• Who: Chris Panteli
• Website: lifeupswing.com and courses.lifeupswing.com
• Course Topic: Search Engine Optimization Training
• Interesting Stats: 10 Sales Immediately

Who are you and what course have you created?

I am a personal finance blogger at LifeUpswing.com, and a small business owner.  I created the Ballistic Backlinks course.

What market does your online course serve?

Early on in my blogging career, I discovered the importance of getting backlinks to your blog in order to grow authority and consequently increase traffic and earnings. I initially found this endeavor extremely difficult and often at times demoralizing. Cold out-reach is one of the easiest ways to get started but without a solid plan or understanding, multiple rejections from other site owners can be enough to put you off trying to build links for good.

After undergoing some courses of my own and following some industry big wigs on podcasts, webinars, and YouTube, I finally started to see how an outreach system could be developed, not only successfully but also on a budget. Within a few months, I managed to build several links to my website at minimal effort and at a very low cost. I also found in a number of Facebook groups a key target demographic with which this particular method resonated.

What’s the biggest benefit of taking your course?

My course is a complete over-the-shoulder video guide that teaches a bulletproof method anyone can implement in order to successfully win backlinks. There are a number of expensive tools often touted as necessities in this particular form of outreach, however, through trial and error, I have managed to Frankenstein together a wallet-friendly method that utilizes free or very low-cost tools.

How did you get into the market?

I came up with the idea to create this course after engaging with some lively fellow Facebook bloggers and recognizing their needs, which my backlink-building method seemed to solve.

Why did you decide to create an online course in the first place?

I decided to create an online course because as I was building and refining my methodology I often found myself talking my way through the process. It seemed like a no-brainer to hit the record button and help out some fellow bloggers.

Did you have any moments of doubt before you created/launched it?

Initially, I was extremely skeptical to create the course as I did not believe I had enough experience and credibility. However, when looking at the problem my course solved and the target audience to which I was aiming, I realized that this perhaps was not a major issue. I actually turned the focus on myself and actually asked the question ‘is this a course I would pay for’? I made the decision that it was and got to work immediately.

What’s your online course like?

My course is almost exclusively video narration over PowerPoint presentations interspersed with live screen capture.

How long did it take you to create your course?

Well, interestingly enough a timeline for the completion of my course was somewhat of a happy accident. True to the nature of the course itself being budget-friendly I was fortunate enough to receive a six-month trial for the Loom enterprise screen record capture platform. This meant that I had six months to record over 12 hours of video content; whilst working a full-time job. It was many late nights but I managed to get it done in the allotted time.

Tell us a little about the process of launching your course and getting your first sale(s).

I launched my course live on my site almost immediately as I was able to snag a lifetime AppSumo deal for the Spayee course platform. The audience for the personal finance site does not have an inbuilt target audience. I knew this going in and had already decided upon alternative routes to market; including AppSumo itself. I was fortunate enough to get accepted into their program and my course was listed after a couple of weeks. I managed to land my first sale within a few days.

Do you have a lead magnet?

I am not currently using a lead magnet, however, I do promote a fellow bloggers’ SEO course which offers an extremely lucrative rate of commission. I happen to rank on the first page of Google for this course review query and I offer it for free within this post to any readers who use my affiliate link for that particular course.

What’s the traffic strategy that works best for you?

I offer the course on a number of different platforms alongside my organic search strategy to my fellow blogger’s course review post. I have also been fortunate enough to be selected for the BS Stack Bundle this year after undergoing my own cold outreach to the owner of the project. This should bring a significant number of subscribers to the course and drastically grow my email list.

What online course platform are you using?

I am using the AppSumo lifetime deal to the Spayee course platform.

Do you like it?

I absolutely love it!

Are there any features you wish it had?

The one thing I wish it had would be one-click upsells. However, I have been reliably informed that this is in the making.

What made you decide to use your chosen platform over others?

To be perfectly honest with you the lifetime deal and one-off payment was the major draw. This coupled with its glowing views on AppSumo gave me the confidence to put my course out in the world with limited financial exposure.

What other tools do you use to run your online course business?

I have a Mailerlite subscription for my email provider. I’ve also utilized the Zapier platform to automate the email functionality between Spayee and the email platform.

What books or training programs have you found useful on your journey to a successful business owner that others might find valuable too?

The book ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ by Rober Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter has ultimately been a great source of inspiration.

Do you have any big mistakes you’ve made along the way that you’d be willing to share?

I initially started recording my course without a clear plan. Within a very short space of time, I quickly realized this would be unworkable.

After setting aside a weekend I was able to outline the entire course from start to finish. I used this as a clear roadmap during the course creation process. - Chris Panteli Click To Tweet

Please share some idea of revenue.

Within the first week of launching on AppSumo, I managed to get 10 sales which I was absolutely blown away by. Since the initial launch, I haven’t had a month lower than one sale. I’ll keep my highest month as a closely guarded secret.

Please tell us a little about what the money you’ve earned from your course has done for you.

The course contributes to an overall larger stream of revenue. This has consequently put me on a path to leave my brick and mortar 12 hours a day job within the next few months.

In addition to revenue are there any numbers you would like to share?

The BC Stack deal that I have been fortunate enough to be a contributor to will undoubtedly grow my email list by thousands.

What has creating your course done for you personally?

Creating the course has given me the confidence to marry together technologies, previously with which I had been unfamiliar. I believe going forward I will be much more able to take risks and test new tools while growing this arm of my business.

Do you have a story of a transformation from any of your clients?

Funnily enough, I received a review recently from somebody who was able to ultimately achieve the goal of the course and build links at scale. He was extremely satisfied and said it was completely worth his investment. This in and of itself was total validation for me.

What advice do you have for people just starting out?

The first piece of advice I can give is to either make sure you have an audience or a route to market that you know can put your course in front of eyeballs. - Chris Panteli Click To Tweet

And if you are not in this position then try and utilize a lifetime deal on a course creation platform. That way you can build your course without any ongoing financial commitments. Ultimately the key is to just get started.

Learn more about Chris Panteli of lifeupswing.com:

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