What can you do to earn more cash from online course?

Jun 6, 2024

     Reader Disclosure

Are you convinced that you can earn more than passive revenue through your online course using a self-hosted hosting platforms?

WHAT'S INSIDE Switch

A Misperception of Third Party LMS Platforms

You might agree with this statistic that provides 57% percent makers evaluate their course's success through student satisfaction. 23% of them consider the student's enrollment while 21% concentrate on the income of students.

That's why many creators believe that it's best to use third-party LMS platforms such as Udemy, Teachable, and Kajabi because of:

  • They're hoping that it'll lower their marketing expenses, thereby reducing the requirement for huge investment at the start for both software and hardware.
  • They believe it can help them launch their brand onto the marketplace at faster speed.
  • It is assumed that it's user-friendly and does not need any technical knowledge, making it easier for course designers to create courses, develop courses, and keep their course.

However, these benefits come at a cost, such as:

  1. The cost of revenue sharing has been rising.
  2. 75 % of course creators earn less than $1000 a year and only 1 percent of instructors earn over $50,000 annually.
  3. The courses may be missed by the crowd and require additional advertising costs to get your message out to the right audience.
  4. There aren't many opportunities for students to establish friendships not on the platform.
  5. Your page cannot be personalized or have a brand name on these platforms.
  6. It's challenging to monitor your students' progression through the funnel.
  7. Lack of engagement opportunities due to the absence of gamification or social-centric integrations.

     Introductory Courses which are hosted by self    

If you're a class creator frustrated with the high costs and limitations on SaaS LMS platforms, you're not alone. A lot of teachers face similar problems.

There's a better option that is self-hosted platforms for courses.

When you choose to hold your classes You can be in charge of your courses, save on the cost of revenue sharing as well as discover new opportunities to earn income.

Think about the concept...

Imagine being able to design your courses exactly the way you'd like, and then keep more of the hard-earned money you make.

Making the switch to self-hosted platforms doesn't only mean cutting down on expenses - it's about maximizing the full potential of your company and developing a more profitable, viable enterprise.

Still not convinced? Check out this description below.

     The cost of Revenue Sharing    

When you're making use of the well-known SaaS LMS platforms to sell and manage your online classes, it is essential to understand their revenue-sharing model.

These platforms usually will take a significant portion of profits that grow quickly and then eat off the earnings you make.

This is a summary of the most commonly used methods for sharing revenue of popular SaaS LMS platforms:

     1. Teachable

Teachable has a variety of pricing options. Their revenue-sharing model varies depending on the plan you choose. Here is the way that the annual cost of their plans looks like:

  • The Free plan Costs $1.10 plus 10% for each transaction.
  • The Basic plan ($39/month): 5 per cent transaction fee.
  • Professional Plan ($119/month) and Business Plan ($499/month): No charges for transactions. However, they have a the publishing of course.

     2. Thinkific

Thinkific offers a variety of pricing levels that have different implications for revenue sharing:

  • Free Plan: No cost for transactions however, there are limited choices.
  • The Basic Plan ($49/month): No fee for transactions, but just digital downloads.
  • Plan Pro Plan ($99/month) or Premier Plan ($499/month) Premier Plan There is no charge for transactions but the most limited choices for online social functions.

     3. Udemy

Udemy has a unique revenue sharing structure that's different to Teachable or Thinkific:

  • Organic Sales Udemy takes 50% of its revenue from salesmade through their marketplace.
  • Instructional Promotions: Teachers only retain 97% of earnings from sales that they earn via their own promotions (using an instructor coupon) and Udemy paying the administration fee at 3.
  • Paid User Acquisition: In the event of sales made via Udemy's pay-per-click strategies, instructors only receive 25 percent of the profits.

     4. Kajabi

Kajabi includes subscription fees and extra charges according to the following plan:

  • Kickstarter ($69/month) and Basic Plan ($149/month) There are no fee for transactions, but they have only a few features and products.
  • The Plan for Growth Plan ($199/month) and The Pro Plan ($399/month): No transaction fees, but it is only limited to the number of active students.

