Great post, I love all the examples and images. My preferred learning style is written content. I like to be able to read so I can easily review if there is something I find difficult or to be able to refer back to it in the future.

I would follow that up with audio content. For me, video courses are a bit of a turn off on a course as I find it harder to find the time to watch videos than the other methods. I do see the value though for a lot of types of content.

WOW....that's so interesting you'd prefer written + audio over video. I love the video format.

I definitely see the plight of a video course however if you're commuting say by car (and can only listen to as podcast) or by train (and may not be able to dedicate all your attention to a video....or even be able to stream it).

Very good point Roger!

Thanks for the tip Ian :)

I think showing screenshots of the inside of the course will get more and more important as the consumer gets smarter and has more options. I honestly think the courses will end up being more "software-like" than anything.

I know right?! It's amazing how different people like learning so differently. It seems one size DOES NOT fit all in this case.

I'm glad you got to peek behind the scenes of some of these courses before you build your own. I had such a hard time finding info and screenshots of actual working backends. Asking the audience was the only way I've been able to find this info!

Great share! I have spent way too much money on courses over the years and have seen everything from simple HTML layouts to upper end platforms. I've learned how I best consume content and have a list of features that make me happy and I will include in any of my courses:

1. Videos MUST be downloadable.

2. PDF transcripts of the videos - I tend to nod off watching videos, so I need the written word too!

3. Breadcrumbs and easy navigation back to the sub-sections as well as main member's area.

One of the new features I like in Kajabi and others is the "Course Complete" indicator.

I read your comment below about online courses becoming more like software. I completely agree with you on that. This is perhaps my favorite thing about some of the Udemy courses I've enrolled in: When a course on something such as JavaScript gets updated, you usually won't have to pay more to access the new material. You're sort of "grandfathered" in and the newbies may have to pay a higher price for the latest edition.

Another thing about online courses that I haven't heard anyone mention is the opportunity to learn in a community. To me, this is one of the most attractive benefits of paying for certain online courses. While I'm yet to buy any of his products, Ramit Sethi strikes me a great example of someone who tries to build a community of like-minded people in his courses. That is a great sales tactic, by the way. Some of these people will "ascend" his product line and become ideal, lifetime customers.

Thank you for the great post!

I am currently setting up a course for companies to use as a training for their team. Do you think one platform would be better for dealing with companies rather than individuals?

This course will not be open to the public, but can be used for more than 1 company as it is not exclusive. Although it may end up having some sections that are exclusive for a particular team.

Oh so much going on...I have the basic classes and just not sure if companies will want more and don't want to set up everything just to have to rebuild.

Thank you again for taking the time to put this all together for us!

Hi Nev:

I like multi-media (video and PDF <- I scan to find the main points).

Here's what I LOVE:

1. Short and to the point videos (2 minutes).

2. Action steps, doable, easy.

3. PDF/transcripts.

4. Super-organized, great flow, graphically engaging.

5. Easy navigation.

6. Fun with personality!

I enjoy your emails and presentations (super well-done and fun!). Well-organized and thoughtful. And, here's another I really like: Ramit Sethi/Peak Performance Made Easy/See "What I Love" 6 points I mentioned above.

http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/guides/ultimate-guide-to-habits/

The best way I learn copywriting, marketing, social psychology is printed or written material. Your recommendation to print out the Boron Letters was HUUUUUGELY helpful. Check out this photo I just took of your book and the Boron Letters: http://imgur.com/O1hwJGV

Dead tree lets me scribble notes, highlight tips, flag pages (see the hot pick post-it note sticking out and the white pieces of paper bookmarking pages in your book). I write all through my dead tree versions and note key pages and topics at the end pages.

Mostly, dead tree sets me up to be away from my distracting computer (you know, from the voices in myhead that cause thoughts to shoot off in my brain ... such as "wonder how that FB ad is doing" ... "oh yeah, I need to add that thingie to the website" ... etc). I need help focusing when my computer sits there offering so many interesting things.

I do love the PDFs that Chip Heath and Dan Heath provide with their books (Switch, Made to Stick, Decisive). In general, I find PDFs more helpful than videos because I can read faster than I can listen. And I stay focused better. (A person talking sets my mind wandering ...) Tho I RARELY print out PDFs. Mostly read them on screen.

But, wait! Courses I took to learn phone app programming, advanced FB advertising and other things that involve doing stuff, hands-on videos are best. Watch, pause, try it out ... lather, rinse repeat as necessary.

In summary: it depends. Depends on the subject matter. There's never a simple answer is there?

My favorite learning source? The public.

See, the one author who either talks or writes his opinion throughout the given book/ white paper/ video/ blog post mentioned above... is something THAT HE HIMSELF AUTHORED.

The best way to learn, and the best way of get accurate information, is to... read the comments of the featured video, audio, article or whatever. Aside from getting a summary of the feature, you'll get an expounded version, and an unbiased opinion too ;) The best learning source: the comments section!

Thanks Reg (and appreciate the kind words about my own stuff).

I guess if I paid a lot of money for something and just got a Word doc back, I might be a little peeved if it gave the impression the product was something more substantial.

I too like the short video bite-sized lessons, seems to be the best way of learning for a lot of people (although not all.....I'm surprised how many people like plain text or audio instead of video).

Oh nice! Actually last year I DID One Month!

https://copywritingcourse.com/the-coding-challenge/

.....I made Nevtrest (a Pintrest clone) :)

I think the hands-on method is always the best. TALKING about something only does so much compared to DOING something.

Thanks for sharing Gerard!

BAHAHAHAHH....nice try Angelo :) I researched it on Wikipedia, apparently the Mayan's never actually said that :-)

I too like the video + text. Although it seems from going through the comments a combination of Audio + Text + Video is the best combination (basically EVERYTHIING) :)

Oh sweet, I might have to use this as a testimonial!

I think the concise summary is important for people re-doing the kourse that don't necessarily have to re-watch an entire video, but just get "reminded" of the general point.

So glad you trusted me enough to spend some money with me and learn :)

How interesting. I so much prefer to learn through video, but some people (yourself included) absorb the information better through text.

I think for my own videos I am going to start including text transcripts. I want to make sure people like you have the OPTION of reading if that's what you prefer.

Thank you for sharing Britt!!

Why thank you Alex! I really appreciate your reading loyalty :)

I didn't know Teachable had that feature, I'll have to check it out. I always want to use a SaaS course software because it's constantly updated, but don't want to host on their platform. Thanks for the tip!

Hey Sara, I'm starting to realize this is correct. From the beta group I've been holding for a product, I realize most people actually DON'T GIVE A HOOT about the product layout (so long as it's kinda easy to use).

I never even took into consideration people who cannot hear all that well. It seems pretty damn apparent to me from your comments and others that I need to start including transcripts, or a PDF version of the lesson.

I appreciate the kind words about me being a fantastic teacher, although now I will start making sure the lessons are easily downloadable and readable in formats other than video. Thank you very much for your input Sara, a NevBox-worthy comment!

Thanks Mike! I spent a very late night at the office trying to get this post out the door on time.

That's so cool that single video helped you out so much. The video was pretty no frills, just great information. What I always strive for :)

That sounds pretty good. Seems it makes sure students understand the lessons through quizzes and whatnot.

However I think maybe condensing some of the lessons into shorter format would be good. 1 semester long is LLOONNGGG and I bet the completion rate is lower because of that.

Hey Adrian......I think community is good too. I think in just a very few short years the collaboration tools are going to be SO good that it's just like being in a class or university setting.

Right now they are decent, but still have a way to go before replicating that environment. But SOON!!