How To Create A Masterclass (2023)

Masterclasses were already popular a few years ago, but with so much changing over the years, they are more popular than ever.

If you want to get high-quality, educational content online, the masterclasses are probably where you start. 

What about creating a masterclass, though? 

If you thought that you need a masterclass to learn how to make a masterclass, you’re wrong! You don’t need a whole masterclass to learn the skill, but you do need to take a moment to figure it all out. 

Lucky for you, that’s what we’re here for! We’ll go through everything you need to know about them right here in this article, so you can make one yourself!

How To Create A Masterclass

What is a Masterclass?

A masterclass is made for “advanced” or “good” students. As such, masterclasses are not typically created for the basics – but they can be! 

These classes are incredibly valuable, and can outshine a lot of other online courses in the same niche. As a result, it can be very competitive, especially if there are several masterclasses for the same thing. 

No matter what the masterclass is, it’s all about an expert teaching their students about a specific topic. This can be about anything, from fitness to foie gras, there’s a masterclass for everything.

Planning a Masterclass – Where Do You Start?

If you want to deliver a masterclass, you need to have vast knowledge of your subject areas, and understand it inside and out. Not only that, but preparation is key. 

You will need to think of a few key things before you go any further with your masterclass:

• Why are you creating it?
• Who is the masterclass for?
• What should the class include?
• How much will it cost?
• How long should your masterclass be (see also ‘How Long Is A Masterclass Course?‘) (see also ‘How Long Is A Masterclass Course?‘)?

You need to plan everything in advance, and give yourself enough time to prepare everything. Resources need to be gathered and put together for you to be successful.

Why Are You Creating It?

This will be a time-consuming thing, but it has so many benefits for both you and students. There are lots of benefits to consider when you’re thinking about this question.

These will all ultimately help you be successful, because they will help drive you. 

Creating your own masterclass can do the following things for you personally:

• Improve your reputation
• Increase your revenue
• Attract loyal students or learners
• Prove that you’re an expert in your field

However, the benefits that a masterclass can have on students are also immense, and are as follows:

• They will learn new things
• They can give feedback
• They can express opinions
• They can overcome difficult obstacles
• They can share their knowledge
• They can use the class to further themselves in life

Who Is The Masterclass For?

This will depend entirely on your target audience. Different demographics will prefer different things, and you need to prepare everything according to that!

For example, if you were to do a masterclass on an aspect of makeup, the primary demographic would likely be young women.

Of course, there will almost always be other people in that class too, but they are likely to be the minority. 

Additionally, you will need to decide if your masterclass will be for advanced learning, or for beginners! You can even create two masterclasses – one for beginners, and one for advanced students. 

Just be aware that advanced masterclasses can be extremely challenging, and you need to have excellent understanding of your topic.

Most students in these classes already have a good knowledge of the subject, and want you to go even more in depth. 

What Should The Class Include?

Your masterclass can be a series of sessions, or a standalone. This is up to you and the topic that you’re teaching. However, there are four key elements that every masterclass should have:

• It’s taught by an expert in the field
• It’s relatively short and focused
• It focuses on a specific niche
• It’s a one-time event

With that being said, there will always be instances where things change. This is up to you, and you need to know what is needed for your specific niche and audience. 

No matter what, you should always have a learning goal. This will help you structure your whole masterclass. 

Remember, a masterclass can take several forms. You can combine methods, or stick to one if you prefer it. However, most individuals typically benefit from a mixture of the following:

• Videos
• Slideshows
• Worksheets
• Assessments
• Pre-recorded or live lectures
• Podcasts
• E-books or blog posts
• Community support via social media

Consider which elements work for your masterclass, and use them to help your audience learn.

How Much Will It Cost?

We all want learning to be affordable, but you need your masterclass to reflect the work and effort that gets put into it.

Remember – a masterclass is actually a premium product, and you need to treat it, and price it, as such.

Generally, the minimum price for a masterclass will be around $300.

How Long Should Your Masterclass Be?

Two and a half hours is a good length for a masterclass. This can be broken up into several sections, and may follow an outline such as:

• 10 minute introduction
• 45 minutes of content and learning
• 30 minutes of student participation such as discussions or one-to-one work
• 20 minutes for Q&A
• 30 minutes for an exam or quiz
• 10 minutes for assessment feedback and results
• 5 minutes to explain your next steps

Planning a Masterclass

Coming Up With the Topic

Your masterclass has to be about something you’re interested in, and know a lot about. You need to be able to teach it in great detail, so you need to be confident in it. 

To pick your topic, you can identify all the topics you are educated in, and list them down. You can go through each option and list off all the different concepts that you could talk and teach about.

