A challenge for online course creators is choosing a course builder platform. Do you opt for an easy-to-use hosted tool or a more customizable self-hosted option? It is easy to spend hours reviewing features and demo sites. Determining which is the best fit for you can leave you feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.
Wouldn’t it be nice to hear from RDs with real world experience using top-rated course platforms? In this article, RD course creators explain how and why they chose the course builder tool they are using now and what they’ve learned along the way.
Meet the Experts:
Nina Mills, B.HSc, M.HumNutr, M.Diet uses Teachable to sell her courses including A Taste of Mindful Eating.
Jennifer Cohen, Ph.D uses Everlesson to sell courses for parents of fussy eaters including The Calm and Happy Mealtime Solution.
Danielle Omar, MS, RDN uses AccessAlly to sell her course, Nourish, 21 days of Clean Eating.
Heather Neal, MS, RD, LDN, CLT uses MemberPress for the RD Entrepreneur Symposium.
Mandy Enright, MS, RDN, RYT is transition from a DIY combination of MailChimp/Google Drive/Vimeo/Zoom to Teachable deliver her course, The BAR Method (Branding, Advertising and Relationships).
Cara Harbstreet, MS, RD is using Teachable to build a course on the principles of intuitive eating.
Natalia Stasenko, MS, RD is using MemberPress for her course, Turn Picky Eating Around and additional membership products.
Course Builder Platform Decision Interviews:
Is your website built on WordPress.org, Squarespace, Wix or something else?
Nina (Teachable), Jennifer (Everlesson), Danielle (AccessAlly), Heather (MemberPress), Mandy (DIY), Cara (Teachable), Natalia Stasenko (MemberPress): WordPress
What additional option(s) did you consider before choosing the tool/platform you decided on?
Nina Mills (Teachable): I considered Thinkific. At the time I was making my choice. I was experiencing web hosting issues and didn’t want to use a plugin that might add more burden to my website. When I was researching, Teachable and Thinkific were the most well-known and established. I took advantage of free accounts and got familiar with the back-end and ultimately chose Teachable because it was less expensive at the time. It has proven to be a great decision as Teachable’s release of new/enhanced features has outpaced Thinkific, in my opinion.
Jennifer Cohen (Everlesson): I started with Teachable because it offered a free version. It gave me the most functionality within a budget. I wanted a platform that was not going to cost me too much money up front and did not involve doing any coding. The platform interface is visually-appealing and easy to use. I moved to Everlesson when they were doing a special price for the beta version. It was a one-off price so it was an amazing deal at the time. I have been with them for a year now and have been pleased with the expanded capabilities. It is fairly easy-to-use and allows you to customize to your brand and add game-play elements to encourage engagement with course content.
Danielle Omar (AccessAlly): I used Wishlist Member with Ontraport for a while but did not like the functionality. I found it to be buggy.
Heather Neal (MemberPress): I used a combination of Google Drive/email delivery for my very first online programs years ago. I’ve also used Teachable in the past. Before switching, I experimented with several options including Thinkific, Course Cats, WP Courseware, WP Lunchbox, Lifter LMS, and LearnDash LMS, and Easy Digital Downloads.
Mandy Enright (DIY/Teachable): I’m in the process of moving to Teachable, but prior to that, I was using a combination of MailChimp/Google Drive/Vimeo/Zoom to deliver content and interact with students. Before making an investment in a course builder platform, I wanted to perfect my content and format, run smaller pilot programs to gain student insight and leverage positive feedback as well as establish myself as an expert.
Cara Harbstreet (Teachable): I considered self-hosted membership plugins for my website.
Natalia Stasenko (MemberPress): I chose MemberPress because of its affordability and simplicity. I used to be a member of Membersite Academy, a support membership on building membership sites and when I asked for recommendations, it was endorsed by others. It was easy to integrate into the system I already had (Active Campaign, WordPress and Stripe), so it was very easy to set up.
What were the most important aspects of the course builder tool you chose?
Nina Mills (Teachable): I had some functionality that I needed the platform to be able to deliver (e.g. dripping out content) which influenced my decision. I was also looking for something relatively inexpensive as I am in Australia, so you automatically add around 30% onto the purchase price plus currency conversion fees! The experience for my students was a consideration and I wanted it to be easy and pleasant to access course materials. Finally, because I would be setting up and maintaining the course myself, I needed something easy to learn and customize.
Jennifer Cohen (Everlesson): For me, it is still about cost combined with ease of use as I build my programs. Over time I want to be able to integrate more functionality such as gamification.
Danielle Omar (AccessAlly): Functionality and flexibility were the main reason. I was looking for a tool that would allow the most customization and that would grow with me. I did want all my programs to look the same. I also wanted one login for all my programs and great compatibility with WordPress. Good customer service and tutorials were also a consideration.
