How to Make a Masterclass in One Hour: The Future of Microlearning

Are you wondering how to make a masterclass in only one hour? If so, you’re in luck. In this post, we want to demystify the masterclass creation process so that you can create a stellar masterclass in only one hour. At the end, you will be able to take whatever expertise or idea you have and make it into a concise, valuable, and engaging masterclass.

The Power of Masterclasses Today

You don’t need me to tell you that we’re now living in a world full of masterclasses. There is the well-known startup Masterclass that was recently valued at a whopping $800 million. But beyond using Masterclass to learn poker from Daniel Negreanu or filmmaking from Martin Scorcese, the term masterclass has come to represent a huge genre of people sharing their skills.

Simply put, you don’t need to have the celebrity of Martin Scorcese or the knowledge of Daniel Negreanu to make a masterclass. The awesome thing about masterclasses is that no one is stopping you from creating your own. Whether you have experience in a broad category like sales or are an expert in an extremely specific niche, you can share your knowledge and experience with many other people. 

The great news is that your potential audience size is essentially limitless. The simple fact of the matter is that the Internet has changed the way we learn. We don’t need to sit in a physical classroom or pay $100,000 per year to learn from the best minds on our planet. Instead, all we need is an Internet connection and the dedication to finish the content. With a market size of literally the entire planet, there are tremendously exciting possibilities. 

But that being said, the unfortunate reality is that many people don’t know about or turn down the masterclass opportunity. For those just hearing about it for the first time, I hope to inspire you. But for those of you who have thought about creating a masterclass but haven’t for some reason, I urge you to reconsider. Yes, I know that it can be intimidating to create a masterclass. There are plenty of psychological barriers, from imposter syndrome to fear of failure. Or you may think that you aren’t an expert in anything and that you would have basically nothing to say in a masterclass.

Ultimately, you don’t need to set such a high bar for yourself. If you really look at your background and experiences, I’m confident that you’ll find something that you can teach. Even if you don’t feel like you are a “true expert,” you likely know substantially more than the average person in your sector or industry. The best part of all? The actual act of creating a course makes you even more knowledgeable about the subject area. It is called the Feynman Technique and it is an extremely effective way to become masterful in essentially any topic. 

At the Same Time, We Are Seeing the Rise of Microlearning

The increased importance of the masterclass isn’t the only exciting trend we’re seeing. Over the past few years, we have also seen a substantial rise in microlearning. You can think of microlearning as being on the complete opposite side of the spectrum as masterclasses. With microlearning, you are teaching some sort of content to your audience, but in a much shorter period.

There are already many successful platforms that have embraced microlearning. For instance, Blinkist is a micro-learning site that helps you get the most important points from great books. You get these quick summaries every single day, which allows you to quickly get the gist of plenty of notable books. Blinkist isn’t the only resource or platform that has embraced this microlearning trend. 

That being said, there are some key caveats to microlearning. Namely, when you learn in a short format, sometimes you forget the content. In other words, you don’t retain the information—even if you really want to retain that information. This is why repetition is key in microlearning. You need to settle on a few key points that you want to make and then state them over and over in your course. 

While this is a key consideration in microlearning, it hasn’t stopped creators and students from coming together and sharing their knowledge in a short time. In a world where we are all busy and barely have enough time for our personal and professional obligations, microlearning can be a great way to learn something new in our busy schedules. 

Combining Microlearning Into a Masterclass

As you can see, we are living in an era where people want to learn so many new things, yet they want to do it on their own schedules. Not only are our schedules more packed, but there are plenty of other distractions that can occupy our time. I’m not the only person that has gone down a YouTube rabbit hole and been totally shocked at the time that has flown by.

Because of this, I think that there is a real opportunity to create a masterclass in one hour. It’s really the perfect mix of sharing your thoughts and expertise on a specific topic within a relatively short time frame. All of your students can get through a one-hour masterclass (even if they need to spend several days consuming that content). Some of your students will be able to consume your entire masterclass in one sitting. Whatever the case may be, one hour is the perfect amount of time for you to explain the key points on a specific topic and for your audience to find the time to consume your course.

Therefore, I encourage you to seriously consider making a masterclass in one hour. It can be a great way to share knowledge with an audience, build your personal brand, and even generate more sales for your business. It’s an investment that will almost certainly pay off. 

How to Make a Masterclass In One Hour: A Primer

With all of that being said, let’s dig into some of the details on how to make a masterclass in one hour. There are several important things that you should consider when creating your one-hour masterclass. Accounting for these factors will go a long way in helping you create a stellar micro masterclass—no matter the subject area. 

Follow Your Passions

When answering this question of how to make a masterclass in one hour, it’s obvious to start with course content. Ultimately, it’s critical to choose something that you’re passionate about. Yes, you will certainly want to speak about an area where you have some background or expertise. Doing so will make you more credible and will make the content creation process easier. 

But along with that prior knowledge, you need to choose a subject that speaks to your passions. This is for several reasons. First, it will substantially increase your odds of actually completing your course. When creating any type of content, there is always the risk that the content actually isn’t finished. I get it. Life gets in the way and other projects can occupy our creative space. However, if you are really passionate about the course you’re creating, you’ll be much more likely to actually finish it. 

