To validate your online course idea, we'll follow Jeff Cobb's framework of searching, listening, asking, and testing. Let's talk about asking.

Pssst. If you haven't used the searching and listening techniques, go do that before continuing here!

After you've done all the Internet sleuthing you can on what your potential audience is saying about your course topic, it's time to be more direct. That means speaking up, and asking questions that will help you figure out if you have a good course topic idea.

Before we get into this, it's important to note that just asking someone if they would buy your course is probably not the best strategy. It's hard for people to accurately predict their behavior. Maybe they have every intention of buying something, but when it comes down to it, they can't justify the price, or they realize they don't have time.

Instead, you should ask questions that will tell you what challenges people are facing, so that you can offer a no-brainer solution (that they might not even have dreamed of). You need to find signs that your course would solve a need or a pain point for the people you talk to.

A few ways to ask are:

• Begin asking questions in forums like Quora
• Ask questions in more niche forums or groups, if there are any in your industry or discipline
• Create a survey to share with your audience, using a service like Survey Monkey, Ask Your Target Market, or Google Forms

But the highest leverage option for you at this stage is to set up a few interviews with actual people. Here at Teachable, we've relied on interviews to get a pulse on what customers like you are actually thinking. In fact, you told us you felt overwhelmed at the beginning of your course creation process, and didn't know what to do or in what order—that's why we created this course. #meta

If you are shaking in your boots or already imagining a logistical headache, don't worry. An interview doesn't have to be a big deal. Here's what to plan for:

• Do 20–30 minute video calls or meet in person, so you can read body language and learn more than you would on the phone.
• Record the interview, but ask permission first.
• Whether or not you can record the interview, take notes during and right after, to process what you heard.
• Talk to at least 5–10 people, and stop doing interviews when you can predict what your guests will say.
• Find people to interview by emailing your list, asking on social media, or even asking in-person.
• No gifts. Only give a gift in exchange for time if you have trouble getting people to chat with you. Even a small gift card can skew someone's opinion, and they may subconsciously give you the answers they think you want.

What should you talk about in these interviews? Ask open-ended questions that will give you a sense of your potential customers' behaviors and problems. (Don't just ask them if they'll buy your course. They may not be sure without seeing your finished course, and may feel pressured to say yes, especially if they know you.) Ask questions like:

• What are your goals?
• What is motivating you?
• What's your biggest obstacle to getting there?
• What have you tried in the past?
• What services do you use? Where do you go for news? What do you do for fun?

In these interviews, let your potential customer do the talking. Don't be afraid to be quiet and let your guests process out loud. You want to leave these meetings with a deep understanding of how you can solve your audience's big problems, and what language to use to appeal to their needs and wants.