Why It's Smart to Turn Your Writing Into a Tiny Course That Pays
You don’t need to be a world-class expert, just one step ahead. What you already know is worth teaching
Let me take a wild guess. You love sharing what you’ve learned, explaining ideas, and breaking things down so they finally click.
Guess what? That means you’re already teaching.
I’m at the “Little Big Apple”. That’s the nickname of the financial metropolis Frankfurt am Main in the heart of Germany as on Wednesday the Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse) will start, so today’s guest post is from
, an inspiring Club member, veteran course creator, and former public school teacher who’s built over a dozen online programs.He knows how to make learning stick and how to sell what you know.
We’ll also go LIVE on Substack in the last week of October, all subscriber will see an invite in their inbox.
And remember: You only need to be one step ahead of the majority of the population in a subject to teach it.
I’ve seen it in my Bootcamps, and my husband has too with his .NET Web Academy.
Even intermediate knowledge can change someone else’s world. Trust me.
But now let’s hear from Rodney…
There was a young girl at soccer practice, trying desperately to kick the ball but missing it repeatedly. When she finally made contact, the ball barely moved because she hit it at such a strange angle.
But then something interesting happened: when she got back in line with the other kids waiting for their turn, she did perfect backflips all the way to her spot.
The caption under this video said:
“You’re not a failure, you’re just putting your time and energy into the wrong thing.”
That’s exactly what writers do when they try to create courses.
They put their time and energy into the wrong things, learning video production, mastering public speaking, and figuring out complex tech platforms, when they already possess the most valuable skill: the ability to communicate clearly through writing.
Like that girl who should have been in gymnastics instead of soccer, writers often ignore their natural strengths when venturing into course creation.
Most writers are already teaching, you just might not realize it. Every time you explain a concept, share a framework, or break down a process in your writing, you’re teaching.
Right now, you’re probably giving away much of this teaching for free.
What if you could package some of that knowledge into something people would happily pay for?
And what if you could do it by leveraging the skills you already have instead of learning entirely new ones?
The Case for Tiny Courses
Tiny text-based courses don’t take much time to create, but they can be immensely valuable, both to your readers and to your bottom line.
Here’s why they make so much sense for writers
You’re already an expert at communicating.
As a writer, you have the core skill needed for course creation: clear communication. No need to learn video production or public speaking if that’s not your thing.
You have proof of demand. Your most popular articles, the questions your readers ask, and the comments they leave all point to what they want to learn from you.
They’re flexible monetization tools. A tiny course can be:
Sold as a standalone product
Offered as a bonus for paid newsletter subscribers
Discounted for your subscribers (full price for everyone else)
Used as a lead magnet for your higher-priced offerings
Let’s get started.
What Makes a Tiny Course Work?
The key to a successful tiny course is solving a specific problem that has obstacles preventing easy implementation.
Here’s what I mean:
If the solution to a problem is simple and obvious (”drink more water”), that’s just an article, not a course. But if people know what to do yet struggle to implement it because of specific obstacles, that’s where a course becomes valuable.
For example, Ship 30 for 30 helps people write online. The information part (how to write short-form content) could be an article. But the real problem they solve is helping people overcome the obstacles to consistent writing, lack of accountability, fear, and motivation issues.
Your tiny course should target a problem where:
People need the solution badly enough to pay for it
There are non-obvious obstacles to implementing the solution
Your expertise can help overcome those obstacles
Are you seeing the problem?
Your course needs to bridge the gap between “knowing what to do” and “actually doing it.”
Why Listen to Me?
I’ve built around 17 courses (yep, even rebuilt some from scratch when students needed better results).
I started as a public school teacher, learning how people actually learn, not just how we think they do. Then I helped a coaching company turn their in-person training into an online empire. When the founder said, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could teach this online?” I said, “On it,” and built our first video course… then three more.
👉 Bottom line: I know how to build courses that work and how to do it fast.
Success Stories: Tiny Courses, Big Results
Tiny doesn’t mean unprofitable.
