Choosing a Good Teaching Subject
Choosing a subject to teach about may seem like one of the simplest and most obvious things ever. Yet, this continues to be one of the most talked about issue within the class creator community. You may think you have the perfect idea, but will students flock to your class based on it? Let me tell you a little story in order to explain what I mean.
The first classes I ever created were about handcrafting wire jewelry. It made total sense to me because I had a retail and wholesale jewelry business that revolved around the handmade vibe. I was doing quite well with it as a side gig, so I thought I'd branch out into classes. They did okay, but they were nowhere as successful as I thought they would be.
Skillshare class Handcrafted Jewelry- Making a Sweetheart Ring
I started to do some research to find out why.
Part of the problem was that I was a brand new online teacher and didn't have an audience yet. Thankfully I had produced both of my initial classes for Skillshare, and they had tons of guidelines, and helpful teachers that were willing to share their tips. I noticed that many teachers had switched to different subjects along the way. I realized it wasn’t a random choice, but that there was an art to choosing a what to teach about.
The trick to growing a following is sticking with something long enough to gather people who are interested in what you're doing. So looking back, I realize that I could have grown as a handcrafted jewelry teacher had I stuck with it. The thing was, I hadn't chosen a subject that was at the bottom of my ultimate “why”. Does that matter? Yes, because creating classes is very time-consuming and very energy-intensive. Therefore, I wouldn't want to teach on a subject I wasn't going to be able to maintain over a long period of time.
Skillshare class DIY Statement Bracelet
Was I passionate about my current class topic? Absolutely. Could I do it for the long term? I wasn’t sure...
So the question became, “What subject would I be happy teaching for several years?” After all, I was starting a new business with a website, social accounts, and clients. That was a huge time/energy commitment. What did I truly want it all to revolve around?
After much soul searching, I found the answer to that was watercolor painting. Why watercolors? Because although I loved acrylic and gouache painting, sculpting, fashion design, yarn crafts, paper crafts, paper maché, and so much more, watercolors made me the happiest. This would ensure that I’d be comfortable with this for the long term. I could change it later if I needed to, but for now I could safely invest myself.
Now that I had found something I loved to do over the long term, it was time to go deeper. At the end of the day, the question remained, would my students love this subject as much as I did? If they did, I would be set. If not… it was time to go back to the drawing board.
How do you know if students will love a teaching subject if you haven’t created the class yet?
As I mentioned earlier in this post, research! Researching the market will give you such an edge, and save you soooo much time. It will clue you into what students want right now, and what they need. It will tell you what they’re asking about, and what they subjects they’re raving about. How do you access this vast wisdom???
Skillshare class Watercolor Treasures of the Sea
There are a few ways. First, go to Facebook and check to see how many groups exist on this subject. Next, visit a few popular book-selling websites, like Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Search your subject and see how many books there are on this topic. Then, visit your favorite social media sites and do the same search. What if your subject ends up being super popular? Does that mean you should give up on it since it’s already over-saturated? Will your class get lost in the sea of classes already created to service this niche? That’s what I initially thought, but I was wrong.
If there are a lot of search results, don’t lose heart! This is a good thing because this will show you how big you can grow within this niche.
Skillshare class Fashion Illustration- How to Paint Fabric Prints in 3D
We’ve gone over lots of info. Let’s do a quick recap:
Ask yourself if you’re really passionate about your teaching subject.
Ask yourself if you will be likely to stick with your teaching subject over a long period of time.
Do some research to see if there are lots of Facebook groups, books, and social accounts with your chosen subject.
Next time, we’ll go over ways to choose a successful class topic, which is equally important. Plus I’ll be going over why you may want popular teaching subjects, and class topics, even if it sounds counter-intuitive.
Have a question about teaching your own classes? Let me know in the comments below.
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