Online Course Launch Checklist
There is more than one way to build an online course that sells on its own.
This is not a rulebook, and it is not the only path that works. It is simply the one I keep coming back to.
Every box below is something I have had to sort out on a real project. Check off the ones you have already handled. Whatever is left is your to-do list.
If one of them has you stuck, or if the whole thing looks like more than you want to take on, let me know. Book a call and we can work through it together, or I can build the whole thing for you.
01. Decide what you are selling
Before you build anything
- Write down the one thing your student will be able to do at the end
- Name who the course is for, and be specific about it
- Set your price, and decide if you will offer payment plans
- Check that every promise on your page is true and legal
- Decide if the course is always for sale, or opens a few times a year
02. Plan the course
Before you record
- List every lesson, then group them into modules
- Keep each lesson short
- Decide what students will download at each step
- Show the outline to a few people in your audience and listen to them
03. Record the videos
The longest part of the whole project
- Write a script, or at least solid notes, for every lesson
- Set up your camera, light, and microphone once, then do not move them
- Record in batches so you look and sound the same across lessons
- Cut the long pauses, the mistakes, and the rambling
- Name every file clearly so you can find it later
04. Make the downloads
While you edit
- A workbook or worksheets that follow the lessons in order
- Any templates, scripts, or checklists you promised on the sales page
- The same colors, fonts, and layout across all of them
- Save them as PDFs and print one to check nothing breaks
05. Set up the course platform
Once the videos are done
- Upload the videos and put them in the right order
- Write a short description under each lesson
- Add a welcome lesson that tells students exactly where to start
- Decide if everything opens at once, or unlocks week by week
- Go through the whole course as a student, on a phone too
06. Build the sales page
Before you tell anyone
- Open with what they will be able to do, not with your background
- Describe their problem in the words they would use
- Show the course outline.
- Say who you are and why you can teach this
- List everything they get, one item at a time
- Put the price and the same button several times down the page
- Answer the questions that stop people from buying
- Add real student results as soon as you have them
- Write the page title and the description that shows up on Google
07. Set up payments
Before the page goes live
- Connect your payment system and buy your own course to test it
- Set up payment plans if you are offering them
- Write your refund policy and put it where people can find it
- Make sure the receipt and the login email both actually arrive
- Check what happens when a card gets declined
08. Build the free thing that brings people in
Before launch, and forever after
- Make one free resource your ideal student actually wants
- Build a simple page that gives it away in exchange for an email
- Set it up so the free thing arrives right away, on its own
- Pick where you will send people to find it
09. Write the emails that sell while you sleep
Set up once, runs for years
- A welcome series for everyone who grabs the free resource
- A short sales series that ends with a real reason to buy now
- A rule that stops the sales emails the second someone buys
10. Open the doors
Launch week
- Tell the people who already follow you first, before the public
- Give early buyers a lower price or a bonus, and set a real end date for it
- Post about it more times than feels comfortable!
- Watch how people move through the page and fix what confuses them
- Answer every question that comes in, fast
11. Take care of the people who bought
From the first sale on
- A welcome email that tells them where to start, not just that they are in
- A nudge if they have not opened the course after a week
- A check-in partway through, so they do not quit halfway
- A congratulations when they finish, and an ask for a review
- Something to offer them next
12. Keep it selling
Every month after that
- Pick one steady way to bring in new people and stick with it
- Ask for reviews on purpose instead of hoping they show up
- Find the lessons where students stop watching, and fix those
- Update the course when your subject changes
- Change one thing at a time on the sales page so you know what worked
Trusted by Entrepreneurs and Course Creators
Julie Morris
Mark Cruz Rodriguez has been such a tremendous help to me!
His knowledge and expertise have made every step of setting up my website so much easier, and he’s always been available whenever I’ve needed support.
Mark guided me through securing my domain name and email validation, helped structure my homepage and course on Zenler, and even created a video tutorial that has been incredibly valuable.
Author/Motivational Speaker
Ready to go online?
Book a free call and let's get you started!
Mark Cruz Rodríguez
Zenler & Systeme.io Specialist