Crafting an engaging course landing page: what questions should you answer?

To make sure that people book your (online) course, your landing page needs to provide all the necessary information. Answer these questions to create a compelling and informative page for both online and physical courses. This will attract potential students and encourage them to enroll in your course.

Course details

• What is the course about?
  • Provide a brief overview of what the course is about in one or two sentences that can be reused for promotion on (social) media.
• What is the course format?
  • Explain how the course will be delivered, whether it’s through video lectures, live meetings, reading materials, or interactive activities.
• When does the course take place?
  • Year, month, date, time (be aware of time zones).
  • Can people take it anytime of the year, or is it limited to a time period or day?
• Where does the course take place?
  • Online: which software is used, and how can people access it?
  • On location: what is the country, city, address, and room number?
• What is the course schedule?
  • What events are there in the course: e.g., online meetings, feedback sessions, self-study.
  • How many breaks are included?
• How much time does it take to complete the course?
  • Explain in weeks or hours of study time.
• How many participants can attend the course?
• What language is the course?
• How long does the course take to finish (in general)?
• Do participants get a certificate?
• If it’s a course on location, are drinks, snacks, and meals included?
• Is there time to talk, connect, and network with other participants? Is there group work involved?
• On which devices can I follow the course? (if it’s e-learning).
• What online learning platforms and tools will be used in the course?
  • Do participants need access to specific software, books, meeting software, internet connection, pen and paper?
• How long will people have access to the course? Does it ever expire?
• Can the course be customized to the needs of the institution, or is it a standard course? (e.g., white labeling the course in your own brand style)
• Is the course accredited?
• Can the course also be taken online?
• How can I ask questions about the course? Who can I call or email?

Give as many details as possible about the course, and show participants what they learn.

Who are your participants?

• Who is this course for?
  • Everyone, or a specific target group like marine biologists, nurses, surgeons?
  • Are they junior or senior?
• What are the frustrations and needs of your audience that this course solves?
• Are there any prerequisites? Do people need prior knowledge, education, or experience before starting the course?
• What is expected of the participants?
  • Do they need to participate actively, be on time, finish all exercises on time?

Why would someone take this course?

• How will this course change someone’s life for the better?
  • Include your vision about the content, what can people do with this course?
• What will you learn from this course?
  • Include an outline of the knowledge and skills that people will learn. These are usually the learning objectives.
  • Show examples of what the course, dashboard, books, and materials look like. Give away one chapter, video, or tip to get people excited.
• Give a detailed breakdown of the course content, including the topics that will be covered and the duration of each session.
• What do you get when you register for the course?
  • e.g., 45 hours of video, downloads, 10 case studies, quizzes, tests, personal feedback sessions, exercises, live workshops, online meetings, cheat sheets, checklists, final exam.
• Why is this course better than similar courses from competitors?
• How does buying this course save organizations time, people, and money?
• What will I get in this course beyond what’s already out there as free information?
• When is this course not right for participants?
  • If the participants have already taken other courses, have too much experience, have specific expectations that cannot be met.

Convince your participants that this is the course they need.

What is your credibility?

• Who has created this course?
• Who is teaching the course?
  • Introduce the instructor in a short bio and provide information about their qualifications and experience in the field.
• Why are these people or organizations credible? Are they experts in the field? Do they teach at a university? Have they organized hundreds of courses?
• Did participants like the course?
  • Add testimonials from course participants, or average ratings for the course.
• How often has this course been given?

How do people know this course is reputable?

How to register and enroll for the course?

• What steps does a participant need to take to register and enroll?
• Where do participants register for the course?
  • An online registration form? Via their institution?
• What information do you need from the participants to enroll them?
  • For example: name, email address, institute (never ask any personal information you do not need, and refer to your privacy policy and GDPR)
• Can a single person register for the course, or is it only for organizations?
• What happens after registration? Do they get an email with more information or get access to a dashboard?
• How much does it cost to participate?
  • Are you paying per participant or per institution?
  • Can participants or institutions get discounts?

Create an FAQ

You never know whether you’ve answered all questions. So add any questions you get when the course is live to an FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions list.

These are usually some items included in an FAQ:

• Can I have a refund when it’s not good?
• What happens when I get sick and cannot attend a session?
• Can I enroll when the course has already started?

This has become a long, but essential list of items to think about when creating your course. Use it to your advantage when creating your course contents, materials and promotional materials. We’ve used this list for many of our clients, so we hope it will help you too.