Getting Paid to Teach on Skillshare: A Comprehensive Guide


It's important to note that this post contains affiliate links.



I took a chance around this time last year.




The majority of my income came from providing services to customers, mainly in SEO content.




However, the more content I produce, the more I realize how much of an impact it has on me.




Let me be clear: I enjoy writing. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered to put time and effort into creating this article. You have to put a lot of time and effort into it. It's exhausting, and I don't want to run myself ragged before accomplishing everything I set out to do.




In any case, the idea of passive income—especially regarding the creation of online courses—is capturing my attention more and more. My initial impression of Skillshare was that it was a low-risk entry point into this passive income opportunity.




My review of Skillshare as a teacher on the platform includes all the information you need to know about making money and setting up your courses for success.


Skillshare's Earning Power


Putting money first, what do you think? After all, this Skillshare review has piqued your interest.




A return on your efforts is also critical, as you aren't paid a flat rate for each Skillshare class you publish.




Payment Methods for Skillshare


Payments can be received in two ways directly from Skillshare:




Get paid $10 for every premium subscription referral you send to the platform through your referral link.


Depending on how many premium minutes people watched about your Skillshare classes, a portion of Skillshare's monthly profits is yours.


By promoting the platform and your classes, you can increase the variety of revenue streams from your related efforts.




A third way to profit from Skillshare, in my opinion, is also possible.




It's possible to build a following on Skillshare beyond the platform itself. To get people to sign up for your email list and visit your website, design your class and related materials in a way that encourages them to do so. It's an excellent way to build an audience for future courses and offerings, even if your earnings from Skillshare aren't exceptionally high but will be in the future. We'll get into that in more detail in a subsequent section of this article!




Skillshare can help you achieve business goals by creating online courses and becoming a paid speaker if your classes have a following on the platform. It's best to keep classes to an hour or less, and Skillshare gives instructors access to a built-in market of eager students! Skillshare has a low barrier to entry if you're just getting started.




This is my review of Skillshare after creating my first class on the platform.


I published my first Skillshare class in July 2017 after accepting a new teacher's challenge. Subscribe to their emails and keep an eye out for similar content in the future.




As a result of the challenge, a teacher's first two months on a new platform were guaranteed to be paid at least $100, and he or she could be eligible to have their classes featured in special ways.




To that end, I created "How to Write a Kick-Ass Blog Post," my first Skillshare course, and published it. For those of you who've been following me for a while, you'll recall that I recently spoke at WordCamp Denver about this very topic.




My slides were ready to go because of this. Filming the class was the only additional effort required to create this course.




For filming, there are two essential tools that I'd like to share with you:




If you're serious about creating online courses, investing in high-quality recording equipment, such as the Blue Yeti USB Microphone, makes more sense. This is the exact model that I employ. I also purchased this low-cost pop filter to ensure the highest possible audio quality.


You can get a professional version of Screencast-O-Matic, a free screen recording tool, for $18 (or $14.40 if you use my link!). A single-user license for Camtasia costs $199, making it a more expensive option.


Those are the only investments you need to think about if you want to succeed. If you have these tools, remember that Who can use them to create additional Skillshare courses and other online training programs.




Earnings from my Skillshare subscription.


I'll have been on Skillshare for nearly a year come April of this year (my first payment was in July 2017). My earnings took off in late 2017 and early 2018 when I published more than one class.




To date, I've earned the following through Skillshare:







My first class paid for itself in 2017 alone, $450. A single Skillshare class has resulted in a steady $50+/month in recurring revenue for the foreseeable future. I have every reason to believe that this trend will continue as I continue to publish courses.




The following are some numbers about my remittances:






All five of my currently published classes are included in these stats.




Watch my total viewing time since November 2017.







I noticed a significant increase in January due to the addition of my new courses! Over 3,000 minutes of premium time this month. With over 6000 premium minutes viewed by students, I received an email feature in March.




And new students in all of my Skillshare classes:







Once more, take note of the enormous spikes in January and March.




According to these numbers, I believe that each new class should bring in a decent amount of new students and minutes watched (thanks to an existing student following) and then bring in recurring monthly revenue of around $50 per class.




The problem is that I'm making a lot of generalizations—especially since some of my classes are outperforming the rest of the class. As a result, my 2018 marketing strategy is to invest more of my time in passive income opportunities like those offered by Skillshare. In my opinion, working with Skillshare is a low-risk, high-reward way to explore the financial potential of online course development.




So, Skillshare is the next logical step. Maybe it's meant for you. Assuming that's the case, the next section of our Skillshare review will cover the basics of getting started on the site.




Getting Started with Skillshare


Making a class may seem daunting, but it's simpler than creating an entire online course from scratch.




An online course can be broken down into modules and lessons. A Skillshare class is composed of a single module and a handful of grouped lessons.




You want to focus on a single topic and give it your best effort.




What Skillshare Classes to Teach


On Skillshare, it's important to know that some topics will be more popular than others. It's important to keep in mind that the typical Skillshare user is a professional looking to learn new skills.




To that end, a wide variety of classes are available to teach people new skills for their preferred pastimes.




When it comes to making money, focus on topics that are in high demand and trending. Each week, Skillshare publishes a new list of lesson plans that prospective teachers can use as inspiration for their own lessons.




Make sure to take advantage of their staff, as they've been extremely helpful to me throughout the entire process! Keep in mind that your success benefits them as well.




