Erin Booth, a virtual assistant coach based in Washington, DC, has been in the industry since 2012. In 2018, she ventured into creating online courses for other virtual assistants after being inspired by a fellow traveler who was making $10,000 a month in passive income from her courses on Udemy. This revelation opened up a new opportunity for Erin, leading her to create 24 courses that now bring in between $3,000 and $6,000 a month.
When Erin first started creating courses, she asked herself what she wished she knew when she began her journey as a virtual assistant. Recognizing the gaps in the industry due to the lack of a defined path to becoming a virtual assistant, she decided to create courses that would address these knowledge deficiencies. Her first course, focusing on calendar management for executives, was priced at $69.99 and aimed to provide valuable insights and tips that she had learned through her own experiences.
Course creation is a time-consuming process for Erin, with each course taking about 100 hours to complete from start to finish. She begins by brainstorming topics, conducting research to gauge interest and competition, and outlining the course content with the student’s transformation in mind. Building the course itself takes around 50 hours, and filming can be done in a single day, although it can be physically demanding. Editing and uploading the course follow, with courses varying in length from three hours to shorter “micro-courses” of around 30 minutes.
To keep her overhead costs low, Erin initially used basic equipment like iMovie for editing and her phone for filming. As her business grew, she invested in light boxes, a Yeti microphone, and editing software to enhance the quality of her courses. Despite these upgrades, she still films on her iPhone due to its high-quality camera.
In terms of pricing, Erin opts to keep her courses relatively low compared to others on Udemy. This strategy allows for easy access for students, encourages repeat purchases, and fosters engagement with her audience. She also offers higher-priced packages on her own website, which include personalized coaching sessions to justify the increased cost.
Erin acknowledges the effectiveness of Udemy’s internal marketing, which drives a significant amount of traffic to her courses each month. By participating in Udemy’s promotional program, she benefits from their marketing efforts, even with discounted course prices. This partnership has proven to be lucrative for Erin, as she earns more through Udemy than she would on her own.
For aspiring course creators, Erin advises thorough research into their niche to understand the competition and demand for their courses. Setting a schedule for course creation and keeping the content concise and actionable are key to success in the online course industry. By simplifying the course creation process and focusing on delivering value to students, aspiring creators can increase their chances of success in this competitive market.
