The Art of Online Course Creation | Helping Experts Build Impactful Courses That Get Real Results

You know video could help people connect with you, trust your expertise, and ultimately buy from you. There’s just one problem: the second you hit record, you stop sounding like yourself. Suddenly you’re thinking about the script, the lighting, the teleprompter, your ums and ahs, where to look, what to do with your hands, and whether you sound “professional” enough. In this episode of The Art of O...

Reorganized your course outline three times? Keep adding lessons because your students "might need it"? In this episode, Shannon Boyer explains why spinning in circles on your course is not a discipline problem -  it's a boundaries problem. Drawing on her 25+ years as a curriculum designer, Shannon shares what professional course designers do before they build anything: set the para...

What if the thing missing from your course launch isn't another email sequence but something your student can hold in their hands?  In this episode, Shannon sits down with merch strategist Barbara Hobart, whose accidental invention of the world's first no-rewire decorative light switch cover (yes, really) launched a career that's since taken her from Hollywood writers' rooms to...

There's a survey sitting in a draft folder right now that could tell someone exactly whether their course idea has legs. It's written. It's ready. And it's been sitting there for weeks because hitting send feels terrifying. If that's ever been you, this episode is for you. In this one, Shannon steps away from strategy and into the thing that actually decides whether your c...

You were told you could just record a live session, chop it into pieces, and sell it as a course. It's faster. It's efficient. You get two things out of one effort. So why does the finished "course" feel flat — and why do your students quietly stop showing up? In this episode, Shannon breaks down one of the most misunderstood decisions in online course creation: live vs. prerec...

Think LinkedIn is just for job hunters and corporate types? Think again. In this episode, I sit down with Sam Rathling, the queen of LinkedIn, to break down exactly how course creators can use the platform to build visibility, establish authority, and sell more courses without ever feeling salesy. Sam joined LinkedIn in 2005 and used it to land clients like Amazon before becoming a full-time Linke...

Online summits can do far more than grow your email list. Done well, they can help you build authority, create meaningful collaborations, and give potential clients a firsthand experience of your expertise. In this episode, Shannon speaks with intuitive business coach and experienced summit host Katya McEwen about what makes a summit valuable for the host, the speakers, and the audience. Katya sha...

Why do so many teachers, former teachers, and education specialists still seek support when creating an online course? At first, it might seem surprising. After all, if anyone knows how to teach, it should be a teacher. But in this episode, Shannon explores why people with teaching backgrounds often understand something the online course world tends to overlook: good teaching, strong curriculum, a...

Podcast guesting can be one of the most strategic ways for online course creators to grow their visibility, build authority, and get in front of the right people without relying only on social media or paid ads. In this episode of The ART of Online Course Creation , I’m joined by Alex Sanfilippo, founder of PodMatch and a leading voice in the independent podcasting space, to talk about how course...

Your customers are already learning about your product, service, method, or brand — the question is whether you are intentionally shaping that learning experience or leaving it to chance. In this episode of The ART of Online Course Creation , Shannon Boyer expands on a presentation she recently gave at H&H Americas and explores why customer education is much more than support content, tutorial...

What makes an online course feel clear, easy to follow, and worth completing? It is not just the amount of information inside it. In this episode of The ART of Online Course Creation , Shannon explores why many well-intentioned course creators accidentally make their courses harder to learn from by adding too much content, too many options, and too much explanation without enough structure. You wi...

What if gamification in online courses is about far more than points, badges, and leaderboards? In this episode, Shannon sits down with learning engineer and Lavender Dragon co-founder Mary Nunley for a thoughtful conversation about what gamification really means in online course creation and community engagement. Together, they unpack why some popular engagement tactics work, why others fall flat...

A polished course is not always a good course. In this episode, Shannon Boyer explores why some online courses feel clear, supportive, and energizing, while others leave students confused, discouraged, and blaming themselves. This conversation goes beyond content, bonuses, and branding to uncover what really shapes the student experience inside an online course. If you are serious about creating a...