Revenue sharing models have been designed to highlight the costs that come with using third party LMS platforms. Even though these platforms are convenient as well as robust capabilities periodic fees as well as reductions in revenues could drastically reduce your earnings.

Self-hosted solutions will enable you to increase your earnings and allow you to be more flexible in your presentation style and run your classes.

This is a comprehensive analysis of the two platforms.

     Analyzing Earnings Comparatively Potential: SaaS LMS vs. Self-Hosted course platforms.    

HTML0Scenario: Let's say you are able to offer a course online at $100.

 SaaS Model for LMS:

  • Teachable (Basic plan): If you add a transaction fee of 5 the seller would lose $5 for each sale.
  • Per sale, earnings of $195
  • Monthly Subscription Cost $39.
  • If you can sell 20 courses per month, the following calculation is valid for you: $95 x 20 x $39. $1.861.
  • Udemy (Organic Sales): If you could have a 50% revenue share, then you'd be losing $50 per sale.
  • For each sale, you earn $50.
  • If you are able to sell 20 courses per month the following formula is used as follows: 50 20x20 = $1,000

Self-Hosted Solutions Examples:

  • Monthly subscriptions to (Most Popular Plan) The cost is $33
  • Per sale, earnings of $100.
  • If you can offer 20 classes per month, you can 100 x 20 = $33 = $1,967

Comparison:

  1.       Teachable (Basic Plan):      
  • SaaS LMS Earnings: $1,861/month
  • Self-Hosted Earnings: $1,967/month
  • It's $106 more when you host the site yourself.
  1.       Udemy (Organic sales):      
  • SaaS LMS Earnings: $1,000/month
  • Self-Hosted Earnings: $1,967/month
  • Additional $967 for self-hosted

Over the course of a year, the amount could be significant amount. That's about $11,604 saved over the course of a year!

     Using self-hosted platforms for courses such as Courses could cut your costs by hundreds or even thousands of dollars, based the volume of sales you earn.    

You now know how much you can save and earn using a self-hosted course solution We'll examine the benefits in switching to this type of service.

     Benefits of Self-Hosted Course Platforms    

Self-hosted platforms for courses provide the best alternative the SaaS LMS solutions by giving complete control over your course contents and operation.

Out of all these, it stands out as an efficient option, especially in the event of

Through the use by leveraging the potential of WordPress, offers unparalleled options for customizing and flexibility, enabling you to design the ideal learning experience that is in line with the image of your company and goals for the company.

If you select self-hosted courses platforms like , you gain several advantages. Some of them are reduced costs, better control, and the ability to use a range of strategies for monetization to increase your earnings.                Watch >>> The Course Overview Feature

Let's examine the benefits of these.

     Control and Control of Content Ownership    

Being in control is one of the greatest strengths of an artist. It is also a crucial aspect of a successful brand or advertising.

With self-hosted courses on platforms such as You can customize the entire course to match your company's distinctive design and.

From design and layout to the inclusion of multimedia components, having full control over your content allows you to design seamless and professional learning experience which reflects your brand's values and aesthetics.

Your content's ownership permits you to employ a wide range of strategies for marketing without limitations.

It is possible to create and distribute promotional bundles, offer discounts, or use various marketing tools and plugins that are compatible with WordPress.

This allows you to engage with your customers more efficiently and to adjust your approach based on real-time results as well as feedback.

     Direct Customer Relationships    

One of the major benefits for self-hosted classes is the capability to create personal, unmediated interactions with your students.

In the absence of any intermediary systems, you will be able to communicate directly with your students using personalized emails or feedback and assistance.

When you control your platform you gain access to a wealth of information about the behavior of your students and interests as well as their progress, and preferences.

This information is crucial to understand what works and what's not working in your studies.

When you analyze this information and analysing the results, you will be able to adjust your content and teaching methods in order to meet the requirements of your students. This could lead to greater satisfaction from your customers as well as a higher retention rates.

