Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Hello and welcome to the market.
(00:01):
Your message show.
I'm your host, JonathanMilligan.
And we are going through thethird book in the series.
Validate your offer.
This is an important bookbecause a lot of people will
start their business online.
And then they're trying tofigure out how do I create
(00:21):
something that people will wantand how do I do it without
wasting time?
And that's what this third bookin my book series is all about.
Now as a thank you for being aloyal podcast listener, I am
making the audio book availableone chapter at a time every
single week.
And as you're listening to this,we are currently going through
(00:43):
that.
Validate your offer.
Now, if you ever want the audiobook or you want the book or the
workbook, you can go to platformgrowth, books.com again, it's
platform, growth books.com, andyou could order one of those.
And of course, listen, as you gothrough the book or use the
workbook to implement what youhear.
(01:06):
In each episode.
So with that being said, let'sjump right in to today's
chapter.
Speaker 17 (01:12):
Chapter 8.
Developing your mini course.
Teachers.
Music publishers faced adaunting challenge in the early
1900s.
No radio, no TV, no Spotify.
Just the challenging task ofpromoting new tunes to the
masses with nothing more thanpaper and pianos.
Pushing new songs was painfullyexpensive and slow.
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Most heard a melody once andquickly forgot it.
Sheet music sat unsold,collecting dust.
What was a publisher to do?
Enter the song pluggers, partpianist, part traveling
salesman.
These unsung heroes of the earlymusic industry.
Had one job, give people a tasteof the latest tunes, armed with
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a grin and a gig book.
They'd travel the country,setting up mini concerts in
public spaces.
A hotel lobby here, a theaterentrance there.
Wherever folks gathered, thepluggers were there, tickling
the ivories.
And here's the genius part.
They'd only play 20 seconds ofeach song, just enough to get
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the melody stuck in your mind.
Just enough to leave you wantingmore.
Then, they'd pack up their pianoand vanish, leaving a trail of
catchy tunes in their wake.
The result?
A surge in sheet music sales.
The mini concerts wormedearworms deep into the minds of
the masses.
And once a tune took
hold, people raced to buy the
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sheet music so they could playit themselves.
The songpluggers discovered apowerful principle.
A well crafted preview cancapture attention and drive
demand.
Fast.
And that same principle is thekey to quickly launching your
first online course.
Just like a 20 second songpreview, a short mini course
gives your audience a taste ofwhat you offer.
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A handful of videos, each just afew minutes long, laser focused
on solving one specific problem.
It's not the whole symphony.
Just the hook, the core valueconcentrated.
And just like those songpreviews, a strong mini course
leaves people wanting more.
It provides a quick win, a burstof success.
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And once they've had that taste,they're primed to buy your full
program.
In this chapter, I'll show youhow to rapidly create your own
mini course and get it up forsale lightning fast.
We'll cover.
The power of solving a singlespecific problem.
How to structure your minicourse as a series of quick
actionable steps.
The key to positioning your minicourse as an irresistible before
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and after transformation.
A 15 minute exercise to chooseyour mini course topic and get
started this week.
By the end of this chapter,you'll have a simple proven
process for going from idea tooffer in record time.
So grab a seat and let's divein.
Class is about to begin.
Speaker 18 (03:59):
The one mistake that
stops most course creators in
their tracks.
So you're excited to create yourfirst online course.
Congrats.
Teaching what you know is one ofthe most satisfying and
profitable ways to share yourgifts with the world.
But where most new coursecreators go wrong is when they
set out to build the ultimatemega course.
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You know, that hulking beast ofa program that covers every
conceivable aspect of the topic.
The one that takes months oreven years to create.
The one that sucks up everyspare moment and leaves you
wondering if you'll everactually get to launch the darn
thing.
I call this the Sistine ChapelTrap.
Instead of focusing on creatinga simple, useful product, you
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get seduced by the idea ofpainting a masterpiece.
A magnum opus that will standthe test of time and submit your
status as the ultimate authorityon the subject.
And, hey, I get it.
