How to Make Money with Skillshare

In the rapidly expanding world of online education, platforms like Skillshare offer creators, experts, and educators a chance to earn a steady income while sharing their skills and knowledge with a global audience. Skillshare, one of the most popular online learning platforms, allows individuals to teach courses on a wide range of subjects—from design and technology to business, photography, and lifestyle. If you have expertise in a particular field and want to monetize your skills, Skillshare can be an excellent platform to start building a passive income stream.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how to make money with Skillshare, covering everything from setting up your first class to maximizing your earnings and building a sustainable online teaching business.

Why Skillshare is a Great Platform for Earning Money

Before diving into the steps of creating and monetizing a Skillshare course, it’s essential to understand why Skillshare is such a powerful platform for instructors:

Global Audience: Skillshare boasts millions of learners from around the world, giving you access to a vast potential audience. This global reach means that once your course is live, it can continue generating income as long as it remains relevant and valuable.
Passive Income Potential: Once you’ve created your course, it can generate revenue continuously. While you’ll need to promote it and engage with students, Skillshare’s subscription model allows you to earn money even when you’re not actively working.
No Upfront Costs: Skillshare doesn’t charge you to create or publish a course. You can focus on delivering great content without worrying about upfront fees or complicated revenue splits. You only earn money once students start engaging with your course.
Community Engagement: Unlike some other online learning platforms, Skillshare emphasizes community interaction. Students can leave feedback, engage in discussions, and share their work, which creates a dynamic learning environment.
Support for Creators: Skillshare offers a range of resources to help instructors succeed, from class creation guides to marketing tips. This support can be especially beneficial for those new to online teaching.

Step 1: Choose Your Niche

The first and most critical step to making money with Skillshare is deciding what you’re going to teach. Your niche should align with your expertise, passions, and market demand. It’s important to choose a topic that not only excites you but also has a clear demand among Skillshare’s audience.

Here’s how to choose the right niche:

Identify Your Strengths: Think about your unique skills and knowledge. Are you an expert in graphic design, web development, creative writing, or photography? Consider topics where you can offer substantial value and insight.
Research Existing Courses: Spend time exploring Skillshare to see what courses are currently available in your potential niche. This will help you identify gaps in the market or areas where demand is high. If your area of expertise is saturated with similar courses, consider how you can differentiate your offering by targeting a specific sub-niche or presenting a unique teaching style.
Passion vs. Profit: Ideally, your chosen niche should strike a balance between something you’re passionate about and a topic that has enough demand to be profitable. Remember, it’s easier to create and teach a course about something you genuinely enjoy.

Popular categories on Skillshare include:

Creative Skills: Graphic design, illustration, photography, video production, and animation.
Business and Technology: Marketing, productivity, entrepreneurship, web development, and data science.
Lifestyle: Health, wellness, cooking, gardening, and DIY crafts.

Step 2: Plan and Structure Your Course

Once you’ve identified your niche, the next step is to create a well-structured course. Skillshare students prefer short, concise, and actionable content, so it’s essential to plan your course in a way that keeps learners engaged and delivers real value.

Here’s how to plan and structure your Skillshare course:

Choose a Class Topic: Start by narrowing down your broad niche into a specific topic. For example, instead of teaching “Photography,” you could teach “How to Take Stunning Landscape Photos with Your Smartphone.” A well-defined topic helps attract the right students and ensures your course is focused and manageable.
Define Learning Outcomes: Clearly outline what students will achieve by the end of the course. Each lesson should be designed to build towards these outcomes. For example, a graphic design course might promise that by the end, students will be able to create professional-quality logos using Adobe Illustrator.
Break It Down into Bite-Sized Lessons: Skillshare classes are typically divided into shorter lessons that range from 5 to 15 minutes. Breaking down your course into digestible chunks keeps students engaged and makes it easier for them to follow along. Each lesson should focus on a single concept or skill to avoid overwhelming learners.
Include a Class Project: One of Skillshare’s unique features is the class project. Every class should include a hands-on project that allows students to apply what they’ve learned. The project can be as simple as a design exercise or as complex as building a website. The key is to encourage active learning and engagement.
Script Your Content: Even if you’re confident in your expertise, it’s important to script or outline your lessons to ensure clarity and flow. This also helps keep your videos concise and focused. A well-organized script ensures you cover all the essential points while keeping the content engaging.

Step 3: Create High-Quality Course Videos

On Skillshare, your course content is delivered primarily through video. Therefore, the quality of your video production will directly impact your success on the platform. Fortunately, you don’t need professional equipment to create great video content; you can achieve excellent results with a smartphone, a microphone, and proper lighting.

