Create a Language Course and Profit

By: Justin Ferriman • October 17, 2016
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stacking-coinsI find that people who speak multiple languages often don’t recognize that they have a greatly desired skill that others would be willing to pay money to learn.

It is a major reason why language courses are some of the best selling online courses in the world. Sure, there are major programs like Rosetta Stone and DuoLingo (a personal favorite of mine), but there is also plenty of room in the market for language courses taught by individuals.

While you may be thinking that you have no chance of competing with Rosetta Stone, let me point out that the Rosetta Stone customer is not going to be your target audience.

There are many people out there that prefer a personal language learning experience. They want to build a relationship with their instructor so that they have someone to ask questions if needed. These are the people you are building your course for, not the Rosetta Stone users.

Now, I would agree that creating an entire language course seems daunting. That’s why you would do better to focus your course content on specific niche or for a certain audience.

For example, you could create a course that is targeted just to people who are vacationing in France. These individuals are not looking to be completely fluent but they want to have some ability to communicate during their trip.

One of your lessons could focus on transportation and then be broken out into common transportation situations:

Transportation Essentials for Beginners

  • Terms related to Direction
  • Getting around the Airport
  • Finding a Taxi
  • Purchasing Subway Passes

In addition to the language you can also teach people about the culture. Include helpful tips and hints about when services are offered (i.e. what is closed on Sundays), what not to say or do, and perhaps common scams to be aware of.

To really add some value to your course, offer students the opportunity to have a short Skype session with you at the end so that they can practice what they have learned and can ask you some questions.

If putting together a course like this seems like a lot of work then you are right. That said, the hard work could very well be worth it.

I have personally seen people using LearnDash who are successfully selling language related courses by taking the niche/personal approach. If you happen to know more than one language then you may want to consider this profitable opportunity!

Justin Ferriman

Justin started LearnDash, the WordPress LMS trusted by Fortune 500 companies, major universities, training organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. He is currently founder & CEO of GapScout. Justin’s Homepage | GapScout | Twitter