You have loads of clinical wisdom and experience in your head, and you want to package it up as a program to help more people. Earning recurring or passive income doesn't hurt, either. If you want to build a course or program, you've chosen an admirable revenue source.
However, there are many different ways to successfully build a program. For inspiration, we analyzed the top 20 most successful creators on Practice Better so you can make data-driven decisions when creating and selling your program.
Below is a summary of the elements of a profitable program. Download the full report, The Health and Wellness Professional's Guide to Profitable Programs, for more details.
A great place to start with your program is to look at what others in your industry are doing. Researching your colleagues' programs can help you understand the structure, length, pricing, and more. It can be a helpful way to gauge yourself when you feel alone and uncertain.
You can start by noting market trends, what is performing well, and what people look for in online programs. With this information, you can better understand customer expectations and set realistic goals for your launch.
Check out interviews from program creators like Ashleigh Norris, Hayley Stathis, and Laura Schoenfeld, who help provide insight into what is working and what is not regarding online programs. Lean into these resources for inspiration and ideas when designing your program.
Sometimes, too much comparison can become counterproductive. If industry benchmarking makes you feel paralyzed or overwhelmed, consider it a data-driven process instead.
Since Practice Better has tons of data from online programs created by our users, we used this data to do some industry benchmarking for you. In our Health and Wellness Professional's Guide to Creating a Profitable Program, we gathered benchmarking data from our top 20 creators to save you time.
In our analysis, we included a variety of programs, including fixed-date programs that start at a specific date or time and evergreen programs that a client can purchase at any time. We selected 20 of the most successful programs based on these criteria to evaluate what they had in common.
We found commonalities in many different aspects of the programs, such as:
This metric is relevant to fixed-date programs that start and stop at a particular time. The most successful creators have longer programs that help with client retention.
The optimal number of modules will likely be related to the length of the program, with longer programs having more modules. When creating modules, focus on organizing the content logically and breaking it into smaller pieces so clients can easily consume the information.
So, what types of media are best to include in those modules? Do your customers prefer to read, watch, or listen to the information? Should you add videos, and if so, how many? What types of tasks help them retain and apply the information you provide?
Content type can vary greatly depending on the program. Some course creators choose not to use videos or tasks, whereas others heavily rely on these resources. The report breaks down how practitioners use these teaching methodologies and provides insight into determining what is best for you.
Knowing what to charge is among the most challenging questions most practitioners face. You don't want to charge too much and price yourself out of the market, but you want to ensure you're compensated for your hard work.
Benchmarking your program around what others are charging is a great way to know where to start with pricing. But pricing is very personal, and there's no single right answer.
Pricing varied based on value, program length, results people can expect, niche, and other variables.
For more information about pricing your program, check out this video for factors to consider.
In the end, your program reflects your experience and practice. While using industry benchmarks to make decisions is a good idea, it's ultimately up to you how you want to design your program.
When you have an idea for a program, the best thing you can do is get started and tweak it later. After all, done is better than perfect. Here's to many profitable programs in your future.
If you're looking for some profitable program inspiration to kick-start your course-building process, download the Health Professional's Guide to Profitable Programs and start creating.
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