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How to Create Your
Successful MasterClass
in 5 Steps [Guide 2022]
JANUARY 27, 2022 • Kyriaki Raouna
The elearning market is growing constantly.
After a global pandemic, the demand to
create high-quality educational content
and offer it to those who need it and can’t
access education in any other way but
online is huge.
For an online course creator who is
creating and selling online courses,
however, the competition is fierce. An
excellent way to stand out from the crowd
is to host masterclasses.
Since a masterclass offers more in-depth
knowledge, it is worth exploring further.
In this article, you will learn all you need to
know about a masterclass from planning to
creating and hosting one successfully.
Create a beautiful online school
without any technical skills.
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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
What is a Masterclass?
How to Plan a Masterclass:
Where to Start?
How to Create a Masterclass
1 Step 1: Come Up With A Topic
Step 2: Give Your Masterclass
2
A Name And Structure
3 Step 3: Create The Content
Step 4: Decide On A Business
4
Model
Step 5: How to Promote & Sell
5
Your Masterclass
How to Host & Market a
Masterclass
Online Masterclass Examples
How to Create Your Own
Masterclass With LearnWorlds
Ready to Create an Online
Masterclass?
What is a Masterclass?
According to [Link], a masterclass
is ‘a small class for advanced students,
especially a class in performance skills
conducted by a distinguished musician’.
The Collins Dictionary says ‘a masterclass is
a lesson where someone who is an expert
at something such as dancing or music
gives advice to a group of good students’.
Looking at these dictionaries, it’s easy to
tell how the meaning of ‘master class’ has
changed through the years.
While the first master class took place in
music education, today it is used
throughout various disciplines. Now, a
masterclass is a lesson where an
expert at something offers learning
and advice to a group of advanced
students and it has significant value
attached to it.
Fun fact: The standardized term for this is
‘master class’ but its popular alternative
version is ‘masterclass’, which is a term that
has become popularized by
[Link].
How to Plan a
Masterclass: Where to
Start?
Delivering a master class requires vast
knowledge, understanding, and
preparation. Before you do anything, as the
masterclass expert you will need to think
about:
Why create a master class?
Who is it for?
What should it include?
How much does it cost?
How long should it be?
The best way to create a successful
masterclass is to plan for it in advance.
Such questions can help you prepare and
gather all the resources you need for your
masterclass.
Why create a masterclass?
Creating a masterclass can seem like a
time-consuming process, but the benefits it
offers are many both for you and your
learners.
A masterclass can increase your revenue as
a course creator, improve your reputation,
and position you as an expert in your field.
It can also attract more loyal learners who
are more likely to stay with you or refer you
to their friends.
A masterclass can also help students
overcome obstacles, share their
knowledge, express their opinions, get
direct feedback
feedback, and learn
learn.
The purpose of a masterclass is to bring all
the aspects, activities, and tools together in
a one-time event to create an effective and
aspiring learning environment that allows
learners to be heard. No other educational
setting gives it such a focus.
Who is a masterclass for?
In a masterclass, it’s important to find out
as much about your target audience – your
learners, so that you prepare your
educational content accordingly.
To ensure that people will benefit from your
masterclass you will need to present
information that is going to be relevant to
them, and complementary to what they
already know.
This means that you need to choose
whether you want to create a masterclass
for beginners or more advanced students.
Most people who are interested in a
masterclass are highly-motivated learners
who want to learn more about a subject
in more detail so you can use this to your
advantage.
Remember, a masterclass is carried out so
that they can learn something new and
get valuable information from it. As
such, learners will have high expectations
from it.
Think about it like this – as the expert you
know what you already know, students
don’t; and it’s your responsibility to make
things easy, explanatory and
understandable.
What should a masterclass
include?
A masterclass can be anything from a
standalone event to a series of sessions, a
workshop, or an online course.
These are the key elements of a
masterclass:
It is a one-time event
It is taught by an expert
It is short and focused
It carries more niche value
Having said that, the instructional material
and content of a masterclass can be
determined and delivered accordingly to fit
your learners’ needs.
At this point, it is important to decide what
you want your learners to achieve by the
end of the masterclass. Try to get into the
details, pick which specific questions you
want it to answer, and create content that
gives a comprehensive knowledge of a
niche topic.
To do this, set up a learning goal and start
thinking about how you are going to
structure your masterclass.
