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If you’re looking to launch your own course business and you’re wondering about the financial investment needed to create an online course, this comprehensive guide will be incredibly valuable for you.
Developing a course encompasses various elements, including crafting the course material, producing video content, and deploying your course on a suitable platform.
Each stage requires multiple decisions, making the process of calculating the total investment for creating an online course quite complex and multifaceted.
After conducting extensive research and analysis, we’ve determined that creating an online course can require an investment ranging from $140 to $10,770.
The specific amount you’ll need to invest depends on numerous variables, which we’ll explore thoroughly throughout this guide.
As you might expect, the expenses associated with developing online courses are influenced by multiple factors, making precise estimation challenging. Several key decisions will impact your budget:
For instance, handling most tasks independently will significantly reduce costs compared to outsourcing the majority of the work. Additionally, you can minimize expenses by utilizing no-cost course development tools.
Your personal skillset, available budget, and time constraints will largely influence these crucial decisions.
In the following sections, I’ve detailed how these various choices can affect your overall investment in creating an online course. You can calculate your personalized cost estimate by adding the individual expenses from different categories based on your particular circumstances.
To simplify this estimation process further, I’ve organized the course creation journey into 3 distinct stages:
Now, let’s explore each step involved in the process and examine the associated costs you should anticipate.
The initial phase in your course creation journey involves developing the actual content. To estimate expenses for this stage, let’s examine the different content types you may need to create:
Most successful online courses contain between 2-8 hours of video content, so we’ll use this parameter for our calculations.
First, let’s calculate the potential cost of content writing for video scripts, supplementary PDFs, and presentation materials.
Naturally, creating all content yourself eliminates this expense completely. While most first-time course creators handle this internally, let’s examine the potential costs should you decide to outsource.
Let’s begin by estimating the total word count you might need to commission.
On average, a 60-second video script contains approximately 120 words. Therefore, scripts for 2-8 hours of video instruction would require between 14,400-57,600 words.
Additionally, let’s assume your course includes 1 PDF page for every 15 minutes of video content. This translates to 8-32 pages for 2-8 hours of video material.
Since a typical content page contains roughly 300 words, the total word count for supplementary PDF resources would amount to 4,800-19,200 words.
For presentation-style videos, creating 30 slides per hour of content represents standard practice. Considering each slide should contain limited text, 30 words per slide provides a reasonable estimate.
Consequently, presentation-style videos would require approximately 1,800-7,200 words of slide text.
Let’s examine the cumulative word count you might need to outsource across all these categories for courses ranging from 2-8 hours in duration.
As evident from our calculations, a course running between 2-8 hours will require approximately 21,000-84,000 words, encompassing video scripts, supplementary PDF materials, and presentation slide content. This word count may be somewhat reduced if your course design excludes presentation-style video lectures.
Now, let’s evaluate the financial investment required to delegate this content creation to a professional freelance writer.
When providing a freelance writer with comprehensive outlines and detailed guidance throughout the process, you can reasonably expect them to produce about 500 words per hour, with an additional 20% time allocation necessary for subsequent revisions.
Based on our research of current rates on Upwork, a skilled and experienced content writer typically commands approximately $40 per hour.
Therefore, the comprehensive investment for outsourcing content writing falls within the range of $2,016 and $8,064.
Next, let’s examine the financial considerations for developing visual design elements for both your course materials and web presence.
One cost-effective approach involves creating these elements yourself using intuitive platforms like Canva, which empowers non-designers to produce professional visual assets. The standard free Canva subscription typically provides all the functionality most course creators require.
Should you prefer to delegate this responsibility, I recommend engaging an unlimited graphic design service for a monthly period to handle all your visual design requirements. This package can typically encompass logo development and course thumbnail creation within the same subscription.
Kimp stands out as one of the most affordable unlimited graphic design providers available, offering comprehensive design services for a modest investment of just $272.
For more extensive courses with comprehensive visual requirements, extending your subscription to cover two months might be advantageous, representing an investment of $661.
Now, let’s analyze the financial aspects of developing slides for presentation-based video content.
As previously noted, creating approximately 30 slides per hour of presentation constitutes a reasonable benchmark. When providing a freelancer with prepared text and visual elements separately, they should require roughly 10 minutes to design each individual slide.
Consequently, you should budget between 10-40 hours for designing 60-240 slides for a course spanning 2-8 hours in duration.
According to current UpWork market rates, $20 per hour represents a fair compensation rate for outsourcing presentation slide creation. The complete investment for outsourcing presentation development will therefore range between $200 – $800.