Heather Neal (MemberPress): User-friendliness, ability to incorporate a robust affiliate program, reasonable ongoing maintenance costs and the ability to customize design/
Mandy Enright (DIY/Teachable): Cost, ease of use, reputation, ability to easily transfer my existing content to a course structure that would allow me to run the program similar to the successful approach I found with my DIY approach. I also wanted the built-in affiliate program, sales pages/sales tools and low fees for purchases.
Cara Harbstreet (Teachable): Ease of use, 100%! I’m not a tech savvy person and that is the primary reason I did not stay on my WordPress site. It has been easy to use and I’ve been able to focus on creating content, instead of troubleshooting frustrating tech issues. As a close second, I wanted something that would be easy to navigate and use from the other side. I’ve participated in courses that were slow to load, hard to navigate or just clunky and visually unappealing. These experiences made me keep my course participant in mind when selecting a platform.
Natalia Stasenko (MemberPress): Ease of use and quick set-up were very important to me.
Did you install/configure the course builder yourself or hire/use expert?
Nina Mills (Teachable): DIY all the way!
Jennifer Cohen (Everlesson): I did it all myself!
Danielle Omar (AccessAlly): Hired an expert.
Heather Neal (MemberPress): Did it myself.
Mandy Enright (DIY/Teachable): DIY
Cara Harbstreet (Teachable): DIY. In the future, I will likely experiment with plugins and based on what I learn, consider outsourcing to an expert.
Natalia Stasenko (MemberPress): I did it all myself.
How many and what types of courses do you sell?
Nina Mills (Teachable): I have 2 courses for sale at the moment, both of which fit into the Health at Every Size® niche. My 5-day Mindset Reset is an entry level course on exploring mindset blocks and diet myths. My current signature course is A Taste of Mindful Eating. I had found from working in private practice that a lot of my clients could intellectualize the concept of mindful eating, but they were always wanting to know how to DO it. So, A Taste of Mindful Eating, provides students over 6-weeks, the tools and resources that I, in my clinical experience, have found work best for my clients to develop the practical skills of mindful eating.
Jennifer Cohen (Everlesson): I have my main product and a low introductory program. In the next year, I plan to add another lower price point and another main product. Calm and Happy Mealtime Solution is a 6-week online program for parents of fussy eaters. I open the doors to this program 2-3 times per year. Understanding Fussy Eating is a mini course to help parents understand the reason for their child’s fussy eating and provide information on the first steps in helping their fussy eater try new foods. It is available year round.
Danielle Omar (AccessAlly): I sell 3 courses one of which is Nourish: 21 Day of Clean Eating. This program opens for registration again in the Fall of 2018.
Heather Neal (MemberPress): I host a biannual online conference, the RD Entrepreneur Symposium, which changes with each edition (not evergreen). The content is predominantly video-based.
Mandy Enright (DIY/Teachable): My courses/programs explore principles of branding, advertising and relationship building (BAR) for dietitians. The level 1 BAR Method is a 12-week course and includes weekly modules, assignments and small group meetings. I also meet with students one-on-one every 4 weeks. The course is designed to have a college-course feel to provide dietitians with skills in Branding, Advertising and Relationship Building that weren’t included in their formal training. My level 2 program includes advanced topics and expert speakers and is designed for those that complete level 1 and focuses on application of the knowledge from level 1. Eventually I plan to have an ongoing level 3 Mastermind to give program participants the opportunity to share their learnings and continue growing.
Cara Harbstreet (Teachable): I’m currently building a course that is an introduction to intuitive eating that will allow participants to familiarize themselves with the principles of intuitive eating and take actionable steps to implement them. It utilizes video, text and reflection/writing prompts and is self-paced. Participants have the option to add virtual coaching with me.
Natalia Stasenko (MemberPress): I sell one course for parents of picky eaters, Turn Picky Eating Around and one membership product on starting solids.
What is one thing you wish you had known before selecting the option you chose?
Nina Mills (Teachable): I don’t think there has been anything that has made me wish I had gone with a different option. Everything I had questions about, I have been able to work out or get support from Teachable themselves or via the Teachable community on Facebook. Teachable has also been great about listening to their instructors when we suggest future enhancements.
Jennifer Cohen (Everlesson): Which platform is the easiest to use and the most cost effective.
Danielle Omar (AccessAlly): I haven’t had any issues with AccessAlly so far.
Heather Neal (MemberPress): How many different plugins I’d have to incorporate in order to replicate the course “feel” I wanted (even multiple plugins within an overall plugin). Really understanding the integration with different plugins (some will list a feature, but in reality, it only “talks” to another plugin that you have to install/configure). Knowing that it couldn’t also operate as a shopping cart (easily add multiple items to a cart and allow promotions based on selected options).