Masterclass content can take the form of:
Video tutorials
Live or pre-recorded webinars
Blogposts or ebooks
Audio (podcasts)
Workbooks & Worksheets/Checklists
Slideshow/PowerPoint Presentations
Assessments (quizzes, exams, learning
activities)
LinkedIn or Facebook group (community
support)
The content can be presented through a
series of video tutorials,
slideshow/PowerPoint presentations, live or
pre-recorded webinars, or any other way
that suits your learning objectives as long
as it allows you to have regular check-ins
(or short breaks) with your learners.
How much does a
masterclass cost?
What is the real value of your masterclass?
Having confidence in what you know and
teach is one thing, but putting a price on it
is quite another. Follow the process of
pricing your course and calculate the time,
the effort to create the learning material,
and the knowledge you put into it.
While there is no one ready-made recipe
for it, it’s important to avoid giving it a low
price. A minimum price should start from
300$ considering that there is a lot going
on in it – interaction, engagement, and
more than 30 hours of ‘behind the scenes’
preparation work.
A masterclass is a premium product
and it’s different from a single course and
offers much more to students than a single
webinar. So, think about this when pricing
your masterclass.
How long should a
masterclass be?
The masterclass can take up as long as you
want but it is recommended that you keep
it below 3-hours. According to Business
Insider, Masterclass classes on
[Link] are about 2,5 hours on
average with each individual lesson
ranging from 2 to 5 minutes, which is a
good indication of the class duration.
Microlearning – which helps learners
acquire knowledge through small chunks of
information, seems to be the most
appropriate method to deliver masterclass
content effectively.
With the microlearning method, you can
help structure your masterclass in brief
sessions, lessons, or activities, create an
outline, and break down the allocated time.
A Masterclass outline example:
1. Class and instructor/expert Intro – (10
minutes)
2. Masterclass content: class lessons +
examples (45 minutes)
3. Student participation: one-to-one work
or group discussion (30 minutes)
4. Live Q & A (20 minutes)
5. Assessment: timed quiz or exam (30
minutes)
6. Assessment results + feedback (10
minutes)
7. Next Steps (5 minutes)
Total time: 2,5 hours
Learn more about microlearning and its
benefits.
Generally, it is a good idea to prepare a
draft plan and revise it as you go. Once you
have decided what you want it to include,
send it out to your attendees to help them
prepare for the lesson as well.
How to Create a
Masterclass
To ensure the success of your masterclass,
you need to go through the following steps:
Step 1: Come Up With A
Topic
Just like you would do for your online
course, first, you need to conduct some
research into the subject you want to teach.
Identify key topics you can talk about,
choose one and explore specific concepts.
For example, if you were to offer a
masterclass on cooking, you would want to
focus on an area of cooking like restaurant
cooking, or a specific type of cuisine. Then
you can come up with recipes, implement
them and offer tips on essential cooking
techniques as you go.
To do this, identify your key topics and
subtopics and find out which of these are
more important to your target audience.
You can check the demand for specific
keywords on tools like Google Trends and
Ahrefs that relate to your subject and find
out which of the corresponding topics your
learners want to learn more about.
Alternatively, you can try surveys to gather
interest around niche topics.
Need help? Check out trending course
topics for different industries in this article.
Step 2: Give Your
Masterclass A Name And
Structure
Since your masterclass is essentially a
product you want to sell, you need to be
thinking about the marketing aspects early
in the process.
Coming up with a suitable name for it can
help you create a buzz around it and
attract the right audience for all the right
reasons. It also helps to build the
foundation for success because it gives
learners the opportunity to understand
what the masterclass is all about.
The name of your masterclass needs to be
short, strong, enticing and to the point.
A few examples of successful masterclass
titles:
1. Cooking II: Restaurant Recipes at Home
(from Gordon Ramsay)
2. The Runner’s Mindset (from Joan Benoit
Samuelson)
3. The Power of Empathy (from Pharrell
Williams and Noted Co-Instructors)
4. Building a Fashion Brand (from Diane
Von Furstenberg)
5. Turning Ideas Into Art (from Es Devlin)
Such titles give learners just enough
information and context to help them
decide if they want to take part in it but
also the curiosity to check it out.
Apart from the name, you also need to
create a brief description of the
masterclass and add your content into as
many sections as it needs.