Just look at Justin Welsh, who has generated over $3 million with two small courses:
Content OS
LinkedIn OS
Each is just 2-3 hours of video content, priced around $150.
Or consider
, who teaches fiction writers.She offers several text-based mini-courses on specific topics like “SEO for Writers,” “The Mechanics of Interior Monologue,” and “How to Write Good Blog Titles.”
The key is finding that specific problem you can solve in a focused way.
Overcoming Objections to Course Creation
When I mention tiny courses to writers, I hear the same objections:
#1 “But what about all the tech?”
You don’t need fancy equipment or complicated platforms. If you’re a writer, leverage your writing skills. Text-based courses are perfectly legitimate and often preferred by busy learners who want to consume at their own pace.
If you really need to show something, simple screen recordings work fine. Don’t get caught up thinking about the maximum you should do—focus on the minimum needed to teach effectively.
#2 “What if no one buys it?”
This is why you start by identifying real problems your audience has. Don’t just create a course about something you think is interesting.
The solution is simple: talk to your audience first.
What are they struggling with?
What solutions have they tried?
What’s still holding them back?
When you build solutions to real problems, people buy.
The Structure of an Effective Tiny Course
The framework I recommend for structuring a tiny text-based course is straightforward:
Identify the problem your course will solve or the specific goal it will help achieve
Outline the actual steps someone needs to take to solve that problem
Determine what they need to be taught to complete those steps successfully
Everything in your course should serve this central purpose.
If a piece of content doesn’t directly help solve the problem or achieve the goal, leave it out.
Remember: you’re aiming for the minimum effective dose, not an encyclopedia. Think three steps instead of twenty-five.
One of my friends, Sean D’Souza, teaches cartooning.
Instead of comprehensive lessons on perspective and architecture, he teaches just two simple methods for drawing buildings: the diamond method and the book method. These simple frameworks give students immediate results and allow them to play and experiment, something that wouldn’t happen with a complex 25-step process.
Your tiny course should provide a simple framework that people can immediately grasp and use.
Pricing Your Tiny Course
For most tiny courses, stick within the $50 range ($35-$49 is common).
If your course takes less than an hour to complete, pricing it at hundreds of dollars usually won’t work.
The price should always relate to the value proposition.
If you’re solving a small but persistent problem, which most tiny courses do, keep the price accessible.
I don’t recommend $5 ebooks unless what you’re offering is extremely small and solves a very minor problem.
At the same time, you want to charge enough that people take the material seriously.
Ready to Create Your Tiny Course?
If you’re a writer looking to add a new income stream, tiny text-based courses offer a perfect opportunity to:
Package your expertise in a format people will pay for
Help your audience solve specific problems
Create once, sell repeatedly
The beauty is that you don’t need to learn an entirely new skill set.
You’re already teaching through your writing, now you’re just organizing that teaching into a format that delivers focused results.
And remember: tiny doesn’t mean insignificant.
Sometimes the simplest frameworks create the most powerful transformations for your students.
Like that girl doing backflips at soccer practice, it’s about recognizing where your true talents lie and focusing your energy there.
🫵🏼Your Turn!
What tiny course could you create from something you’ve already written?
If you had to teach one thing you know better than most, what would it be?
Have you already created a course? Tell us more and share the link in the comments!
You don’t need to be a world-class expert, just one step ahead. What you already know is worth teaching.
⭐Hi, there! Rodney here, This is how I can help you
👉🏼First, if you’re not sure where to start with course creation, read my article on How to Create Winning Course Ideas (and Avoid Building a Dud). It’ll help you identify problems worth solving before you invest your time.
👉🏼The Atomic Course Blueprint - Want to create a course without the usual overwhelm? Try creating a tiny course!
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Goodnight from Germany :) Here's the chatty Chat thread: https://substack.com/chat/443311/post/0a4a2dd5-8a49-40ec-a5cf-7ea70676f0f5
No idea what a text course is or how to make it...but like the concept of the Tiny Course