Should you launch your online course live, build an evergreen funnel, or rethink the whole model entirely? In this episode of The ART of Online Course Creation , Shannon Boyer is joined by award-winning marketing educator Jessica Korthuis for a conversation about what it really takes to sell an online course in today’s market. They unpack the pressure many course creators feel to follow big-name l...

Are Online Courses Dead? Not Exactly. The Old Version Is Dying, and That’s Good News. “If online courses are dead… why are people still up at midnight searching for answers, buying solutions, and trying to get better at the things that matter to them?” In this episode, Shannon breaks down why online courses are not dead, but the passive-income, content-dump version of courses is finally losing its...

If you have ever wondered whether a podcast can actually lead to online course sales, this episode gives you a clearer, more strategic way to think about it. In this conversation, I’m joined by Adam Schaeuble, the host of Podcasting Business School, who has been podcasting since 2015 and has recorded well over 1,000 episodes across his shows. Adam shares what changed everything for him when his fi...

If you’re trying to decide between launching an online course or starting a membership, this episode will save you a lot of time and potentially a lot of frustration because this isn’t really a formatting decision. It’s a promise decision. In this episode of The ART of Online Course Creation , Shannon Boyer breaks down the real difference between a course and a membership in a way most creators ne...

If you’ve ever thought, “I should probably be on Pinterest,” and then immediately felt overwhelmed by the visuals, the time commitment, or the sheer number of pins already out there, this episode is for you. In this conversation, I’m joined by Tim Adam, founder of Pinterest Skool, who has built a business around helping creators use Pinterest strategically, without treating it like another full-ti...

If your current audience-building plan still starts with “I’ll just open a free Facebook group,” this episode offers a thoughtful pause and a practical alternative. Shannon Boyer breaks down why the free Facebook group model has lost much of its effectiveness, what’s shifted in the online landscape, and why more course creators are moving toward an ecosystem-based approach that reduces friction fo...

You can feel it when someone’s ready for their next chapter. In this coaching-style episode, I’m joined by Kathy Kwon , a brand + website designer who helps creativity-driven entrepreneurs stand out authentically through strategic branding and website design. Kathy’s work is rooted in visual storytelling, and after years of delivering high-touch, one-on-one services, she’s ready to explore what it...

If you’ve ever tried to validate a course idea and ended up feeling less confident than when you started—because you found someone already teaching something similar—this episode will feel like a deep exhale. In this solo episode of The Art of Online Course Creation , Shannon Boyer breaks down what’s actually happening when you see competitors in your space… and why “it already exists” is often on...

A lot of online business advice says the same thing: keep your course short, give people the steps, cut everything else. But what happens when “quick and dirty” stops your students from actually using what they paid for? In this episode of The ART of Online Course Creation , Shannon pulls apart the myth that faster automatically means better. Drawing on her experience inside a Facebook Ads course...

Stuck on “Which platform should I use?” Melissa Kara shares a practical, values-aligned way to choose, ship, and iterate without getting lost in tech or design. You’ll learn: A simple order of operations so platform choice doesn’t delay your launch How to keep momentum when you don’t have an audience (yet) What makes a sales page convert (templates, flow, and micro-decisions) Safe ways to customiz...

You’ve got a course. You’ve got testimonials. But no one’s seeing it. If you’ve ever felt like your incredible offer is just sitting in a corner of the internet gathering dust, this episode is for you. I’m joined by Zach Spuckler , marketing strategist and host of Not Your Average Online Marketing Podcast , who pulls back the curtain on what actually works when it comes to running Meta ads to buil...

Once upon a time, online communities were alive - buzzing with conversation, collaboration, and connection. But lately, many of them feel... quiet. Too quiet. In this episode, Shannon pulls back the curtain on what’s really happening in online spaces that once thrived, and why the problem isn’t spam, it’s silence. She explores how community “rules” designed to protect authenticity may have acciden...