When creating your masterclass content
keep in mind the following:
Create content around the potential to
learn: what are you trying to solve? Identify
the topic and then break these down into
smaller points/lessons. Try to offer different
perspectives on each lesson to challenge
opinions and add more value.
Decide how long each master class will
be: depending on the content this could
range from 2 to 4 hours, but it’s a good idea
you can break them down into 30-45
minute classes with pauses in between.
Break down the lesson: decide on
activities that help you develop your idea
and content. Calculate the time spent on
discussion, individual and group exercises,
and questions and stick to a plan.
Think about the next move: consider
what’s the next step your students will take
once they finish the masterclass and give
your attention on there as a conclusion.
Step 3: Create The Content
Next, you will need to create the content
that you are going to include in the
masterclass.
Get our workbook to help you with creating
the outline and content for your
masterclass:
Download now!
At this point, you will need to decide how
you want to design and deliver the content
so that your learners can get the most out
of it.
The best way to do this – especially with
online education, is creating short videos
explaining key concepts and breaking
down each topic. These videos can be
followed by text, PFD explanations, an
ebook, or instructor notes that complement
the lesson.
This is the example [Link] is
following, and it works very well. But as
research shows, there is more to video and
its ability to transfer information in a more
engaging, direct, and interactive way is
gaining a lot of popularity.
These are some benefits of video in
learning:
It is one of the most persuasive types of
content
It addresses different learning needs
(visual, auditory, kinesthetic)
It allows learning on the go
It supports on-demand bite-sized
microlearning
It is a cost-effective elearning solution
There are many ways to teach and present
information through video and this will
depend on the instructional style you
choose to follow.
Need help? Find out how to create
educational videos from start to finish.
Step 4: Decide On A
Business Model
Your entire sales funnel needs to be guiding
prospective learners to sign up for your
masterclass. If you want people to join in,
then you need to find the best business
model and optimal price for it.
Will you give your learners lifetime
access to your masterclass?
Will it be a one-time product you are
selling for a limited time?
Is it going to be part of your wider
business promotional strategy?
Do you want to build more awareness for
your small business?
The business model you choose for your
masterclass has a direct effect on your end
goal.
Achieving that goal is the sum of metrics
you need to decide whether your
masterclass was successful or not. So think
about what can help you achieve your
business objectives.
A business model that works well with
intangible products like online courses and
masterclasses is the subscription model.
With a subscription fee, learners get to
have unlimited access to your product –
masterclass for the time they are choosing
to pay for it. For example, you may allow
learners to buy your online class and have
access to it for a month or up to a year.
So instead of lifetime access, learners get
access to your gated masterclass content
for a specific time which can motivate
them to buy immediately.
Learn more about subscriptions and
memberships here.
Step 5: How to Promote &
Sell Your Masterclass
Once you prepare the content for your
masterclass and put a price tag on it, it’s
time to start promoting it. When it comes
to marketing, there are many ideas to try
out.
These are the best ways to spread the
word:
Create a landing page
With a landing page in place, people are
more likely to discover your masterclass
and enroll in it. If you already have a
website, it should be really easy for you to
create another page dedicated to your
masterclass. On there, give as much
information as you can about the
masterclass, create a lead magnet and
allow people to register through an opt-in
form.
If you are running a pre-launch strategy,
you can create a pre-launch page with a
‘Coming Soon’ sign, and have people
signing up for the masterclass before it’s
even ready.
Promote on social media
On social media, you can create a
community group with people who are
interested in your subject. Through the
group, you can gradually build interest and
excitement while keeping posting relevant
content and asking people to chip in. In
time, you can start answering questions
and then invite them to join your
masterclass to get more knowledge on the
topic.
With a Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or
LinkedIn page you can also promote your
expertise and reach out to different
audience segments.
Use email marketing
If you don’t have one yet, it’s time to start
creating an email list. With an email list,
you get to create a group of subscribers
and keep nurturing them with relevant
information through email. Apart from
sharing your monthly newsletter, you can
give them regular updates on your business
or industry news, and inform them about
new products.
For best results, build an email sequence
and prepare your subscribers for the launch
of your masterclass. Create a promo video
for your masterclass, list out the benefits of
joining in and get them on board.