The topics and slides I've used in my Skillshare classes so far have all come from previous speaking engagements. However, for the time being, this will keep my investment in the platform at a manageable level while I evaluate my efforts on the forum.




In light of my recent success, I'm contemplating creating monthly original content for the platform that would be exclusive (and, hey, for future speaking gigs, too).




Best Practices for Skill sharing


When it comes to the classes they allow to be published on Skillshare; they are very flexible. There are, however, a few rules you must adhere to maintain good standing:




Avoid self-promotion and "get rich quick" schemes, and instead focus on providing helpful information.


Post a video at least ten minutes long (longer is better, up to about 60 minutes of content).


Do a project for your students to work on in class. Don't be alarmed; it's pretty simple. You can get some inspiration from my classes.


Abide by the rules of the community. As a general rule, don't be a shit.


Getting Started with Skillshare


Skillshare provides a pitiful number of options for class customization when compared to a platform like Teachable. The content is the most important consideration here.




Expect to finish the following assignments for each class:




Video uploads are a given.


The titles of your videos should be descriptive of the content in each mini-lesson.


The cover art for the videos: Skillshare may fill these in with a video thumbnail, but you may want to customize them with images that are more descriptive of the lesson each one refers to.


Students will be searching for your class on the internet, so think of keywords that they might use to find you.


This is how you're going to sell yourself to the world! Tell your audience what they can expect to learn and why you're the best person to teach it. As an example, take a look at the "How to Write a Kick-Ass Blog Post" description I wrote: In the course description, you'll see a link to my website. Who can find a lead magnet and related resources on the corresponding page?




A Skillshare requirement: a class project. From the class I took, here's my work: Social media content for your most crucial channel should be created and formatted in a week" (such as 240 characters or less and hashtags on Twitter). I'll take a look and offer suggestions on how to improve it (if that's even possible!). Make sure to include pictures!


The right people can find your class with the help of the appropriate category and subcategory.


If you want to make money from minutes watched, make sure the class type is set to "Premium". You can create unlimited free access links to your class under the "Promote" tab if you want to share it with friends, clients, or non-Skillshare users.




Does it cater to beginners, intermediates, and advanced learners? Let them know right here.


Class skills: You can add up to seven tags to help you find the classes you're interested in.


Uploading your class videos is simple, and you only have to make these two choices when you do so.




Increasing Your Skillshare Following: A Long-Term Success Strategy


To be a long-term success on Skillshare, you need more than just a single class; you need a well-thought-out teaching strategy. Prospective students can learn more about you and the classes you're teaching by visiting your Skillshare profile.




Boosting your online presence


Your Skillshare profile should be the most comprehensive possible. You have the following control over:




a snapshot of oneself


Name, first and last


Title


When people connect on social media, they


A direct link to a website.


The title of one's Facebook page


Bumper text


In addition, there are images, videos, and hyperlinks in the additional content.


Here is a sample of mine:






Your Skillshare classes will be listed at the bottom of your profile, along with information about how long they are, who is taking them, and whether or not they are brand new:






Prospective students are more likely to check out your class offerings and follow you if you do a good job of merchandising your profile page.




The Influence of Good Reviews


To motivate people, social proof is essential. A review indicates that a student has taken your class and found it a worthwhile experience. Who can use a call to action in the "About" section or at the end of the final lesson to encourage student reviews?






As an added benefit, you can reuse these testimonials in other digital marketing campaigns, such as social media posts, email newsletters, and even the text of your website.




Making the Most of Your Skillshare Class Promotion


You don't need a large online following to be successful on Skillshare. However, if you already have a following and promote your Skillshare classes regularly, things will move much more quickly.




The premium minutes that existing Skillshare users watch as a result of your promotion and the excellent referrals that you bring to the platform can both be used to help pay for your Skillshare classes.




To take advantage of the dual-earning opportunity, use your class referral links.






Skillshare's features


My early success on Skillshare is mainly due to the feature opportunities they've given my classes. This is the third time that I've been mentioned:




As a rising star of the summer


The Freelance category has a new feature:




The Business section has a new feature:




According to my sources, this occurs in fewer than 1% of all Skillshare classes:






As long as you do it three times, I'm sure we can do it. Don't be put off by the fact that the number is so large.




Skillshare Courses I've Created


So far, these are all the classes I've taken through Skillshare:




How to Write a Badass Post for Your Blog


For bloggers and solopreneurs who need help with SEO


As a CEO, you should be tweeting like a CEO.


WordPress for Bloggers: A Beginner's Course


Freelance Salary Negotiation: A Step-by-Step Guide


The Art of the Kicker


Outline of the Ass Blog


With the help of virtual assistants, you can expand your business.


These videos can help you get started on Skillshare and the lessons I've shared in this review by watching them and paying attention to how I've structured them.





Are you interested in becoming a Skillshare teacher?


I hope this Skillshare review has given you a new perspective on the service. Although Skillshare has so many great resources for new and returning teachers alike, I've found it more helpful to hear from a third party than from the company itself.




You've decided to start teaching Skillshare, but what's the next step? All I need is your contact information, and I'll do my best to put you in touch with all of the beautiful people at Skillshare who can help you succeed!




Getting Paid to Teach on Skillshare: A Comprehensive Guide


What questions do you still have after reading this Skillshare review? Do you have any concerns or doubts about pursuing this income source? In that case, please let me know in the space provided below, and I'll do everything I can to assist you.