Next, let’s examine the cumulative expenditure for outsourcing all content creation components, encompassing writing, visual elements, and presentation slides.
Therefore, the comprehensive expense for outsourcing all content creation elements ranges between $2,488-$9,525 for courses spanning 2-8 hours. This figure may decrease slightly if your course design excludes presentation-format videos.
It’s important to note that these figures represent costs when outsourcing the entire content creation process. Should you choose to handle these tasks personally, you would incur minimal or negligible expenses.
The financial investment required for video production depends significantly on both the style and production quality you aim to achieve.
For example, creating talking head videos where you appear speaking directly to the camera necessitates budgeting for recording equipment, establishing a basic home studio environment, and acquiring video editing software.
Conversely, producing screencast or presentation-style videos requires only audio recording equipment and appropriate screen capture software.
Let’s begin by examining the costs associated with producing screencast videos.
The market offers numerous screen recording applications, but from my professional assessment, Screencast-O-Matic delivers exceptional value for your investment.
Beyond standard screen recording capabilities, this platform provides robust video editing and enhancement features, eliminating the need for separate video editing software.
You can subscribe to the Deluxe tier of Screencast-O-Matic for approximately $20 annually, providing access to all functionalities most course creators typically require.
Capturing professional-quality audio presents a significant hurdle for many educational content creators, and I strongly recommend investing in both a dedicated microphone and pop filter to ensure superior audio quality throughout your course videos.
You can purchase the entry-level version of the Blue Yeti microphone for approximately $100 on Amazon, complemented by a pop filter available for roughly $10.
Now, let’s compile these figures to calculate the total investment required for producing professional screencast videos.
As our calculations demonstrate, you’ll need to invest approximately $130 to produce professional screencast or presentation-style videos using appropriate screen recording software.
Let’s now examine the investment required for creating talking-head videos, another widely adopted video format in online education.
For first-time course creators operating with budget constraints, I recommend utilizing your smartphone camera to capture your instructional videos. Modern smartphone cameras incorporate advanced sensors and sophisticated image processing software, enabling you to produce high-definition video content.
Alternatively, consider using an external webcam such as the Logitech C920. With a price point around $80, this device connects directly to your laptop, providing a straightforward recording solution.
Additionally, you’ll require a stable mounting solution to support your recording device and eliminate unwanted movement during filming sessions. Quality tripod stands are available for under $25, with the highest-rated smartphone tripod stand on Amazon priced at just $24.
Furthermore, as outlined in this comprehensive Teachable guide, you can establish a basic DIY recording studio with minimal investment by utilizing household items such as sheets for background surfaces, common objects to reduce audio echo, and positioning yourself to maximize natural lighting conditions.
You’ll also require video editing software to finalize your instructional videos. Camtasia ranks among the most widely used video editing platforms available, with a one-time purchase price of approximately $250.
Now, let’s compile these figures to establish a comprehensive overview of the investment required for producing course videos using smartphone recording technology:
As our calculations indicate, the total investment for producing course videos using smartphone technology amounts to approximately $384, with slightly higher costs when utilizing an external webcam instead.
Although smartphone cameras provide adequate quality for most educational content creators, I recommend considering a DSLR camera if you’re developing a premium-tier course offering.
My professional recommendation is the Canon EOS 70D, with the entry-level configuration priced at $898 on Amazon.
In addition to the DSLR camera itself, your equipment requirements will include a sturdy tripod mount, dedicated microphone, acoustic pop filter, and professional video editing software to produce your finalized content.
Furthermore, you may benefit from implementing a more sophisticated home studio configuration to address critical factors such as lighting conditions, background presentation, and acoustic treatment for truly professional-quality video production.
This comprehensive resource from Teachable calculates the investment for establishing a DIY recording environment between $300-$900. Since we’ve already accounted for microphone expenses in our previous calculations, we’ll adjust our estimate for a complete DIY studio setup to $200-$800.
Let’s consolidate these figures to determine the total investment required for creating professional course videos using DSLR equipment and a properly configured home studio environment.
As our calculations demonstrate, producing videos with professional DSLR equipment and a properly equipped home studio environment requires an investment ranging between $1,488 and $2,088.
For course creators facing time constraints, outsourcing video editing responsibilities might represent a valuable strategic decision.
Based on my professional experience, allocating approximately 3 hours of editing time for each hour of finalized video content provides a realistic benchmark for educational video production. Our research on Upwork indicates that skilled video editors typically charge around $30 per hour.
