6 Ways To Give The Right Name To Your Online Course Brand

Many course brands fail because their name is not strong enough.  So, if you want to make sure your course will succeed, the course brand name is what you should pay attention to.    
 

Why? Because memorable brand name will impact:

• Your sales
• Your customers’ first impression
• The type of customer your brand attracts

This article will cover the importance of choosing the right name for your online course. As you read, we will provide actionable tips and practical examples on finding the right name and things to avoid while brainstorming words and phrases.

The importance of a memorable course brand name

 When you meet new people first impression of them and their names will tell you much about whether you are going to communicate with them or how you will communicate at all. 

And, first impressions matter not only when meeting new people. They are even more critical when you are trying to sell products online. While potential students know nothing of the contents of your course yet , the brand name is what will impact their buying decision in the first place. 

So, why does the name become essential? 

• A catchy name will ensure you get high click rates. Search engines and social media are flooded with different courses. This is why your course name should be unique and curious enough. Think about this, which of these two names are you more likely to click: “When Chaos is Organized”, or “Remove Chaos From Your Life”. 
• A memorable course brand helps you beat the competition. It is what sets you apart from other course creators in the first place. 
• A promising course brand name also helps potential students understand what they can expect from you and how you are going to solve their problem. 

Questions to answer before naming

 Before you get too far with experimenting with different word combinations, here are some of the key questions you should find answers to.     
 

• Who are your students? - If you do not know who you are selling to it would be almost impossible to which name can attract them. Knowing your learners is key to creating and naming a course. So, your goal is to find as much information as you can about their interests, likes, pain points, buying behavior, demographics, etc. Afterward, you can narrow down to find several segments and pick a course name that will relate to and appeal to the specific segment. 
• Does my course name convey the main idea of the program? - While coming across your course title, will your students understand what you will cover in that program? This prompts the idea that your course brand should include the main value proposition. 
• Is it memorable and catchy? - Having keywords in your title is essential. However, you still need to remember that it should not become heavy and hard to read for your potential students. So, try to avoid fancy and more bookish words your students will find hard to get. 

6 ways for choosing the right name

Finally, here is how you can come up with a memorable course brand name.  

• Step 1: Niche down
• Step 2: Look for the keywords and phrases your students search
• Step 3: Include the promised results in the title
• Step 4: Keep it simple
• Step 5: Use power words
• Step 6: Keep it short

#1 Find your niche 

 Niching down is a great way to find the right target audience for your online course. Addressing a specific group of people in your course title will make it easier to grab and keep their attention. Moreover, this also gives you a competitive advantage over your competitors using more general headings.

The same concept may apply to any topic and niche, so do some research, narrow down the segment that forms your ideal customer base, and make the best out of your brand name. 

For example, your main niche may be fitness and wellness. So, you can narrow down your niche and make your course for female students who are underweight and want to improve their weight by gaining muscle mass. As a possible course title that reflects this goal is: “Gain Weight: Build Muscles, Not Fat”. 

We hear you saying, what if your course is for literally anyone, or you do not want to niche down? 

In this case, you could specify in your course description that everyone can participate in your program, but make sure to add some details or explanations. 

#2  Know your customer behavior 

A great way to find the perfect name for your online course and increase your SEO ranking is to present a title that has been searched the most. Think about it this way; 

• what will my potential customer search to find what he is looking for?
• what phrases and words they would potentially use to describe their pain points? 
• if you put yourself into your audience's shoes, try to Go ahead and type a few queries on Google related to the online course you have.  
   

If your online course title is worded similarly to what your niche searches on Google or any other search engine, you will increase your chances of ranking higher for that particular search and keywords. As a result, your potential customers will see your course title earlier than your competitors’.      
 

So do some keyword research on the most popular queries in your niche and adapt your course title to reflect this. For this, you can use a free keyword research tool named Google Keyword Planner. It will show the potential volume of your keywords, the searches, and more insights you can rely on. 

#3 Tell about the Results 

This is believed to be one of the most critical tips for developing an online course name that converts. The title you choose should communicate clearly your course mission and objectives and, more importantly, how your customers will benefit from it.      
 

The result you are aiming for should be clearly stated and suited for your course content. If you promise something not achievable, your customers realize that in just a few seconds and will not take your online course seriously.      
 

So whatever you are promising to your audience, make sure it is reachable and tell them about it. 

For example, Alan Sharp named his copywriting course “Create a Copywriting Portfolio With No Experience”. This tells us the course will be suitable for complete beginners, and the promised results are that they can have their portfolios ready by the end of the course.  
 

Tip: Do not sell features, sell the benefit. 

Remember that your potential customers aren't looking to buy an online course; they are looking to purchase something that will help them achieve their goals. So make sure you clearly communicate the result you provide!

#4 Make it simple 

 Simplicity is the key! Can a child read your online course title and understand it? If not, make it simpler. One of the most common mistakes is that course creators either use jargon in the online course title or make complex wording and sentences to describe their course content.      
 

