30 Nov 2024
7 min read
Reaching an Important Milestone
I want to share something exciting: I officially made my first $1,000 from online music production! This is a big deal for me, especially since my highest past earnings from any album featuring my production amounted to $40. The best part though? I did it without the long grind associated with making and selling lengthy video courses.
As someone with a background in video and audio editing, I know how much work goes into creating a course. Imagine filming 10 hours of video, then editing it down to a 5-hour course that sells for $45 (or $19.99 on Udemy, which ends up being around $12 after the platform takes its cut). After years of doing this type of work, I wanted to take a different approach—one that felt easier, less mentally exhausting, and virtually free to produce.
I've been offering my services on Fiverr for the past nine years, mainly focusing on audio production like mixing, mastering, podcasts, audiobooks, sound effects, video editing, graphic design, web design, ad creation, and creative writing. Eventually, I moved into consulting for business owners in podcasting and audio production, which I truly do enjoy.
Honestly, it has worked out even better than I expected. From the start, I had a unique challenge: I wanted to teach a music production course but exclusively featuring my preferred device. If you've read my last blog, you might already know a bit about it.
How I Promote and Sell My Freestyle'd Maschine Course
I update my Fiverr profile every few months. If you're not familiar with Fiverr, think of this profile as a landing page that brings in potential students for me. I've kept all "about" content short and simple, using the AIDA framework (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) to attract prospective buyers.
To serve as my portfolio I've shared a few key pieces of content, like a 60-second teaser video of me explaining the software, a remix of a popular rap song (to show my production skills), and an electronic R&B cover to highlight my versatility. I also made sure my gig thumbnail has a centered headshot generated by DALL-E in a hand-drawn style. People are naturally drawn to human faces, so—with the help of AI—I used that same attention-grabbing effect as a selfie, without actually taking a selfie.
AI is especially good at symmetry - which is naturally attractive to the eye. This is enough to grab people's attention and make them feel confident they're working not only with a human but with an expert they can trust. I also optimized everything for SEO so the right students—beginners or new users of the device who need real, hands-on help—can easily find me.
1-on-1 AMAs vs. YouTube Academy
Creating a detailed, pre-scripted course always felt overwhelming and time-consuming to me. So, when I set about launching this course, I chose to offer AMA-style Zoom consultations at $90 an hour ($72 after Fiverr's 20% cut). At the start, I knew I needed just one sale to prove my skills, so the video you see on my gig page is actually a 60-second clip from my first client's follow up video. Minimal editing— zero stress!
All sessions are fully personalized and focus on what the student needs right then. By taking this MVP (Minimum Viable Product) approach, I've avoided endless hours of scripting and pre/post production, which frees me to focus on delivering 5 star lessons. These days, I'm very careful about avoiding burnout, and this approach has been so much more manageable and equally rewarding.
To help new students, I also designed a Maschine session puzzle with accompanying solution video to introduce my production/teaching style. This too was initally conceieved and shot as a single take to conserve time and energy. With my left hand I would switch "cameras" and I improvised my solution breakdown to avoid analysis paralysis. The link to the video is live but unlisted on YouTube (visible only to students after they purchase) as optional pre-course material. I'm proud to report it's recieved significant positive feedback since going live.
Framing our Zoom hour this way, eager students can get hands-on with the device without having to read the manual or go through every button before we meet. This also allows them to potentially address the fundamentals early - leaving more room for our sessions to explore or reinforce what they've learned so far.
Data Scraping & My 3 Step Close
(The map above is not correlated to my Fiverr sales but is sourced from a Udemy page hosting my self paced puzzle video as a free offer. I use this both as an ad for my Fiverr offer, as well as a target map for future buyers. As you can see at least 66 countries [316 students] have expressed interest in what I teach!)
All Fiverr gigs have a requirements section, so I've utilized this as an onboarding form thanks to a couple well-thought-out questions. Although each lesson is limited to an hour, I've set the delivery time to 14 days—giving plenty of buffer time for rescheduling across time zones. This onboarding approach also allows me to collect emails for future promotions and gather data to improve my target buyer profile. This information has proven invaluable, giving me a much clearer understanding of who my ideal students are and what they're looking for in any future course. Additionally, the extra time cushion helps me accommodate any unexpected changes, making the process smoother for both me and the students.
The addition of this data has reinforced the effectiveness of my approach, and I've learned that being intentional about my line of questioning - before any order takes place - makes a world of difference. The built in onboarding helps me determine what if any of my page needs to tweaked, and also serves to start a productive conversation that is tailored to their needs.
When someone reaches out, I have a simple 1-2-3 approach: I ask two pre-qualifying questions (Are you a PC or Mac user? How long have you been producing?) and then make my standard offer. My current conversion rate is 4%—which might not sound like much, but according to recent analytics, I'm doing better than 77% of other sellers in my subcategory.
Now this approach might not be for everyone, but with this I'm able to turn leads into real conversations and instantly create future content from these meetings. Using a platform like Fiverr to host my course also connects me with students I wouldn't have met otherwise thanks to its built in marketplace.
By applying what I've learned about copywriting and SEO, I've been fortunate to attract students who are truly on the same wavelength. The combination of well-crafted gig descriptions, optimized keywords, and strategic engagement garentees me a steadily growing student base. Additionally, every interaction helps me fine-tune my messaging to idenity the right kind of learners for my teaching style, making my Fiverr gig more successful over time.
Word to the Wise
A lot of people say you should start a YouTube channel and build a following before launcing a course, but sometimes taking a different approach can cut through the noise —and get you to "the bag" - quicker. Instead of chasing views and likes, it's often more effective to focus directly on building value for a specific audience. By "niching down" to narrow your approach, you can establish a strong foundation and create products that genuinely solve problems.
(To generate the $29.79 payout above, a Youtube video would need at least 1000 veiws. For reference: my aforementioned "pre course" youtube video is currently sitting at 147 veiws)
If you're considering offering services online, I recommend giving this MVP approach a shot—whether on Fiverr or another platform. I often meet people who want to start selling digital assets but get overwhelmed or fall into debt before they even start. Sometimes, all you need is a well-crafted landing page and the willingness to dive in.. If you're curious enough, you can create something really rewarding.
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