I created a video course on Python topic Sets and Frozen Sets on Linkedin Learning. This write-up explains the process of creating a video course.

What is the process of video course creation?

Everyone might have their own process. Here, is the process that Linkedin Learning follows with their course instructors. Along with things I learned and researched about while I was building the course.

1. Create a table of contents for the course.
2. Add details to your table of contents. For every topic that you plan to include in your table of contents. You have to answer the following questions:
   • What is your objective?
   • What do you plan to teach?
   • What is going to be the outcome?
3. What is going to be the total course duration (in terms of time) of your course?
4. What is going to be the length of each video in your course?
5. Once the course table of contents is frozen. For every topic write down in detail what you are going to teach.
6. Start recording the videos.
7. Publish

What are the types of video courses?

• Type 1 - You are saying in the background. And, on the forefront, you are screen sharing.
• Type 2 - Only your face is visible on the screen. Along with the presentation.
• Type 3- You are fully visible. Imagine what you see in movies or youtube etc.

It can be a paid video course, free course, or cohort-based course where you are teaching live.

Where you can publish the course?

You can publish your course on any of the aggregator platforms think Udemy, Linkedin Learning, Egghead.io, and similar. Or you can self-publish and sell the course through a platform like Gumroad. You can put it on youtube, Vimeo, etc.

What are the pros and cons of publishing your course on any aggregator platforms?

Pros

• Effort is divided. Platforms like Linkedin Learning, Udemy business offer professional support when it comes to editing and creating graphics for your course.
• Marketing and sales are theirs to take care of.
• Some platforms give advance payment to you.
• Accountability

Cons

• What you earn. As the effort put in is split. You are using their brand name. Money earned is also split. Platforms earn through commission.
• Royalties. Royalties are not transparent. How much the creator earns is dependent on a lot of variables. Don't blindly fall for the news where creators and their earnings are in limelight.
• You can define your audience. But, you don't know the audience. I don't have any control over who can view and who cannot.

What are the pros and cons of self-publishing?

Pros

• All efforts are your own. All that you earn is your own.

Cons

• Time and effort. Video Course creation is effort taking process. You create on your own. You edit videos on your own. Publishing is yours too.
• Sales and Marketing is your own. This is pro or con might vary based on your choice.
• You are on your own. No accountability.

How to decide whether to self-publish or to publish on an aggregator platform?

Depends on what you are ready to trade-off. If time is money for you. Choose aggregator. If money is dear to you. And, you have the time to do everything from creation to selling the course. Choose Self-publishing.

What tools are available for recording the videos?

There are web and desktop-based tools available. If you are using Linux operating system. Linux has desktop clients like OBS, Simple Screen Recorder, Kazam for recording. If you search you'll find desktop clients based on the operating system you use.

What tools are available for editing the videos?

Linkedin Learning helped with all the editing. However, for egghead.io I had to edit videos on my own.

• Kapwing
• InVideo

How to record your videos?

Record it at stretch and do the editing later. Another thing Linkedin Learning suggested was to have notes in front of you. And, then you read your notes and record. Until you figure out the process. It is all hit and trial. Do whatever works for you.

What challenges have I faced and possibly you can face while creating the course?

• Speaking, live coding, and demonstration had to be done altogether.
• If you read from the notes. Then getting co-ordination is impossible. Even the noise of flipping the page gets recorded.
• Creating a hands-on programming course. Is very different than reading the presentation slides.
• Time of recording. During what time of the day do you have pin-drop silence in your surroundings?
• I wanted to make a practical course with lots of examples. All were self-created. Challenge was to make it relevant to real-life examples.
• Creating a video course was like having a blank canvas. And, you are asked to paint it. No information is given to you. You have to figure it out.

How much of it was effort and how much of it was luck?

Effort

• Dec'18-Dec'19 - Showed up as a speaker at multiple Python community meetups and conferences in many in Delhi(NCR), one in Pune. Organized DjangoGirls.

• May'20-Feb'21 - World had gone online. In-person meetups closed. Gave talks at all possible Python international meetups and conferences. Berlin, Ireland, EuroPython, San Diego Python User Group, Pyladies London, Data Umbrella (Pyladies New York), and many more.

Luck

Linkedin Learning opportunity striking was luck at play. I had no contacts, no referrals. The application was sent via a regular job application portal.

What did I do at my level for marketing?

• Soon after the course was launched. I did share links here and there on Twitter. When there are free resources available on Youtube. It is a challenge to market your paid course. Some folks retweeted.
• Posted it from my own profile on social media platforms.
• Did try reaching out to a couple of folks whom I have interacted with. But, it didn't work out.
• At the moment. I am not putting any effort in this. Linkedin is doing. What it is doing.

Which is the course that I created?

What I could have done better and you can take care of?

• Online is unlike offline. Make sure, don't repeat yourself.
• I was speaking, recording spontaneously. And, didn't write the content beforehand. Writing beforehand might have helped at places.