Find out all you need to know about how to make a Udemy course, from how much money and time you’ll need to dedicate and requirements you need to meet
Are you looking to create a Udemy course but don’t know where to start? Then, you’ve come to the right place!
E-learning is currently the quickest-growing market in the education sector, with an estimated worth of around 315 billion as of 2023. Not to mention the forecasted 20% CAGR growth from 2022 to 2028.
These stats spell a ton of opportunities for online course creators.
And with instant access to a massive online community of students from around the world, Udemy is among the best online course platforms to explore said opportunities.
In this article, we discuss how to make a Udemy course in detail, from how long it takes and how much it will set you back to Udemy’s course creation guidelines and requirements.
Let’s get right into it!
Absolutely! Creating your own course on Udemy is as easy as following a few simple steps, which can be summarized as follows:
You’ll need to complete the instructor identity verification process before you can start publishing your courses.
Also, note that any course you submit will go through a quality review process for evaluation.
Anyone can publish a course on the Udemy online course marketplace, provided they complete the instructor identity verification process.
The process involves confirming the instructor’s identity, ownership rights over their course, and current place of residence.
It’s worth noting that the information you’re required to confirm during the verification process can vary based on your country of residence and activity patterns.
Rest assured, however, that the information you submit is strictly confidential.
Make sure to review your information carefully before submission, as the number of verification attempts on Udemy is limited. You’ll receive a confirmation email once your account is verified.
Before you can start creating and publishing courses on Udemy, you need to have the following:
Firstly, you need to set up an instructor account.
To do so, you’ll need a valid email address and a suitable payment method, such as Payoneer or PayPal, if you plan to create paid courses.
Here are the steps you need to follow to create an instructor account:
After signing up as a Udemy instructor, you’ll need to optimize your profile so that it looks professional.
This involves adding the following:
Bear in mind that if you plan to provide paid courses rather than free ones, you’ll need to register your account as a premium instructor.
The registration process typically takes two business days to complete, and there’s no charge.
Of course, you need to be knowledgeable in the subject matter you plan to center your course around.
Remember, your courses will go through a quality review process, so they must be up to par.
You should also remember that there could be hundreds of other courses that tackle the same subject matter you intend to teach.
Consequently, the extent of your knowledge is what will set your course apart.
Excitement and enthusiasm go a long way in the online learning market.
After all, the competition is steep, and only those who are excited to share their knowledge with others and have a passion for teaching will stand out.
You must have the drive to create a fun and engaging e-learning experience that will increase student participation and retention, as well as boost your reputation as a Udemy instructor.
For your course to be successful, you’ll need to structure it into separate sections and lectures that guide prospective students in an organized way that aligns with your learning objectives.
One of the best ways to structure a course is to think of it as a story that consists of three parts: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
There should be a logical and seamless flow between all three parts to ensure a smooth learning experience.
Most, if not all, Udemy courses are composed of short videos. Some courses feature non-video teaching material, such as quizzes, exercises, and assignments, but the standard format for lectures is video.
On that account, you need to have a proper setup for creating videos.
A typical setup will consist of a camera, microphone, lighting equipment, and screencast software, like QuickTime Player, Jing, or CamStudio.
Bear in mind that the aspect ratio of your videos needs to be 16:9. Also, your video resolution can’t be lower than 720p.
To make sure your camera is steady, you may want to invest in a tripod, or you can simply place your camera on a flat, steady surface.
One of the most appealing things about Udemy is that it doesn’t charge instructors a fee to create and host their courses, whether they’re free or paid. You can publish as many courses on Udemy as you want at no cost.
Though Udemy doesn’t charge you to create and host courses, it does charge a commission on every sale.
The percentage of the commission will vary based on the marketing behind each sale.
If the sale occurs through promotions done by the instructor, as in through the instructor’s unique referral code or a promotional coupon, the instructor receives 97% of the revenue and Udemy gets 3%.
On the other hand, if the sale occurs through a Udemy ad click or Udemy marketplace browsing, the instructor receives 37% and Udemy gets the remainder 63%.
Bear in mind that the above-mentioned revenue shares are based on the net amount paid, excluding applicable taxes or fees, like the 30% fee that Google or Apple charge on Android and iOS sales, respectively.
You can learn more about Udemy’s revenue share and net amount calculation through the instructor terms page.
The number of hours it takes to create a Udemy course varies based on the size of the course’s content.
Extensive, long-format courses can take months to plan, research, film, edit, and publish. A 30-minute course, on the other hand, may take you a few days to complete.
Another factor that plays a key role here is your experience as a course creator. If this is your first time creating an online course, expect to spend more time completing your project.
Now that you know what to expect as a Udemy instructor, it’s time to talk about how you can make a Udemy course.
Though this process has several steps, it’s straightforward and doesn’t require much technical knowledge.
Here are the steps you need to follow:
The first step to creating a Udemy course is identifying the course’s topic. The most important factor to consider here is demand.
If there’s no demand for your topic of choice, your course won’t perform very well.
You can use Udemy’s Marketplace Insights tool to check out high-performing courses.
You can then pick one that appeals to your interests, conduct in-depth research, and start mapping out the course’s objectives.
Another crucial factor to consider here is competition. The lower the competition around a given topic, the higher your chances of standing out.
With that in mind, you might want to avoid highly competitive topics.
Next, you need to outline and organize your content so that it follows a logical and engaging sequence.
The course should begin with a short intro lecture that helps set expectations. You can also add a couple of instructional lectures.
You should then transition into the middle section (body) of your course, where you dive deeper into the topic and provide practice activities and assessments, as well as reference materials.
The final part of the course is the conclusion. This is where you congratulate the learner for finishing the course, summarize the key takeaways, and motivate the learner to apply what they’ve learned.
Before you start filming your video lessons, make sure your equipment can deliver good video and audio quality, as Udemy rejects courses filmed at low quality.
Here are a few pointers to keep in mind:
Once you’re done filming, you need to go through your videos and polish them as much as possible.
This process involves editing out mistakes and filler words, as well as implementing visuals and B-roll. Check out this step-by-step YouTube tutorial on how to edit teaching videos.
Side Note: Do you enjoy watching YouTube videos? If so, check out our guide on how you can get paid to watch YouTube videos.
You can upload your course to Udemy one video at a time or in bulk using Udemy’s bulk uploader. From there, you need to build an appealing landing page for your course to attract learners.
The landing page should contain the course’s title, subtitle, and description. It should also feature a high-quality course image to serve as a thumbnail and a preview video that gives viewers insights into the course.
The next step is to submit your course for review.
If it gets approved, you’re ready for the final step. If not, the Udemy team will tell you what needs to be changed or improved for approval.
The final step is to start promoting your course so that it reaches as many people as possible.
From social media, email lists, and influencer marketing to blogging, guest posting, and paid ads, there are numerous marketing tactics that you can implement to boost your reach.
Udemy has a dedicated guide on how instructors can market their courses, so check it out!
Udemy has a set of minimum requirements and guidelines that instructors must meet before submitting a course.
We’ve already discussed most of them, but here’s a quick summary:
Here’s a detailed Udemy minimum requirements checklist that you can use as a reference.
There you have it! Now you know all about how to make a Udemy course as a means of generating passive income.
If this is your first time creating an online course, the process may seem overwhelming and time-consuming. Once you get going, however, you’ll realize that it’s simpler than it seems.
Did you find this guide informative? If so, be sure to share it with your friends.
Also, be sure to check out our more general guide on how to sell online courses, as it can help you on your Udemy journey. Good luck!