When my student told me what they thought about my copywriting course, I was SHOCKED.
I had just completed teaching my very first copywriting class and I was so excited to get feedback from my students. I was hoping they had enjoyed the class and found it helpful. Instead, the feedback I got took me by surprise.
One student in particular told me that they thought the course was “a waste of time.” Now, this wasn’t just some random hater on the internet. This was someone who had actually paid to take my course and had taken the time to give me their honest opinion.
I was crushed.
It’s not easy to put your heart and soul into something only to have someone tell you it’s not good enough. But I knew I couldn’t just give up because of one negative review. I needed to figure out why this student felt that way and see if there was anything I could do to improve the course for future students.
So, I reached out to the student and asked for their specific feedback. They were kind enough to oblige and told me that they felt like the course didn’t really teach them anything new. They said they already knew most of the information from other sources and that they didn’t feel like they got their money’s worth from taking the class.
Ouch. That hurt to hear but, again, I knew I couldn’t just give up because of one person’s opinion. I needed to see if there was any truth to what they were saying and find out if there was anything I could do to improve the course moving forward.
After some reflection, I realized that there were a few things I could change about the way I taught the course:
1) provide more real-world examples of how copywriting is used in businesses;
2) show students how to write effective copy through hands-on exercises; and 3) give students more personalized attention so they feel like they’re getting value for their investment. It takes a lot of courage (and a bit of thick skin) to put yourself out there as a teacher, but it’s important to remember that not everyone will love what you do or how you do it. The key is to learn from constructive criticism, make changes based on feedback, and continue striving to be the best teacher you can be.
