The Ultimate Online Course Launch Checklist (Free Guide + Templates)

Make a list of all the things you need to do before the course, throughout, and even following the launch of your online course to ensure it's an overwhelming achievement.

When I was a youngster, there was nothing better than making an action plan and crossing each one off as I completed it. Get up? Check. Breakfast? Check. Play Power Rangers? Check. Do your homework? Whoops, I may have missed this one. (Yeah I got my priorities in order.)

Even to this day to this day, the use of a checklist or a list of things to finish helps keep my mind organized. Not only do you know the things you'll need to accomplish, you also get that sweet rush of dopamine each time you cross off one of your tasks.

When it comes to launching your online course, that's where a checklist can prove extremely useful. There are so numerous moving pieces in the build-up leading up to your day of launch, that it could be very easy to overlook something small along the way. (Or perhaps something huge -I've seen authors launch their websites with broken links to their sales page. Yikes!)

The checklist listed below to guide you through everything you need to do prior to, during, and following the launch of the online class. And if you're feeling old-school You can print out the list of items for your online course's launch (pdf) and cross off every item with a pen and paper. It's going to be super satisfying either way.

     Jump ahead to this page:    

1.    Pre-Launch Checklist

•      Marketing Funnel and Sales Strategy Review
• Site Design:
•        Branding Make sure to check
•        Homepage Check
•        Course Checking the Landing Page
• Course Style:
•        Curriculum Check
•        Settings Check
•      Beta-Student Test Then, Run

1.    Launch Day Checklist
2.    Post-Launch checklist

The Pre-Launch Checklist

There's plenty of issues you'll need decide and start putting into practice prior to launching your online class. You might not need to complete every item on this list, but you should at least consider those things prior to the launch date.

Marketing Funnel & Sales Strategy Check

An effective launch relies upon you setting the components to create your marketing funnel and sales strategy prior to the time. Here are some of the most crucial things you need to explore in the weeks prior to going live.

• Set launch date 3-4 weeks in advance The ideal is that you should give yourself the maximum amount of time is possible to create the strategy for your launch and to ensure that your course is of high quality.
• Design your strategy for launching day communications What is the best way to connect with your audience to make them aware of the course you're offering? Whether this is via Facebook, Twitter, or your mailing list or advertisements paid for.

Website Design The Branding Check

• The colors are custom-made and all links are visible Colors of the text are contrasted with background colors so your navigational links will be accessible to students.
• Typefaces that are customized Choose a font that makes it easy for learners to understand.
• Favicon created The icon can be customized displayed in tabs of your browser in line with your company's brand.
• Logo added: Add your personal logo to the header so your students instantly recognize your company's name.
• Social icons are added Include social media links for your Facebook, Instagram, and many more, by adding icons as well as links to your footer.
• Copyright is correct You can customize the copyright-related text you use in your footer, use the default, or hide the text completely.
• Site name and URL that you have customized Change your website's name with a description of your school and your website URL to make it easy for students to recall.

Site Design: Homepage Review

Your homepage is the place where students come to look over your courses. Here are some of the points to be aware of prior to you launch.

• Homepage created The homepage you choose to use is customized with information about your school
• Broken links are not present Every button as well as links will take you to the correct page.
• The ability to access your product's homepage It is important that your students have a way to view and purchase every course you have available on sale.
• There are no grammar errors Check your document for errors to be sure that spelling and grammar are accurate.
• Banners are set up correctly: Check that any buttons in the banner point to the appropriate page.
• Legible banner text The text on your banner should be apparent to the customers choosing a font which contrasts with the banner's image.
• There is no text in the banner image: Ensure your text is legible on all screen sizes.
• Sections are not left with text or images that are not yours. Each section is customized with images and copy in line with your branding.

Web Design Course Landing Page Check

• Pages for course landings created The course's landing pages will be made custom with details about your course.
• No broken links: All buttons as well as links will take you to the proper webpage.
• Correct Call to Action links Call to action hyperlinks lead to the appropriate page.
• Grammar errors are not a problem: Proofread your copy to make sure spelling and grammar are in order.
• No sections left with the default copy and images Each section is custom-designed with images and text to align with your brand.
• Preview button for free when a preview of a free version is offered Make sure your students have access to the preview free of charge by keeping the default button in your banner.
• at least 1 purchase option: Ensure your students can purchase your course using an order button on your banner as well as on the landing page of your course.
• Legal banner text The text on your banner should be clearly noticeable to customers choosing a font which contrasts with the banner image.

Course Design: Curriculum Check

When students buy your course, you'll want to ensure that the course is displayed correctly and that everything is accessible from the beginning.