Mandy Enright (DIY/Teachable): I’m glad I went the route I did first to start and then used the time to explore other options when I’m fully ready to roll the program out.
Cara Harbstreet: I wish I had known how easy Teachable really was! I would have likely just started there instead of spending time researching other methods. For the first course, it was a priority to create it quickly and get it out there, I was OK with not having all the bells and whistles that can come with other platforms.
Natalia Stasenko (MemberPress): n/a
What type of interaction do you have with your students and do you use functionality from your course platform or something else?
Nina Mills (Teachable): Students have the option to email me or post in the dedicated Facebook group. I can allow students to leave questions and comments on the course content within Teachable, but I have taken courses that have used this functionality in the past and I didn’t find it to be very effective, so I haven’t enabled it.
Jennifer Cohen (Everlesson): I provide a private Facebook group for those that are in my main program where I do Facebook Lives. I also offer a couple of Zoom® coaching sessions.
Danielle Omar (AccessAlly): I use a Facebook group for this.
Heather Neal (MemberPress): I have a Facebook group for discussion with other Symposium attendees and speakers. Even when I used Teachable which can easily integrate discussion, I preferred to use Facebook since people are already there anyway.
Mandy Enright (DIY/Teachable): For my 12-week level 1 course, I meet weekly to review assignments and brainstorm. Every 4th week participants have a 1-on-1 session with me for individualized attention. With the move to Teachable, I am also going to be offering a self-study version for Level 1 with the option for additional mentorship with me and a bridge to level 2 option. With mentorship, participants work with me one to three times per month depending on goal and needs.
Cara Harbstreet (Teachable): The primary interaction will be via a Facebook group that will offer opportunities to engage and connect. Additionally, course enrollees join my email list and receive updates and news from me.
Natalia Stasenko (MemberPress): I run my support groups on Facebook.
Is there anything else you’d like to share on this topic?
Nina Mills (Teachable): it’s tempting to want to pick a tool quickly and get straight into the fun stuff like setting up and selling your course (wait, scratch that – the selling part is NOT fun!), but it is worth taking some time to think about how you want to deliver your course and what you want your user’s experience to be. This can really help you narrow down you options as well as making sure you are going to be able to teach your content in the way you want and find the most effective.
If you are DIY-ing, play in a demo or free version. You want to be confident that you can use the tool or platform and that it will do what you want it to do. At the very least, get the sales team to send you some examples of people who are using the product.
Jennifer Cohen (Everlesson): Setting up a program takes work. For me, doing a course about creating courses really helped me with the push I needed to develop the program. Creating an online course is just one step in the process, you need to have a launch sequence, sales pager, etc. I suggest people start out by building their email lists and social media following before building a course.
Danielle Omar (AccessAlly): n/a
Heather Neal (MemberPress): Choosing a pre-built course platform vs. using a plugin largely comes down to your specific needs. How many features do you need and either your tech comfort level or your time/funds available to build a course. One advantage of a hosted course builder platform is that all the navigation is built in and you don’t have to worry about updating a bunch of links if you need to move a lesson or module in your course. I wrote a comprehensive blog post comparing pre-built and self-hosted options and my experience with the options I’ve used.
Mandy Enright (DIY/Teachable): As I’ve said, there’s nothing wrong with running small pilots and getting your content perfected first using more cost-effective methods (such as Google Drive and email) before moving over to a pricier course platform.
Cara Harbstreet (Teachable): Given that I’m rather inexperienced, no, other than encouraging dietitians who are considering it to take the plunge and give it a try. I was hesitant to take the steps to put my work out there, but I realized its potential for a passive income source, something I really dedicated myself to developing this year. I would love to be able to meet with more people in 1:1 counseling, but the reality is I simply can’t work with that many people by myself. An online course is a great way to provide evidence-based engaging content for those who seek it and elevates my voice/expertise as a dietitian.
Natalia Stasenko (MemberPress): I think a self-hosted membership platform gives me more flexibility in the long term, but if I needed a quick solution to just one course, I would go for a done-for-you option like Teachable or Thinkific.
Final Thoughts
Choosing a method to build and sell your online course can feel like an overwhelming task. This article gave you a backstage pass into the approach other RD course creators. Their candid sharing of experiences has likely given you a new and more focused set of considerations and some specific platforms to consider.
Did you know that you sell your online courses or webinar recordings on RD2RD? Here are a few examples of course products on RD2RD.
Course: Fast Track to Pretty Graphics with Canva
Webinar + Workbook: How to Practice the Anti-Diet Approach in Your Nutrition Practice
Course: The Role of Medical Nutrition Therapy in Acne Care
Be sure to grab a copy of my FREE e-book, “Leveraging Digital Goods: More Money, More Business” with a BONUS getting started checklist.
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