Your students have purchased your online course, full of excitement and anticipation. Yet, many mentally check out within the first 30 seconds. Not because the course lacks quality, but because the introductory moments fail to engage them. In this episode, you'll learn about critical course design mistakes that cause students to disengage right from the start, and discover a simple, three-part framework to hook your audience from lesson one.

You'll learn:

• Why "In this lesson, we're going to learn about..." is the worst way to start
• The four intro mistakes that make your course sound like a boring lecture
• How YouTube, TV, and podcasts hook audiences, and how to steal those techniques for your course
• The difference between telling students why a lesson matters and showing them
• A simple three-part framework you can use to open every lesson in 15-30 seconds

Your students already paid. But attention isn't included in the purchase price. You have to earn it every single lesson, the same way a TV show earns your attention every single episode. The good news? It's simpler than you think.

Perfect for solopreneurs looking to build an online course that transforms students and grows their business, this episode offers actionable advice rooted in 17 years of course design experience. Attention isn't guaranteed just because someone paid—it must be earned lesson by lesson, just like a hit TV show. Tune in to learn how to design course intros that captivate and retain your students from the start.

I'm Dr. Curtis Satterfield. I've been an educator and course designer for 17 years, and I help solopreneurs build courses that actually transform their students and grow their business.

If you liked this episode, go check out my episode on "The Handoff Method." It's another lesson-level design technique that helps your students go from "I get it" to "I can actually do this." Search "The Handoff Method" wherever you're listening.

Ready to stop spinning your wheels? Book a free Course Roadmap Call and let's figure out the right next steps for your course: https://curtissatterfield.com/work-with-curtis/

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For solopreneurs looking to build an online course that truly transforms students, understanding the difference between transferring information and transferring skills is key.

In this episode, we introduce the Handoff Method, a simple three-step approach to course design that helps your students move from "I get it" to "I can do it."

You'll learn:

• Why most online courses fail to transfer actual skills
• The absurd way most courses are structured (and why we'd never accept it in other fields)
• The three steps of the Handoff Method: Me, Us, You
• A real example of this method creating a breakthrough for a student
• How to implement the Handoff Method in your own course
• How to use the Handoff Method in pre-recorded courses where you can't interact with students

Your students don't truly understand something until they've done it themselves. But they can't just jump to doing. They need to see it, practice with support, then own it. The Handoff Method gives you a simple structure to make that happen.

I'm Dr. Curtis Satterfield. I've been an educator and course designer for 17 years, and I help solopreneurs build courses that actually transform their students and grow their business.

Got a course creation question? Use the send me a message link and let me know what you're struggling with. I might answer it in a future episode.

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Creating an online course? Solopreneurs often make this course design mistake without realizing it. And it's costing them students, testimonials, and future sales.

In this episode, I share a personal story about learning to crochet that reminded me why so many course creators lose students before they even get started.

You'll learn:

• Why students give up on courses in the first few minutes
• What the "curse of knowledge" is and how it affects your course design
• How to figure out where your audience truly is in their journey
• The difference between a "beginner" and a "beginner beginner"
• Why it's okay to include basic information in your course

The transformation your students get determines your course's value, not how advanced the content is. If you skip the foundations your students need, they'll go elsewhere. And without students completing your course, you won't get the testimonials and social proof you need to grow your business.

Check out my Amigurumi Whale (and journey) here.

I'm Dr. Curtis Satterfield. I've been an educator and course designer for 17 years, and I help solopreneurs build courses that actually transform their students and grow their business.

Ready to stop spinning your wheels? Book a free Course Roadmap Call and let's figure out the right next steps for your course: https://curtissatterfield.com/work-with-curtis/

Send me a message!

Are you ready to record your online course lessons but unsure whether to write a full script, use bullet points, or just wing it? This episode explores essential techniques for course creation that help solopreneurs build an online course that truly connects with their students. Learn from my 17 years of experience as an educator and course designer as I break down the three main approaches to lesson delivery and share which method works best.

You'll learn:

• Why repeating yourself on camera tanks your credibility (and how scripts prevent it)
• The minimum preparation you need before hitting record
• How to read a script without sounding robotic
• When bullet points are enough (and when they'll get you in trouble)
• A simple tool that changed how I record everything

The aim isn't perfection but presenting your authentic self while covering everything your students need to succeed. Whether you are just starting to create an online course or looking to improve your delivery, these tips will save you time and help you design more engaging lessons.

I'm Dr. Curtis Satterfield, and I specialize in course design and helping solopreneurs create online courses that genuinely transform students and grow their business.

