In the era of influencer culture, content creation courses have become increasingly popular, enticing many with promise of a creative lifestyle. Storyboard18 spoke to Ankur Warikoo, author and internet personality, to discuss his online school, WebVeda, which offers courses for aspiring creators.
Read more: Rise of online courses for creators and dreams of digital fame meeting hard realities
What is the value proposition of online content creator courses and what skills do aspiring content creators require to succeed?
The education industry underwent a massive overhaul during the Covid-19 pandemic. While students were forced to take online classes, working professionals opted for various courses, such as fitness, public speaking, investing, and trading. Platforms like Udemy, Coursera, and YouTube opened up opportunities for the enthusiastic learners and teachers alike. Many Learning Management Systems (LMSs) mushroomed, simplifying the process of creating, selling and managing online courses.
The biggest thing that happened during the pandemic was the emergence of high-quality teachers online. I have always maintained that the world has no dearth of students, but it always has a dearth of good quality teachers. Some ‘solo’ teachers became prominent, not necessarily content creators, but as genuine teachers who wanted to teach. A great example from the personal finance domain is CA Rachna Ranade, who leveraged her teaching expertise to create engaging content and courses. She has always been a teacher and that’s what she decided to do–to teach online. The second category of people also emerged, comprising content creators who had built a certain number of followers and earned trust in specific domains such as fitness, beauty, lifestyle, or music. They curated quality content and became online teachers, generating a passive revenue stream. I think that’s where we are right now, the Stage I of the educational overhaul that has been unfolding since Covid pandemic.
There were numerous courses available to upskill, but some domain requires expertise and are mandatory, such as investing in stocks. During the pandemic, social media saw a massive surge in the short form of content following TikTok ban. The long-form of content on YouTube is also being condensed into is also bit-sized capsules. Content creators put out mini capsules of a subject that would take perhaps hours to teach. Online courses offer a pedagogy that facilitates learning and assimilation, making learners aware of their goals and aspirations. At WebVeda, our courses are not new, or nobody ever heard of, or seen it. There’s no intellectual property in our courses. However, the intellectual property is the way I teach and the curate that content that I had learned through my life experiences. We are delivering such content in a concise manner.
Could you provide an overview of WebVeda Online School and its offerings?
At WebVeda, our online school offers high-quality and affordable courses to students. With over 445,000 enrollments and 6,000-8000 new students added every month, our average course price is around Rs 1,100. The objective is to provide best quality education to everyone with an internet connection and a phone. We currently offer 12 courses, including time management, money management, communication, how to start your own startup, career planning, how to become a YouTuber, how to start Instagram journey. All courses undergo a six-month upgrade cycle, with free upgrades for students. Our most popular courses are time management, followed by communication and career planning.
What is the current performance and reception of the YouTube course?
Our YouTube course has been purchased by approximately 82,000 individuals. This comprehensive 12-hour course covers everything about the platform, including starting a channel, monetizing YouTube, understanding algorithm, topic selection and creating a content engine. We also teach upload frequency, balancing long-form and short-form content, monetization options and potential earnings. Our dashboard are completely transparent, showcasing the money that we have earned from the platform, growth and journey of the channel. Being transparent helps the aspiring content creator whether to take this career option seriously or not. We provide knowledge and information that they need to succeed to become a YouTuber without being limited by lack of information.
Could you share some data on the demographics of learners enrolled in the YouTube course?
Our demographics are as follows: Approximately 10% are below 18, 40% are between 18 and 25, 30% are between 25 and 35, and the remaining percentage comprises individuals above 35. This indicates a fairly young audience, predominantly between 18 and 30 years old. Geographically, 40% of our students hails from India’s top-10 cities, including, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, while 50% are from other parts the country, and 10% are from outside India. In terms of occupation, 20- 25% of enrollees are students, bulk of them (about 50%) are working professionals, 10 to 15% are freelancers, and the rest are currently unemployed.
We offer a 14-day refund policy. One common reason for refunds is that our courses, such as YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, or content writing, require a long-term commitment, with students often expecting quick returns. I emphasize that success takes time, typically at least two years, my own journey has spanned 12 years to get what I’m today.
How do you envision the future of content creation courses evolving?
I am not much convinced about the long-term viability of content creation courses because the AI is going to disrupt the landscape in the next five years. Social media is going to evolve, so the relevancy of current teachings will diminish rapidly, rendering many courses obsolete by next year. So I don’t think any of the courses that are being created by creators for content creation are going to have a long shelf life. Logically, high-quality courses should have enduring value, but the rapid transformation driven by AI may outstrip our ability to adapt. I have observed this shift daily in my work, and it’s concerning that some content creators may not be prepared for the impact of AI on their field.
To what extent do you leverage artificial intelligence in your content creation process?
We leverage AI extensively, both in front-end and back-end application, to enhance our content. AI tools assist with editing, subtitling, language translation, scripting, video creation, and more. AI is assisting content creators in producing high-quality content at an unprecedented pace. Tasks that previously required extensive time for scripting, shooting, editing, post-production, and launching can now be completed significantly faster–often X by three hours, X by 5 hours or X by 10 hours. With this, creator are able to produce content on multiple topics and manage multiple channels simultaneously.