It's natural to want your courseto be definitive.
To imagine students bowing atyour brilliance as you reveal
secret after secret.
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But here's the hard truth.
Trying to be too comprehensiveis the enemy of actually
launching the thing.
When you set out to covereverything, you quickly get
overwhelmed by the sheer volumeof content you could include.
You start second guessingyourself, wondering what to put
in and what to leave out.
You fall into an endless loop ofplanning, researching, and
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outlining, never quite feelingready to start putting pixels on
the screen.
Weeks turn to months.
Your enthusiasm fades.
The project starts to feel morelike a burden than a joy.
You tell yourself you just needa bit more time to get it right.
But deep down.
You know, the real issue you'vebitten off more than you can
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chew.
Here's a liberating truth.
Your course doesn't need to bethe end all be all Epic on the
topic.
It doesn't need to answer everyquestion or cover every
scenario.
Thoroughness is not the goal.
Transformation is your job isnot to cram your customer's
heads full of information.
It's to help them solve aspecific problem.
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Or achieve a specific goal.
And the more tightly you canfocus your course on that
singular outcome, the easier itwill be to create and the more
valuable it will be to yourcustomers.
Think about it this way.
When you have a leaky faucet,you don't need a plumber to
explain the entire history andtheory of indoor plumbing.
You just need them to show upand fix the leak.
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Your course is the same.
Customers aren't coming to youfor an exhaustive brain dump.
They're coming to you for atargeted solution to a pressing
problem.
They want to get from A to B.
Not explore every side road andscenic overlook along the way.
The power of the mini course isthat it forces you to zero in on
delivering a single specifictransformation.
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You focus on getting customersfrom A to B, not A to Z.
You cut out fluff,
filler, and distractions.
You hone in on the core stepsthey need to take to get one
meaningful win.
This narrow focus makes yourcourse infinitely easier to
create because you're no longertrying to boil the ocean.
It makes it far more valuable toyour customers because every
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lesson is laser targeted to helpthem get the result they came
for.
So as you set out to plan yourmini course, keep this mantra in
mind.
One problem, one solution.
Resist the temptation to expandyour scope.
Have the courage to keep ittight and focused.
Your students and your sanitywill thank you.
Speaker 19 (07:30):
The three keys to
crafting a laser focused mini
course.
Now that we've covered the powerof keeping your course tightly
focused, let's dive into thestep by step process for
planning and outlining your minicourse.
There are three key phases.
Step one.
Pick a super niche topic.
Broad is boring.
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The more narrowly you can defineyour course topic, the easier it
will be to create and the moreenticing it will be for your
idle customers.
For example, let's say you're anutrition coach.
Instead of creating a generichealthy eating 101 course, zero
in on a specific outcome, likeseven days to kick sugar
cravings.
The more specific
the promise, the more powerful
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the appeal.
A recent study of Yodemi's top1000 courses found that 80
percent focused on one specificskill.
For example, mastering Pythonfor data science, or watercolor
painting for beginners.
Niche courses trounce broad onesevery time.
The takeaway?
Customers don't pay forinformation, they pay for
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transformation.
And the more specific andtangible that transformation is,
the more excited they'll be towhip out their wallets.
A tight promise trumps vagueconcepts every time.
Step two, think steps, notinformation.
Once you've nailed your specifictopic, it's time to break it
down into bite sized steps,because here's the thing, your
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customers don't just need toknow what to do.
They need to know how to do it.
Think of your course, like arecipe, giving students
ingredients isn't enough.
You need to walk them throughthe steps to combine the
ingredients into a dish.
Step one.
Dice the onions is a lot morehelpful than you'll need onions.
So as you outline your minicourse, think in terms of action
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steps, not just information aimfor three to eight brief
actionable steps, each of whichwill become a short video lesson
for each step.
Ask yourself, what does thecustomer need to do to move
forward?
Not just what do they need toknow?
Remember, action engages whilefacts bore.
The more you can break thingsdown into clear concrete steps,
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the more your students willactually implement what you
teach.
