How to double the value of a course with the reverse easter egg strategy
And another update about my upcoming free course
Hello,
Welcome to this week's edition of Course Builder’s Corner.
I have 2 things to share with you in this issue.
I. Project update
II. Article: How to double the value of a course with the reverse easter egg strategy
III. Two ways I can help you
Let's get started
I. Project Update
Big lesson this week - The Curse of Knowledge
I've been meeting with people to apply the Winning Course Framework that will be taught in my upcoming free email course. This framework shows you how to generate and validate ideas for programs you can sell.
And I've discovered a big obstacle to overcome.
We struggle to uncover our customer's motivating problem. Knowing this problem is essential to marketing your course. But why is this so hard?
To an expert, the motivating problem often feels like a mere symptom of "the real problem." So each person I speak with wants to focus on that in their marketing.
Yes, solve the real problem in the course, but show customers how you'll solve the issue that's top of mind for them.
Now that I can see how tricky this concept is, showing you how to make this important mindset shift will be a big part of the email course.
And of course, we also want to make sure our courses are as valuable as possible. But how can we do that without adding a lot of extra work?
See the next article for a solution.
II. How to double the value of a course with the reverse easter egg strategy
What does the movie Toy Story and the horror film The Shinning have in common?
Just one room.
In Toy Story the toys are captured by a mean kid named Sid. The carpet in his room looks exactly like the carpet in the hotel in The Shinning. For those in the know, discovering this subtle connection was a an unexpected delight.
When filmmakers plant this kind of hidden feature in a movie it's called an easter egg.
But did you know that the best courses contain a kind of reverse easter egg?
Instead of creating a hidden message, we can turn the format of the entire course into a teaching tool that requires a second pass through to observe.
Creating these kinds of teaching easter eggs doubles the value of your course without adding any additional effort on your part.
For example, Carrie Goucher helps organizations transform time-wasting meetings into highly productive experiences.
In her workshops, she uses the same meeting techniques she teaches to organize the breakouts and the sharing. This way participants actually experience the new strategies they'll use to guide their company's meetings.
I first learned copywriting from American Writer's and Artist's Institute. Their courses came in big binders. Each lesson used powerful headlines, engaging bullets and powerful hooks to keep readers engaged. Just like they were teaching us to use in our copy.
In my Atomic Course Blueprint I break down each element of a tiny, high value course. But it would be great to see an example of an Atomic Course in action, right? That way you'd know what it looks like when all the elements are put together. That's why the Atomic Course Blueprint is itself a tiny course. Reading it a second time will help you see how all the elements work together.
To use this reverse easter egg principle ask ...
"How can I model what I'm teaching in the design of the program itself?"
There is almost always a way to ensure participants in your program experience your concepts through whatever medium you use.
Once you incorporate those ideas into your program, it becomes uniquely valuable.
But there's one mistake you can make - failing to let participants know about the double learning opportunity before they take your program.
Don't just tell them when they start, inform them beforehand as well. That way they know why your program is head and shoulders above the rest.
I appreciate that you've gotten this far 🤗
III. And before you go, you may want to check out any of the following:
The Atomic Course Blueprint - Want to create a course without the usual overwhelm? Try creating a tiny course. Find out more here.
iPARA: How to organize your digital life for action- Is digital disorganization keeping you from reaching your goals? What if just four folders could let you not just stay organized but actually get things done. See for yourself here.
That’s it for this week. I’ll see you next week with another issue.