Ready to move forward with your course creation? Book a free Course Roadmap Call to get personalized guidance: https://curtissatterfield.com/work-with-curtis/

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You build an online course, launch it, and only a few people sign up. For solopreneurs trying to create an online course that grows their business, low enrollment feels like failure. But it doesn't have to be.

In this episode, I share exactly what happened when my course launch got only one paid student, and the course creation strategies I used to turn it into a sold-out relaunch just months later.

You'll learn:

• Why low enrollment only matters for certain types of courses
• How to cap your enrollment so selling feels easier and scarcity stays honest
• The "scholarship" strategy that filled my seats without destroying my pricing
• Why slashing your price after a bad course launch backfires long-term
• The one thing I asked from free students that made my relaunch completely different

A disappointing first launch isn't the end. It's an investment in testimonials, refined content, and a better second launch - but only if you play it right.

I'm Dr. Curtis Satterfield. I've been an educator and course designer for 17 years, and I help solopreneurs build courses that actually transform their students and grow their business.

Ready to stop spinning your wheels? Book a free Course Roadmap Call and let's figure out the right next steps for your course: https://curtissatterfield.com/work-with-curtis/

Send me a message!

Online course completion is the key to course creation success. If your students aren't finishing, you're not getting testimonials, referrals, or repeat buyers. Just silence.

The problem isn't your content. It's that your students don't understand why each lesson matters to them. And the common advice to "just explain why" doesn't work because it relies on you remembering to do it every single time.

In this episode, I'll show you two structural tools that build purpose into every lesson automatically.

You'll learn:

• Why students check out even when your content is solid
• The real reason "start with why" advice fails most course creators
• The Outcome Test: one question that forces clarity into every lesson
• How to use Problem-Example-Lesson structure to make students care before you teach
• Why building purpose into your course architecture beats relying on willpower

Here's what most course creation programs won't tell you: the courses that generate testimonials and referrals aren't doing it because of fancy production or better marketing. They're doing it because students actually finish, implement, and get results. And that happens when every lesson has a clear purpose your students can feel.

I'm Dr. Curtis Satterfield. I've been an educator and course designer for 17 years, and I help solopreneurs build courses that actually transform their students and grow their business.

Ready to stop spinning your wheels? Book a free Course Roadmap Call and let's figure out the right next steps for your course: https://curtissatterfield.com/work-with-curtis/

Send me a message!

You're building your first online course and you can't stop asking: how long should it be?

You've searched for answers. Maybe you even bought a course creation program hoping they'd tell you. But nobody gives you a straight answer.

In this episode, I share 4 course length realities no one talks about - and they directly affect whether your course succeeds or fails.

You'll learn:

• Why the "more content = more value" myth is destroying course completion rates
• What actually determines how much you can charge (hint: it's not length)
• Real numbers for modules, lessons, and lesson length
• Why I can't give you the exact answer for your course - and why that's actually freeing

After 17 years as an educator and online course designer, I've seen what works and what doesn't. The courses that transform students aren't the longest ones. They're the ones that give students exactly what they need to get results - nothing more, nothing less.

I'm Dr. Curtis Satterfield. I help solopreneurs build courses that actually transform their students and grow their business.

Ready to build a course that delivers real results? Book a free Course Roadmap Call and let's figure out the right next steps for your course: https://curtissatterfield.com/work-with-curtis/

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You want to build a course that helps people. But when you sit down to actually create it, you're staring at a blank screen thinking... what do I actually put in this thing? Most course creators just record everything they know and hope something sticks. That's why their students don't finish - and why refund requests pile up.

In this episode, I share 5 truths I've learned in 17 years as an educator that separate courses that transform students from courses that just dump information.

You'll learn:

• Why nobody buys a course for information - and what they're actually paying for
• The "ladder test" for making sure every lesson has a clear, actionable outcome
• How to sequence your content so students build momentum instead of forgetting everything
• The difference between teaching and dumping (and why one of my students remembered a lesson years later on the job)
• How to know what to cut - because more content actually makes your course worse

Here's what most course creation programs won't tell you: your students aren't paying for hours of content. They're paying to go from "I don't know how" to "I did it." If you don't design your course around that transformation, no amount of marketing will save it.

I'm Dr. Curtis Satterfield. I've been an educator and course designer for 17 years, and I help solopreneurs build courses that actually transform their students and grow their business.

Ready to stop spinning your wheels? Book a free Course Roadmap Call and let's figure out the right next steps for your course: https://curtissatterfield.com/work-with-curtis/

Send me a message!