The course creation “Catch-22”​

Why content is the illogical first step in creating a course

Glen Long
2 min readFeb 9, 2023
Photo by Hans Vivek on Unsplash

I’m a logical kind of a guy. I like doing things in the right order.

And if you’re serious about creating an online course, creating content definitely isn’t the most logical first step.

In truth, it barely makes the top five.

First you need to work out your market, then decide the result your course will deliver, then work out a rough curriculum.

Then, maybe, you can think about creating some content. (Although I recommend creating just enough to launch a beta version of your course.)

But here’s what I’ve discovered.

When people step through the course creation process in the “correct” sequence, they often make steady progress… right up until the point where they need to create some content.

Then they hit a brick wall.

And it’s not because any single part of the process is very difficult. It’s just that a whole set of new skills is required all at once:

  • You need to be able to plan your lesson content
  • You need to create your materials (e.g., slide deck)
  • You need to overcome any fears about how you look and sound…

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Glen Long

Surprisingly hype-free course creation mentor and trainer. Publishes The Art of Course Creation newsletter and runs the Build Your Best Course online program.