Ask Me Anything - James Burchill, Bestselling Author & Instructor

[JamesBurchill]

Hi, I'm James Burchill and I've been with Udemy since the start. Back then you could post hour-long lessons and the staff would do most of the work to get you published! The rules were much looser back then and because Udemy was so new, I didn't really apply myself and made very little money - maybe a few hundred bucks.

I'm not sure what the turning point was for me, but around 2015 I started taking course creation seriously and made it part of my business model (I'm self-employed so the idea of creating passive income while helping others all around the world, was very appealing.) 

As I write this, I have over 22,000 unique students with more than 30,000 enrollments in my courses (some of which are private as well as public.) I'm not the biggest or most successful fish in the Udemy pond, however, I'm doing well enough to receive an email from Udemy this past December, letting me know I was one of their "Top 10%" instructors - that was pretty damn cool if I say so myself.

Most of the courses I create (and books I write) relate to productivity and profitability - put another way, I like showing people how to save time and make money, usually with automation and technology. I'm also a big fan of the side hustle and teaching people how to turn their ideas into income which I do through live training, one-on-one coaching and speaking events.

Anyway, I'm extremely grateful to Udemy for the platform provided as it allows me the opportunity to do what I love - create and help others. Which brings me to my offer, I'm happy to help and support this community. Ask me anything. Please note I can only share my experience and feedback on things that worked for me. Remember, there are many ways to achieve success, and my way is just one way 

[ZygimantasK]

Hello, what would you advise to do for people that want to start on udemy? Maybe you have any tips? 

[JamesBurchill]

It depends. Are you looking to create a community, have fun and make friends? Or ... are you looking to make a difference, solve a problem and MAKE SOME MONEY? If the latter, then I would suggest you start by paying attention to problems.

I love making short courses (1-2 hours) that solve a specific problem that people are searching for and are willing to pay to resolve. A "fake" pain or problem is not something people will pay for ... but a real pain, a real problem that haunts their dreams, makes them squirm or generally annoys them to the point it dampens their spirits ... Now that's a pain I'll gladly make a solution for! 

THINK PAIN-KILLER PROBLEM SOLVER COURSES ... then you're on to something 🙂

Don't fret over the technology. I can't count the number of times I see thread after thread of noobs trying to get the "perfect answer" to some tech question. I've made courses using expensive stuff and cheap stuff, heck, I even created an entire course with my old iPhone 6 plus ... on a dare!

Remember this:

THE TOOLS DO NOT MAKE THE MASTER ... PSYCHOLOGY DOES!

Here's my approach to course creation.

1. Look at the questions you hear often (or find them.) List them ... 
2. Think of 10 other questions that people ALWAYS forget to ask about [TOPIC.] List them too ...
3. Take the 10-20 items and cut that back to JUST 10. The MOST IMPACTFUL 10. Only 10. 
4. Now here comes the hard part. Record a video 2-7 minutes (ideally) but you can go longer if you must ... just not too much - and ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!
5. Repeat for all TEN QUESTIONS. Stay on point. Answer the question then STOP.
6. Edit, clean up, render the videos into HD (min 720p) and BATCH UPLOAD to your course.
7. Flesh out your course, organize your 10 lessons. Give them cool names ... look at the 10 questions, those will give you TITLES 😉
8. Write the sales page, add an image or get Udemy to create one for you for FREE. I always do this first when I start ... it takes them a few days to complete it.
9. Fill out the other bits n pieces. Create some coupons. Set the price.
10. SUBMIT FOR APPROVAL.

If you follow this basic approach you can create a course in about 10 hours ... I do it ALL THE TIME! I call it my Coursepreneur X framework. If you want more help, Google "Coursepreneur X"

That should get you started. And thanks for the great question!

James