Here are few factors to consider when deciding whether or not you want to charge for your course.

• Demand & availability
• Level of training (entry level - advanced)
• Engagement
• Length
• Format/Effort
  

Demand

How much demand is there for the topic of your course?

• High Demand
  • Lots of people want to learn about this topic and there are not many places to find this information.
• Mid Demand
  • Lots of people what to learn about this topic, but there are also lots of places to find this information.
    OR
  • There is a relatively small group of people who what to learn about this topic and there are not many places to find this information.
• Low Demand
  • There is a relatively small group of people who want to learn about this topic

Level of Training

While more people take entry-level courses online (usually seeking higher level, specialized training in other settings), advanced level courses have a higher perceived value because (generally speaking) the information is specialized and not as widely available.

So, generally, entry-level courses have a lower price.

Engagement (time spent on course)

This can be a big one. 

How much time are you planning to commit to the course?

Here are some examples:

• Guided Course
  • Live Course - this requires the biggest commitment from the instructor, and thus generally incur higher costs 
  • Pre-made Cohort Course -  this doesn't take quite as much commitment from the instructor because the lessons are already created and are released on a pre-determined schedule, but the instructor may choose to make themselves available at scheduled times (like office hours)
• Self-paced Course
  • With instructor contact - students can go through the course at their own pace and schedule, but also have the ability to submit questions and/or assignments to the instructor 
  • Without instructor contact - students will not have a way to submit questions or assignments to the instructor (lowest commitment from instructor)

Length

Longer courses have a higher perceived value than shorter courses, but more and more people are learning to value their time. So, depending on the topic and your specific target audience, a shorter course that provides exactly what they are looking for, without the fluff, may be more valuable to them.

Format/Effort

• Video courses have the highest perceived value. They are more engaging and require the least amount of effort for the student (just sit and watch).
  • A structured video course (organized into modules and bite-sized lessons) have a higher perceived value.
  • A video course that is just a video recording of a live presentation has a lower perceived value (maybe even lower than a structured audio course).
• Audio courses are middle of the road. They are more engaging than text only courses, but may require more effort for the student to stay focused (no visuals to keep their attention focused).
  • Like video courses, an audio course organized into structured modules and lessons has a higher perceived value.
  • A course with a single audio recording (like a podcast episode) has a much lower perceived value.
• Text only courses have the lowest perceived value, since they require the most effort for the student to complete the course.