Amy Porterfield is an online marketing expert and the host of the top-ranked podcast, Online Marketing Made Easy. She teaches online business owners and entrepreneurs on how to create and sell digital courses.
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3 Value Bombs
1) Creating a digital course business is the single most profitable, strategic and powerful way to make an impact in the world and at the same time generate income and freedom to life-changing levels.
2) When you’re thinking about the type of course you want to create, think about your skills and what you know well, and think about what your audience genuinely needs and wants from you. Then think about what you really want to talk about and teach, and how you will teach it.
3) Everybody has a digital course inside. The first step you need to take is to put your fears aside, and explore some topics that you would love to teach and that you know there is a need and want out there for.
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Show Notes
**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.
Today’s Audio MASTERCLASS: 5 Most Profitable Digital Courses and How to Choose the Best One for Your Business with Amy Porterfield
[1:43] – Amy shares something interesting about herself that most people don’t know.
- She was a die-hard and competitive cheerleader.
[2:47] – Amy talks about the 5 most profitable digital courses:
- Amy believes that creating a digital course business is the single most profitable, strategic and powerful way to make an impact in the world, and at the same time generate income and freedom to life-changing levels.
[3:31] – 1st Type of the most profitable digital courses:
- The workshop – It is typically about 2 hours in duration that addresses a person’s immediate struggle or desire. Usually costs $100.
- Pros – it is a quick way to make some money with your skill set.
- Cons – it’s not scalable.
[6:10] – 2nd Type of the most profitable digital courses:
- The Starter Course – Your jump off point. It drills down deeper and will give just enough information and support to help your students begin to move forward. Usually costs $200 or more depending on your course.
- Pros – easy to put together and you can likely charge more.
- Cons – it will leave your students wanting more.
[8:23] – 3rd Type of the most profitable digital courses:
- The Spotlight Course – It offers specific and more detailed information, and it often uses a step-by-step framework to walk your students through a process.
- Pros – you can drill down on something really specific; the riches are in the niches and you can build your brand.
- Cons – you may be pigeon holed.
[11:14] – 4th Type of the most profitable digital courses:
- The Signature Course – It is your comprehensive system. You go for total transformation from start to finish.
- Pros – You can charge $1,000 or more, and by getting big success stories you will become the go-to source.
- Cons – it takes a lot of work and time.
[14:35] – 5th Type of the most profitable digital courses:
- The Certification Course – It is way more detailed, and you teach your students how to do it and you also teach them how to teach others to do it.
- Pros – you get to charge premium from $10,000 up to $20,000.
- Cons – you have to make sure that your institute has a lot of clout.
[18:00] – Amy talks about her success story – when she made the transition from being pigeon holed.
- She tells her students to start to pivot their content over time, expand their messaging, start to tell new stories, start teaching new content, and over time things will start to move in the direction you want them to go.
[21:47] – Amy talks about a success story from a first-time course creator.
- Katrina used to be a physician, and then she became a weight loss coach.
- When you are thinking about the type of course you want to create, think about your skills and what you know well, and think about what your audience genuinely needs and wants from you. Then think about what you really want to talk about and teach, and how you will teach it.
[25:59] – JLD invites Fire Nation to check out Amy’s free, live webinar!
- Claim your spot on Amy’s free, live webinar! – The 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Digital Course Success.
[28:05] – A timeout to thank our sponsors, TransUnion ShareAble for Hires and Klaviyo!
[28:14] – What is the biggest mistake most first-time course creators make?
- Most students tend to throw everything in the kitchen sink before their first course has ever been created.
- Biggest mistake is putting too much into it and over-thinking the process.
[29:54] – How do we choose the course that will be the perfect fit our business?
- Write down all of your ideas.
- Ask the “magic wand question”: If you could wave your magic wand and make your biggest challenge disappear, what would it be?
[32:15] – JLD invites Fire Nation to sign up for Amy’s free, live webinar.
- Claim your spot on Amy’s free, live webinar – you won’t want to miss this!
[32:36] – Amy’s parting piece of guidances
- Everybody has a digital course inside. The first step is to put your fears aside and explore some topics that you would love to teach and that you know there is a need and want out there for.
Transcript
JLD: Boom! Shake the room, Fire Nation! JLD here with an audio master class on the Five Most Profitable Digital Courses and how to choose the best one for your business.
