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Knowledge is power
Knowledge is the most valuable resource we possess. The thirst for learning has fueled the rise of knowledge entrepreneurs.
Whether you are a blogger, vlogger, educator, or creator, people seek out your knowledge and value it by spending time engaging with your content. The time has come to leverage your expertise by selling it.
LearnWorlds enables creators to package their knowledge as an online course, coaching, or digital product and sell it to their audience. Start monetizing your knowledge with a 30-day free trial of LearnWorlds:
Your professional looking Academy in a few clicks
Start FREE TrialWhat is Knowledge?
Knowledge is an awareness of facts, a familiarity with individuals and situations, or a practical skill. (Wikipedia)
Knowledge vs. Information vs. Data
But, you might ask, what is the difference between knowledge, information, and data?
The following are simplified definitions of the three concepts based on the Oxford Dictionary:
How to Monetize Your Knowledge & Expertise
Knowledge is a valuable resource and can only be acquired through rigorous studying, practicing, and collecting information. Selling knowledge is lucrative and can be a very profitable business.
Having the expert knowledge (or know-how) that others seek can be packaged as an expensive digital product or training program.
Here are different ways you can profit from your expertise:
Online Courses
If you want to earn a high income from home, online courses are one of the best ways. Whether you’re a teacher, accountant, doctor, or someone who loves the topic they are an expert on, online courses can easily be your profitable way to earn an income on the side of whatever else you do.
Online learning is highly valued, and the trick is to deliver knowledge interestingly and help your students achieve the promised results. Premium courses offer difficult-to-find knowledge or use an instructor-led approach like one-on-one or group live lessons to deliver impactful results.
P.S.: LearnWorlds is the best option for selling online courses, coaching, and training to your audience:
Your professional looking Academy in a few clicks
Start FREE TrialCorporate Training
A more advanced form of course is selling corporate training. Companies often pay for employee training from external experts.
An external expert is a subject-matter-expert who sells their expert knowledge. In this case, your target audience is corporations looking for digital transformation, upskilling, or reskilling employees.
Community & Membership Sites
Membership sites are best suited for continuous education and a sense of community. They are for highly engaged learners who come back for more.
Platforms such as WordPress offer membership plug-ins that help you sell access to members of your site. Squarespace, Wix, and other website builders provide similar solutions. But, the best way to create a membership community is with specialized software.
P.S.: Did you know you can host your premium community or sell subscriptions through LearnWorlds as well?
Coaching
Coaching might be the best option for you if you’d like to teach others one-on-one. You could coach individuals in person or online (e.g., via Zoom) or charge for group coaching sessions where multiple people learn together under your guidance.
Coaching is about leading people to self-realization rather than providing the solution, as consulting does. It’s also an easier way to start, and there are many online certifications and training to become an online coach.
Consulting
Consulting takes many forms, but the goal is to provide a solution based on your experience. In the case of consulting, the customer pays you directly to provide targeted knowledge or expertise in a topic they don’t have the expertise.
Consulting is there to tackle a problem and get direct access to a solution. So, whether you offer B2B consulting on business, marketing, or financial topics or industry-specific ones, a consultant can be a high-paying one-off service or a multi-year contract to deliver expert-level work.
Newsletters
Newsletters are the new trend in paid subscriptions. More and more experts are figuring out that building an email list might be great, but monetizing it with premium content is easier than selling other digital products.
Many influencers already have a premium newsletter, especially in B2B industries. While not a new idea, it’s been on the rise over the past few years, and many tools like Substack offer an easy way to build a newsletter and monetize it.
Books / Ebooks
Packaging your knowledge in a book is always on-trend and can also help you develop your personal brand. Even without making splashes with sales, having a book featured on the social media platforms you are using is enough to position you as an expert on a topic.
And, you can easily self-publish to marketplaces like Amazon or sell ebooks from your website.
Podcasts
Podcasts are quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to distribute information online. You can reach out to potential customers through podcasts and promote your expertise while they listen on their commute, while exercising, or even while working.
While you may only know free podcasts, premium podcasts exist inside membership sites, such as Patreon and Spotify.
