As the digital education market continues to expand, more professionals are exploring opportunities in the online course space. Among the various roles available, two often cause confusion: course producer and course co-producer. While they may sound similar, each role involves distinct responsibilities, skill sets, and levels of involvement.
If you’re considering entering the digital course market but aren’t sure whether to take on the role of a producer or co-producer, this article will help you understand the differences and choose the right path for your goals and strengths.
What is a Digital Course Producer?
A course producer is the creator and owner of a digital course. This person is usually the subject matter expert (SME), meaning they have specific knowledge, skills, or experience that they want to share through structured online lessons.
Responsibilities of a Course Producer:
- Designing the course curriculum
- Recording and editing videos
- Creating worksheets, quizzes, and assignments
- Managing student engagement and support
- Promoting the course (if working solo)
- Handling technical aspects like uploading content and managing platforms
In essence, the producer is responsible for both content creation and business execution, unless they choose to work with a team or delegate parts of the process.
What is a Digital Course Co-Producer?
A co-producer is a collaborator who supports the course producer—typically handling the marketing, sales strategy, and business operations of the course launch and growth.
Responsibilities of a Course Co-Producer:
- Conducting market research and positioning
- Building landing pages and sales funnels
- Managing paid ads and organic traffic
- Setting up platforms and payment systems
- Organizing launch strategies and email automation
- Providing post-launch support and analytics
The co-producer does not need to be an expert in the course content, but they do need to be an expert in marketing and digital business development.
Key Differences Between Producer and Co-Producer
Let’s break down the main differences between these two roles:
| Aspect | Producer | Co-Producer |
|---|---|---|
| Main Focus | Content creation | Marketing and launch strategy |
| Expertise | Subject knowledge | Digital marketing and tech setup |
| Visibility | Usually the face of the course | Works behind the scenes |
| Platform Ownership | Owns the course and IP | May have access but not always ownership |
| Revenue Share | Earns full profit (if solo) | Earns a percentage through partnership |
| Risk | Higher (manages everything alone) | Lower (shared responsibilities) |
Which Role Is Right for You?
Choose to Be a Producer If:
- You have expertise in a specific field and want to share it.
- You’re comfortable on camera and enjoy teaching.
- You want full control over the course and business.
- You have time to learn marketing or resources to hire help.
Being a producer gives you full creative control and the ability to build a personal brand, but it also comes with more pressure and responsibility.
Choose to Be a Co-Producer If:
- You’re skilled in marketing, sales funnels, or tech setup.
- You prefer working behind the scenes and managing strategy.
- You want to build a business without creating content yourself.
- You enjoy working with different creators across industries.
Co-producers can scale quickly by managing multiple projects at once and do not have to appear in front of the camera or spend months creating content.
Can You Be Both?
Yes. Many successful entrepreneurs start as one and evolve into the other.
For example:
- A producer might eventually hire co-producers to help scale.
- A co-producer might start building their own personal brand and become a producer later.
You can also collaborate with others in hybrid models, where roles overlap depending on the project.
Real-Life Examples
To make it clearer, here are two simplified examples:
Example 1: The Solo Producer
Maria is a fitness coach. She creates a course on postpartum workouts, films the videos, builds a website using Teachable, runs Facebook ads, and answers customer questions. She’s the producer—and she does everything.
Example 2: The Co-Produced Success
Lucas is a videographer with no interest in marketing. He partners with Ana, a digital marketer. Lucas records a course on smartphone videography, and Ana handles all the strategy, platform setup, and ads. They split profits 50/50. Ana is the co-producer.
Pros and Cons of Each Role
Producer Pros:
- Full creative and business control
- Builds authority and audience trust
- Higher potential earnings (if successful)
Producer Cons:
- High workload
- Needs many different skills
- Risk of burnout or overwhelm
Co-Producer Pros:
- No need to create content
- Scalable model with multiple partners
- Lower creative and emotional investment
Co-Producer Cons:
- Limited control over course quality
- Depends on producer’s performance and delivery
- Revenue depends on negotiation and contracts
How to Decide
Here are some questions to help you choose:
- Are you more comfortable teaching or promoting?
- Do you want to be the face of the brand or stay behind the scenes?
- Do you prefer building long-term authority or running multiple short-term launches?
- Do you have time to manage both the content and the business?
Answering these honestly will guide your next step.
Final Thoughts: Two Roles, One Goal
Whether you choose to be a producer or co-producer, your mission is to bring valuable education to the digital world. Each path offers its own opportunities and challenges—but both can lead to success when approached with clarity and professionalism.
If you’re just starting out and want to test your skills, co-producing may be the ideal entry point. If you already have deep expertise or a personal brand, producing your own course could be your best bet.
The digital education economy thrives on collaboration—so choose the role that best fits your strengths, and don’t be afraid to grow into the other over time.