Over 50% of entrepreneurs, coaches, and freelancers want to create an online course. Only about 15% actually finish one. The gap isn't talent or technology — it's that most people skip the positioning work that makes a course brilliant before they write a single lesson.
What Makes a Course "Brilliant"?
A brilliant course isn't the one with the best production values or the most modules. It's the one students can't stop talking about — the one they recommend to friends and come back to again. What creates that response is relevance: solving a problem your audience is actively struggling with, in a way that feels like it was created just for them.
As Corbett Barr of Fizzle puts it: "Businesses fail all the time because they try to solve a problem nobody really cares about." The same is true for courses. Brilliance starts before content — it starts with positioning.
Step 1: Attract the Right People (Not Everyone)
Forget demographic profiles like "women 25-55 in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area." Define your audience by the words they use to describe themselves and their struggles. You want someone to read your course description and think: "That's me."
Equally important: define who you're not serving. This gives you permission to leave out content that doesn't serve your specific audience. For a deep process, see Who Is Your Ideal Student?
Step 2: Tempt Students with an Irresistible Result
Nobody buys a course because of what it's "about." They buy it because of the result it delivers. Your job is to articulate that result in the exact language your audience already uses.
Where to find that language:
- Amazon reviews of the top 10 books on your topic — especially 3-star reviews, where people describe what they wished was different
- Blog comments and forum threads where your audience discusses their struggles
- Your own email list — ask directly: "What's your biggest challenge with [topic]?"
- Social media groups where your audience congregates
Record the exact words and phrases people use. This "problem language" research becomes the foundation of your course description, your marketing, and your curriculum. For a complete research methodology, see 10 Ways to Research What Your Students Actually Want.
Step 3: Embrace Competition (It's Good News)
New creators worry that existing courses on their topic mean the market is "saturated." The opposite is true: competition confirms that people pay for this type of learning. The question isn't whether there's a market — it's whether you can stand out within it.
As Sean Ogle puts it: "Before people buy from you, they have to buy into you." Your unique perspective — the way you see the topic, the experiences you bring, the specific approach you've developed — is what differentiates you. Ask yourself Kelly Edmonds' differentiation questions:
- What makes your approach to this topic different from others?
- What turns you on about this subject that nobody else talks about?
- What can you offer that nobody else can?
Step 4: Write the Fictitious Testimonial
This is the most revealing exercise in the entire course creation process. Before you outline a single lesson, write the testimonial you want a future student to give. Use the problem language you've collected. Make it specific:
"Before this course, I was [specific problem]. I'd tried [what they've already attempted] but nothing stuck. By the end, I was able to [specific result]. The thing that made the difference was [your unique approach]."
If you can't write a convincing testimonial, your transformation isn't specific enough. Go back to your audience research and dig deeper. If you can write one that makes you think "I would be so proud to help someone achieve this" — you have a brilliant course on your hands.
Now Build: Focused and Minimal
With your positioning clear, the build becomes simpler:
- Craft a compelling title that flows from the transformation, not the topic. "Find Your Flow: Tame the Chaos and Create a Rhythm for Your Whole Life" is better than "Productivity Course."
- Sketch a skeleton outline first — use a tool like our course outline generator or a simple notepad. Don't build on the platform until the structure is clear.
- Structure for results: Welcome/orientation module, 1-5 learning modules focused on the transformation, conclusion/next steps. Include only the minimum content needed to deliver the promised result.
- Price for value, not volume. For your first course, consider an early-adopter discount to get initial students and feedback. See the Complete Guide to Course Pricing.
Remember: as Jeff Goins and Pat Flynn have both observed, "we set ourselves up for failure when we create in a vacuum." Build with real students from the start — even just five people in a pilot course.
Your Next Step
Spend 20 minutes on the fictitious testimonial exercise. Write the review you want to earn. If it feels authentic and specific, you're ready to build. If it feels vague, you need more audience research first. Either way, you'll be further along than 85% of aspiring course creators who skip this step entirely.