Lets Begin
Step 1: Choose your build.
Pick something you’ve mastered building and think our community would love. If you have a number of designs you’ve mastered you have the ability to plan up to three course releases at once. Check the community to see if you see anything similar/identical, if there is be prepared to defend why yours is different. No mimics here. Tip, the more unique you can make it the more protected in our community it is (See Instructor Terms). If you can’t come up with your build take some time to research what might be selling well or the market is trending towards.
Step 2: Send us an image of what you’ll be building.
You don’t have to have all the plans ready, or even started, but you do have to send us an image of the complete build. This is for two major reasons:
1) You are the expert here and can’t be learning on the fly. Instructors don’t get the chance to say “I missed this step so you do this instead”. Showing us you have built it before is part of the approval process.
2) We’ll use that photo to hold your course for 30 days from the approval date (Instructor Term Sheet, extensions available). This means nobody can be approved to build that exact same item until your place has expired, some categories are not protected(Instructor Term Sheet). This is one of the incentives to stay motivated to build and for you to have the opportunity to build a following with sign-ups prelaunch.
*See Audio and Video Tips for taking quality product photos.
Step 3: Create your building plans and outline.
Your outline for the course is different than your building plans. Think through some of the required items needed and ways to give alteration ideas. If your plan requires a very specific part to be attached to it make sure the supply for that part is in heavy supply (Example: circular glass tabletop diameter 36″). Some pages of the course are required due to safety reasons and others you’ll have the liberty to adjust. Here’s our outline template to help you get started! Our Instructor Mentor will create a template course for your account so you can then have it as a base to edit.
Step 4: Script your course.
Once you know how your course will be structured, the next step is to prep for recording your lectures. Most instructors find that scripting each lecture (or writing bullet point notes) helps to reduce the amount of time spent recording and editing and increases the overall quality of their delivery. Remember to write these as though you are teaching a class with someone who walked into a workshop for the first time next to someone who has been woodworking for years. This is your challenge, you ready?!
Insider tip: Take another course on the site and see where you can improve upon their work.
Step 5: Make sure you have these items.
Review these items to verify you have them in your course.
FAQs
What are the components of a course?
A Hammerly course must consist of a combination of videos, text, tips, and ways to customize the piece to become more of their own. You can also add additional resources to your course, including: PDFs, links, audio files, etc. These components are structured into sections and lectures (sections are groups of lectures).
How long should my course be?
There isn’t a length requirement for our community because we are here to balance being as efficient as possible while making sure everyone is on the same page. One requirement is that you must shoot every cut, glue, sand, drill, stain, etc. until your build is complete. All action items need to be shot which does not include waiting for items to dry. Your course should be almost as long as it takes to build your project and every step it takes along the way. Though it might seem tedious, the benefit of this is that anyone can skip ahead if they choose. If you’re unsure, you can also take a look at other courses in your category to get a sense for the average course length of other courses.
How much time does it take to create a course?
Course creation time varies greatly depending on the complexity of the build and an instructor’s time commitment. Many of our instructors complete their courses in 30-45 days.
What is the overview page for?
Courses must include a detailed overview page. This is the lifeblood of your course and key to the success of your course. This page will include a preview video of your build once you’ve completed the build but getting this filled in first can help build up some presales.
Are there any course requirements? What are they?
Yes, see here for a complete list of the minimum course requirements.