Here’s how to create high-quality course videos:

Audio Quality Matters: While good video quality is important, clear audio is critical. Invest in a good-quality microphone (even a basic USB or lapel mic) to ensure your voice is crisp and easy to understand. Background noise can distract students and reduce the perceived value of your course.
Lighting: Proper lighting can make a big difference in how professional your videos look. If you’re filming at home, try to use natural light or inexpensive LED lights to illuminate your face and any materials you’re showing.
Engaging Delivery: Your teaching style plays a huge role in how students perceive your course. Speak clearly and confidently, maintain eye contact with the camera, and be enthusiastic about the material. The more engaged you are, the more likely your students will be too.
Use Visuals and Examples: Supplement your verbal explanations with visuals. Use slides, on-screen graphics, or live demonstrations to reinforce your points. Skillshare’s audience appreciates courses that are both informative and visually engaging.
Edit Professionally: You don’t need to be an expert editor, but make sure your videos are clean, professional, and free of awkward pauses or mistakes. Basic video editing software like iMovie, Adobe Premiere, or even free tools like DaVinci Resolve can help you polish your videos.

Step 4: Publish Your Class on Skillshare

After you’ve created your course content, it’s time to upload and publish it on Skillshare. The platform makes this process relatively simple, but there are a few key steps to follow:

Upload Videos: Skillshare allows you to upload your videos directly to their platform. Make sure your video files are in a compatible format (MP4 is preferred) and high-resolution (at least 1080p).
Create a Compelling Course Title: Your course title is the first thing potential students will see, so it needs to grab their attention. Use clear, descriptive language that highlights the main benefit of your course. For example, “Mastering Adobe Photoshop: From Beginner to Pro” is more engaging than “Photoshop Basics.”
Write a Detailed Course Description: Your course description should explain what students will learn, why it’s valuable, and who it’s for. Be clear and concise, and emphasize the outcomes students can expect after completing the course.
Design an Eye-Catching Thumbnail: The course thumbnail is another critical element in attracting students. Make sure your thumbnail is visually appealing and relevant to the course content. You can use tools like Canva to create a professional-looking design.
Set Your Class Project: Don’t forget to include a class project that allows students to apply the knowledge they’ve learned. Encourage students to share their completed projects in the class community to foster engagement.

Step 5: Promote Your Skillshare Class

Once your class is live, you’ll need to promote it to maximize your reach and earnings. Skillshare has a built-in audience, but you can increase your visibility and revenue by actively marketing your course.

Here’s how to promote your Skillshare class effectively:

Leverage Social Media: Share your class on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Highlight the benefits of taking your class and share snippets of your content to attract interest.
Utilize YouTube: If you have a YouTube channel or are considering starting one, you can create related content that directs viewers to your Skillshare class. For example, a short tutorial on YouTube can serve as a teaser for the more in-depth material in your course.
Build an Email List: If you have an email list, promote your course directly to your subscribers. Craft a compelling email that explains what your class offers and why they should enroll.
Collaborate with Influencers: Reach out to influencers or creators in your niche who can promote your class to their audience. This can be through guest appearances, collaborations, or shoutouts.
**Engage with Skillshare Community**: Participate in discussions, respond to feedback, and engage with your students. Active involvement in the Skillshare community can help boost your course’s visibility and attract more enrollments.

Step 6: Maximize Your Earnings on Skillshare

Skillshare’s payment model is based on a combination of premium membership royalties and referral bonuses. Here’s how you can maximize your earnings on the platform:

More Minutes Watched = More Money: Skillshare pays instructors based on the total number of minutes students watch their courses. To maximize your earnings, create engaging, high-quality content that encourages students to watch all the way through.
Referrals: Skillshare offers a referral program where you earn a bonus for each new premium member you bring to the platform. Promote your unique referral link on your social media, blog, or email list to generate additional income.
Create Multiple Classes: The more classes you have on Skillshare, the more opportunities you have to earn. Consider creating a series of related courses to increase your presence on the platform and cater to different skill levels.
Encourage Student Engagement: Engaged students are more likely to leave positive reviews and share your class with others. Respond to comments, provide feedback on projects, and encourage students to participate in discussions.

Conclusion: Building a Profitable Skillshare Business

Making money on Skillshare requires a combination of high-quality content, strategic promotion, and consistent engagement. By choosing a niche you’re passionate about, creating engaging courses, and actively promoting them, you can build a steady income stream on the platform. While it may take time to grow your audience and maximize your earnings, Skillshare offers an excellent opportunity to turn your skills and knowledge into a profitable online business.

With dedication, creativity, and a focus on delivering value to your students, you can succeed as a Skillshare instructor and enjoy the benefits of passive income from your online courses.