Are Online Courses Dead? What’s Really Changed.

If you’re a coach or creator, you’ve probably had this thought:

“I should create an online course… but isn’t that ship kind of sailed?”

A few years ago, online courses were sold as the ultimate passive income play:
record some videos, upload them, write a sales page, and then wake up to Stripe notifications.

It sounded great.
But for most people, it didn’t really work out that way.

Over time, the market filled up, buyers got burned by courses they never finished, and attention got pulled in a hundred different directions (hello, Netflix, YouTube, TikTok).

So the obvious question is:

Are online courses dead?

In my view, no.
But the old model is.

In the video on this page, I break down:

• What actually went wrong with the old “video vault” style courses
• The three key shifts that define moderncourses
• Why this new model is actually a better fit for coaches and service providers

If you’d rather watch than read, you can hit play above/below.
If you like a quick overview first, here it is.

The shift from “video vault” to guided programme

Here’s the short version of what I talk through in the video:

• Shift 1: From static to interactive
  The best programmes now mix content with live elements like group calls, Q&A and hot seats, instead of just dropping you into a library of videos.

• Shift 2: From isolated to supported
  People don’t want to feel alone. They expect some form of support, community, feedback or check‑ins, not just a login and “good luck.”

• Shift 3: From “everything I know” to one clear outcome
  The strongest offers focus on a specific person, with a specific problem, moving towards a specific result (e.g. “Sign your next 3 coaching clients”), not a giant “everything about everything” curriculum.

Put together, that gives you something very different from the old model:
a guided experience with a clear path, not just content dumped behind a paywall.

That’s why I don’t think online courses are dead at all.
They’ve just evolved.

👉 Want to go deeper into these shifts?
Watch the full video: I unpack each one and share examples of how this could look in your coaching business.

If you “should have” a digital product by now, but don’t

If reading this has you thinking:

“I know I could be helping more people with a digital product, but I’ve been stuck on where to start (and I don’t want to build something no one finishes)…“

That’s exactly who I had in mind when I created my free mini‑course:

“How To Build Your First Digital Product”

It’s designed to help you:

• Choose the right idea for a modern course or programme
• Structure it so people actually complete it
• Build it step by step inside Kajabi (without getting lost in the tech)

You don’t have to use Kajabi to create a course, but if you want an all‑in‑one platform, it’s one of the simplest options I’ve used, and it’s what I run my own business on.

How Kajabi’s $99 trial + my bonus bundle fit in

Right now, Kajabi has a $99 for 3 months trial, which is more than enough time to:

• Create your first modern digital product
• Set up simple pages and checkout
• Start enrolling clients into it

To help you actually use that time well, I’ve put together a bonus bundle when you join through my link. You’ll get:

• Mini-course: “How to Build and Launch Your First Digital Product”
• On-demand masterclass: “Making an Impact”
• Live monthly Q&A calls so you can get feedback and stay out of tech overwhelm

👉 CLICK HERE  for all the details on the Kajabi $99 trial + my bonus bundle
 

(Affiliate disclosure: If you sign up for Kajabi through my link and continue after the trial, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.)