Where do they get these great ideas for their courses!!?? The idea is this: Set 15-minute conversations with 10 people. Questions you could use during your conversations: Why did they feel a certain way about something? What is it about cooking that you find intimidating?” Those kinds of follow-up questions? And, you can probably find places online where people are talking about it. To find them, the first place to search is Reddit, a huge community with thousands of sub-communities known as “subreddits” on almost any topic you could think of. To find specific subreddits related to your topic, Google “Reddit + your subject.” For most topics, you’ll find several subreddits about the topic. But people discussing specific problems they have with cooking? And start creating a solution you know people need instead. He’s created and sold six-figure online courses using strategies like the ones in this article.
6 hours left!
It’s the third email you’ve received from a blogger you respect and admire – all announcing their newest online course.
You’re tempted to buy.
In fact, you just might.
But, more than that, you can’t help feeling a pang of envy.
Where do they get these great ideas for their courses!!??
And… could you come up with ideas that are just as good?
In this article, I’m going to give you three proven research strategies you can use to come up with an awesome, profitable idea for your course.
1. Look at what’s already generating revenue
Justin Jackson, the founder of MegaMaker and a successful online entrepreneur, offers this advice:
“My biggest tip is to ask: ‘Where am I already being paid for my time and expertise?’”
Are you a consultant or freelancer who gets hired to provide a specific service?
Is there a task for which you’re the “go-to person” at work?
Do friends or neighbors know they can come to you for help about a certain topic?
Those are perfect topics for your online course. You’ve already proven that people have a need and value your expertise and help!
2. The 15 x 10 x 5 formula
If you don’t have an area where people already turn to you for help, that’s okay.
Talking to just 10 people can give you a tremendous number of ideas.
If you have an email list or a small group of followers on social media, that’s an easy place to start.
If you don’t have an audience, you can turn to the people around you: friends, family, and coworkers.
You might even be able to connect with people in one of the online communities in which you hang out (more on that in a moment).
The idea is this:
Set 15-minute conversations with 10 people. Then, ask them 5 questions each.
We call this the 15 x 10 x 5 formula, and it works wonders for generating ideas.
Why?
Because it gets you out of your own head.
You’re not guessing anymore. You’re just listening.
It’s one of the easiest ways to come up with course ideas. You can even use it for offline business ideas or blog topics.
Questions you could use during your conversations:
Why did they feel a certain way about something? What happened that made them feel that way?
When you go deep, you’ll get a much better understanding of the true challenges people face – rather than guessing or just accepting their surface-level answers.
Let’s say you’re trying to find out why someone doesn’t like doing a certain task.
Maybe they…
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