Step three, create the beforeand after.
The most powerful way toposition your mini course is to
paint a vivid before and afterpicture.
You want to be crystal clear onthe transformation your course
will provide.
Ask yourself, how will customersfeel before taking your course?
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Frustrated, overwhelmed, stuck.
Now, how will they feel aftercompleting it?
Confident, relieved, empowered?
As copywriting expert SamuelHulick puts it, people don't buy
products.
They buy better versions ofthemselves.
Your job is to vividly describethe better version your course
will help them become.
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For example, let's say you'reteaching a course on public
speaking.
The before state might befeeling anxious and avoiding
speaking opportunities.
The after state is feelingpoised and confident, able to
captivate any room.
In your course marketing, you'dwant to agitate the pain of the
before state and then promisethe pleasure of the after.
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For example, tired of breakinginto a cold sweat every time
you're asked to speak up inmeetings?
Imagine being able to stand upand share your ideas with
confidence and poise.
You would leave your colleaguesimpressed and inspired.
That's exactly what you'll beable to do after completing my
Confident Public Speaking minicourse.
The key takeaway, features tell,but benefits sell.
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Instead of just rattling off alist of what your course covers,
focus on the real world impactit will have.
How will your customer's day today life be better as a result
of taking your course?
The more viscerally you canpaint that picture, the more
irresistible your offer willbecome.
Speaker 20 (11:27):
Today's exercise.
Find your mini course sweetspot.
All right, now it's time to takewhat you've learned and apply it
to your own course creationprocess.
Don't worry, this won't be somemarathon brainstorming session
that leaves you more overwhelmedthan when you started.
We're going to keep thingsfocused and actionable, just
like a good mini course shouldbe.
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Here's your 15 minute exercise.
Brainstorm three potential minicourse topics.
These should be tightly focused,specific outcomes you could help
your customers achieve.
Not broad overviews, buttargeted solutions to pressing
problems.
Aim for topics you couldreasonably cover in three to
seven short video lessons.
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For each potential topic, jotdown.
The specific problem it solves.
What pain point or frustrationwill this course alleviate for
your customers?
The more vividly you canarticulate the problem, the more
compelling your course will be.
The 3 to 7 key steps you'dteach.
Remember, think in terms ofaction steps, not just
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information.
What will customers need to doto get from A to B?
Break it down into clear, bitesized chunks.
The before and aftertransformation.
How will customers feel beforetaking your course?
How will they feel aftercompleting it?
What tangible results will theybe able to achieve?
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Paint a vivid picture of thetransformation your course
provides.
Look over your three potentialtopics and pick the one that
feels most exciting andenergizing to you.
Which one lights you up and getsyour creative juices flowing?
Which one do you feel mostuniquely qualified to teach?
Take that winning topic andstart outlining your mini course
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in more detail.
Flesh out each of the three toseven key steps with bullet
points of what you'll cover.
Jot down any specific examples,stories, or exercises you might
want to include.
The goal here is to strike whilethe iron is hot and make
tangible progress on your courseplan.
You don't need to script outevery word, but you should end
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up with a clear, clear outline.
actionable outline that you canuse as a roadmap for creating
your course content.
And here's the beautiful thing.
Once you've completed thisexercise, you'll be well on your
way to having your first minicourse ready to launch.
You'll have a narrow topic.
You'll have a clear outline.
You'll have a compellingtransformation for your
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customers.
So, don't get bogged down tryingto plan out some epic magnum
opus.
Just carve out 15 minutes, graba notebook, or open up a fresh
doc, and start brainstorming.
The key is to take action andbuild momentum.
Because the sooner you get thatfirst mini course out into the
world, the sooner you can startmaking sales and changing lives.
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You've got this now let's get towork.
Key takeaways.
Creating a super specific minicourse of 10 videos or less is
often the fastest path to yourfirst sale.
Organize your course around aseries of actionable steps, not
just information.
Sell the transformation, getclear on the before and after,
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and focus your messaging on thebenefits of the afterstate your
course helps customers reach.