Firstly, there is so much variety. And essentially – you’re totally in control. You can create whatever course you want. They’re easily monetised and easily distributed and engaged with now in the online sphere.

Courses are an opportunity to increase your brand, your online presence and are always an chance to increase income.

There are so many options in what you can provide, and the package you can provide it in.

Find what suits you.

And remember – you can always create another online course! Or add/change the one you’ve already built. They’re malleable and don’t have to be static – unable to change in format ever. Be free, and develop your course/s as you do, too. 

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1. Self Taught 

This means creating an online course that people can complete at their own pace at home. 

They don’t have to be any size in particular. Very often they’re a pamphlet/booklet that you can download as a PDF and print out. They’re intended to be read through and completed at the client’s own pace.

The thing about these types of courses is that you have written something that costs nothing to reproduce – a digital asset. Something you can keep on selling. There are no overheads and this is always a plus.

It is a simple, easy way to make a small amount of extra money on the side. It might be a mindfulness course, a food course, a course on chakras and journalling. Whatever you deem the most suitable and one that needs the least assistance and mentoring, ideally.

The caveat here is, to make sure to offer assistance if your client is struggling. Or just general mentorship should they need it throughout the course. Not a teacher. As a teacher teaches a class – and that is a separate model again.

You don’t want to make it too hard to do on your own and you don’t want to be bombarded with emails. If this starts to happen, perhaps you have the opportunity to do the next option on top of the first;

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2. Group Courses

If you want to offer a more structured, traditional way for your clients to learn from you – this is a sturdy option. 

This is probably the most popular online course option for coaches out there.

The format of this type of course is normally a class once a week, with homework. Perhaps an online forum where students can interact, perhaps a Q&A, live or in blog format. There are a ton of accompanying ways to structure this type of course but try and generally, it is the traditional model of a class taught in a group (online or offline).

The other types of courses that are unlike this are less structured and less traditional.

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3. Tiers/Memberships

This is akin to the Patreon model and isn’t another course option for coaches per se, but rather a mix of that and access to other materials, too.

You can provide access to certain selections of materials depending on the subscription type. 

If people like to support what you do financially, and also gain insight into the wisdom you can offer in exchange – things like this are good incentives to potential clients. 

People like Kati Morton have Patreons and differing tiers and memberships which offer insightful and guiding content in terms of mental health and managing it:

This a great example of how to provide tiers when you are a coach providing guidance in the digital format.

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4. Group Work

This is one of the most common formats in coaching.

Especially with working online, there has been an increase in online courses and workshops when it comes to the coaching sector and groups provide a sense of solidarity and safety. 

As I’ve said before, if you’re working as a coach, you’re likely working in that area because you are drawn to helping people. You believe you have something to offer people; teach them. Workshopping is a great environment for relationship building and creating connections – helping each other in our own individual journey. 

Learning to facilitate a space that is both a learning environment and a safe space where people can feel they can share – is something truly valuable right now. 

We can learn a lot from one another. And being reflected back to one another, again, fosters a sense of community.

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5. One on One Mentoring

This is when you meet a client one on one whether it be in person or online for personal coaching. 

Here, you work with your client on whatever it is that they bring up or bring to you that they want to work on. Personal coaching can be particularly rewarding and it gives you the opportunity for space and time with one person, allowing you to make a real difference in their lives. 

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