How can I identify gaps or what students are searching for
Hi guys, I've set myself a personal goal of getting 10 courses on here by the end of the 2019 and of course I want them to have the best chance of success. Is there a tool of some sort that I could use to look at the search terms used by students or identify gaps in the current course offerings? There are number of things/courses we could record, I just want to make sure we prioritise the ones that have the best chance of being bought/adding value to students.
Thanks so much, Neil
Comments
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That is what the Marketplace Insights tool is for on your instructor dashboard. However, in my opinion that is not what should guide your decisions making.
If I were a first time instructor I would not set a goal of producing 10 courses, or any number of courses. There are a lot of instructors on Udemy who are NOT successful, but have dozens, even more than 100 courses. But, that is because they were focused on numbers, not quality.
A better strategy is to ask youself a) in what topic do I really have superior expertise to share; and b) what topic am I most enthusiastic about teaching. Then produce a comprehensive course, not a quicky course. If you produce one high quality course that displays your expertise and enthusiasm, you will be on your way to succeeding as an instructor. Don't ruin your brand by producing a lot of poor quality courses, regardless of what you think the demand is.
As a first time instructor you most likely have not yet learned how to do it well (like all of us). Focus on your own learning curve.
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Wow, 10 courses in just a few months? Why not focus on making two courses? Then you have more time to spend on each of them. The Marketplace Insights tool is useful only for setting keywords and SEO. You should make courses about what you know most about, and what you feel most comfortable teaching.
When I started making courses (less than two years ago), the topics I made courses in already had best-sellers and top-earners and all sorts of ribbons and hundreds or thousands of good reviews. I made my courses anyway. And you know what? Now when you search for those keywords, my courses appear 8 times on page 1 (including 5 out of 5 in the "Beginners rated these courses highest" slider). I'm not trying to show off, I'm highlighting that I made my courses based on my expertise, not based on gaps in the marketplace.
So my advice: Make the best course you can on what you know and love. And then make another course with the same mindset. Success on Udemy is a long game. If you bang out as many courses as possible, it might only hurt you in the end.
Good luck and enjoy!
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It takes me at least 3 months to make one course. As others said, focus on quality more than quantity. That does mean you have to take care in your topic selection in order to maximize the odds of success on that large effort, so you're asking the right question there. Again the Insights tool in your instructor dashboard is your friend there, and again you need to teach something you're passionate about in order to excel.
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Thanks, much appreciated. It means a lot to hear of your experience. We are certainly working on the quality and absolutely delivering with passion and experience. I think, as ever, I'm just excited to share. We actually sent our first course for review yesterday so very excited to join the club (hopefully) - but I do still like to set myself stretch targets but promise you will never let the quality slip. Really appreciate your support. Neil
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Thanks Frank, really useful to know it takes you 3 months too. I was starting to think we were in slow coach mode, phew. And yes i promise passion will sing through. Neil
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Thanks Lawrence, I really appreciated your coments and acted on them; I am just a bit delayed on saying thank you. Neil
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