Building an online course sounds exciting until you sit down and realise you don’t know where to begin. You’ve got ideas, passion, and maybe a few notes scribbled somewhere. But when it comes to choosing the right type of course to create, it’s easy to feel uncertain about what your audience really needs.
In this blog, we’ll break down four course formats that are not only popular but are selling well across online learning platforms right now. Let’s dive in.
Why Your Course Format Matters
Many talented course creators hit a wall not because they don’t know what to teach, but because they’re unsure how to package their knowledge.
Your format affects everything:
- How you create and deliver content
- How you price and position your offer
- How your students experience results
- How likely they are to actually complete the course
Your course format shapes the growth of your business and how your students apply their learning to achieve their goals.
Here are four adaptable formats to help you teach with impact:
Online Course Format 1: The Quick Win Course
Best for: First-time creators, freelancers, side hustlers
Average price point: Free–$97 AUD
Time to create: Low effort (3–5 lessons)
A Quick Win Course helps your learners achieve a small but meaningful result, fast. It’s ideal when you want to build trust and deliver immediate value without overcomplicating things.
These courses are short and focused, often delivered through videos, audio files, or simple PDFs. Think of something like “Write Your Own Bio in 30 Minutes” or “5 Canva Templates for Instagram.” These are highly practical mini-courses that solve a real problem in a short time.
Why it works:
- It’s simple to build
- Delivers a fast, tangible result
- Builds audience trust and primes them for your next offer
Looking for a platform to launch your Quick Win Course?
👉Check out Wisdome, an all-in-one platform where you can upload your lessons, engage your audience, and keep everything in one place.
Prefer watching instead of reading? We’ve condensed this article into a short video.
Online Course Format 2: The Signature Program
Best for: Coaches, consultants, educators with a proven process
Average price point: $297–$997+ AUD
Time to create: Moderate (6–8 modules)
If you’ve been working with clients and already have a system that works, a Signature Program is your next move. These programs take learners on a step-by-step journey, often spread across several modules delivered weekly (a method called drip-feeding).
This format is your flagship offering, where you guide clients to achieve a specific and transformative goal.
Why it works:
- Offers tangible transformation over time
- Provides accountability and learning structure
- Positions you as an expert in your niche
For example, if you’re a parenting coach, you could offer a Signature Program that helps new parents build routines, set boundaries, and manage toddler tantrums in 8 weeks.
Online Course Format 3: The Challenge-Based Course
Best for: Communities, email list builders, warm leads
Average price point: Free–$147 AUD
Time to create: Short (5–10 days of daily prompts)
Some learners don’t need another in-depth masterclass. They just need a reason to take action. A Challenge-Based Course is a great way to offer that gentle push they’ve been waiting for.
Typically delivered over 5–10 days, these courses include small daily wins: bite-sized lessons, action steps, or mindset shifts. Each prompt moves your student a step closer to a very specific result.
Sample Challenge Flow: 7-Day Stress Management Challenge
- Day 1: Two-minute breathing reset
- Day 2: Screen-free walk
- Day 3: Swap doomscrolling for journaling
- Day 4: Guided Visualization
- Day 5: Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- Day 6: Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) – Tapping Therapy
These aren’t massive undertakings, but they build momentum and offer daily wins your audience can actually commit to.
Why it works:
- Encourages daily habits
- Builds community interaction
- Creates a sense of urgency and fun
According to BJ Fogg’s book Tiny Habits, working on just one simple, easy-to-apply habit is the most sustainable path to achieving long-term behaviour change. The same principle applies to challenge courses.
Challenge-Based Courses work because they meet your learners where they are. Instead of overwhelming them with information, you’re giving them small steps that lead to real progress. Each task is designed to be quick, achievable, and repeatable, just like how habits are formed.
Online Course Format 4: The Hybrid Coaching Course
Best for: High-touch, high-ticket transformations
Average price point: $997–$3,000+ AUD
Time to create: High (includes coaching and support components)
If your offer promises a major transformation, your students will need more than pre-recorded lessons. A Hybrid Coaching Course blends self-paced learning with 1:1 coaching, private messaging, or live group calls.
Why it works:
- Combines flexibility with accountability
- Provides expert support where it matters most
- Delivers premium results (and justifies a premium price)
This model does require more of your time and energy, but it also enables deeper transformation for your students and higher returns for your business
Want more help structuring your online course?
👉 Check out our $27.00 course, AI for Knowledge Creators. It also includes access to our smart course-building assistant Sage, so you can define and structure your course idea and offer.
Sage will help you:
- Clarify your course idea
- Choose the format that fits your teaching style
- Build your outline, lesson by lesson
- Get lifetime access to Sage
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Conclusion: Build With Intention
You don’t need to have all the answers before building your online course; you just need to take the first step with purpose.
Start by choosing the course format that aligns with your strengths and best supports your audience’s needs, whether that’s:
- A Quick Win Course to build trust
- A Signature Program for deep transformation
- A Challenge-Based Course to build momentum
- A Hybrid Coaching Course for hands-on support
What course format are you thinking of creating?
Drop it in the comments. We’d love to hear what you’re planning!
