Below is a beginner‑friendly, step‑by‑step playbook for building and monetizing an AI course using YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Skool—plus a copy‑paste business plan template, a clear strategy, and a worked example of a tiered AI course.
I’ll keep it practical. Think of this as a set of checklists you can follow and ship.
What you’re building (in plain English)
- YouTube + TikTok + Instagram → attract attention with short, useful videos.
- Skool → capture that attention into a community you own, sell memberships and one‑time courses, and keep alumni paying for ongoing value.
Skool provides built‑in courses (“Classroom”), recurring subscriptions, one‑time course purchases, gamified levels, event calendar, auto‑DM, and ad pixels for tracking—all inside one place. help.skool.com+3help.skool.com+3help.skool.com+3
Part 1 — The business plan (copy‑paste template)
How to use this: Duplicate into Notion/Google Docs and fill it out.
1) Executive Summary
- Audience: (e.g., Solo founders, SMB marketers, ops managers)
- Main promise (outcome): In 4–6 weeks, students go from ____ to ____ using _____.
- Offer ladder: Free community → Paid membership → One‑time deep‑dive course(s) → Cohort/Corporate.
2) Market & Validation
- Top 3 pains (from 10 interviews):
- ___ 2) ___ 3) ___
- Proof of demand: Pilot workshop signups, comment volume, search intent notes.
- Competitors & gaps: Who they serve, price, format, what’s missing.
3) Product & Curriculum
- Format: Self‑paced + weekly clinic (hybrid) or cohort live.
- Modules mapped to pains: M1 ___ → fixes pain #1, M2 ___ → pain #2…
- Artifacts (proof of progress): Templates, dashboards, shipped mini‑projects.
4) Community (Skool)
- Structure: Categories, Classroom courses, Calendar events, Levels.
- Onboarding: Auto‑DM + “Start here” checklist + RSVP to first clinic.
- Cadence: 1 event/week, 1 discussion prompt/week, 1 showcase/month.
5) Monetization
- Free: Skool community + starter pack.
- Membership (recurring): $___/mo—update clinics, resource vault, priority Q&A.
- One‑time courses: $___ each (deep dives).
- Premium/Cohort: $___ (limited seats, coaching).
- Corporate: Seat bundles at $___/seat/mo; quarterly manager report.
6) Go‑to‑Market
- Content pillars: (1) Use‑cases, (2) How‑to builds, (3) Case studies.
- Publishing rhythm: YouTube long‑form 1×/wk, Shorts/Reels/TikTok 3–5×/wk, 2 live streams/mo.
- CTA: “Join the free Skool for templates + weekly clinic.”
7) Operations
- Team & roles: You (host), editor, community mod/TA.
- Tools: Camera/phone, editor (CapCut/Final Cut), Skool, Drive, Zapier.
- Risks & mitigations: Platform policy changes, churn → focus on email capture + member value cadence.
8) Metrics (KPIs)
- Traffic → Join (Skool About page CTR & joins)
- Join → Paid (membership conversion)
- Completion & outcomes (time‑to‑first‑win)
- Retention (30/90‑day)
- LTV and refund rate
9) Budget & Forecast (first 90 days)
- Costs: Skool plan, editing, ads (optional), tools.
- Revenue targets: ___ members × $___ + ___ one‑time courses × $___.
Part 2 — The strategy (how the pieces fit)
- Publish consistently on YouTube/TikTok/Instagram around three pillars:
- Use‑cases (“How a salon books 20% more with an AI DM agent”).
- How‑to (“Build a lead‑reply agent in 30 minutes”).
- Proof (student wins, teardown of real workflows).
- Call‑to‑action in every video: “Join my free Skool community for templates + weekly clinic.” Put the link in the description/bio; add YouTube cards to your site/community if you’re in the YouTube Partner Program; use end screens to push to more videos (not external links). Google Help+1
- Convert inside Skool:
- Welcome with Auto‑DM → “Start here” checklist → RSVP to the next clinic.
- Level‑locked goodies (e.g., Advanced Prompts unlock at Level 3).
- Offer paid membership (recurring) and one‑time courses for deeper problems. help.skool.com+2help.skool.com+2
- Retain & expand: Monthly “What changed in AI” clinic, release one new template/mini‑course each month, and give top alumni a mentor track.