To drop these value bombs, I have brought none other than Amy Porterfield. Amy is an online marketing expert and host of the top ranked podcast Online Marketing Made Easy. She teaches online business owners and entrepreneurs how to create and sell digital courses. And Fire Nation, this episode is a doozy.
We start off with a deep-dive into the Five Most Profitable Digital Courses. We talk about the pros and cons of each, and the success stories that Amy's seen go through her program. We talk about the biggest mistake that most first-time course creators make, and how you can choose the course that will be perfect for your business, and so much more, Fire Nation, as soon as we get back from thanking our sponsors.
Amy, say what's up to Fire Nation, and share something interesting about yourself that most people don't know.
Amy Porterfield: Well, hey, there, Fire Nation! I'm so excited to be here.
Okay, so, what people typically don't know. I was a diehard cheerleader all through junior high and high school, like competitive. We went to, like, Magic Mountain, which was a big deal, let me tell you, to compete. Like we were on TV [laughing].
JLD: Now, wasn't your mother a cheerleader as well?
Amy Porterfield: No, [laughing] why would you think that?
JLD: I don't know why I thought that. I just remember going to your house for dinner one time, she was there cooking, and she was just so bubbly –
Amy Porterfield: Oh, my god, I forgot you met my mom!
JLD: Yes! She's a doll! She definitely comes across as a cheerleader, in a good way.
Amy Porterfield: Listen, I think I probably got some of my moves from her, though, so, definitely.
JLD: Well, Fire Nation, we both learned something about Amy Porterfield today. And as you heard in the intro, we're gonna be talking all about the Five Most Profitable Digital Courses and how to choose the best one for your business, Fire Nation!
And Amy, she's a busy woman, she is just always rock 'n roll, so I'm gonna dive right into the business. And Amy, let's just start off with a deep dive, not a shallow one, a deep dive into the Five Most Profitable Digital Courses.
Amy Porterfield: Oh, my gosh, I'm so excited to do this!
So, I'm gonna start you off by saying that I believe that creating a digital course business is the single most profitable and strategic and powerful way to make an impact in the world, and at the same time, generate income and freedom to life changing levels. I know I'm biased because I have a digital course business, but it really is a way to change your business model so that you can see that reoccurring revenue.
So, I'm very excited to talk about the different types of courses today.
JLD: Cool. Let's kick it off with Number 1.
Amy Porterfield: Okay! The first type of course you can create that can be incredibly profitable is the Workshop Course. Now, this is one that I have not talked about until very recently, and I'm seeing a lot of people do it and I'm excited about that.
It's a two-hour-ish training that addresses either a current struggle or a desire. So, it addresses an immediate problem, or something that people want, that's often keeping them stuck from actually moving forward to working with you in a bigger capacity.
And so, a really great example of this is my friend Sarajane Case. She has this really popular Instagram channel, Enneagram & Coffee. And she recently came out with a two-hour workshop where she's teaching people about their type of anneagram. And she's saying: Look, a lot of people get stuck here, they're not sure if the assessment they took was right, or if it really means what they think it means, and I'm gonna give you total clarity around this; now, here's what I love.
She sells it for really cheap, but once people really understand their type, in terms of the anneagram, they want to do more with her. And she's got a membership site, so she can dig in deeper. But this is her way of getting them unstuck. This is a full course that you can sell over and over again.
JLD: Now, I love this one, personally, because Fire Nation what's stopping you from just whipping open Zoom, talking for two hours about something that you're knowledgeable about, you're passionate about, and you have skills and just the ability to deliver those skills to individuals.
And, actually, in a pre-interview it was pretty funny. Amy and I were talking about anneagram randomly, and she had me pinned as a "3" [chuckling]. A lot of people do, by the way, but the reality is I'm an "8" and that is a challenger. And people that really know me, they know that I'm an "8" all the way through.
And Fire Nation, I challenge you to take the anneagram, maybe even check on Anneagram & Coffee, and let me know what you are. Shoot me an email. I would love to hear all about it.
But Amy, we've got a lot to cover. Number 2.
