What they DON'T tell you about Skillshare
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 16. 07. 2024
- After 4 years, I'm leaving Skillshare. Here's an honest Skillshare review from both a student and teacher perspective - on why you start (but don't stay) with Skillshare.
First, I'll show you how much Skillshare has paid me as a teacher on their platform for 4 years. How much do teachers earn from thousands of watch minutes and students taking their courses?
Next, we'll discuss why Skillshare is still a great place to start as a new course creator. And what The Lean Startup can teach you about using course marketplaces.
I also have a fun little story for you about Skillshare as an all-you-can-eat buffet of courses. And what that does to student gratitude (just look at all my 1-star reviews).
Lastly, I give my recommendations on how to progress through the phases of exploration and exploitation. And how Skillshare can accelerate your transition.
If you want to learn more about content creation for courses, check out the links below đ
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Disclaimer
Part of my livelihood is based on affiliate links, which means that I get a small commission if you end up buying something through the links I share (no extra cost to you).
Love how honest you were with this. I already own self-hosted courses, but just haven't built the following. Skillshare seemed to be the shortcut, but you got me when you mentioned that course creators themselves have to be "big" already, I realized it wasn't for me.
Though, I'm considering creating tiers of "skillshare level" courses, that I otherwise would've made free anyway, and put it there. Then higher level courses could be self-hosted.
The way you showed your learning from feedback is amazing. I think thatâs how we must view life itself. đ
I couldn't agree more. Thanks for your input.
Agreed. The difficulty is getting people to actually give you feedback.
@@RuedRiisCom "Logically answered" made a better video about Skillshare, because showed much more the bigger picture from both sides. 1 person's exp can be written down as an exception, but trends are much more difficult to deny.
Another fantastic episode Rued!
Thank you for putting this together.
I took a chance on it. Got a 50% off deal for the new year so it was worth a shot but I completely agree that some of the videos on CZcams are far more helpful with way more detail and usually a more engaging production for me. Some of the courses are 30 minutes long but in reality it's a 5 minute CZcams video. Now seeing how much you earn as a teacher I understand why
LOL, Nail on the head in the first 8 seconds. Good job!
Excellent video! Nice visualization đđŒ
your video was astonishing nice edits and great if not excellent quality on the audio good job mate!
Thank you!
great video, clear, funny , to the point keep creating
subbed cause you seem very authentic and thoughtful
Thanks - I try to be :)
Thank you for all the sharing.
I was thinking to start as a teacher on skill share. and you completely changed my mind
You should at least consider these pros and cons :)
True. I went through the same iteration and experienced the same results.
Thank you for this video. I dislike businesses that exploit individuals, so pleased you've done what works for you, and pleased I came across you before I signed up with skillshare. Thank you CZcams algorithm đ
Glad it was helpful!
Honestly all the information on new topics can easily be found on CZcams , also it gets updated faster
The only issue with CZcams is lack of moderation, if you donât know about the topic you want to learn itâs difficult to know whether what you are watching is useful or useless
Few ways of overcoming that problem is to read the comments before the video starts and sort by newest and if they are mostly positive or engaging usually itâs a good sign
Also smaller creators make better videos compared to larger ones imo and also they donât want to appeal to the lowest common denominator
Facts
What I've learnt from this video.
Skillshare is the best course testing sandbox
A good take away, yes!
Thank you sir!
Thanks for providing Real experience đ
You're very welcome :)
i come here to see a review and felt in love of this boy so intelligent Smart and Handsome!!
Thanks a lot for sharing đĄ
Youâre welcome đđ»
Hey Rued, I enjoyed hearing your point of view. I'm a Top Teacher on Skillshare, but I don't have huge followings - or at least I didn't until I started teaching on Skillshare. I think you might be being a *bit* cynical. Since SK started the Staff Pick program, I have launched 7 classes, and all of them have become Staff Picks. I POUR my heart into my classes. I spend hundreds of hours into planning and writing my classes, and many more hours editing - or I spend thousands of dollars to have them produced by a professional video company. What I'm saying is that sometimes the problem isn't the platform's fault. I understand that pouring your heart into a class and not seeing returns for it (40$/month is not very motivating, I agree) is very discouraging. And moving to where you feel appreciated is probably a good idea. But I don't think Skillshare hides great classes by new teachers on account of their non-celebrity status. It's just not the case. What they want is classes by people who are good at what they do (they have expertise), who can teach, and whose skills are in current demand. I have not seen your classes, but I can see you are obviously a good communicator and I'd bet you could put together a great class. If you want some insider tips from a top teacher, let me know. ;)
Hello Tom, yea pls - id love some insider tips đđđŸđ
How do you know you donât need tips from him? Lol
Just saying CZcams teachers are better than Skillshare teachers
Hi Tom, thanks for your comment, food for thought. I wonder if success in Skillshare is also knowing what people want to learn on this platform. It seems that there's a lot of illustration/graphic designers who are adding to their skills with the new technology, for example. As far as celebrity status on Instagram, you may not think you're a celeb but I think having 31,000 followers is a big thing. In the Skillshare teacher application they ask for a website or instagram or online video even before you've made a class. How to start from ground zero?