Video
Creating YouTube videos or TikTok shorts and sharing your expertise for free is a great way to build an audience. You could shoot tutorial videos, explain difficult concepts, educate your audience, or share valuable life lessons.
While the biggest creators can make a lot of money from advertising share due to their large followerships, knowledge creators are more suited to affiliate marketing, sponsorships, or selling their own products.
Templates
If you use templates for your business or know that they could help others in their business ventures, consider selling them on your website or through an online marketplace like Etsy or CreativeMarket.
Creating these templates will require some upfront time, expertise, and energy. However, once you prepare them, you can sell them repeatedly without much effort. It’s a great way to earn passive income with the knowledge you already have!
Events
Webinars, seminars, and workshops are another way to turn the information you know into revenue. They can be free to grow your email list or promote another product.
Paid webinars or physical seminars can be one-off masterclasses, workshops, or specialized topics with high audience interaction.
Offline experiences come at a premium, while online experiences can reach a wider audience internationally. Consider your options, and launch the right event for you, depending on the demand!
Step-by-Step Guide to Monetize Your Knowledge
In a digital world, knowledge has become the most valuable commodity, and it’s only becoming more valuable with time.
People are looking to learn new skills and improve their lives. They love to learn from experts in the field and look for creators who can help them reach their learning goals and guide them through the chaos of information toward true knowledge!
The good news is that you no longer need technical knowledge to create your course or ebook. You can use an all-in-one platform like LearnWorlds to create, sell, and earn from your knowledge online.
Your professional looking Academy in a few clicks
Start FREE TrialStep 1 – Equipment and tools
You already have the essential tools to start your business: your smartphone or laptop. Ideally, you need a good microphone, which should cost no more than $25-50.
Then, you need a platform to host and sell your knowledge products.
Here is what you need to start selling your expertise:
Step 2 – Plan the content
As an expert, you will need to create content for your audience. Whether you are creating an online course, book, or workshop, you need to plan your content.
Find any material you already have, and create a plan to create what is missing.
You will act as an educator, creating a step-by-step plan to impart your knowledge to your students.
Then, you need to decide on the various formats you need, for example:
Map out your content, and create a comprehensive plan for what to work on.
Step 3 – Create the content
Now, it’s time to put that content plan into action.
You will need to start writing your content and scripts, shooting the videos, or preparing your presentations for the live sessions/workshops.
You might even need to rework some of the previous material, such as PDFs, templates, checklists, or anything else you already have, in a format that will be useful for your customers.
Step 4 – Upload your content to a platform
Choose the right platform to sell your knowledge.
We recommend LearnWorlds for most knowledge products like:
With LearnWorlds, you get a user-friendly e-learning platform with powerful marketing tools to sell your products. You can monetize your knowledge and your audience with educational products, sell subscriptions or offer digital downloads of any kind.
Your professional looking Academy in a few clicks
Start FREE TrialYou can also host digital products on your own website or marketplaces like:
Step 5 – Sell your knowledge
Then, you need to focus on your online business, promoting and selling the product itself. Even the best products can’t be sold by themselves, and you will have a difficult time if you are competing in a marketplace.
First, you must build an audience base, such as YouTube Channel subscribers, a LinkedIn audience, or an email list.
Then, you need to capture the audience’s attention and promote your product with a compelling offer.
Read our ultimate guide on selling online courses, to learn how to use the same process to sell any knowledge product.
Final thoughts
We’re all knowledge workers now, whether we realize it or not. The rise of digital products means people create value on a never-before-seen scale.
Selling your knowledge is a simple but effective way to put your skills to work for you; this includes everything from writing an e-book to creating an online course.
You only need some original content and the right platform to launch it.
Take advantage of the growing creator economy and join the knowledge economy. Shape the future of humanity by sharing your knowledge with the world!
And, if you already have a digital business, knowledge products such as courses and education programs can support your business as upsells, marketing lead captures, or even new revenue streams.
Don’t miss out on the Knowledge Revolution; join LearnWorlds.
Nick Malekos is a Senior Digital Marketer in LearnWorlds. He is a results based and well-rounded Digital Marketer with years of experience in the education industry, writer and digital literacy trainer.
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