Utilizing intermediaries may limit your capacity to offer prompt and effective customer service.

Self-hosted solutions allow you are able to implement a comprehensive service with support available via forums, live chat and even direct messages.

Access to immediate assistance and assistance can greatly enhance student experiences and help deal with issues prior to them becoming more severe.

     Monetization via Membership    

One of the most efficient ways of making money off your online courses even more through a self-hosted website is to bundle them in the structure of a membership.

Benefits of memberships include that they promote ongoing engagement which results in higher retention because customers are able to benefit from their subscriptions.

Through offering access to an extensive collection of information for a regular fee that will provide substantial value and encourage more students to subscribe.

Community features like forums and live Q&A sessions build a sense of community among members, enhancing the loyalty of members to your platform.

     This method increases the value of education provides your students as well as generating a steady stream of recurring revenue.    

Base Body Homepage
The base body-loving girls

They provide online as well as individual sessions in their private fitness center located in Sydney, Australia.

Through the use of Base Body Babes' website , Base Body Babes manages their paywalled content as well with their exclusive services on their site. They provide users with access to at-home and gym-based weight training classes Tutorials, as well as recipes.

The system allows them to earn regular revenue while delivering benefits to their communities.

     Fixed costs and unlimited growth    

Here's the breakdown of the following expenses:

  •       Web Hosting:      
  •       Domain Registration      
  •       LMS Software/Plugins      
  • has four pricing tiers :
  • Basic: $179.50/year, suitable for beginners.
  • Plus: $299.50/year, includes additional features and integrations.
  • Pro: $399.50/year, ideal for firms that need advanced features.
  • The Elite plan: $499.50/year, great for companies and creators with ambitions.
  • Additional Charges:
  • SSL certificates to ensure the security of transactions ($0 up to $100 a year) generally included in hosting package).
  • The fees charged by payment gateways (typically around 2.9 percentage plus $0.30 per transaction).

Why should you choose ? We'll tell you our cost as well as what you stand to gain...

Pricing:

  • Plan Basic Plan $179.50/year
  • Plus Plan: $299.50/year
  • Pro Plan: $399.50/year
  • Elite: $499.50/year

HTML1ROI (ROI):

In order to determine the ROI let's say you decide to go for the Plus plan at $299.50/year. If you are able to offer a package of courses or a membership for $100 and then offer only three memberships per month, the monthly income is $300.

Over the course of a year, this is the equivalent of $3,600. By subtracting hosting costs ($299.50) and hosting ($240 with a cost of $20 a month) that's the sum of $3,061 as a net year-end profit.

This analysis indicates that, even if you only earn a little of money, the ROI on investment is significant, which makes it the best option for cost savings for you!

 Assessment of the Possibilities of Scalability without Additional Costs Per User or for Content

One of the biggest advantages of hosting your own courses with is the ability to scale.

Contrary to SaaS platforms, which are priced by the user or an income based on a percentage it allows you to scale your company without the need for additional expenditures.

Here's how:

  • Unlimited users After your website has been set up, it's possible to allow an unlimited number of members without a cost. Costs will remain the same, no matter the extent of your membership's growth.
  • Flexibility of Content: It is possible to create and create unlimited lessons, courses and levels of membership. This lets you expand your options and diversify your income streams without worrying about increased fees.

In short, the fixed-cost structure for self-hosted platforms like this one gives predictable expenses and significant expansion possibilities.

With a scalable platform and no extra costs per user, you can expand the amount of users you can accommodate as well as the information that you provide, increasing your profits and guaranteeing sustainable increase.

There's more.

     Integration with business Tools    

Self-hosted sites like these give the flexibility to integrate different business tools, increasing the overall efficiency and providing insights into student behavior and effectiveness of the course.