Want to learn more about email
marketing? Check out our elearning
resources and join our JustLaunchIt
workshop on email marketing for free!
Join Now
How to Host & Market a
Masterclass
To host your masterclass
masterclass, you will need
to have some key tools in your inventory.
Depending on the type of content you are
planning to create for the masterclass you
will need a different set of tools.
For example, if you want to conduct a live
masterclass for free try Facebook or
YouTube Live.
If you don’t mind spending some money on
a web conferencing or webinar platform,
then check out Zoom Premium,
GoToWebinar, WebinarJam, or
ClickMeeting to name a few.
For best results, you can invest in an LMS or
an online learning platform.
The most effective way to host your
masterclass is using an all-in-one
solution like LearnWorlds, which can host
and deliver your online learning content
through one dedicated platform and
integrate with tools like Zoom and Webex
allowing you to conduct classes or
webinars in real-time.
LearnWorlds comes with features like
video-hosting, integration with Zoom
or Webex, eCommerce, marketing
features to sell your masterclass
masterclass, and
more!
Create a beautiful online school
without any technical skills.
Start free trial
Online Masterclass
Examples
Before you start creating your
masterclas
masterclass, you might want to check out
some of the most successful and popular
examples of masterclasses out there.
This should help you gather some ideas
and ensure that you are offering your
learners the best tools and resources for
success.
Example 1: ICEP Hotel
School
The ICEP Hotel School allows its students
to take a deep dive into the sweet culinary
world of hotels. It comes with several
courses offering guided and practical
online learning experiences but also on-site
baking masterclasses conducted by various
internationally renowned chefs.
Image Source: ICEP Hotel School
Most of their masterclasses require online
registrations, include intensive pastry
training, a certificate of completion, and
last up to three days.
Example 2: Upskill
Upskill teaches people on various subjects
that fall under the professional
development umbrella. With live events,
masterclasses, training resources, and on-
demand content, Upskill helps its students
develop their technical and professional
skills and achieve better in their careers.
Their online content consists of videos,
ebooks, audio, notes, assessments, and
certificates.
Image Source: Upskill
From ethics to emotional intelligence,
leadership, and communication, the school
has many live events and masterclasses on
various subjects lined up.
For each masterclass, people can get more
information relating to its key outcomes,
who can join, how it can help with CPD
accreditation, and which competencies
they can learn and develop from the
training.
Example 3: Udemy
As an online course marketplace, Udemy is
packed with online courses offered by
various experts, instructors, and industry
professionals. Amongst the online learning
content it provides, there are also many
masterclasses on popular topics ranging
from digital marketing, web development,
business analysis, social media, and more.
In the following masterclass example on
Digital Marketing, Udemy presents lots of
information regarding the training. It gives
out a course description, an outline of the
learning outcomes, enrollment
requirements, joining in bonuses, and
instructor information.
Image Source: Udemy
A great emphasis is given on what the
course includes e.g. a total of 35,5 hours of
on-demand video, 18 articles, 25
downloadable resources, full lifetime
access, access on mobile and TV.
Example 4: Lewis Howes
Podcasts
Lewis Howes offers a different type of
masterclass that is entirely based on audio
through his series of podcasts. As Lewis
interviews industry leaders for The School
of Greatness, he records podcast episodes
that have immense value for his audience.
Listeners who are interested in learning
more about the topics the school explores,
tune in to learn something new.
In the ‘A Masterclass in Monetizing Your
Side Hustle & Personal Brand’ podcast,
Lewis has a discussion with Rory Vaden –
the world’s leader in the study of
Reputation Strategy, who explains how to
overcome the fear of selling for good.
This is an excellent example that shows
how a podcast can be part of a wider
masterclass session (or even a standalone
product) and offer additional value to the
audience.
Example 5: [Link]
[Link] has many notable
examples to take inspiration from. The
platform has a number of masterclasses,
that present a series of brief video lessons
taught by celebrities. In there, celebrities
like Christina Aquilera and Natalie Portman
are sharing their own tips and advice on
the subject they know best.
One of the most popular masterclasses is
Chris Voss’s Art of Negotiation. In this
masterclass, as a former FBI lead hostage
negotiator, Chris teaches key
communication skills and strategies that
people can learn to use in their daily life.
