Niche Online Education Platforms
Having a specific subject matter expertise is not the only way to approach building your online course or LMS (learning management system) platform.
If you have more of a publisher’s mindset, you may want to start with a niche that has a solid market size and demand behind it.
Perhaps you’re not planning on teaching on your platform at all. Rather you’re building an online school or learning management system for others to teach inside of.
The Hedgehog Concept for your Learning Management System Niche
Wether you are more of a subject matter expert or online education publisher style entrepreneur, Jim Collins’ classic hedgehog strategy is important to consider as you evaluate your niche and life purpose.
Your niche needs to have an overlap of these 3 things:
- Passion
- What can you or your platform be the best in the world at
- What drives your economic engine (Profit per x)
Success Leaves Clues
Smart entrepreneurs know how to leverage the depth of already existing knowledge.
If we’re looking at niches, we can leverage the existing category architecture at Amazon’s bestsellers for books.
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies and Memoirs
- Business & Money
- Calendars
- Children’s Books
- Christian Books & Bibles
- Comics and Graphic Novels
- Computers & Technology
- Cookbooks, Food & Wine
- Crafts, Hobbies, and Home
- Education & Teaching
- Engineering & Transportation
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Fitness & Dieting
- History
- Humor & Entertainment
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medical Books
- Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
- Parenting & Relationships
- Politics & Social Science
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Science & Math
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Self Help
- Sports & Outdoors
- Teens
- Travel
This category structure at Amazon, reveals some organization around the demand for what the world’s population is looking for in terms of knowledge and/or entertainment. This is fertile ground for online courses.
Now the categories are way to general by themselves.
We need to go out the long tail a bit in these parent categories to find some true niches.
I’m going to provide some long tail niche online courses/ learning management system platform ideas inside each category.
Profitable Niche Ideas for Online Courses
Arts & Photography
- Boudoir Photography
- Selfie Photography
- Grafitti Art
Biographies and Memoirs
- Startup Biography Writing Career Development
- How to Write Your Own Memoir
- Condensed Biographies and Key Takeaway Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Business & Money
- Black Swan Investing Strategy
- Leadership and Management for Remote Teams
- Crowdfunding for Education Entrepreneurs
- Extreme Frugality
Calendars
- Calendar Entrepreneurship for Mass Distribution
- Calendars for Radical Social Change
- Calendar Entrepreneurship for Healthy Body Transformations
Children’s Books
- Children’s Book Entrepreneurship for Unschoolers
- The Parent – Child Book CoCreation Method
- Children’s Book Entrepreneurship to Fight Nature Deficit Disorder
Christian Books & Bibles
- Modern Church Leadership
- Spiritual but Not Religious
- Learning from Saints
Comics and Graphic Novels
- Manga Art
- New Superhero Creation
- Graphic Novels Story Development
Computers & Technology
- Raspberry Pi projects for kids
- WordPress Application Development
- Digital Nomad Freelance Career Development
- Integrated User Experience Design
Cookbooks, Food & Wine
- Vegan Athlete Cooking and Nutrition
- Detox, Juice Cleanse, Water Fasting
- Organic Distillery
- Local Food Based on Region
Crafts, Hobbies, and Home
- Drones
- Micro Farming
- Homebuilding Basics for Young Adults
- Tiny House Deign
Education & Teaching
- Unschooling
- World Schooling
- Interdisciplinary Learning Track Design
Engineering & Transportation
- Bicycle Only Lifestyle
- 3-D Printing
- Zero Carbon Home Design
Gay & Lesbian
- Gay & Lesbian Parenting
- Gay & Lesbian Travel Entrepreneurship
- Gay & Lesbian Philosophy
Health, Fitness & Dieting
- Raw Vegan Lifestyle
- Ultra Endurance
- Work from Home Healthy Lifestyle
History
- Recent Startup History
- Exponential Technology History
- Obesity and Diabetes History
- Social Media History
Humor & Entertainment
- Magic Tricks
- Low Budget Movie Making with iPhone Only
- How to Become a Youtube Star
- Party Games
Law
- Micro Multinational Law
- Law for Social Change
- Work from Home Lawyer
Literature & Fiction
- Science Fiction / Fantasy Writer Career
- Screenwriting
- Write a Novel in a Month
Medical Books
- Ayurveda
- Holistic Healing
- Fasting
- Soft Touch Chiropractic
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
- Stunt Double Career
- Action Hero Character Development
- Mystery Writing Career
Parenting & Relationships
- Continuum Concept
- Attachment Theory
- Intimacy in an Overstimulated World
Politics & Social Science
- Presidential Leadership
- Human Ecology
- Minimalism
- Revolution Studies
Reference
- Amateur Massage Technique for Couples
- Amateur Dog Massage Technique
- Baby’s First Year
- Dating Ideas
Religion & Spirituality
- Zen Buddhism
- Aethiesm
- Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga
Science & Math
- Machine Learning
- Quantum Mechanics for Kids
- Animal Tracking
- Social Algorithms
Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Combat Gaming
- Virtual World Development
- Dungeons & Dragon
- World of Warcraft
Self Help
- Modern Stoicism
- Emotional Intelligence
- Information Overload Therapy
- Social Media Addiction
Sports & Outdoors
- Wingsuit Flying
- Extreme SUP
- Big Wave Surfing
- Dog Mushing
Teens
- Careers not College
- Youtube Stardom How To
- Off the Grid Teens
- Young Entrepreneurship
Travel
- Digital Nomad Lifestyle
- World Travel with Infants
- Expat Guidance for Specific Countries
Advanced LMS Platform Niche Selection Tips
I hope this list of niche online learning platforms that you could build inspires you to go out and start creating yourself or leading a movement of subject matter experts.
A couple of pro tips for you …
- Ignore dogmatic advice. If someone is encouraging you to enter a known competitive market and another is advising you to join a hyper obscure niche, neither option is right or wrong. It’s up to you the entrepreneur to find the sweet spot.
- If scale and profitability is your priority, focus on niches with high levels of pain or passion
- Your platform is exponentially more valuable all the teacher’s content. It’s OK to give teachers 50%, but realize that as your platform grows in demand, the platform is the most valuable element.
- You don’t have to build this all yourself if you’re not a technologist. Simply ask for help and guidance from the professionals at LifterLMS.