Part 3 — Example: a tiered AI course (levels & pricing)
Adapt the names and prices to your niche.
| Tier | Who it’s for | What they get | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Skool | Curious beginners | Community, weekly clinic access, Starter Pack (templates) | $0 |
| Membership | Practitioners who want updates & help | Monthly “AI changes that matter” clinic, resource vault, priority Q&A | $29–$99/mo |
| One‑time Deep Dives | People with a specific task | 60–120 min focused courses (Agents, RAG, Evaluation), certificate of completion | $99–$299 each |
| Cohort/Pro | High‑intent pros & teams | 4‑6 weeks live, capstone, 1:1 reviews, hiring help | $699–$2,000 |
| Team License | SMB teams | Seats + manager dashboard + QBR | $___/seat/mo |
On Skool, you can run a single paid membership for community access and sell additional one‑time courses inside the Classroom for upsells. help.skool.com
Part 4 — Platform setup (beginner‑friendly, step by step)
A) Skool (your monetization hub)
- Create your group → turn on Classroom, Calendar, Leaderboards.
- Connect payouts (Skool is merchant‑of‑record; it handles VAT/sales tax; weekly Stripe Express payouts). Set your membership price when ready. help.skool.com
- Enable one‑time course purchases in Classroom for paid mini‑courses/upsells. help.skool.com
- Onboarding automation
- Turn on Auto‑DM and paste a welcome script (below).
- Add Membership Questions (ask goal, obstacle, email) for free groups. help.skool.com+1
- Gamify for engagement
- Make one “Advanced” resource level‑locked at Level 3 to reward positive activity. help.skool.com
- Tracking & ads (optional)
- Install Meta Pixel (captures pageviews, join requests, purchases) and/or Google Ads tracking for retargeting. help.skool.com
Copy‑paste Auto‑DM
Hey #NAME#! Welcome to #GROUPNAME# 🎉
- Start here checklist (pinned)
- Grab the Starter Pack in Classroom
- RSVP to this week’s live clinic
Reply with your #1 AI task and I’ll point you to the right template.
B) YouTube (reach + trust)
- Create/optimize your channel (banner, about, playlists).
- Links that drive action:
- Always place your Skool join link in the description and pin it in comments.
- If you’re in the YouTube Partner Program, add a card linking to your site/community. (External link cards require YPP.) Google Help+1
- Use end screens to boost session watch‑time by pointing to your next video/playlist (end screens don’t link off‑platform). Google Help
- Publishing rhythm: 1 long‑form/wk (8–15 min), 3–5 Shorts/wk, 2 live streams/mo.
- Video structure: Hook (5–10s) → Outcome → Steps → Mini‑demo → CTA (“Join free Skool for the template used in this video”).
C) TikTok (fast discovery)
- Switch to a Business Account (free) to unlock more profile tools. TikTok SupportTikTok For Business
- Add your website link to the bio: Business or accounts with 1,000+ followers can add a clickable website field. If you’re just starting, switch to Registered Business Account to enable the website link immediately (policies vary by region; check in‑app). TikTok Support
- Posting rhythm: 1–2 posts/day (quick wins, before/after, screen‑record tutorials).
- CTA: “Link in bio → free Skool community for templates.”
D) Instagram (depth + DMs)
- Add your website link to your bio (you can add multiple links). Instagram Help Center
- Use the Link Sticker in Stories/Reels to drive to Skool join page. Facebook
- Rhythm: 3 Reels/wk, 3–5 Stories/day (behind‑the‑scenes, polls), 1 carousel/wk.
- DM automation (optional via Meta tools) to deliver your Starter Pack.
Part 5 — The launch plan (12 weeks)
Weeks 1–2 — Validate & seed
- Run 10 short interviews with your target audience.
- Film 3 YouTube videos + 10 Shorts/TikToks/Reels on the same topics (repurpose).
- Open your free Skool group; publish the Starter Pack (3 templates) in Classroom; schedule the first weekly live clinic.
Weeks 3–4 — Pilot & list build
- Host a 90‑minute paid workshop ($19–$49) via Skool events.
- Collect questions → turn into your course outline.
- Turn on Auto‑DM + Membership Questions to guide new members. help.skool.com+1
Weeks 5–6 — Sell the first “one‑time” course
- Record a 60–90 min deep dive that solves one painful task.
- Enable One‑time Course Purchase in Classroom ($99–$199). help.skool.com
- Promote across YouTube/TikTok/Instagram with “see full build + downloads in Skool.”
Weeks 7–8 — Launch paid membership
- Announce $29–$99/mo membership: Monthly “What changed in AI” clinic + resource vault + priority Q&A.
- Add Meta Pixel to track joins/purchases for future retargeting. help.skool.com
Weeks 9–12 — Retain & scale
- Release 1 new template/mini‑course each month.
- Launch a mentor track for top alumni.
- Start team license outreach (simple PDF: outcomes, seat pricing, dates).
