Using a paid workshop to validate your course idea [Case Study]

Will people want to learn this? Will they pay for it? How can I be sure?

These questions creep up in the background every time you're thinking about your brilliant idea for an online course. Am I right?

Well, there's a way to test the waters (and get paid for it).

Let me introduce you to Achim. He is the founder of trickle.app and helps creators earn more at knowledge-entrepreneurs.com.

Achim is running a series of weekend workshops, called the Braintrust, to validate his course idea.

In February, he asked his newsletter subscribers (around 100 people) if they would be interested in participating in a workshop. 20 people opted in to hear more about it (that's permission marketing in action). And 5 ultimately signed up for the first iteration that was priced at 100 EUR.

Running a workshop requires many of the components of a cohort-based course launch, just on a smaller scale.

It's the ideal opportunity to test and practice the marketing, tech, and teaching in a low-stakes environment.

And working with just a handful of participants calms the nerves, creates more intimacy, and provides opportunities to ask for feedback.

Achim's first workshop was a success, and he reported that the small group is still engaged and active in his Circle community. Participants gave glowing testimonials, and two even wrote articles about their experience.

This gave Achim the confidence and momentum to schedule the second workshop and raise the price to 150 EUR.

The bottom line is, running a workshop can be your first step towards launching your CBC and a valuable learning opportunity.