Teachable Market Research: Finding Your Course Niche
5 min readHave you been dreaming of sharing your knowledge with the world through an online course? As an instructor, finding the right course topic is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Choosing a subject that sparks your passion is great, but you also want a topic that people will actually pay to learn. The good news is, with some strategic market research, you can discover in-demand course ideas that match your interests and have money-making potential.
In this article, we’ll explore some tips and tricks to help you uncover profitable course niches. You’ll learn how to analyze bestselling courses, spot trends, evaluate search data, get to know your target students, and test ideas to determine market viability. By the end, you’ll have the skills and confidence to choose a course topic that you love teaching and that students can’t wait to enroll in. So what are you waiting for? Your next teachable success story starts here!
Understanding Your Target Student and Their Needs
To find a profitable course topic, you need to get inside the minds of your target students. Ask yourself:
- What are their biggest challenges or pain points?
- What skills do they want to develop or improve?
- What interests or passions do you share that you could teach them about?
Look for intersections between what people are searching for and what you’re uniquely equipped to teach. Maybe you’re a coding whiz who can make learning Python fun and accessible. Or a yoga instructor who can help students relieve stress through meditation and breathwork. Find your niche!
Once you identify some possibilities, do some digging to determine demand and potential. Search online for related keywords and see what comes up. Check competitors and see what’s already being offered. Are there opportunities to fill gaps or improve on existing content?
When you find an underserved topic with plenty of search volume, you’ve found a winner! People are actively looking to learn what you can teach.
Now build a basic course outline. Figure out the key lessons and skills students will learn. Determine how you’ll make the content engaging and impactful. Will you include video demos? Workbooks? A private community?
An enthusiastic, well-designed course in a profitable niche is the perfect recipe for success on Teachable. With the right topic and approach, you’ll have new students signing up in no time. So start searching, get inspired, and teach what you know – the students (and sales!) will follow.
Performing Keyword Research to Identify Profitable Topics
Want to find course topics that will have students clamoring to enroll? You need to do some keyword research! This fun, eye-opening process will uncover profitable niches and in-demand subjects your students will love.
Check Popular Course Marketplaces
See what’s trending on platforms like Udemy, Coursera, and Udacity. Look for courses with lots of great reviews and high enrollment. What topics do well? Business? Marketing? Data science? Take note! These areas clearly have an eager audience.
Analyze Student Questions
Snoop around Q&A sites like Quora and Reddit to find what people are asking about. If you notice certain subjects coming up again and again, that’s a sign there’s interest and demand. Respond to questions and build a connection with potential students. Let them know you’re considering offering a course on that topic!
Research Keyword Volumes
Use free tools like Google’s Keyword Planner, Moz, or Ahrefs to find keywords and phrases with high search volume. For example, terms like “social media marketing,” “machine learning,” or “stock trading” receive thousands of searches each month. These evergreen, in-demand topics make for very profitable courses.
Survey Your Audience
Don’t forget your own audience! If you already have an email list or social media following, survey them about what course topics they’re most interested in. Their feedback is gold and will point you to subjects they’ll eagerly enroll in.
With a little sleuthing, you’ll find red-hot course topics your students will love. And that means more course sales and success for you! Keep researching and stay up to date with trends to keep your course selection highly profitable.
Analyzing Competitor Courses to Find Gaps and Opportunities
Looking at what’s already out there is one of the best ways to find a profitable course topic. Analyze competing courses to spot gaps in the market and new opportunities.
Check Course Reviews
See what students loved and didn’t love about other courses. Look for common complaints or requests for more content on a particular topic. That’s a sign there’s unmet demand that you could fill! For example, if several reviews mention wishing a course went into more depth on a certain skill or tool, you’ve found a possible course idea.
Compare Course Content
Compare outlines and promo materials for competing courses. See if there are any topics or angles that aren’t being covered well or at all. Maybe other courses focus on theory but lack practical examples or exercises. Or perhaps they use outdated tools or techniques that you could improve on by creating an up-to-date course.
Evaluate Course Performance
If possible, analyze factors like student enrollment, ratings, and reviews over time to determine which types of courses, topics, or teaching styles seem to resonate most with your audience. Courses with consistently high ratings and lots of sign-ups signal there’s strong interest and demand that you may be able to tap into as well.
Spot Trends and New Technologies
Stay on the cutting edge of your field to find opportunities to teach skills and tools that are emerging or gaining popularity. If a new technique, tool, or skill set is trending, create a course to help students learn it. You’ll establish yourself as an expert in an up-and-coming topic.
Studying the competition is the key to creating a course that stands out. Look for ways to improve on what’s out there, cover new ground, or tap into trends to find a topic that will lead to a successful, profitable course! With some analysis, you’ll discover your perfect course niche in no time.
Conclusion
So there you have it, a few simple but effective steps to find your perfect course niche. You’ve got this! Do your research, follow your passions, and don’t be afraid to take a calculated risk. The opportunities are endless if you keep an open and curious mind. Now get out there and create that next amazing online course your future students will love. Success and profits await you, just take that first step. Teach what you know and love, build your audience, and spread your message – the world is ready to learn from you! What are you waiting for? Start researching, start creating, and start teaching. You’ve got a course to launch!