Part 6 — Your content system (ready to use)
Three pillars
- Outcome demos: “Turn a DM into a booked call with one agent.”
- Tool patterns: “The 5‑step prompt chain for approvals.”
- Case studies: “How Mia closed 7 deals using this workflow.”
Weekly schedule (example)
- Mon: Long‑form YT (repurpose into 3 Shorts/Reels/TikToks).
- Tue/Wed/Thu: Quick wins (≤60s) + one Story carousel.
- Fri: Live Q&A (YT) + Skool clinic reminder.
- Sun: Wins round‑up post inside Skool.
Reusable CTA line
Join the free Skool community for the template + weekly clinic → [link]
Part 7 — Beginner checklists (click down the list)
A) Record your first 10 videos (phone‑only OK)
- Quiet room, window light, phone at eye level.
- Script: Hook (problem) → 3 steps → Result → CTA.
- B‑roll: screen record of the AI build.
B) Publish with conversion in mind
- YouTube: Skool link in description + pinned comment; add a card to your site if you’re in YPP; end screen points to your next related video. Google Help+1
- TikTok/IG: “Link in bio” verbally + on‑screen text; add link sticker in Stories. Facebook
C) Skool community setup
- Categories: Introductions, Build Logs, Wins, Help‑Me‑Fix, Announcements.
- Classroom: Starter Pack (3 templates), Deep Dive #1 (one‑time), Deep Dive #2.
- Calendar: weekly clinic; Zoom/Meet link.
- Plugins: Auto‑DM, Membership Questions, Meta Pixel. help.skool.com+2help.skool.com+2
D) Your first paid offer
- Outline the deep dive → record → upload to Classroom → toggle One‑time purchase → publish → announce. help.skool.com
Part 8 — Simple pricing you won’t outgrow
- Start with Free Skool → prove value.
- Add One‑time Deep Dive ($99–$199).
- Open Membership ($29–$99/mo) once 50–100 free members are active.
- Add Cohort/Pro only when you have demand waiting.
Skool handles recurring payments, one‑time purchases, receipts, and VAT/sales‑tax compliance as merchant‑of‑record; you receive weekly payouts. help.skool.com
Part 9 — Lightweight compliance (U.S.)
- Endorsements/Affiliates: If you’re paid or comped, make clear, unavoidable disclosures (e.g., “Ad,” “Paid partner,” “Affiliate link”). The FTC updated the Endorsement Guides; see their plain‑English guidance. Federal Trade Commission+1
- Email (if you collect emails): Follow CAN‑SPAM basics—accurate headers, no deceptive subject lines, physical address, and a working unsubscribe you honor promptly. Federal Trade Commission
Part 10 — A fully worked example (you can copy this)
Audience: SMB marketers who need practical AI in campaigns.
Outcome promise: “In 30 days, ship two AI‑assisted campaigns from brief → copy → approvals without engineering support.”
Offers:
- Free Skool: Starter Pack (brief template, prompt chain, UTM sheet).
- Membership $49/mo: Monthly “What changed in AI marketing,” vault, priority Q&A.
- One‑time Deep Dives $149: “Agent for inbound leads,” “Idea → copy in 20 min.”
- Cohort $999 (6 weeks): Live labs, capstone (2 shipped campaigns), portfolio review.
- Team license $79/seat/mo: Seats + async feedback + quarterly report.
Funnels:
- YouTube video: “Ship a UGC ad in 30 minutes with AI” → CTA to free Skool.
- TikTok/IG Reels: 3 clips from the same build → “Link in bio” to Skool.
- Inside Skool: Auto‑DM → “Start here” → RSVP to clinic → pitch Deep Dive at end.
FAQs (speed round)
Q: I’m not in YouTube Partner Program. Can I still link to Skool?
Yes—use the description, pinned comment, and channel About links. To add clickable cards to external sites, you must be in YPP. Google Help
Q: How do I get a clickable link in my TikTok bio from day one?
Switch to a Business Account (or meet follower thresholds) and add your website in profile settings. TikTok Support+1
Q: Can I sell one‑off mini‑courses inside Skool while also charging a monthly membership?
Yes—turn on one‑time course purchases in Classroom and keep your membership for community + clinics. help.skool.com
You can start today (tiny checklist)
- Open your Skool group, turn on Classroom/Calendar, paste the Auto‑DM, add 3 Membership Questions. help.skool.com
- Upload three Starter Pack templates.
- Record one 10‑minute tutorial and three 30‑second clips.
- Publish on YouTube + pin your Skool link; on TikTok/IG, set link in bio. Instagram Help CenterTikTok Support
- Host your first weekly clinic inside Skool next week.