Image Source: [Link]
On each masterclass page, prospective
learners get all the information they need
including class duration, subject category,
instructor intro, and lesson plan. On top of
that, it shows related classes, FAQs, a class
trailer, and a video class sample that can
help learners get a look inside the class
before they decide to join.
How to Create Your Own
Masterclass With
LearnWorlds
LearnWorlds comes with all the tools
instructors need to be able to create,
market, and sell online courses, and it can
help you create your own masterclass in no
time.
Let’s find out how you can do this using the
LearnWorlds platform step by step:
Step 1: Sign up and log in to your
LearnWorlds school
Once you have created an account with
LearnWorlds, you will be able to log in and
access your school dashboard. From there
you need to go to the ‘Courses’ Tab on the
left-side navigation menu and click on the
‘Create Course’ button.
Step 2: Create your online course
Go through the course creation wizard and
choose a title for your course. Come up
with a URL for your course, and select the
type of access you want for your course
(Paid, Draft, Coming Soon, Free or Private).
Give it a price, upload an image for it, and
write a brief description. Finally, choose if
you want to drip feed your course.
Step 3: Add content to your course
Once you complete the course wizard, you
can start adding learning content to your
course.
Go to the ‘Contents’ tab from the central
navigation bar and click on ‘Add Section’.
Give the first section a title e.g.
‘Introduction’, choose the type of access,
give a description and click ‘Save’.
For the purposes of creating a masterclass,
and allowing your students to get to know
you better, a brief video introduction is the
best choice (e.g. a recorded YouTube video,
where you let them know who you are and
what you do).
This comes down to your own preferences,
so alternatively you can start adding
learning activities and presenting
information through an interactive video,
ebook, or PDF, Soundcloud and audio clip,
or a SCORM package right away.
To start adding learning activities, click on
‘Add Activity’, and under the ‘Multimedia’
tab, choose the type of content you want,
write down the learning activity title and
click ‘Save’.
Step 4: Create an ebook learning
activity
The best way to present text-based
information is by creating an ebook. Go
through the same process of adding an
activity, click on the ebook icon and save.
To add learning material to your ebook, you
can either upload an MS Word file directly
or start building content and inserting more
elements to it from the right-hand side
menu. Choose from headings, text, images,
columns, educational blocks, embed
content and links or customize it further
using HTML.
Repeat the process to add more learning
activities and downloadable resources for
your learners e.g. PDFs.
Step 5: Set up a live lesson
Most masterclasses are conducted in real-
time so that you can get that direct
communication with your students, so it’s a
good idea to set up a live session.
To do this, click on ‘Add Activity again, but
this time go to the ‘Live Session’ tab. From
there you have 3 options – either to
schedule a live Zoom Meeting, Zoom
Webinar, or Webex Meeting.
Choose what you prefer and connect the
corresponding tool with your LearnWorlds
account.
Through the Zoom integration, you can
start using Zoom, but first, follow these
instructions to sync it with your
LearnWorlds account.
Ready to Create an
Online Masterclass?
Success in a masterclass depends very
much on your own teaching style,
knowledge, and the ability to transmit your
enthusiasm and passion for what you do.
Focusing on the potential it offers, you can
invest more of your time and money in it to
offer a unique learning experience to your
learners. While creating a masterclass will
undoubtedly need much effort on your
behalf, the benefits it carries for your
business are all worth it.
Are you ready to create your first online
masterclass?
Get your free 30-day trial with
LearnWorlds, and let us know how it goes!
Create a beautiful online school
without any technical skills.
Start free trial
Further reading you might find
interesting:
How to Teach Online & Earn Money in
2022: Definitive Guide
How to Create and Sell Profitable Online
Courses: Step-by-Step Guide
How Much Money Can You Make Selling
Online Courses?
How to Sell Online Courses On Your
Shopify Store (Guide)
Introducing the Most Advanced Online
School Site Builder
18 Amazing Outline Templates to use in
Course Design [3 Downloadables]
Starting an Online Course Business from
Scratch
(Visited 2,893 times, 1 visits today)
Kyriaki Raouna
Content Creator at LearnWorlds
Kyriaki is a Content Creator for the
LearnWorlds team writing about
marketing and e-learning, helping
course creators on their journey to
create, market, and sell their online
courses. Equipped with a degree in
Career Guidance, she has a strong
background in education
management and career success. In
her free time, she gets crafty and
musical.
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