Dos and don’ts for video courses

“The only thing worse than a course nobody buys… is a course people buy but never finish.”

If you’re building a video course, for example on Sherpo, you’re not just competing with others in your niche. You’re competing with Netflix, TikTok, Instagram, and every other distraction fighting for your learner’s attention.

The truth is, most courses don’t fail because the content is bad. They fail because they don’t convert prospects into buyers or carry students through to the end. The good news? You can fix both problems before you ever hit “publish.”

Let’s break down the real dos and don’ts, plus creator-level micro-tactics that separate profitable courses from the ones students forget... which are the ones they happily talk well about, and those who who want them coming back for more! So, don't underestimate building the best possible product, just because you know it can sell.

Start with the transformation, not the topic

When you start with what you want to teach, you risk ending up with something people could learn for free on YouTube. Maybe you have some nuggets here and there no one can find elsewhere, but the point still stands.

Whereas, if you start with the after state your students want, you create urgency and justification for paying.

Micro-tactic: Write your course promise in this formula: “Go from [current state] to [desired state] in [timeframe] without [pain they hate].” Example: “Go from investing beginner to expert in 15 hours, without having to read dozens of boring books.”

Do: Sell the outcome. Don’t: Sell “15 hours of HD video.” Hours aren’t value. Progress is.

Keep lessons short, but stack wins

Your course isn’t a binge-watch series. It’s a sequence of micro-victories that build confidence.

Micro-tactic: End each lesson with one “do it now” action that can be finished in under 10 minutes. Students who act fast stick longer.

Do: Keep videos under 10 minutes unless absolutely necessary. Don’t: Let a single lesson drag past the attention drop-off point (usually 6–8 minutes).

Production value that actually matters

A crisp audio track will beat cinematic visuals every time. If learners can’t hear you clearly, they’ll quit, no matter how good the content is.

Micro-tactic: Record a 30-second audio sample in your actual setup, play it back through cheap earbuds, and fix that standard. Because that’s likely how many will listen.

Do: Use a real mic, control echo, record your screen at full resolution. Don’t: Burn budget on fancy intros that delay the lesson.

Teach like you’re sitting beside them

The fastest way to lose students is to forget that they’re learning alone, without your context.

Micro-tactic: Speak in “we” language, not “you” language. It makes the journey feel shared (“We’re going to build this step together” vs. “You will build this step”).

Do: Narrate your thinking as you go. Don’t: Assume prior knowledge without warning.

Build practice into the course flow

Courses without application are forgotten in days.

Micro-tactic: Tie every assignment to a visible payoff. Example: “Complete this ad copy exercise, and by the next lesson, you’ll already have a live campaign running.”

Do: Integrate action steps directly into the video. Don’t: Dump exercises in a PDF folder nobody opens.

Pre-sell before you over-produce, and gather feedback

Guessing is expensive. Pre-selling is profitable.

Micro-tactic: Set up a waiting list, a lead generation form, or offer a freebie (you can do all these on Sherpo, if you want... for free!). Or offer a live workshop version first, then turn the recording into the first module of your evergreen course. This gets revenue, feedback, and testimonials upfront.

Do: Build with real student input. Don’t: Hide in a recording cave for 1 month with no customer feedback.

Treat your funnel like part of the product

Your sales process isn’t separate from your teaching. It is the first teaching.

Micro-tactic: Turn a free lesson into an SEO-optimized post on Sherpo, upload the video, and show your value! If you also want to gather emails, you can create a separate $0 Course with the free lesson. It’s lead-gen trust-building in one move.

Do: Seed your audience with real value before launch. Don’t: Launch to silence.

Nail your first 24 hours

The way you onboard students determines how many finish.

Micro-tactic: Create a “Day 1 Quick Win”, something they can finish in under an hour. Early momentum kills refund anxiety.

Do: Map the first week of progress. Don’t: Just send a login and disappear.

How Sherpo makes all of this easier

Sherpo is built for creators who want to launch faster without losing quality. Upload video lessons, embed PDFs, write descriptions, attach templates and additional files, and even combine free paid modules in one product. You can run a pre-sell, capture emails, blog about your topic, and handle checkout in one place, with low fees and no code.

That means you can test, launch, and iterate in the same tool your students use to learn, without duct-taping together five platforms.

Your move

Your video course won’t win because it’s “high-quality.” It will win because it’s the fastest path from where they are to where they want to be.

If you want your course to sell and stick, remember: Nobody buys “videos.” They buy progress. Design everything: your lessons, your funnel, and your promise to get them there.

And if you’re ready to build that kind of course today, start on Sherpo. It’s the only free platform. And it's not a free trial! You can just start building for free, and it’s built to grow with you.