Steps to creating an online course in 2025

If you want to learn how to create an online course in 2025, you’re entering one of the fastest-growing areas of the digital economy. Online courses are no longer just for universities or big companies: they have become one of the most powerful ways for independent creators, entrepreneurs, coaches, and even small businesses to turn knowledge into income. The global creator economy continues to expand, and so does the demand for high-quality, niche, outcome-driven courses. Whether you want to teach design, finance, marketing, or personal development, or you plan to use courses to educate your customers and build a scalable knowledge base, the process of building an online course follows the same steps.

But here’s the key: what separates courses that succeed from those that are ignored isn’t luck. It’s a repeatable process. By carefully following the right steps, such as validating your idea, preparing your equipment, structuring your lessons, recording with clarity, pricing effectively, and promoting strategically, you can create an online course that doesn’t just get noticed, but actually sells and builds your brand.

Step 1: Start with the problem, not the topic

Every profitable course begins with a clear problem. Students don’t buy online courses for the sake of passive learning. They buy them because they want specific outcomes and real transformation. This means the first step in course creation is to reframe your idea. Instead of thinking in terms of a broad subject like marketing, dig deeper into the actual pain point. A strong course idea might look like how to create a campaign that actually converts. This is not just a topic, but a problem that gets solved.

This shift from topic to transformation is what makes your course compelling. If you’re not sure how to frame your course problem, our guide on how to nail your customers’ jobs-to-be-done will give you the tools to clarify. By identifying the right problem, you make it clear why your audience should invest in your course rather than scrolling past it.

Step 2: Validate your idea before you build

The number one mistake new creators make is spending months recording videos and creating slides only to discover that nobody actually wants the course. The solution is validation. Always remember that a good idea is meaningless, a validated idea is priceless. Therefore, when you invest time and energy into recording, test whether people are willing to pay for the solution you’re offering. You can do this by pre-selling to early supporters, creating a waitlist, or even running a small ad campaign to gauge interest. If you wish to do Instagram or Facebook ads, make sure you read a few tips from a content creator first!

Validation is not just about saving time. It’s about building confidence in your idea. When you see that even a small group of students is ready to pay, you know you’re on the right track. This early feedback also tells you which version of your course resonates most. As we explored in how small creators are winning the internet, the ability to test and adapt quickly is the secret advantage independent creators have over large institutions.

Step 3: Prepare your setup and equipment

Once you know your idea has demand, it’s time to prepare your setup. The good news is that in 2025 you do not need a professional studio or thousands of dollars in gear. A modern smartphone with a good camera, an external microphone, and simple lighting such as natural daylight or a ring light are enough to start. Audio quality matters more than video, so make clarity of sound your priority.

Editing software will help you polish your lessons and cut out distractions. Simple tools like iMovie, Camtasia, or CapCut are often enough, while more advanced options like Final Cut Pro give you additional control. AI tools, including those integrated in Sherpo’s AI features, can also speed up the process by generating captions, cleaning up audio, or even repurposing content. If you are going video-first, explore our guide on the best tools to build video courses. With the right tools, even a simple home setup can look and sound professional.

Step 4: Structure your course like an experience

The best online courses are not random collections of lessons. They are structured experiences. Students should feel like they are on a journey with you, moving from one clear milestone to the next. This requires organizing your course into modules and lessons, each one bringing learners a step closer to the transformation you promised in Step 1.

A mistake many creators make is thinking that longer content equals more value. The truth is the opposite. In online education, shorter and sharper usually works better. Long, unstructured videos cause students to drop out. Our guide on the dos and don’ts for video courses explains why concise, action-oriented lessons keep completion rates high. When your course feels like a clear and achievable journey, students are more likely to finish it, leave positive reviews, and recommend it to others.

Step 5: Record and polish with clarity

When it comes time to record, don’t overcomplicate the process. Clarity of delivery and quality of sound matter far more than flashy production or expensive studio setups. If your teaching is sharp and your content is structured, you can produce professional results with simple tools. A modern smartphone camera paired with a decent external microphone will give you crisp video and audio. Lighting can be as basic as a ring light or even natural daylight, as what your students care about is whether they can clearly hear you and follow your teaching. For recording software, you have several easy and affordable options. Tools like ScreenStudio, PowerPoint, QuickTime Player, and OBS Studio allow you to capture both your screen and your voice. These are especially useful if your course involves slides, software tutorials, or walkthroughs. If you’re presenting on camera, you can combine them with your smartphone or webcam for a polished look.

Editing should always serve one purpose: to make your content clearer and easier to absorb. Avoid unnecessary transitions or effects that distract from the lesson. Lightweight editors such as CapCut or iMovie are enough for most beginners, while advanced options like Camtasia and Final Cut Pro give you more control when you want to scale your production.

Yet even with the best software, what ultimately drives course success is not the polish of your edits but the authenticity and personality of the instructor. Students want to feel connected to a real person. While some creators choose to remain faceless and rely only on slides or voiceovers, courses where the instructor appears on screen consistently perform better. At Sherpo, we’ve seen that courses featuring the creator’s face and personality often convert at higher rates and receive better reviews.

