This is a long post but I know you’ll find value in it. Download this post as a PDF file to read it at your leisure and use it as a reference down the road. Download Here
Most of us in the info product marketing business got our start by creating an ebook or two and promoting them online. And—a simple ebook could typically be sold for anywhere from $7 up to perhaps $97 depending on the content and how hungry the niche is for information on the topic.
Of course this model still works today if done properly. But if you go down this road you will likely think about turning your expertise into some kind of online course or membership-type site.
The advantages include the ability to charge much higher fees than you could get for a single ebook. There is also the matter of the continuity model. While with a typical online course a single initial payment is made for complete access, with a membership site (which may contain the identical content) ongoing monthly payments must be made for continued access thus providing you with recurring income from each member.
How does one set up an online course or membership training program? There are many, many ways but I’ll give you examples of platforms many people use.
FOR ONLINE COURSES…
The following online course platforms offer somewhat similar functions, but each has its own unique parts as well. Fees you generate through Teachable will take 30-60 days to be deposited for your access while fees generated through Thinkific are available to you immediately. I have taken a number of excellent courses myself through Udemy.
I created a course through Ed2Go (below) that ran successfully for 10 years. They are very selective about instructors they take on. In fact for quite some time the Ed2G0 site has a message stating they are not accepting applications for new courses. I don’t know why.
Teachable
https://teachable.com/
Thinkific
https//www.thinkific.com
Udemy
https://www.udemy.com
Education To Go
https://www.ed2go.com
One advantage of using such platforms is that they provide you with a platform, a template to present your course through to give it a professional look.
FOR MEMBERSHIP COURSES…
Using A WordPress Plugin
https://wordpress.org/plugins/
If you are running WordPress your can search the official WP plugins and in the search box enter “membership”. Many dozens of popular WP plugins will appear. You can read about each one and find the one best suited to your needs.
Easy Member Pro
http://www.easymemberpro.com/
This was the first membership script I used and it worked fabulously. I used it for several years. It is fully featured and I never had an issue with it. $127 single site license & $197 for an unlimited site license.
WishList Member
https://member.wishlistproducts.com/
A friend recommended WishList Member a few years ago and I loved it. I currently use it on all of my membership sites. It is extremely robust with every feature you can imagine and more. $197 single site license & $297 multi-site license.
Most membership scripts to not provide payment processing (a few do). So, you would most likely either use PayPal to accept payments or offer access to your site by using something like Clickbank.