Calculating video editing expenses using these parameters yields a total investment ranging from $180-$720, which remains consistent whether you’re producing talking head presentations or screencast instructional content.
The financial investment for video production varies significantly depending on your chosen format. Creating purely screencast instructional videos requires minimal investment starting at just $130, while developing talking head presentations using professional DSLR equipment might necessitate up to $2,088.
Additionally, if you choose to delegate video editing responsibilities, anticipate investing between $180 and $720, with the specific amount determined by your course duration.
Once your educational materials are prepared, you’ll need to upload them to a specialized course delivery platform to begin monetizing your content.
You can select from numerous online course hosting solutions, though in my professional assessment, Thinkific delivers exceptional value particularly for those new to course creation.
This comprehensive platform features robust learning and engagement tools, provides unlimited video storage capacity, and manages all technical aspects of course delivery.
Furthermore, it enables you to establish a dedicated website and process student payments, eliminating the need for separate website development tools or payment processing systems when utilizing Thinkific.
Thinkific’s Basic subscription tier costs $49 monthly, accommodates unlimited student enrollments, and provides most essential functionalities course creators typically require.
However, accessing more sophisticated capabilities such as community features or live instruction sessions requires upgrading to their Pro subscription level, priced at $99 monthly.
A significant limitation of Thinkific is its lack of integrated sales funnel creation and email marketing capabilities for course promotion. This necessitates additional specialized tools.
For instance, you’ll need to invest in dedicated email marketing software such as ConvertKit (starting at $29/month) and establish a blog using WordPress, which requires a minimum investment of $20/month.
Alternatively, consider comprehensive platforms like Kajabi that integrate sales funnel development and email marketing functionality. Kajabi subscriptions begin at $149/month.
Both Thinkific and Kajabi include hosting services within their subscription costs, however, you’ll still need to purchase a custom domain name for your educational website. Domain registration through providers like NameCheap typically costs approximately $10.
Despite the user-friendly nature of these platforms, you might consider outsourcing the technical implementation of your course structure and sales page development.
Based on my professional experience, this process typically requires approximately 15 hours of specialized work, with qualified freelance professionals charging around $35/hour. Therefore, outsourcing your course setup and sales page development represents an investment of approximately $525.
With these considerations in mind, let’s examine the comprehensive costs involved in establishing your online educational offering.
As our analysis demonstrates, your platform and software investments will range between $100/month to $149/month at minimum. These figures represent baseline expenses, and your actual investment may increase substantially depending on your specific technological requirements.
Additionally, if you delegate the course setup process to professionals, anticipate an expenditure of approximately $535.
We’ve intentionally excluded marketing budget considerations from this resource as they extend beyond our current focus, however, you should develop a distinct financial allocation for these essential promotional activities.
Throughout this comprehensive guide, we’ve analyzed the financial investment required across three primary categories creating course content, producing instructional videos, and implementing your course platform. The cumulative total emerges when these components are combined.
The complete investment for developing your educational program will be $140 + $100-$149/month when creating screencast or presentation-style videos while personally handling all content development, visual design, slide creation, and video production tasks.
Similarly, expect investment requirements of approximately $394 + $100-$149/month if your instructional approach incorporates talking-head videos while maintaining personal responsibility for all production elements.
However, this investment may increase to $1,498-$2,098 + $100-$149/month when producing professional-grade instructional videos using DSLR equipment.
Finally, when outsourcing specialized tasks including content creation, video editing, and course implementation, anticipate a comprehensive investment between $3,193-$10,770.
I trust this guide has provided valuable insights and helped you establish realistic budget expectations for your educational content creation project. Should you have additional questions or feedback, please share them in the comment section below.
Daniel Nic Founder, SellingOnliceCoursesGuide.comis an entrepreneur and digital education specialist who founded sellingonlinecoursesguide.com, a platform dedicated to helping creators and educators successfully navigate the online course marketplace. Through his website, he shares insights and strategies for developing, marketing, and monetizing online educational content. His work focuses on empowering course creators to build sustainable online businesses while effectively sharing their knowledge with students worldwide.
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Copyright © 2024 by SellCoursesOnline
Daniel Nic is an entrepreneur and digital education specialist who founded sellingonlinecoursesguide.com, a platform dedicated to helping creators and educators successfully navigate the online course marketplace. Through his website, he shares insights and strategies for developing, marketing, and monetizing online educational content. His work focuses on empowering course creators to build sustainable online businesses while effectively sharing their knowledge with students worldwide.
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