Step 6: Choose the best platform to publish your course

Once your content is ready, the next question is where to publish your online course. The platform you choose can determine how much control you have over your brand, your pricing, and even your customer relationships. In 2025, there are two main categories of platforms: marketplaces and white-label platforms.

Marketplaces like Udemy or Whop can be a good option for beginners who want exposure to an existing audience. These platforms attract millions of learners, but they also control much of the pricing, branding, and customer relationship. That often means lower margins, limited ability to build your own community, and more competition since your course sits side by side with thousands of others.

On the other end of the spectrum, white-label platforms like Sherpo give you full control. Sherpo offers a fully-fledged course builder that allows you to design, price, and promote your course under your own brand. Unlike marketplaces, Sherpo is an all-in-one platform: you can sell not just courses but also downloads, newsletters, and even distribute free files to collect emails and grow your audience. With integrated checkout, flexible pricing, and zero percent fees on the Ultra plan, Sherpo is designed for creators who want to build a long-term business instead of relying on rented attention. Alternatives like Teachable, Kajabi, Thinkific, and Podia exist, and they are more traditional course builders. They give you more control than marketplaces, but offer no free plan and come with high subscription costs, with rigid templates that limit flexibility compared to newer players like Sherpo. Gumroad on the other hand is also a free, simple and effective alternative for selling digital products, yet it isn’t built for fully-structured online courses, making it less powerful if you want modules, video hosting, or more.

Ultimately, the best platform depends on your goals. If you want maximum distribution at the cost of control, marketplaces may be enough. But if you want to own your brand, set your pricing, and scale beyond a single product, then a white-label, all-in-one platform like Sherpo is the clear choice.

Step 7: Price and launch strategically

Pricing is one of the hardest parts of creating an online course. Many new creators undervalue their work and set prices too low, thinking it will attract more students. In reality, pricing is not about how many hours of content you have, it’s about the transformation you deliver. And sales are more connected to the trust you built with your community, rather than with price. If your community sees you as an authority in your field, they will trust you with their money. And a two-hour course that solves a painful problem, can be worth far more than a twenty-hour generic program.

If you're newer to the game, and still building up your reputation, start with a price that reflects value but leaves room for future increases. And tell it upfront. As explained in our guide on raising prices strategically, increasing your course price is easier and more profitable than lowering it later. Then, when it’s time to launch, think beyond the first week. The smartest creators build a distribution engine that compounds over time, generating sales long after launch. Our guide on how to build a distribution engine shows exactly how to do this. And remember, promotion is half the battle. Without a marketing plan, even the best course can remain unseen. For practical strategies, see our post on how to promote your course effectively.

Also, remember that successful online course is never finished. The best courses evolve. Collect feedback from students, update your lessons, and improve your delivery over time. This iterative approach makes your course more valuable with every update, and it shows your students that you care about their success. And think of your courses as part of a larger system rather than isolated products. Each course you launch attracts new learners, strengthens your brand, and fuels your next project. When learners finish one course and see consistent value, they are far more likely to enroll in your next program or recommend your work to others. This is what we call the creator flywheel. With every launch, your momentum compounds: one successful course leads to more students, more testimonials, more authority, and ultimately, more sales for your future projects, even those unrelated, such as additonal files, newsletters, and more. Treating your content as living, evolving products is the difference between a one-time project and a sustainable, scalable online education business.

Frequently asked questions about creating online courses

How do I create an online course from scratch? The first step is to identify a problem worth solving. Students pay for transformation, not just information. Once you define the outcome, validate the idea with pre-sales or early feedback, prepare your setup, structure your lessons, record your content, and publish it on a platform like Sherpo.

How long should an online course be? There is no universal answer. Some courses succeed at just one hour, while others are more than 20 hours long. The key is focus. Avoid filler and keep lessons short and designed for progress. For benchmarks, read our guide on how long an online video course should be.

What are the best tools to create an online course? It depends on the course format. Video courses require reliable recording equipment and editing software, while text-based or toolkit courses can be built with simple tools. For a detailed breakdown, see our article on the best tools to build video courses.

How much should I charge for my online course? Price is determined by value, not by hours. A short course that delivers a strong transformation can be worth more than a long one full of generic content. Think in terms of what this solution is worth to your student’s life or business.

How do I promote my online course after launch? Promotion is as important as creation. Without marketing, even the best course can sit idle. Social media content strategies, partnerships with other creators (i.e., affiliate marketing with coupons, which you can do for free on Sherpo!), and paid ads all play a role in getting your course in front of learners.

Build and sell your course on Sherpo today

Sherpo gives you the fastest way to create, publish, and sell online courses in 2025. With built-in video hosting, flexible formats, AI-powered features, and zero percent fees on the Ultra plan, Sherpo is designed to help creators grow without limits. Unlike other platforms, Sherpo is free to start and built for independent creators who want both flexibility and scalability.

Start your course today and join the movement of creators who are turning knowledge into thriving digital businesses.