What you’ll learn
- Choosing a Profitable Niche: Learn how to identify and select a niche that aligns with your expertise and attracts eager learners to your Udemy course.
- Analyzing Market Demand: Discover how to evaluate niche demand and competition to ensure your course has high enrollment potential.
- Positioning Yourself as an Expert: Learn strategies to stand out in your niche and become the go-to instructor for your subject matter.
- Optimizing Course Titles and Descriptions: Master the art of writing compelling course titles and descriptions to increase visibility and attract more students.
- Creating Engaging Course Content: Discover best practices for structuring and designing course content that keeps students engaged and wanting more.
- Getting Initial Reviews: Learn effective techniques for gathering your first course reviews and building social proof to boost credibility.
- Building a Consistent Review Flow: Develop strategies for maintaining a steady stream of positive reviews that enhance your course ranking.
- Leveraging Udemy’s Algorithm: Understand how Udemy’s search algorithm works and how to optimize your course to rank higher in search results.
- Using Organic Marketing Strategies: Explore free and effective ways to promote your course on social media, blogs, and forums without paying for ads.
Hello,
My name is Brian Jackson. I’m the writer of approximately one dozen books, publisher of well over 100 books and Udemy instructor with over 40 courses to my name.
Over the last 13 years, since July 2011, I’ve made over $715,000 online through publishing Amazon Kindle eBooks and Udemy online video training courses.
This is my story…
1 Origins
I was born in the middle of the last century in Los Angeles, California. I graduated from Humboldt State University amid the redwoods of Northern California. After working for Lockheed Missiles and Space for 14 years as an IBM system programmer and Cisco Systems for 12 years as a test engineer, I retired at 48.
I instantly became bored.
2 Community College
In response to my boredom, I enrolled in Columbia Community College to take writing, art, acting and statistics classes. I took 24 units over one year and received straight “A” ‘s.
I was still bored.
3 Writing and Self-publishing
I began writing fiction and nonfiction books and self-publishing them on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords in July 2011. Though I wrote and published several books, my self-publishing business didn’t take off until my wife joined me.
4 My Wife and Author, Melanie Jackson
Melanie Jackson, my wife, was an author publishing over two romance novels per year through her New York publisher, Dorchester Press. After publishing 24 novels with Dorchester, the company folded, and Melanie was without a publisher (she wanted to write cozy mysteries anyway).
I convinced Melanie to join me in self-publishing cozy mysteries on Amazon.
5 The Self-publishing Years
For the last fourteen years, from July 2010 until now (6/22/2024), my wife and I wrote and self-published cozy mysteries. At first, we continued to self-publish on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords, but eventually chose to self-publish exclusively on Amazon. To date, I’ve self-published well over 100 of my wife’s books on Amazon.
During the last fourteen years, from 2010 until now (6/22/2024), my wife and I have made precisely $499,122.10 self-publishing books on Amazon alone.
6 My Wife and I
When I say “my wife and I,” I mean that my wife did the writing, and I helped with the brainstorming, did half the editing, created the book covers, and self-published and marketed my wife’s books. So, my wife had it pretty good while I honed my writing, self-publishing and marketing skills.
After about five years of self-publishing a book every two months, Melanie and I burned out and slowed way, waaayyy, doowwwnnn…
7 Udemy
I began publishing courses on Udemy, Skillshare and multiple other sites in July 2014, focusing on writing, self-publishing and book covers. Within ten weeks, I had published my first 10 Udemy courses. I currently (6/22/2024) publish almost exclusively on Udemy and have over 40 Udemy courses to my name. I’ve made precisely $215,826.57 to date and will celebrate my 10th year on Udemy this July.
I currently live in Las Vegas, Nevada, with my lovely wife and author, Melanie Jackson, and Butterscotch the cat.
I’ll see you in the classroom,
—Brian