I have seen teachers on skillshare who are also artists with strong followings have their classes removed because of the skillshare algorithm, it is claimed to be based on views and teachers are being notified with a threatening e-mail that says the content is not their own because the AI flagged them. Skillshare is not entirely transparent, they provide guides and links to their policies but you are on your own. Some teachers do have their content put back up only to have the same thing happen repeatedly. It makes you think that it is not good quality or they are not attracting the right users, or maybe they aren't talented. I have seen amazing artists with huge followings have their classes removed without warning and they are sent an e-mail that accuses them of fraud or that the content is not theirs, and the accusations do not match up. The e-mail they send is a low-res j-peg copy of a template they use internally for everyone.
Like Etsy, Skillshare has a look and feel and a format they want to follow and it limits the free expression of artists. They need teachers who will make money for the platform so they do prefer you to have a following because they will search you online (they use third parties for data capture) to see this as well, you are representing them and if you are independent forget it, Skillshare uses your content to market itself. Similarly, the platform fishbowl does the same thing, they want you to have a specific type of job title for the industries they promote, I.e: Art director at Ogilvy, Nurse at Mount Sinai, etc. then your content or what you write is used on job boards on top of the reviews, Glassdoor now uses them but it's usually not authorized by the person who wrote the piece, it's taken from the fishbowl forums. If you are a private person who avoids SEO their AI can't match you and it will reject you so that is how it works, yes it does base it on having a following or a way for the platform to make money from you, you are a personal brand for them. When you create a class it immediately goes live and there is no formal review process, it gets "reviewed" by their system but not in the formal sense, u-demy does in fact provided a formal review of your content and will give you feedback before going live...so skillshare sets you up to fail in a lot of ways.
Awesome video!! What if sb uploading their content to multiple platforms for free and maintain also a self host site that they might spend some more on? đ€
Thank you for sharing. I have a question do you recommend any other websites to add course with ?
Another great video. Thanks! I'm not sure, but _Gumroad_ has a similar system of not making your course searchable on their platform unless you live up to some criteria.
Fresh video from Rued! As a custom mapper (for online games) I know that it's a BIG risk to spend a lot of time on _that perfect map_ only to find out that players don't like it ;-) So, I agree with the fast-feedback-loop idea!
Yes, I've looked into it as well. Many good options for self-hosting out there :)
I love the honesty. That's trustworthy. My first video I watched from you. I'm subscribed. Thanks.
Skillshare student here. I've only completed one course. There were pros and cons. One of the pros is that there doesn't seem to be a fixation with holding attention. YT educational content tries to either provide the bullet points in a sub-five minute video, or they go into a slightly more detailed video at mere seconds over a ten minute limit, OR they go into a largely unedited stream of consciousness 80+ minute long disorganized mess. If you're lucky, you'll find a playlist of videos with no regard for the time limit.
Skill share seems to address this issue. The platform is geared for education, not entertainment like with CZcams.
That said, the single course I've watched so far was taught in a disorganized way by someone who knows less about the program than me... this was disheartening.
So in some ways, CZcams is better, and other ways, SkillShare is better.
I was hoping for the detailed layouts that skillshare delivers. I got that. I was also hoping for secret troves of hidden knowledge - or perhaps just instruction brought by successful professionals in their field. So far I haven't really gotten that.
I came here to better understand Skillshare; maybe figure out what I should know before I begin, what pitfalls and trends to avoid, etc. I did not find that. This video was nearly 95% teaching related and only about 5% learning related... and what was given was merely personal experience. I'm only bringing this up because you mentioned the feedback loop. One more thing: I still don't know what it means to self-host.
Phenomenal video, though I have no clue what you teach here.