Here's how:

     2. CRM Systems:

     3. Analytics Tools

     4. Calendar/Scheduling Tools:

     5. Form/Survey Builders:

     6. Payment Gateways:

Additional details are given about how you can integrate your account in business tools.

learn how you can improve your memberpess site by integrating add-ons as well as integrations

     The Switch to self-hosted    

If you're now convinced of the benefits of switching the SaaS LMS platforms to self-hosted platforms, here's what you need to do following:

Make the switch!

Transitioning from the SaaS LMS platform for self-hosted courses such as those can be overwhelming however, it's possible if you know how to do it.

The following step-by-step instructions will help you through the procedure

     Initial step: Begin by defining a plan    

  • Review Current Platform: Review the currently installed SaaS LMS platform's features, information, and limits.
  • Goals definition Determine the goals you wish to achieve through the process of transition (e.g. reduced costs and better control).
  • Make a Migration Plan In the outline, you should define timeframes, tasks and the responsibilities. You should have archives of all your data.

     Second step: Configure your Self-Hosted platform that you've created.    

  • Install Purchase and install the plugin from your WordPress website.
WATCH for How to Install the Plugin

     3. Export Information from SaaS Platform

  • backup of data Make sure you've got copies of the course's contents, user information as well as other pertinent information.
  • Export Content Make use of the tools to export supplied in your SaaS LMS to download the necessary information such as private information about the user, as well as other documents.

     Step 4 Import Data    

  • Upload Users Utilize software or manual methods to load information from users to ensure an uninterrupted access to students who are already enrolled.

     Step 5: Step 5: Settingup    

  • Membership Levels It is possible to set up the levels of membership you want to use that are compatible with your company structure.
  • Payment Gateways Set up payment gateways such as Stripe or PayPal for safe transactions.
  • Customization The Customization feature lets you customize the look as well as the design of your site to reflect the brand you represent.

     6. Try All    

  • Functionality Test Check you have all the features, such as accessibility to courses or membership levels as well as payment processing are working properly.
  • user experience test the experience of the user from registration to course completion to ensure a smooth and seamless experience.

The right time is now!

     Step 7 Step 7: Launch and Promote    

  • notify users inform your existing users know about this change with clearly written instructions, as well as aid in accessing the latest technology.

HTML1 5 tips to ensure an easy transition

  • Plan completely, including precise timelines and backups of your data.
  • Inform the changes in a clear manner to users, and provide support.
  • Test the functionality thoroughly in order to prevent disruptions.
  • Use the existing resources and migration guides. Begin by examining a tiny section of information to tackle the problems prior to them becoming.
  • Give ongoing support through FAQs and help desks, as well as monitor the efficiency of your system as well as make changes in response to feedback.

Following these steps and adhering to these steps, you will be able to seamlessly transition from a SaaS LMS into self-hosted software that allows the full control over the content you publish while growing your revenue.

     A Quick Review    

We've come a long way. come.

The first issue we discussed was the drawbacks of making use of third-party LMS platforms for online course's revenue generation.

We also discussed the important advantages self-hosted platforms and classes offer, including total ownership of the content, decreased costs, and increased control of branding and marketing initiatives.

We also conducted some comparatives and we were able to convince you why using self-hosted learning platforms such as Courses could be a major game changer for your enterprise.

It is also important to keep in mind that, if you eliminate the high cost of revenue-sharing and leverage tools like Courses, you are able to create a scalable and profitable online educational company.

You should examine the costs of your current system against. its benefits. If you're currently using WordPress then you need to think about an effective solution that will maximize the possibility of growth and profit.

Tell us in the comments if you will be switching to self-hosted course such as Courses. We're eager to answer to any concerns you're experiencing.

Sarah O Sarah is passionate of removing the technical nitty-grittys of web-based sites, plugins and digital marketing. As a writer for content for Member Press, she has an eye for creating interesting and useful writing. Sarah plays a major role in educating and encouraging users to use the maximum power available through Member Press plugins. With a combination of technical know-how and artistic flair her goal is to ensure that each article is not just informative but stimulates. When not writing she is interested in exploring newest technologies and trends in the field of digital marketing. She is always seeking new methods to improve the user experience.

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