How to Know If Your Online Course Idea Is Too Broad or Too Niche: A 10-Step Validation Checklist
How to Know If Your Online Course Idea Is Too Broad or Too Niche: A 10-Step Validation Checklist
Validating your course idea is one of the most essential steps to creating a profitable online course or coaching program. But it’s also one of the biggest places people get stuck. One of the top questions I get from aspiring course creators is:
"How do I know if my course idea is too broad or too niche?"
This post will walk you through a step-by-step checklist to help you test and validate your idea before you build it—so that your final course is focused, effective, and financially viable.
Whether you're just getting started or want to make sure your current idea is worth the effort, follow this checklist to assess your course concept and position it for maximum impact.
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Shannon Martel | October 29, 2025
1. Define Your Course’s A-to-B Transformation
Start with the end in mind. What is the exact transformation you’re helping your student achieve? Your course needs to take your ideal client from Point A (problem) to Point B (outcome).
Example: “In 90 days, learn how to implement my 5-step system to lose the last 25 postpartum pounds.”
Avoid promising too much. One clear transformation is more impactful than a vague or overly ambitious outcome. Many new course creators fall into the trap of trying to deliver too much value at once, thinking that more content = more perceived value. In reality, this often leads to student overwhelm, confusion, and low completion rates.
Your knowledge is valuable even when it's focused on just one thing. Simplicity sells. You don’t need to solve every problem in one course. Narrowing your focus often increases your perceived value.
Want help shaping your course outcome? Try prompting AI tools like ChatGPT or TekMatix with: "Break down my experience with [topic] into a 5-step transformation process I could teach in a course." It’s a great way to turn your lived experience into a framework.
2. Clarify the One Core Problem You Solve
Courses that try to solve every problem usually fail. Keep your focus tight by solving just one main problem. This laser-focus allows your student to understand what they’re buying and what result they can expect.
Too broad: “Build a 7-figure online business from scratch.”
Better: “Create, launch, and deliver your first profitable online course in 60 days.”
It’s helpful to write out “problem-to-promise” statements. For example: “You’re struggling with [problem]. I’ll help you [result] in [timeline] using [method].” This not only guides your course structure but also helps you write better sales copy.
If you’re stuck on how to narrow things down, grab a stack of sticky notes or use a mind-mapping tool. Write down everything you want to include in your course, then group those items into categories. You’ll likely find some natural breakpoints that could become their own separate courses or modules.
3. Use the ‘Sweet Spot’ Triangle
Every profitable course lives at the intersection of:
Your experience and expertise
Market demand (what people actually want and are searching for)
A monetizable transformation (something people are willing to pay for)
If your idea doesn’t hit all three points, it needs refinement.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to be successful. If there are already other courses out there on your topic, that’s a good thing—it means there’s demand. What matters is how you position your offer differently: your process, your personality, your way of teaching.
You can validate demand by using keyword tools like Ubersuggest or AnswerThePublic. Type in your course idea and see what comes up. Are people searching for it? What exact phrases are they using? That’s the language you want to reflect in your sales page and course modules.
4. Reverse Engineer Your Success Path
Think back to the steps you took to solve this problem. Can you break it down into a repeatable system? This forms the foundation of your curriculum.
Example:
Step 1: Identified my niche by talking to 10 people
Step 2: Created a freebie to test interest
Step 3: Ran a beta version with 5 students
Even if your own journey felt messy, you can look back now and find patterns. Those patterns become your method. When you organize them into a sequence, you give your students a clear path to follow.
You don’t have to be years ahead of your audience. You just need to be a few steps ahead. If you’ve done it once, you can guide someone else through it.
5. Test Your Transformation With Real People
Before you build anything, talk to your ideal clients. Offer free clarity calls or surveys and ask:
What’s your biggest challenge in [topic]?
Have you tried to solve it before?
What would success look like for you?
Real conversations are better than assumptions. You’ll hear the language your audience uses, the problems they’re facing, and what they wish someone would help them with.
Try asking on Instagram Stories or inside my FREE Facebook group. You don’t need dozens of responses—just enough to spot the common threads. Those threads become the foundation of your offer.
6. Validate With Search + Social Proof
You can also look beyond your network for validation. Search platforms like:
Google autocomplete
YouTube suggestions
Amazon book reviews
Reddit threads and Quora questions
Look for patterns in what people are asking. What problems keep coming up? What are people raving about—or complaining about—in book and course reviews?
Those reviews are marketing gold. Often, you’ll see things like, “This course was helpful, but I wish it had more about X.” That’s your opportunity to fill in the gap.
You can even plug your idea into ChatGPT and ask: “What are the most common questions people have about [your topic]?” It’s a fast way to brainstorm angles for your course or freebie.
7. Poll Your Audience or Email List
Don’t overlook the power of direct input. Even if your email list is small or your social following isn’t huge, you can get incredible insight by asking simple questions like:
“If I showed you how to [result] in [timeframe], would you be interested?”
or
“What’s the hardest part about [topic] for you right now?”
You’ll often be surprised by the depth of answers people are willing to give when they feel like you’re truly listening. And their words? Perfect for future sales copy.
Inside TekMatix, you can create branded forms or surveys to collect these responses and segment your leads based on interest. This isn’t just about validation—it also builds your email list and gets people ready to buy.
8. Break Your Offer Into Bite-Sized Wins
If your course feels overwhelming, that’s a red flag that it might be too broad. Break it down into smaller milestones.
For example:
Part 1: Planning your course
Part 2: Creating your content
Part 3: Marketing and launching it
Each part could be a mini-course or module on its own. Or even a full program in a larger product suite.
This approach also helps your students feel like they’re making progress. When they hit those smaller wins, they build confidence and momentum—and that leads to better testimonials, referrals, and repeat business.
9. Make Sure Your Offer is Tangible and Timely
People don’t buy vague ideas—they buy specific results. Your course promise should be crystal clear and have a defined timeline.
Instead of: “Learn to be more confident”
Say: “Build your personal brand and pitch yourself to 5 podcast interviews in 30 days”
It’s not about fluff. It’s about focus. The more concrete your offer, the easier it is for someone to say yes.
Add a timeframe. Use action verbs. And always tie your promise to an outcome your audience actually wants.
10. Use Tekmatix to Automate and Scale
Once your idea is validated, you need a platform to bring it to life. TekMatix gives you everything you need to:
Build your course portal
Launch sales funnels
Create lead magnets and quizzes
Send emails and follow-ups
Host live or evergreen workshops
And because Tekmatix includes built-in AI tools, you can even have it help you write lesson plans, email sequences, and social content based on your course idea.
It’s one tool to build, launch, market, and scale—without the tech overwhelm.
Final Thought: Confused Clients Never Buy
If you're still asking, “Is this idea too big or too small?”—run it through this checklist.
You don’t need to wait until your course is perfect. You need to get clear. You need to get feedback. You need to test. And then you build.
Get focused on one problem. Create one promise. Design one clear transformation.
Need help choosing your course topic and validating your idea?
👉 Join the One Hour to Course Clarity Workshop — and map your course in just one hour.
It's also free for members inside The Ultimate Course Creator’s Hub.
#OnlineCourses #CourseCreation #MonetizeYourKnowledge #DigitalProducts #Tekmatix #CourseClarity #ValidateYourIdea #Listicle #ProfitableCourses
Shannon x
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