Self hosted means you aren't relying on someone to have your courses on their platform (i.e. Skillshare or Udemy), but you have it on your own platform, like a personal website. Hope this helps!
Loved this, Educational and entertaining. I feel you have saved me weeks wasting time on starting with skill share.
What 3 ways would you recommend for someone who really wants to build up some (relatively simple) income streams?
Amazing to hear that - thanks!
1. Get good at/excited about something
2. Start creating solid content about it
3. Offer coaching/consulting on the subject
In time youâll learn what course to create, and then you work on promoting that course.
Another great video!!! â€ïž it đ thatâs: education + entertainment = edutainmetđ„đ
lol nice one
i appreciate you! your clearity!
Loved this video
Thanks for sharing this, Rued! Thumbs up!
very helpful!
I loved the intro to this video so much in nearly cried.
Haha, happy to hear that you liked the little role play :)
In the Skillshare teacher application they ask for a website or instagram or online video even before you've made a class. How to start from ground zero?
Thank you so much for this honest video. Loved every second of it
Wow! Thank you for that valuable information. I have been in the garments design and production industry for the most part of my career and am now searching for ways to pass on the knowledge.... while earning a bit for my efforts. Keep teaching!
Hello sir my courses doing well on Udemy but when I tried to upload them on Skillshare after 24 or 48 hours these are closed. any trick to solve this issue or any other platform to sell online courses, Thanks sir waiting for your responses
This is a High quality video.
I have been exploring skillshare for a while now, and I am having trouble finding high quality content. Additionally the range of topics seem very limited. Seems like I need to cancel before the trial ends and I am charged.
Who to follow on You Tube??
They are also notorious for continuing to charge you after you cancel and refusing refunds. I cancelled 3 yrs ago, and just found out they've been charging me all that time, no notice, no receipts, just a sneaky credit card charge once a year. And I'm not the only one, I found hundreds of similar complaints of Skillshare fraud.
Such high quality content A+
Thank you so much ! đđ»
What a entertaining, informative, and well produced video.
Thank you đ more to come in the future đ€
Wow⊠Awesome video! Thank you so much for sharing this great information. I have a question for you please⊠When you say âmove it to your own websiteâ how is that possible? Is there a particular platform that I should use in order to make this happen? I didnât know that I could run a video class on my Google website (is it possible for people to pay for it and then watch a video on a website?) Thanks so much, Laura
You use a course platform of some sort. Don't know about a Google Website, but if you buy a domain then connect it to e.g. Kajabi which is the one I use, you can have your videos, blog posts, email tool, everything on there. Watch this one to learn more about it: czcams.com/video/gDmD_9zWre8/video.html
Amazing!!
I like the unique cadence in your voice. 4 stars.
Make the iteration loop as fast as you can is a major KEY for any product! The 1st 100 subs will have an early bird access to my next product - stay tuned!
Iâm gonna buy that book :)
Can you permanently remove your course from Skillshare? I.e does the course still belong to the instructor?
Soooo good!
Thanks, I was attempting to find out the monthly $ for skillshare which was not in opening feed. Way too much for my social insecurity budget!
Yeah, it's not really worth the time it takes to earn real money. Better to establish your own channels, generate your own traffic, and host your own products-claiming the full payment for them.
Anyone know how I can cancel skillshare?
I love your video
âWe want to make education accessible to all people, by putting it behind a paywall higher than the premium version of our inarguably superior competitorâ
Thank youu
Very useful information. Thank you. Also who is that last content creator @4:52 ???
Kurzgesagt / in a nutshell :)
@@RuedRiisCom oh... my bad... I meant the 2nd to last content creator @4:52 ???
@@JB_iAm It is a video of Dr Shini Somara from the channel Crash Course
@@Maanastvm Thank you so much
@@JB_iAm Welcome
But if you think about it, High Quality tend to have high attention... why wouldn't you want to learn from the best?
They no longer pay per minute watched; I had 1000+ premium minutes viewed, and they send me only $10.
That is little over my monthly PhD stipend.
6:00 that's ironic considering that they only offer annual subscriptions đ
How did you self host? Do you use CZcams? Or do you have a course som other place? đ
I started with Heights, then switched to Kajabi. You can see all the tools I use right here: www.ruedriis.com/resources
@@RuedRiisCom Thank you! Hope you succeed in your efforts đ Also, great video! Iâm considering CZcams myself as a part time thing. I know how to make video content, as i study film and TV production in University and i work as an editor for a local company. Iâm just a bit worried if the audience is big enough to make a future living out of it, as i want to make videos in my native language (Norwegian) which is an even smaller language than Danish đ
ââIf the bacon tray is empty, they yell at the staff.ââ Iâm đą and đover here thinking of ways to get my team to use LinkedIn learning more effectively.
if i wanted to learn how to draw where would you recommend ?