• Lessons without warnings: All lessons contain sufficient content to make sure they are visible to enrolled students.
• Lessons not made draft: Unless intended, all lessons are not set to draft, so that they can be visible to enrolled students.
• A free preview is available The lessons you'd like to be included in the free preview will be marked as an HTML0 lesson.
• A prerequisite lesson should be properly set up All lessons you'd like to set up as prerequisite lessons will be marked accordingly.
• Discussion options are turned off: Any lesson which you'd like to give students the opportunity to begin discussions about is identified as such

Course Design: Settings Verify

• Course Name and URL custom to your specific course: Provide your course with a descriptive title and set the URL to reflect that.
• Course Player's appearance is customized Theme design, style and logo are updated to align with the brand you represent.
• The course's progress and completion can be custom-designed:Ensure lessons are set correctly and students are able to complete each section of your course.
• Completion certificates disabled If you are distributing certificates, be sure that these are activated and tailored to reflect your brand.
• Customized completion page: Override the default screen students see at the end of a class by incorporating a customized completion page and add upsells, a customized thank-you message and many more.
• Settings for video lesson progression: Set your videos to play automatically so that students have time to sit back and study! It is also possible to create a mandatory percentage of completion to ensure that your students have watched a predetermined quantity of video before moving forward.
• Thumbnails added in videos: Upload an image to each of your videos to inform your viewers of the things they will be seeing.
• Captions added: Make your videos more usable with captions by uploading them.
• Chapter finalization Modal: Toggle this setting to enable or disable the interstitial modal between chapters.
• Course image & description added The image and description appear on your checkout page . It is required to explain the class.
• SEO fields are set to set up your SEO course's title descriptions, keywords, and description to ensure it's indexed properly by Google.
• Default price set up Check that your class's price is right price that you would like students to be able to pay.

Beta Students Test Then, Run

The last step in preparing your site for launch is to sign up as a test participant in order to verify that the sign up and enrolling process makes sense. I would suggest creating an 100 percent off coupon for you to help the first step as well as asking an entire group of students who are beta to test these things on your behalf.

• Go to the homepage of your website.
• Follow the link to get to the page of the course.
• Click the purchase button for the program.
• If enabled, ensure the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service are present, hyperlinks to the right page and correct in their format.
• Custom signup fields are present and are in the right place of.
• Test coupon works perfectly.
• The Thank You page is nice and connects you to the course player.
• The lessons in the course are clearly clear and efficient.

Launch Day Checklist

Do you smell it? That's the smell of launch day! This is the moment you've been waiting for and here's a list items you'll need to make sure you do to make sure everything goes off without the slightest issue.

• Enable special discounts: If you've put in place any launch day coupons bundles or discounts now is the moment to activate them. This can be an excellent incentive to add to your promotions today.
• Send out launch emails: Hopefully, you've been trying to get your emails on the radar lists for weeks prior up to this point. Today, you're going to be sending at least one or two emails to let folks know that the time to take action is now.
• Social media channels: The goal is to get the word out as much as possible right now. So go ahead and make sure to post on all your social media accounts concerning your launch of your course. Create a thread on Twitter or post the TikTok you've been saving, include it in the stories on your Instagram. Instagram stories.
• Create your live webinar or workshop If you've thought of rolling the creation of a live webinar in order to market your class, today's the time to do it. Make use of this opportunity to connect with your audience, provide them a sample of what your complete course will provide, and give them a special discount off your entire course.
• Make your ads HTML0 If you're planning to run any PPC advertisements for marketing or social, now is the time to launch these ads. You can use audience targeting to hone in on the ideal student and then direct people directly to your sale page.
• Be attentive to the first time you sign up: Watch to see how many sign-ups are made in the beginning and also how deep they are absorbed in the material. It is also possible to email some of the first participants to let them know that you are you available for issues, initial questions or even feedback.
• Celebrate your success: (Cue the party emojis!) In all the hard work that you've put into this course online It's crucial to spend a bit of time to be proud of everything you've achieved. There's no doubt that it didn't go as smoothly (it isn't often that in this way) But you'll be happy with the initial results.

Post-Launch Checklist

Even though you've completed the day of your launch doesn't mean you're finished yet! There are lots of post-launch opportunities you should take on in the days and months that follow. Here are some ideas to get you started...

• Get feedback from students You can create a survey to gather feedback from students after they complete your course. This will allow you to identify the areas for improvement, as well as what's doing well, and whether there's a chance to increase or introduce additional content.
• Let students review your course help promote your course with student reviews. These can be directly linked to your course's homepage or landing page to ensure that you are able to use them to convince prospective customers to make the purchase.
• Build a learning community Enhance the learning experience of students by giving them more long-term value by attaching an online learning community with an online program. This will give students a place to discuss their topic, interact among themselves, and keep the conversation running after they have completed the lessons.
• Review the data from your sales funnel Examine your open rate as well as click through rates, conversion rates, and bounce rates to determine what you can do to get more subscribers. It's a good option to cut down on the cost of a click (CPC) and make more bang from your advertising budget.
• Experiment with new copywriting Take note to what your students have to say about your class in order to make your advertising or landing pages compelling. Through their language, you can tap into problems and advantages you may not have thought of initially.
• Enhance your student's satisfaction Search for other ways to increase your student experience. You can also continue to improve the content of your courses. Remember -- your work does not end once you've launched your course. You can keep developing and learning.
• Find your next course topic Ask your students to find any ideas that you might have for additional learning resources as well as follow-up courses or downloadable items. After that, it's time to start planning your next big launch date!

  What do you need to know whether your online course is ready for launch?  

It's not easy to know when you're ready to launch. Because an online course is not going to be flawless and at time, you must take the leap and observe what the public thinks. Remember that selling your online course is a marathon, not a sprint. Even if you have poor launch days, it's still possible to recover in the long-term.