The elearning course description is usually the first thing that potential learners will read. If you want to attract as many learners as you can, you need to make sure that this description is properly worded and constructed.
What makes this even more complicated is the fact that you need to make it short but it has to show just enough of the course to hook those who are reading it. Think about commercials – they need to be short but it has to contain everything that a product or service needs to advertise. Or you can even think of it like a trailer of a movie. You only get a minute or less to show what the movie will be all about.
The same is true for your elearning course description. You need to make short so it will not bore the readers. But, you also have to make sure it is long enough to highlight the important contents that will be taught in the course. The usual count is 130 words or less. The reason why you want to make this work is because this is what most learners use to decide if they want to enrol in the course or not. It is your first step to sell the course to potential learners.
So how can you make sure that this piece of information will be constructed properly? Here are a couple of tips for you.
- Start strong. The first sentence is the key to get them to read the rest of the description. You want to make it as provoking or compelling as you can. Make it as attention grabbing as possible. You can use a question or a statistic that will highlight the main content of your course. Get them thinking with emotionally-compelling statements that will tap into the importance of the course in their personal lives.
- Use the right keywords. If your course is all about improving marketing skills or learning how to do a specific task, you may want to use that keyword clearly in the description. Not only will the keyword help make the description clear, it will also allow learners to search for your elearning course easily. After all, search engines use keywords to display what readers look for in the Internet. You can use Google Adwords to help you figure out the keywords that are commonly searched in Google. As long as you have a gmail account, you can use this for free.
- Keep your words simple. Even if your course is industry-specific, try to use terms that a newbie can understand. After all, people will be enrolling in your elearning course so they can learn something new. Do not flood them with terms that they cannot understand because it might make the course difficult – and that can turn them off. As much as possible, make it as uncomplicated to understand.
- Stick to action words. Do not just describe the course. You have to make sure that learners understand what they will do while they are enrolled in the course. For instance, use terms like “discover” or “engage” – these will make the readers feel like they will be active participants during the learning process.
- Address the readers directly. Lastly, you want to make sure that your description is constructed in such a way that addresses the readers directly. Use “you” throughout the elearning course description. This allows you to establish a connection with the readers from the very start. It will help them picture themselves as part of the course.
All of these tips should help you construct an elearning course description that is not only concise but effective in luring learners to enrol in your course. After all, that is the whole point of having a description.
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