Jen Nikolaeva
Revenue growth & marketing · 8 MIN · 17.12.2024
How to start an online school in 2025: a step-by-step guide
Ever thought about starting your own online school but didn’t know where to begin? In 2025, it’s easier than ever to get started and reach students all over the world. With online learning booming and expected to hit $645 billion by 2030, this could be your big chance. But how do online schools work? And how do you make one that’s awesome? Let’s dive in and figure it out together.
Why start an online school?
Online learning is blooming right now, and here are a few pros for starting your own:
- Big demand
Lots of people love learning online because it’s flexible and convenient. Students love being able to learn anytime, anywhere. Whether it’s early morning or late at night, online schools fit into busy schedules. - Low costs
You don’t need to rent a building or buy desks – everything’s digital! Thanks to digital platforms such as LMSs (Learning Management System), running an online school is way cheaper than managing a traditional one. - Global outreach
With just an internet connection, you can teach people from different countries and backgrounds. Your school can be global right from day one.
How do online schools work?
Online schools are virtual campuses where all the magic happens digitally. They’re made up of several key parts and follow a structured flow to make learning effective and easy to access.
Source: unsplash.com | Thomas Park
Key parts of an online school
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Learning content
Videos, e-books, podcasts, interactive quizzes, live sessions, and other activities are the backbone of any online school. They should be well-structured and easy to follow. Here’s a helpful guide on creating online courses. -
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Delivery platform (LMS)
This is where students log in to access the content. Seturon LMS, for example, provides customisable white-label LMS and tools to track and interact with learners. -
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Analytics
Tools to monitor student progress and identify what’s working and what’s not. There are lots of metrics you can monitor through online tools that will give you helpful information on where to go with your online courses and approaches to online education. -
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Support system
This is your team of professionals (LMS admins, learning experience designers, designers, marketing, etc.), FAQs, instructions or email communication to address student concerns quickly.
What you need to launch an online school
Planning and setup
First, you decide what your school is about. Will it be for learning coding or playing a musical instrument?
Know your target audience and what they want to learn. Tailor your school’s structure and style accordingly. In order for your online school to make revenue, there are certain steps you need to follow before moving further. Once you have your focus, it’s time to plan your content and structure.
Know your target audience and what they want to learn. Tailor your school’s structure and style accordingly. In order for your online school to make revenue, there are certain steps you need to follow before moving further. Once you have your focus, it’s time to plan your content and structure.
A reliable platform
Choosing an LMS platform to host your online school is vital, because it will have an effect on how your students perceive your content and how you measure metrics. Make sure your platform suits your goals and leaves room for scalability in the future.
Marketing strategy
Use social media, SEO, and collaborations to promote your school and attract students.
Commitment to quality
Over time, you’ll need to refresh your content, add new materials, and even ensure everything runs smoothly on your platform. Regularly check and update your materials and ensure your teaching methods stay effective and engaging. By gathering feedback straight from your learners you have a great opportunity to tailor your courses to your customers’ wants and needs.
How to launch your online school
Find your niche and target audience
Start by deciding what your school will focus on. Will you teach coding, baking, fitness, or art? The more specific your niche, the better you can connect with your target audience. For example, platforms like Codecademy have thrived by specialising in coding for beginners, while The Butter Book focuses exclusively on baking and pastry arts.
Conduct research
Dive into platforms like Reddit, LinkedIn, and social media to understand what people want to learn. Look for questions, problems, or gaps that your online school can address. Competitor research also helps you see what’s already out there and how you can do it better.
Make a plan
Lay out your roadmap for the school. This includes:
Example:
You plan to launch an online school “Baking for beginners”.
- Your goal and target audience.
- The structure of your courses.
- The technology and tools you’ll need.
- The pricing model you’ll use.
- What are costs and profits you’ll have.
- Marketing strategies to get students to enrol.
Example:
You plan to launch an online school “Baking for beginners”.
Goal
Teach people with zero baking experience how to make tasty treats from scratch.
Target audience
- Teens who want a cool hobby.
- Parents and kids baking together.
- People looking for easy recipes.
Courses structure
The school will contain 3 levels of courses depending on students’ skills. Each course will be divided into modules with theory, video instructions, and interactive tests to check knowledge. Additional materials will have downloadable recipe cards.
