The strangest thing happened this week: the kids in my neighborhood all headed back to school for some reason. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that this meant that the summer was coming to a close. Well, if that’s the case, then the Teachable Creator Challenge that kicked off this past June is also nearing its end. Since that is in fact the case, I guess it’s time for me to not only look back at the third month of the Challenge but also the program as a whole.
With that, let’s discuss one big discovery I made regarding the Challenge’s bonus content as well as whether the program was a success or not.
Teachable Guest Workshops
In my first Creator Challenge update, I mentioned how one of the main features of the promotion was the promise of Q&As with various personalities. From the ones I’ve watched, these interviews have had some great takeaways and tips I’ve been able to add to my arsenal. However, in addition to those Q&A-style videos, there have also been special workshop broadcasts. These include “Overnight Rockstar” with Susie Moore, “How to Engage Your Online Community Without Accidentally Killing It” with Diana Tower, and most recently “Brand Your Brilliance” with Kaye Putnam.
I had a chance to catch the replay of Kaye’s workshop and, honestly, planned on mostly having it play in the background. However, within a few minutes, it became clear that this would demand my full attention. Not only did she offer some really interesting insight but also provided helpful slides so that I could refer back to the material as I prepare my course.
If it wasn’t clear from the title, Kaye’s workshop was all about branding. To start things off, she discussed the 12 main brand archetypes, sharing some example companies for each. From there, she went on to explain how knowing which primary and secondary archetype your brand is will help you with all kinds of decisions down the road — including how you market and package your Teachable course.
While this was already fascinating, what really impressed me was how Kaye took this info and applied it directly to the Teachable platform. For example, she went through the landing page font choices Teachable offers and broke down which types of brands would likely use each. This level of detail was truly impressive and was very much appreciated on my end.
Another really cool tip Kaye shared involved finding a color palette for your brand. To do this, she suggested first creating a Pinterest board with images that evoke the feeling of your brand. Then, using a site called Coolors, you can upload a screenshot of your board to get suggestions of colors to use. Even better, they also include the hex code so you can plug that right into Teachable and get the exact colors you want. Sidenote: I did find it funny that, while Kaye was showing off Coolors, the site mentioned a promotion for another course platform — Skillshare — at the top. Ultimately, I think Teachable would have had every right to ask Kaye to cut this part of the presentation, so I really respect them for prioritizing this demo over any inadvertent plug for the competition.
After watching Kaye’s workshop, I definitely want to go back and watch the previous two as well. As great and intriguing as the Q&As have been, these workshops have proven to be even more valuable. Plus, honestly, I can’t say I’ve ever been more excited to create a Pinterest board.
Wrapping Up the Creator Challenge (and My Course)
It’s amazing how quickly the past three months have gone by. On the one hand, it’s exciting to be nearing the grand finale of the Teachable Creator Challenge. Yet, on the other hand, this means that I won’t be able to launch my course within the challenge period.
Although that’s a bit disappointing, as I’ve probably alluded to before, I don’t at all regret joining Teachable during the Creator Challenge. Even if I won’t be able to score any prizes (actually, they did send me 60 days of ConvertKit for free, despite the fact that I didn’t actually publish my course), the additional content has met the mark in my opinion and really helped me on my course creation journey. On top of that, I wouldn’t be nearly as far along in the process as I am had the Challenge not inspired me to get started.
So where exactly does my course stand? Well, in case you weren’t aware, I’ve been sharing sneak peeks at my course via a blog series where I take a closer look at getting started on YouTube. Previous installments have looked at five things stopping you from creating videos for YouTube (and how to overcome them) as well as five things you’ll need to post your first YouTube video. I’ll have another post to share next week — and obviously have much more to share about the course itself as the official launch date this fall draws nearer.
Overall, I’m really glad I decided to participate in the inaugural Teachable Creator Challange. I certainly learned a lot over these past three months and, as I mentioned, undoubtedly got further in my course creation than I would have under any other circumstances. With that, I look forward to taking what I learned from the guest speakers and workshops to continue the momentum I built up during the challenge as I prepare to launch my first course. Furthermore, I do hope Teachable makes this an annual celebration so other would-be creators like me can have the same experience.