But beyond that, being passionate about your course content shows up in the final product. Your students can visibly see that you love the content. The passion travels through the screen, making your course more engaging. In other words, your passion for the content makes your own students passionate about it, which thereby increases their retention rate and interest in your future courses. 

Record More Content Than You Think You’ll Need

Gathering and presenting content is the meat of creating any masterclass. It certainly takes time to think about the most important points you want to convey and how you’ll convey them. The good news is that you don’t need to plan out content for a strict one-hour timeframe. Instead, you can record hours of content and then edit it down into something that is concise and action-packed. 

So before you click record, make sure that you are thinking about the flow of your content. It’s really helpful to open a Google Doc (or even take out a piece of paper) and create a brief outline of what you want to discuss. This way, you can keep your thoughts organized and ensure that the most important content is being included in your course.

To reiterate, however, don’t hesitate to record more than less content. If you think some lesson or idea could be valuable in your course, go ahead and record it. You can also put it to the side later. It’s much easier to record all at once right now than go back and do some additional recordings. Do it now and thank yourself later. 

Include a Trailer

Along with creating your actual course content, it’s helpful to create a trailer for your masterclass. Your trailer can be an excellent tool to sell your course. Not only can it describe what the course content includes, but it can show off your personality and credibility. Whether a prospect already knows you or is hearing about you for the first time, a well-designed trailer can be a great tool to convert your prospect.

Ideally, you would film your trailer when you are filming the rest of your masterclass content. The trailer can be a minute or so. Make sure you explain who you are, what your course will cover, and what your students will get out of it. Also, feel free to shoot your trailer in a cool location. Your trailer is an opportunity to get people to buy, so make sure that you’re taking advantage of it. 

Don’t Obsess About Gear

A good number of course creators spend too much time thinking about the gear that they need to use. I recommended that you keep things simple. You don’t need to invest in super-expensive gear to make a fantastic masterclass. In fact, spending more time obsessing over the gear and less time focused on the content of your masterclass is often more harmful than helpful.

In terms of a camera, there’s no need to invest in the latest and greatest technology. Your iPhone or Android phone is good enough. Beyond your cell phone, I’d recommend investing in a lavalier microphone. You can not only get great sound quality, but you can record at a further distance from your camera.

Truthfully, these are the only two things that you’ll need to get started. Yes, you can invest in other equipment as you see fit. However, a camera and a microphone are really all that you need to create a great masterclass. 

Editing is Optional

Truthfully, it’s probably not necessary to edit a masterclass. You don’t need to make your masterclass as sleek as the ones that appear on Masterclass. Just make sure that you are offering substantial value to your audience. No amount of editing can make up for a course that provides little to no value.

If you do want to include some editing, keep it focused. You can add brevity through removing pauses and removing “ums.” At Dubb, we like using Adobe Premiere to make our edits. That being said, you can use many different video editing tools (like iMovie) to get the job done. You can even use video editing software on your phone to edit out simple mistakes and make your masterclass a more pleasant viewing experience. 

The bottom line? Respect your viewers’ time. By doing this, they’ll engage with your course and be more likely to purchase more of your masterclasses in the future. 

Monetizing Your Content

Finally, let’s talk about one of the key questions of how to make a masterclass in one hour. That centers ono monetizing your masterclass. While you can certainly create and distribute your masterclass for free, many creators are looking to get some financial compensation for their work. 

Ultimately, I think that the best way to monetize our content is to be on YouTube and to put our content out there. At the same time, we can create one or more in a series of high-value videos that people can actually purchase and watch. Typically, these are educational training videos. They are videos that will teach someone a new set of skills or how to manage something within their business.

While there are thousands of people who are trying to sell video tutorials and training content, the key to monetizing your content comes from the video funnel. 

Historically, video funnels have been called many things. For instance, they have been called video landing pages and video sales letters. At Dubb, we brand our pages as Dubb action pages. In our case, an action page has a video on it with multiple calls to action. Those calls to action include things like a schedule integrator, a form that someone completes, or even a checkout using payments. They can even include a sales funnel attached to them, where one video leads to another video. 

At Dubb, our whole idea with action pages is to get as much done in one place as we can. When a visitor visits your Dubb action page, you can access plenty of features. For instance, you can access Dubb’s playlist feature which lets you stack many different videos together. It is a great option for hosting a masterclass or enticing your viewers to purchase a masterclass at another location. You can also choose from a huge list of calls to action and include them on your Dubb action page. 

Finally, your viewers can purchase your masterclass directly from your Dubb action page. You can do this through a call to action button (labeled “buy masterclass” for instance). That being said, there’s an even better way to capture the low-hanging fruit that may be interested in your masterclass. For those prospects that want to take action right away, you can add your PayPal or other payment options right on your Dubb action page. In other words, we have eliminated many of the boundaries that may cause an interested prospect to drop off. 

Get Started Today

Now is the time to get started with your masterclass. Better yet, by following the tips and advice above, you can answer that question of how to make a masterclass in one hour.

The rise of masterclasses and microlearning present a tremendous opportunity. You are not only able to share your knowledge and connect with interested students, but you can use your masterclass to build your brand and generate sales. In sum, I think the opportunity is too big to ignore.

If you want to learn more about how Dubb action pages can help you create and monetize your masterclass, click here. You can also click here to contact us should you have any questions.