One of the biggest questions I get asked is how to upscale a coaching business sustainably without creating too many digital products. A great way to do this is to combine services you already provide to create online course bundles. But first, you need to understand which path you’re going to lead your customers to. Then, you can outline different products to support them depending on how you can help. And, you’d be surprised how easy it is to bundle two things together to create a much better experience for your audience. In this piece, we’ll be looking at bundling coaching with a digital course.
The prep work
First, you have to outline the user journey—an essential aspect of better understanding your audience’s pain points. (If you don’t already have an idea of your audience’s pain points, make sure you do that before starting this process.)
When looking at practical ways for your audience to work with you, there are a few experiences you’ll want to keep in mind:
- The first is a DIY experience (asynchronous) where you provide one service or product that will be fully (or mostly) self-paced. Depending on the amount of value and work, you may be looking at a smaller pricing offering or course.
- The second one is a tailored coaching experience. You’ll be tapping into individual client needs and doing the work together while looking at goals they want to reach, which will be different for everyone.
- And there’s space for a third type of experience. You can combine the DIY process with more tailored support for accountability. It’s the best way to bundle because you mix the self-paced experience with accountability check-ins in small groups.
From a pricing standpoint, the bundled experience will be “sandwiched” between the lower price self-paced offering and the higher VIP coaching experience. I recommend getting familiar with one-to-one coaching and working with individual clients before creating online course bundles. Working with a small group is a different experience than working with one individual, so take time to practice and build confidence for yourself. And price accordingly.
1. Package your bundles as programs
Now that you’ve mapped out your different experiences, how can you present this bundled offer to your audience without confusion? The answer? Programs.
Programs present a framework while combining small group support. Students will have to do some work themselves asynchronously and will follow a blueprint you will present through a course. However, they also get some extra accountability through check-in calls or a small accountability session.
Strength in numbers
The benefit of this format is that a great program can host up to 20 people without losing a personal touch. I’ve seen programs that would welcome over 100 students at a time. But remember, you may lose that intimate aspect that makes programs more dynamic.
When setting goals, I’d recommend having a high volume of students for your DIY asynchronous course. Meanwhile, offer a small group of people a program experience that combines coaching and online course bundles. Finally, you can have a higher price offering that only includes one-on-one coaching for selected clients. This way, you can offer three options and have a different level of support and required work.
It also works in the students’ favor. Depending on their journey, they may resonate more with one option over another.
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2. Package your bundles as VIP experiences
There’s another way you can successfully create online course bundles for a unique experience. That would be providing a limited number of VIP one-to-one coaching packages for a specific digital product.
Think about it as a DIY course offering and a VIP offering using the coaching part as an add on for a limited number of students that can be higher priced. If you’re not looking to have any one-on-one coaching clients shortly, or if you want to keep your offerings very simple, you can use the course to give you a journey to follow with your students and clients.
However, pricing can become a challenge when brainstorming on a VIP experience. If you’re struggling, look at the amount of time you’re going to spend on the bundle and the level of expertise you’re bringing to the table.
There are so many ways you can price your coaching services confidently, and you can use a similar blueprint for your courses as well.
A new experience, little prep work
The beauty of online course bundles and selling what you already have is that you can streamline your offerings by providing more of what you already know and have available within your business. Yet, don’t get fooled into thinking this means you won’t have to dedicate time to crafting your offers. Make sure that you do not bite off more than you can chew and that you know that you can have enough time and mental capacity to support people with this type of bundle (regardless of the format you choose).
Online course bundles: self-paced vs. accelerators
As a course creator, I’ve seen bundles working well for our Teachable courses. After over seven years of running a self-paced course, I created live versions (which we call “accelerators”), thanks to the Teachable bundle option. And, I’ve been able to add a whole new stream of income by tapping into urgency and exclusivity with live programs while still offering self-paced options.
Overall, we’ve doubled the number of students without doubling the amount of work. And, if we managed to do that, so can you.
Just remember these three key points:
- Get clear on your audience’s needs and proficiency level
- Map the user journey based on the level of support and accountability
- Choose a format that works for you and compliments what you already have (bundles as programs versus bundles as VIP experiences)
Mapping, a simple yet effective journey for your audience, allows you to choose how you can best serve them by working smarter, not harder. Try coaching and online course bundles for yourself and open up to a whole new stream in your business.
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