LearnDash Expert Gives 3 Tips for Figuring Out What Your Customers Really Want

LearnDash Expert Insights

I run a team of expert LearnDash developers, and one of the most common questions I hear is, "How do I figure out exactly what my customers want?"

I love when people ask this because it means they're starting off on the right foot. I see way too many first-time course creators jump straight into development without first confirming whether there’s a real demand for their course. They assume their instincts are enough to validate an idea—but more often than not, the course doesn’t sell.

What I always recommend, as a LearnDash expert with years of experience building online courses, is simple:  ASK YOUR AUDIENCE. Whether through direct phone calls or online surveys, gathering direct feedback is invaluable. You’d be surprised how willing people are to share what they need. You just have to take the time to listen. Let me share some insights, straight from our Breakthrough Online Course Selling System. It's a must-have resource for anyone preparing to build an online course.

LearnDash Expert Tip #1 - Avoid Swaying Your Survey Respondents

One major challenge course creators face is their own biases. When we have an idea for a course, we tend to shape our research to fit our preconceptions. The key is to approach surveys with a completely open mind.

We often know too much about our subject matter, making it difficult to step into the shoes of a potential student. The biggest mistake? Leading survey participants toward the answers we want. This invalidates your research, rendering your survey results useless. If you’re going to the effort of surveying people, ensure you’re asking neutral, unbiased questions that allow for genuine feedback.

LearnDash Expert Tip #2 - Clearly Define Your Course Topic

When you ask potential customers for feedback, you need to clearly explain your course topic. This sounds simple, but many people struggle to articulate exactly what they want to teach.

For example, if you're a tennis coach, real estate expert, or skydiving instructor, you might define your course topic as "Learning to Play Tennis," "Mastering Real Estate," or "Skydiving Basics." Your topic should easily fit into the following sentence:

I'm planning on creating an online course about (your topic).

If it doesn’t flow naturally or requires too much explanation, your topic needs refining. I once worked with an author who struggled to define his course focus because his book covered multiple subjects—leadership, team motivation, team building, etc. His challenge was that he wasn’t creating just one course; he had multiple course topics within a single book.

After reviewing his content, I advised him to break it down into distinct course topics such as "Career Development," "Team Leadership," "Motivating Teams," and "Increasing Team Productivity." This shift made it clear that instead of developing one massive course, he needed a curriculum consisting of smaller, focused courses.

LearnDash Expert Tip #3 - Identify Your Exact Audience

Now let’s take the topic "Dog Training" as an example. Your survey approach should help you narrow your focus:

I'm planning on creating an online course about dog training for (your audience).

Being specific about your audience is crucial. Suppose you’re a dog trainer looking to gather insights. You could serve several audiences, each with distinct needs—new puppy owners, owners of problem dogs, or guide dog trainers. These are completely different groups with different challenges and goals.

If you aim to help new puppy owners, your sentence might be:

I'm planning on creating an online course about dog training for new puppy owners.

When you approach potential students with this line, they immediately understand whether the course is relevant to them. A guide dog trainer won’t be interested, and that’s okay. But someone struggling with a new puppy’s behavior will be eager to share their insights.

This is a crucial early step for any new course creator. If you can clearly complete that sentence, you’re ready to connect with 10-15 potential students and gather valuable feedback on your course idea.

By following these steps, you’ll avoid the common mistakes many first-time course creators make and ensure that your LearnDash course is built on a solid foundation of real demand.