No, search up youtube videos because it's the same information there
5:01 Nathaniel Drew!
Hahaha, I loved this. It's accurate and fun ... but sadly accurate. Well done. :D
Thank you - warms my heart. I got inspired and did my best to make this work - especially the intro was tricky but fun :)
@@RuedRiisCom I think u did great. It's kind of sad to see how Skillshare goes down that path as you said in the video. But it's a good experience at the end. Just subscribed looking forward to see what u will make. Take care!
It's very funny. I actually had to start hiding my content from SEO's now because I had problems with people copying my work and when I tried to teach on skill-share they couldn't find anything out about me so they closed my class. That is my guess, they said it was fraudulent because their AI couldn't match it with anything LOL.
Donât worry about copiers. Be yourself, unique, and you will always be one step ahead.
Me watching this video: Huh....this is video is really well produced for such a small youtuber.
How about you make a video on that? Everything from your camera, room set up and video editing program.
Thanks! I have a whole course on this - called Video Made Simple university: www.ruedriis.com/vms
Cool video
Thanks Jon :)
@@RuedRiisCom you're welcome
True :)
If one of my friend buys Skillshare subscription and watch all my classes , then will it be profitable for me ? I have more than 40 hrs of content. I know this is not the organic way as I am telling my friend to make sure to make all my classes. Will skillshare ban me for doing this ? What happen if my friend rewatch my class again ? Will it be suspicious to the Skillshare platform.
Forget about this immediately - itâs not a viable way. Make quality courses and have people buy it from you. Donât try to hack these platforms - theyâve seen it all.
@@RuedRiisComOk. I have to focus on creating more good courses. Thank you !
they may flag it as suspicious, it's part of one of their violations and they aren't nice about it
Hi...... I'm from INDIA. SKILLS SHERE IS ONLY ENGLISH LANGUAGE AVAILABLE?
No. Depends on the teacher, teachers can also create videos in other languages other than English.
i am trying to cancel my account with no luck so far. it is a nightmare.
Yes, these platforms hold on to our content!
I was thinking on teaching on Skillshare ... but as you showed.. its too little. :( đđ±
Waaay too little. Host your own courses instead :)
Don't quit your day job is the moral of the story boys and girls....
I started publishing classes last year February. After 7 classes, Iâm only making $20-40 per month. đ
I made over $120 last month, but they changed the algorithm. Looks like it'll be about $30-$40 this month. Last month was my highest month. I was on an upward trend until the change this month.
@@mslegalista Oh no, that must be shocking to you. Hope itâs just a temporary trend and things will return to normal for you.
I actually learned a lot from this video.
Definitely donât want to waste time on a course no one will enjoy.
Also you can probably charge more if your content is better
â€ïžâ€ïž
I joined skillshare just to see what they had to offer. I did the 30 day trial. 28 days in I tried to cancel the trial as the websites feature would not allow me. I contacted skillshare thru email and was told they would get back to me. They did a day later, telling me they cannot find my account, asked me for info I sent to them. Now their response is I have no active account , but they charged my debit card 165.00. I filed a dispute with my bank and am in the process of filing fraud with the attorney general. I do not recommend this site. If this has happened to me it probably has happened to others. Let alone once again another site with no contact phone number.
Is skillshare really worth a try?
It's great for market feedback. If you know what you're doing already, I'd say no.
I great teacher I need courses share me clinking
This isnt true, my girlfriends first course was promoted to front page. My sell art online masterclass has thousands of students there!
What did you mean by self hosting
By self-hosting, I mean having your course on your own website. You buy a domain, access to a course system of some sort, and then you set up the whole platform on your own territory - as opposed to using Udemy or Skillshare to host and sell your courses. Self-hosting allows you to charge more, but it also requires you to market your courses yourself.
@@RuedRiisCom got it thanks
This man is cute. Thanks for the info
skillshare is horrible, got charged $165 several months down the road and i had previously cancled
That does sound pretty horrible..
đ
đĄ
damn, so you could self host a $10 course and you'd make the same (if not, more) as posting on skillshare đ
It's a SCAM. DON'T DO IT.