How Long Does it Take to Create an Online Course?

Let’s face it: an online course takes time to create, and most entrepreneurs fear they don’t have the time to dedicate to it (at least, not enough to make it into what they want to). Mostly, they don’t know how much time they need to dedicate to it — or they get overly ambitious, say they’ll complete it in the next two weeks, and then get down on themselves for not completing the impossible. 

So, realistically, how long does it take to create an online course?

While I would love to give you a specific timeline, it really depends. Are you hiring a learning specialist (like me) to build it for you? Are you DIYing it on your own? Are you building it out with the help of a course or template?

It also depends on how far you are in your course ideation and planning,  how much time you have each week to set aside to work on it, and what type of materials you are including in your course.

What to Include in Your Online Course

Part of the time commitment in course creation is establishing your curriculum (the main building block of your course) and creating your learning materials. You’re probably thinking of the slides you need to create and the videos you need to record (which is all accurate), but so many individuals skip the curriculum development piece (which results in your course getting delayed and taking a greater amount of time in the long run)

That’s not even including the assessments you should have for your students throughout your modules and lessons.

How Long Does it Take to Create an Impactful and Profitable Online Course?

You WILL need more than a weekend to create an impactful and profitable online course — it cannot be created in three days. Three weeks? Maybe. Three days? Absolutely not.

There’s literally a Facebook ad that haunts me in my sleep about creating a course in a weekend.

It’s impossible to deliver the quality of material necessary for your students to achieve your desired outcomes (and profitable, impactful courses care about student outcomes) in only three days.

You should plan on spending three to five months on the creation of your signature online course  — this is including researching the best way to teach your students, building out your course on its hosting platform, and developing your curriculum.

My most consistent clients with the highest quality outcomes average about three months, assuming you’re also juggling your CEO duties or providing a service!

Having a course built for you through a learning and education specialist will take about four months (and if that sounds perfect for you, I’d love to invite you to apply for my signature course creation package here).

Why You Shouldn’t Rush Creating Your Signature Course (or Any Course)

You cannot rush your course creation — when you rush, you’re sacrificing quality for time saved. And while the time saved will feel good right now (we all appreciate our time freedom), it will lead to a course that doesn’t deliver the results you want or your students need. 

You’ll spend more time auditing, updating, and refreshing your course down the road to get those results and scale your income. Instead of rushing, take the time to do it right the first time (still continue to monitor) and enjoy the changes and freedom it brings to your business.

If you’re ready to start building your course, grab the Course Creation Checklist, a detailed monthly breakdown with step-by-step action items you need to design, create, launch, and profit from your online course in 2024. Want the four-month road map? -> Grab your Checklist.