A popular example is cooking. Cooking is a very broad topic, so you would need to get it down to a specific niche within cooking – such as a particular kind of cuisine or cooking method.

Write down everything you can talk about within that, and identify which ones are important to your target audience. 

You could also use Google Trends to search for specific keywords to focus your masterclass on. For example, frying might be a popular keyword, or Vietnamese cuisine.

Use that information, break it down, and see if you can outline an entire class around that. 

Alternatively, surveys are also a good option. However, you need to have a decent following to get reliable and helpful feedback on those. If you don’t have a large following, other methods may be more worthwhile.

Naming and Developing a Structure for Your Masterclass

Remember – you want to end up selling this product. That means that it has to be well-structured, and make sense. One of the most important parts is naming your masterclass.

The name is the first thing potential learners will see, so it needs to be eye-catching and make sense. 

Coming up with a suitable name can take time, but it’s worth it. It should be relatively short, and easy to say. It should also explain what the masterclass is about, but not give the secrets away.

There are a couple of great masterclass titles that have been successful, take a look:

• Building a Fashion Brand (Diane Von Furstenberg)
• Cooking II: Restaurant Recipes at Home (Gordon Ramsay)
• The Power of Empathy (Pharrell Williams and Noted Co-Instructors)
• The Runner’s Mindset (Joan Benoit Samuelson)
• Turning Ideas Into Art (Es Devlin)

Make sure you give enough context, and give them just a taste of what they will get by signing up. Be sure to also create a brief and accurate description of the masterclass.

Add your contact information to all the sections that require it so that people can get in touch with you. 

Creating the Content

Once the above steps have been done, it’s time to create your content! Use a workbook to help you stay organized while you outline everything – it can be a confusing process! 

You will need to decide how you want to create your masterclass. Which formats will you use? How will it be delivered? 

This might be easier than you think. Since this will be online, there are some great ideas that are already out there. The combination of video content with worksheets or e-books always works well.

Use options that will complement each other as well as the lesson. 

With that being said, you should try to make your masterclass as accessible as possible, while still being engaging. Audio and visuals are always recommended, as those who are hearing or visually impaired can still enjoy the content that way. 

Some options might not work for your subject at all. For example, if you’re doing a masterclass on gouache, there must be visuals to follow, since it’s painting.

For musical masterclasses, the audio is the most important aspect, but visuals are also incredibly important. It all depends on your topic. 

Nonetheless, it’s important to know that video learning is the most popular. There are a number of benefits to this style of learning, including the following: 

• It’s cost-effective in e-learning
• It allows people to learn while on the go
• It’s a very persuasive kind of content
• It support microlearning
• It can address various learning needs such as auditory and visual

Pick a Business Model

Now it’s time to pick a business model! This isn’t as scary as it sounds, but it is necessary. You aim to make money from this masterclass, after all. 

Your sales funnel needs to be focused on guiding students or learners to sign up for the masterclass you’re making. A business model will get people to join, and it will help you figure out the pricing. 

You should consider the following things:

• Do you want to build awareness for your business?
• Will the masterclass be a one-off that’s on for a limited time?
• Are you giving your learners a lifetime access to the masterclass?
• Is the masterclass going to be part of a larger business promotional strategy?

Depending on what you want to achieve, your business model will be completely different. It will have a direct impact on the goal you set, so choose carefully!

Always take the time to make the right decision and get the job done properly. 

One example of this would be subscription fees, which could allow learners to have unlimited access. See which kind of model works for you.

Promoting and Selling Your Masterclass

Finally, you need to promote and sell your masterclass! There are a couple of different ways to promote your masterclass, but the most effective would be through social media. 

However, below are some great options that you can use to promote your masterclass and get sales:

• Email marketing
• Social media
• Make a landing page

It will take time and a lot of work, but the reward will be worth all the effort! We’ve put together a whole article explaining how you can promote your online classes (or masterclass) using social media, so check that out!

Marketing and Hosting Your Masterclass

You will need a few key things in order to host your masterclass effectively. Tools will vary depending on the content you’re going to be doing, so bear that in mind. 

Generally, a webinar platform or web conferencing is a must. You can use things like WebinarJam or even Zoom Premium. However, if you want the best results, you should invest in an online learning platform or LMS.  

Ensure that the video and audio for your masterclass is good quality, or else you won’t have happy students. 

Thankfully, there are plenty of options available, and you just need to pick the right ones for you. 

Final Thoughts

Creating your own masterclass isn’t as scary as it sounds, right? There are some key things to bear in mind throughout your journey, but as long as you focus on those, you will get it right!

It’s important not to rush the process, especially if you’re working on your first masterclass. As you get more experience, the process will become easier, and you may need less time to get things done.

Don’t count on that, though, and work hard. Good luck!