How to price your online workshop

Running online workshops can be a great way to turn your passion or hobby into a money-maker. And the benefits of opting to go down the virtual route are plentiful. Not only is it better for the environment thanks to zero travel costs, you (the host) generally get a lot of flexibility that you don’t get with in-person events. 

Running workshops online can help keep your costs down too, as you don’t have to fork out for a venue. For that reason, attendees will probably expect you to sell tickets at a lower price point. But, while your pricing should align with your running costs, it’s important not to sell yourself short.

If one thing’s certain, a lot of factors (tangible and intangible) come into the equation when costing up any kind of workshop…

• How many people you expect to attend
• The time it takes to prepare the event
• Your experience – aka the fact you’ve spent years honing your skills as a potter/photographer/writer
• Insurance costs
• Virtual platform costs
• Home office costs 
• Supply and demand – aka the fact you’re one of the only people to offer mindful calligraphy workshops, or are booked up for the next 28 months

Anyway, you get the point, there’s a lot to take into account. And things can feel that little bit more subjective with online events than with in-person ones. 

Let’s take a closer look at the things you’ll need to consider when pricing an online workshop 👀👇.

Your costs are down

For most of you, going remote will mean that you have less of the normal costs associated with running your event. Your attendees will probably be aware of this and expect to see this somehow reflected in the new prices. 

Your skills are the same

Remember – going virtual does not reduce the amount of knowledge you have around your subject area. And this is what your customers are really paying for. Know the value of your skills and charge accordingly.

Community spirited pricing

Some people have been financially hit hard by the cost of living crisis, whilst others aren’t as affected. Think about offering discounted prices for people who may be struggling. You could even offer a different price for certain groups – for example, students, NHS workers, and teachers. The key here is to remain flexible.

Competing with free

Don’t feel like you are competing with free content. It’s a completely different experience for your attendees. Free content is more like TV, whereas you’re looking at your attendees eye-to-eye (albeit via a video camera), calling them by their name and responding to their questions. Never underestimate the value of this – offering something interactive is well-and-truly a cut above offering static content, and offers a much richer experience for attendees.

Going in-person (one day)

Even though you’re sticking to online workshops for now, it’s worth thinking about the fact you might want to branch out into in-person events one day. For this reason, it’s really important not to sell yourself short at the online stage. If you do, your attendees could balk at your in-person prices, as the increase could feel too drastic. For example, if you only run online workshops for $10/£10 a session, but then need to charge $50/£50 for in-person ones due to additional costs, your existing attendees might struggle to get on board with this. In a nutshell: don’t underprice your workshops from the offset, because you’ll struggle to increase them in the long-term.

In conclusion…

We’ve looked at the data here at Ticket Tailor and there is definitely a trend to charge less for virtual events. However, we are also seeing an increase in confidence from event organisers that they are offering a valuable service to attendees and this requires an appropriately fair fee. 

The key really is to keep speaking to your customers and listening to what they’re saying. We hope you find the best solution for you!