You have a brilliant idea for an online course. You can already picture the glowing testimonials from students whose lives you’ve changed. But there’s a nagging voice in the back of your head: “What if I build it, and nobody buys?”
This fear is the number one reason why countless valuable courses from talented experts like you never see the light of day. The thought of pouring months of effort into creating content, only to launch to the sound of crickets, is terrifying.
But what if you could flip the script? What if you could know, with a high degree of certainty, that your course idea is a winner before you invest all that time and energy?
You can.
This isn’t about finding a crystal ball. It’s about a smart, strategic process called validation. In this guide, I’ll show you five practical, low-effort ways to test your course idea and gather real-world proof that people are not just interested—they’re willing to pay for it.
1. The “Presell” Page: The Ultimate Litmus Test
This is the most powerful validation method of all. Instead of building the entire course, you build the sales page first.
Think of it as creating the movie trailer before shooting the movie.
How it works:
- Create a Detailed Sales Page: Outline your course curriculum, the problems it solves, the transformation students will experience, and the modules you plan to create. Be specific.
- Offer an “Early Bird” Discount: Announce that you are “pre-selling” the course at a significant discount for a limited number of founding members.
- Set a Goal: Decide on a minimum number of sales needed to justify building the course (e.g., “If 20 people sign up, I will build this course”).
- Promote It: Share the sales page with your audience (email list, social media).
If you hit your sales goal, you’ve just been paid to create a course that you know people want. If you don’t, you can simply refund the few customers you had and pivot to a new idea, having saved yourself months of wasted work.
2. The “Mini-Course” MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
If a full presell feels too daunting, start smaller. Much smaller. Your best content probably already exists on your blog.
A Mini-Course MVP is about bundling your existing knowledge into a low-cost, high-value package.
How it works:
- Identify a Theme: Look at your blog analytics. Find 5-7 of your most popular articles that revolve around a single, specific problem.
- Bundle and Enhance: Group these posts together into a single WordPress Category. Maybe add a short introductory video or a concluding checklist to tie it all together.
- Price It Low: Offer this “mini-course” for a small, impulse-buy price, like $19 or $27.
- Sell It: Use a simple tool to lock this category of posts behind a paywall and link it to a simple “Buy Now” button.
This method is incredibly fast. You can literally go from idea to a saleable product this weekend. The sales data you get will tell you if this topic is profitable and worth expanding into a full-blown signature course.
3. The “Content Upgrade” Test
This method tests the demand for a specific piece of your course content.
How it works:
- Write a detailed blog post that acts as “Lesson 1” of your potential course.
- At the end of the post, offer a “content upgrade”—a valuable, downloadable resource that complements the post (e.g., a PDF checklist, a template, or a short video tutorial).
- Instead of giving it away for free in exchange for an email, charge a small fee for it, like $5.
If people are willing to pay a few dollars for a small piece of the puzzle, it’s a strong indicator they’ll be willing to pay more for the complete solution.
4. The “Survey and Waitlist” Method
This is a classic for a reason. It’s direct and effective.
How it works:
- Create a simple survey (using Google Forms or a WordPress plugin) asking your audience about their biggest struggles related to your topic.
- Ask them what they’d like to learn in a potential course and what they’d be willing to pay.
- At the end of the survey, include a call to action: “I’m considering creating a course on [Your Topic]. Sign up here to be the first to know when it launches and get an exclusive early-bird discount.”
5. The “Coaching Call” Pilot
Before creating a scalable course, test your material in a high-touch, one-on-one environment.
How it works:
- Offer a limited number of one-on-one coaching calls or a small “beta group” coaching program based on your course outline.
- Charge a premium for this direct access.
- Use these sessions to teach your material live. Pay close attention to the questions people ask, where they get stuck, and what “aha!” moments they have.
This method not only validates your idea but also provides you with invaluable feedback, testimonials, and the exact language your future students use, which is gold for writing your sales page.
Conclusion
Building an online course is a marathon, not a sprint. But validating the idea doesn’t have to be. By using these simple, low-risk strategies, you can stop guessing and start building a business based on what your audience has already proven they want.
The key is to start small, launch fast, and listen to the data.