💡 MVC: Minimum Viable Course - 15 ideas to get started with online courses

How do you know your online course idea has legs? You don't, so you experiment with it! 🧪

We frequently talk about the 'Minimum Viable Product' in startups. How come we don't talk about the 'Minimum Viable Course'?

Here are 15 MVC ideas

1. Post on social media 🐦
   This is the easiest way to start! Write on Reddit, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, wherever your audience hangs out. Get people to engage. Pay attention to their reactions, confusions, questions, etc.

2. Start a blog ✍🏼
   It can be a single blog post, or a series. Put your insights into writing and share them with as many people as you can reach. Encourage people to leave comments, to share their feedback and ask questions. Get started with platforms like Ghost or @valsopi's blogstatic.

3. Start an email newsletter 🗞
   Similar to blogging, start writing consistently and build an audience along the way. Even better, turn it into a paid newsletter! Tools like Substack make it super simple to get started. There's no excuse not to!

4. Create a mini-resource, checklist or quick-start guide 📋
   It can be anything that gives people a tiny glimpse of what you think they need and that you can help them with. 👀

5. Write an eBook 📕
   It doesn't have to be long. A short eBook that you can sell for a few bucks will help you validate your course idea, AND it can be a great precursor to a full-blown online course. Platforms like Gumroad or Podia are great for this.

6. Host a webinar ⏺
   Run a 2-hour online workshop, presenting a high-level, early draft of your content. Take questions and listen for cues as to where people get confused or are curious to learn more. You can also record this and turn it into an evergreen resource. 🌳

7. Run a live Q&A 🙋🏾
   You don't need to prepare any content. People will practically feed you with content ideas through their questions. You just have to show up.

8. Host an AMA 💬
   Run an 'Ask Me Anything' where your audience hangs out. Similar to a live Q&A, you don't need any content to start with, and you get to discover people's most pressing questions!

9. Join a podcast as a guest 🎙
   Pitch yourself as a guest on a podcast that's popular with your target audience. Share your unique perspective or a spiky point of view! 🌵

10. Start a YouTube series 📹
    This can be a lot of work, but you don't have to overcomplicate it. Don't worry about other YouTubers doing the exact same thing. Everyone has their own style, and there's plenty of room for everyone!

11. Create short videos ⏺
    Overwhelmed by the idea of starting a YouTube channel? You could always start with a series of short video clips on Twitter or Instagram. If you need screen recording, tools like Loom and @ @sab8a's VEED make it a piece of cake! 🍰

12. Build an email course 📧
    This is relatively low-friction, and it will give you a taste of what it takes to design a curriculum for your course. And, you can later use it as the perfect lead magnet to grow your email list! 🧲

13. Sell the outline 💰
    Prepare only an outline, set a future launch date, and start selling! If you've been thinking about creating a course for a while, this is a great way to light a fire under your butt! 🔥

14. Coach somebody 1:1 🤙🏼
    Find one person to pay you for your transformation promise. Work with them 1:1 until you've delivered that transformation. 💫

15. Run a live pilot 📹
    Similar to 1:1 coaching but with a group of people, taking them through their transformation journey together. You need to plan the journey, but you don't necessarily need lots of content to begin with.

I write a weekly newsletter, often called a "must-read" and the "go-to resource" for online courses! Check out the past 48 (and counting) issues, and subscribe over here: 👉🏻 Course Creators Weekly 👈🏻

Got other Minimum Viable Course ideas? Please share your thoughts! 👇🏻