You might think that the more sophisticated you sound, the more seriously you will be taken. Yet, the complex wording will not attract your potential customers; it will make them skip reading more about the course. It should not take your potential students too much to figure out what your title means.

For example, would you click on this name to buy the course: “Create Compelling Narratives For Monumental Revenue Growth”? Of course, it would get much better when we rephrase it like “Sell Like Hell.” 

Unless your online course is designed for a specific audience that should be familiar with the jargon or terms you are describing, try to keep it simple! If your title is hard to read, it will lead to losing the attention of potential customers.

#4 Include Catchy Words

Catchy or power words trigger a psychological or emotional response of the reader. These words are often used in marketing to quickly communicate a concept and get potential customers emotionally involved with a product in just a few seconds.     
 

How to distinguish and make the best of the"power words"? If a word triggers any emotional, action-driven response while still being descriptive, it is a powerful word.     
 

The most widely used power words in marketing are the ones that generate an emotional response of urgency, scarcity, excitement, or desire. Examples of powers words include words like "Proven," "Unique," "Secret," "Money-Making," "Risk-Free," "Master a skill", etc.

Tip: You can use allusions, puns, parallel structures, or rhyme words to make your course name more catchy, attention-grabbing, and memorable. For example, “Turning pages, turning profits”, “Sell Like Hell”, “Strategic Storytelling”, etc. 

#6 Make it short 

Earlier we mentioned that it is important to showcase the results of your case. However, studies have shown that longer titles perform worse and provide fewer clicks and traffic. Besides, shorter titles are more memorable. 

The optimal number of words for a headline highly depends on its audience, field, and content. But keep in mind that titles that contain 4 to 9 words seem to receive greater attention.     
 

The key is to effectively communicate what your online course is about and show its main advantages and results, using a few carefully chosen words in your title.     
 

To help you come up with the best possible names and avoid common mistakes, we have prepared a practical video that you can check out below.

It provides helpful and traditional options for naming and successful real-life examples. 

5 common mistakes to avoid

Now let's talk about the most common mistakes that you should avoid while creating an online course brand.      
 

Choosing a difficult name - Remember, the easier your brand name is, the more are the chances that people will engage with it.     
 

Creating a name that is too generic - Give people the solution or at least a hint of what they are looking for. Otherwise, if your name tells them nothing special, they are not going to perform the actions that you need.      
 

Ignoring the copyright research and creating something that already exists - Before coming up with a course business day, take your research very seriously, to avoid legal issues.     
 

Following a short term trend - While creating a name, it is not usually recommended to do something that is being hyped for now but will eventually fade away( for example, names associated with people/movies/ books that are highly popular now)      
 

Making a name that has negative associations - What seems a simple and clear name to us, might be offensive or negative in other contexts. This could also be overcome by having a profound research stage.      
 

To conclude, follow all the tips we have covered in this article and make sure to do your research properly. Remember, there is no universal formula for creating a course name that sells, but if you avoid the common mistakes and try to make something unique and audience-centered, your course brand will succeed.      
 

Check our blog section to explore many ways to promote your online course brand and gain income from sharing your expertise. 

Ready templates and tools to use for strong course names 

There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to course brand names. We want to stay unique, remember? However, there are some best practices and formulas you can use. 

• {Action} to {Benefit} - Stand Up To Be Heard
• {Promised  Results} without {Pain Points} - Networking With Powerful People Without Feeling Awkward
• {Your experience} I Used To {Desirable Outcome} - Simple Tactics I used To Get 10.000 Subscribers
• {Beginning} to {Final results} - Climb From Last Page To First Page On Google

There are also some free AI tools that can help you generate names for your online course. One of them is Google’s TextFX. Whether you need to include a simile in your course title, use alliteration, or get common phrases in your title, this platform tool includes 10 tools to get creative. 

Of course, you can always turn to ChatGPT for help. Just give the right prompts using the key points we discussed above (such as the course title being short, specific, including promised results, etc.) and choose which option may suit you best. 

5 common mistakes to avoid

Now let's talk about the most common mistakes you should avoid while creating an online course brand.    
 

• Choosing a difficult name - Remember, the easier your brand name is, the more are the chances that people will engage with it.     
   
• Creating a name that is too generic - Give people the solution or at least a hint of what they are looking for. Otherwise, if your name tells them nothing special.      
   
• Ignoring the copyright research and creating something that already exists - Before coming up with a course business day, take your research very seriously to avoid legal issues.     
   
• Following a short term trend - While creating a name, it is not usually recommended to do something that is being hyped for now but will eventually fade away( for example, names associated with people/movies/ books that are highly popular at the moment)      
   
• Making a name that has negative associations - What seems a simple and clear name to us, might be offensive or negative in other contexts. This could also be overcome by having a profound research stage.     

Already got an idea? 

That’s it! Follow all the tips we have covered in this article and make sure to do your research properly. 

Remember, there is no universal formula for creating a course name that sells, but if you avoid the common mistakes and try to make something unique and audience-centered, your course brand will succeed.      
 

You can generate your online course name for free using Uteach’s AI Course Idea Generator tool and start right now.