timeline easily. The green screen effect allows you to make the same background for every video course. The text-to-speech and speech-to-text will also be helpful to make the lesson easier to understand.

Filmora offers rich video templates and resources for all creators to make video creation convenient for everyone. Moreover, the PIP and AI portrait features are designed to take your video courses to a new level. You can also try other great features in Filmora, such as silence detection, auto-audio synchronization, zoom in/out, and keyframe.

Market and Sell Your Online Course

Complete Toolkit for Better Course Creation

Here we recommend a complete toolkit to level up your online course-creating workflow.
You can choose the most suitable software and test it right now!

The Editor's Choice - Filmora & Filmstock
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Why is Filmora the best video editor for educators?

Screen Recorder >>
Screen Recorder
Record computer screen, webcam, and audio simultaneously.
Auto Synchronization >>
Auto Synchronization
Automatically match and line up the video of a person speaking with the audio captured from the microphone.
Speech To Text >>
Speech To Text
Allow you to transcript voice to subtitles in one click.
Silence Detection >>
Silence Detection
Save your time and effort by finding the silent parts of your video and cutting them one by one.
AI Portrait >>
AI Portrait
Detect the human on your video to remove the background or add effects with a simple drag and click.
Chromakey >>
Chromakey
One-click to change your video background using the chroma key.
Keyframe Animation >>
Keyframe Animation
Bring dynamism and energy to your videos with smooth animated effects.
Video Effects >>
Video Effects
Offer numerous video effects, including titles, transitions, effects, elements, and audio.
See All Features

Create Your Online Video Course with Filmora and Filmstock!

With Filmora video editor and the effects center Filmstock, you can make any type of video lesson as you want.
Click the cover below and get the essentials to create your video course.

School Course
Photography
Data Analytics
Video Production
Foreign Language
Graphic Design
Health & Fitness

FAQs About Creating an Online Course

What are the main steps to create an online course?

Start by picking the right topic, testing demand, researching the subject, writing an outline, recording or filming the lesson, editing the course video, publishing it on a platform, and promoting it to the right audience.

How can beginners choose an online course topic?

Beginners should combine personal interest, practical skills, audience needs, and long-term value. The article recommends listing possible topics, identifying the target audience, and using surveys, forums, or social posts to understand learner demand.

What tools help create a better video course?

The article recommends using EdrawMind for outlines, Filmora for screen recording and video editing, Filmstock for creative assets, and other Wondershare tools such as Anireel, DemoCreator, UniConverter, and PDFelement depending on the course workflow.

Why use Filmora for online course videos?

Filmora supports screen recording, webcam recording, audio capture, video trimming, green screen editing, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, PIP, AI portrait, silence detection, auto-audio synchronization, zoom effects, and keyframes, which makes it useful for educators creating course videos.

How do you sell an online course after recording it?

After creating the course, publish it on a course platform or your own site, build a credible profile, highlight experience and certifications, promote through email and social channels, and respond to reviews or questions to improve audience engagement.

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