Courses examples:
Beginner-level courses
- Baking Basics 101
- Easy Cookies & Bars
- Cupcakes & Muffins Made Simple
Intermediate level
- Mastering Doughs: Pizza, Pastries, and More
- Simple Cake Decorating 101
- Easy Baking Without Eggs or Dairy
Speciality courses
- Holiday Baking
- Baking on a Budget
- Baking for Kids: Parent-Child Activities
Tools needed
- For filming: camera (your iPhone will do here), tripod, microphone.
- Software: CapCut for editing.
- LMS: Seturon LMS platform for hosting the school.
- Marketing: MailChimp subscription to send updates, tips and offers.
Pricing model
The school will charge €200 for lifetime access to all lessons and materials.
Costs and profits
Since you’re on your own here, and you know how to do everything yourself, here are our calculations:
Initial investment: €13,800 (tripod, microphone, LMS, marketing)
Course price: €200
Marketing Budget: €4,200 (for ads targeting 8,000 people with a 2% conversion rate)
Estimated Revenue:
2% conversion of 8,000 views = 160 sales
160 x €200 = €32,000
Profit:
Revenue (€32,000) – Total Costs (€13,800) = €18,200
Marketing strategy
- Social Media Marketing – TikTok and Instagram Reels with quick fun recipes.
- Influencer Partnerships – partner with small baking influencers or food bloggers to showcase your course.
- Free content for promotion – share a free baking tutorial to interest people in buying the whole access to your school.
- Email Campaigns – build an email list by offering free tips and recipes, send updates, discounts, and success stories to encourage sign-ups.
- Launch offers – run a pre-launch discount: “Sign up before February and get 20% off!”
- Social media community – start a Facebook group or Discord for students to share their baking wins, ask questions, and foster your community of potential buyers and promoters.
Gather a team
Even if you’re starting by yourself, it’s important to understand the roles needed to make your online school successful. Here are the key competencies your team (or you!) must have, with examples to help you visualise the roles in action:
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Content Creation: SME, LXD, designer, video editor
Your team may vary depending on the format of the content you’re creating. But here are the most common members:
SME (stands for Subject Matter Expert) – someone who has all the topic knowledge and experience. Can conduct online lessons (live or pre-recorded) and create learning materials with LXD’s help.
LXD (stands for Learning Experience Designer) – an expert’s helping hand and an assistant who structures all the expert’s thoughts into interactive and engaging learning. Plans the curriculum and designs the learning experience in a way that students and business reach their goals. Can upload content online in LMS.
Designer helps with lesson presentations and different visuals for LMS and course materials.
Video editor edits videos and audio that go into your courses.
QA tester helps you find gaps, bugs or any other issues you might have in the final course.
For instance, if you’re launching a coding school, you might need a coding expert and LXD to create and shoot tutorials, a designer to craft engaging slides, a video editor to edit the final videos, and a QA tester to check if everything is ready to be launched. -
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Tech support
LMS admin is someone who handles the setup and maintenance of the LMS, manages groups and roles, and troubleshoots technical issues. -
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Marketing team
Your marketing team needs to have skills to promote your school, attract students, and build a strong online presence:- Social media managers – to run campaigns on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
- SEO specialists – to optimise your website and content for search engines.
- Content marketers – to write blogs or create promotional videos.
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Student support
Customer support, Student success manager, Community manager.
These roles’ responsibilities might intersect according to each school’s structure, but usually you’ll need only one. These roles provide assistance to students with questions or issues and help them stay engaged and motivated. They can also track and analyse student progress, course performance, and other metrics and help you improve the students’ learning and schools’ goals. -
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Project management
Project manager is someone who coordinates tasks, timelines, and deliverables across all team members to keep the project on track. -
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Finance and administrative team
These competencies are needed to manage the financial and legal aspects of the school. For example, you might need accountants to track revenues and expenses, and legal advisors to ensure compliance with data privacy laws.
What if you’re doing it solo?
No team at all? No problem. If you’re starting on your own, you can wear many hats and use Seturon’s help.
No team at all? No problem. If you’re starting on your own, you can wear many hats and use Seturon’s help.
Create content
This is the part where you create the courses for your online school. Remember to keep it engaging and gamified to keep your students motivated.
Upload everything in LMS
All the content you’ve created needs to be transferred into your LMS. Don’t forget to test it before the launch!
Launch and market your school
With every learning material in place, you are only left with pushing that red button that says “launch” and start your marketing campaigns.
Starting your own online school in 2025 isn’t just possible – it’s exciting! With the right niche, team, tools, and some creativity, you can create and launch a school that helps people from all over the world learn while earning you some cash.
- Jen NikolaevaLearning Experience Designer and EdTech Producer
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