Amy Porterfield: Okay. So, Number 2 is the Starter Course. And actually, let me back up. Quick pros and cons with the Workshop Course. A pro is exactly what you said, let's get it done, let's get it out there, and let's make some money. It's a quick way to make some money with your skillset and know-how. The con is you probably are not gonna charge a lot for this. So, if you're looking for more revenue and something with longevity, you're likely going to want to choose one of the other courses.
So, let's move into the Starter Course. So, the Starter Course is a jumping off point, where you help your students get started in your area of expertise. Now, it's different than the Workshop Course because it does drill down deeper. And you're going to give them just enough information and support to help them begin moving forward. So, think of it as a way to kick-start their momentum, but you're going to cover a lot of ground so that they feel like there's really some good substance there.
So, a pro to this is also it's pretty easy to put together. And you can likely charge more than just the Workshop Course. So, at least $100.00, if not more. Sometimes the Workshop Course will be $100.00 or somewhere around there, with the Starter Course $100.00, $200.00, typically, works well. And you can even go higher, just depending on what you're teaching. But it allows you, as a course creator, to get all those thoughts in your head, out of your head and into an outline, and really start teaching with substance, and you're getting your feet wet with something that you can sell over and over and over again.
Now, the con of this is it will leave your students wanting more because you're not going to take them through a total transformation. But I can flip that con in a hot minute and say, great, so you'll be ready for your next course that you're going to teach them. But I'll give you a quick example of a Starter Course.
One of my students, her name is Melissa Norris, she created a course called Home Canning with Confidence. So, she grew up as a homesteader and she knew how to can all her fruits and vegetables that she would grow at her house. And she said, Amy, this just came second nature to me, this is what I know, and for the record, she's a pharmacist by trade. So, she wasn't in this profession just yet, she just knew it well, and she knew a lot of people that know this, so she got them started with canning. Really simple introductory How to Can Your Fruits and Vegetables, was a $97.00 program, huge hit.
So, a starter course is just a really easy way to start, and it has more substance than that workshop course. Cool?
JLD: Love it! Number 3.
Amy Porterfield: Okay. So, Number 3 is the Spotlight Course. And I really like this one because I'm always telling my students let's get really niche-focused. And so, with the Spotlight Course, it's a deeper dive into just one main area. So, this type of course offers specific and detailed information, and it often uses a step-by-step framework to walk people through a process. Now, let me give you some pros and cons, and then I'm going to give you a really great example.
So, the pros would be that you can drill down on something really, really specific. When you get more niche-focused, we always say the riches are in the niches, there's money there. People will pay for something where you're gonna drill down and really get them true results in that one main area. Also, you build your brand as people will know you for this very specific thing, so you get to be known as that go-to source a lot faster when you drill down into your niche. So, those are all the pros.
One con might be that you might feel a little pigeon-holed. Like, let's say if you like to teach Facebook marketing and you drill down on Facebook ads and you get to be known as a Facebook ad expert, you might say, hey, I've got other stuff to share, and not just the Facebook ad expert. Listen, you'll make a lot of money if you drill down and you just stay comfortable for a while in that niche-focused area. Let me tell you, that is what people will pay for. So, don't let that pigeon hole feeling sway you otherwise because there's actually really value there.
Now, let me give you an example. I've got a student and she is a yoga instructor, but she's also a business owner. She's done really well with building her own yoga business. And so, her name is Kelly McHugh, and Kelly put together a program, a Spotlight Course, where she taught you how to build your yoga website with WordPress. So, she has a lot to teach. Here's something I want you all to hear, if you wanna create a course you might be thinking of 20 things you could teach in your overall niche, in your overall market. But she drilled down on a website with WordPress, not for anybody, but for yoga instructors and people that want to build businesses in the yoga sphere.
And so, because of that she became that go-to source. Like, oh, she knows yoga, she, as a yoga teacher, she has a yoga business, this is the girl I wanna learn from. So, that's an example of a Spotlight Course. Where then she could pull back and teach overall in another type of course – I'm gonna teach in a minute – how to build a business overall as a yoga teacher and a yoga business owner. But she drilled down, so she was known for that one area. And it sold like hotcakes.
So, there are a lot of pros and cons here. There are more pros than cons, though, so think of that Spotlight Course.
Okay, moving on to my next favorite one, are you ready?
JLD: Ready!
Amy Porterfield: This is the one that you do not start with. Just for the record, I do not suggest my students start here, but it's the Signature Course. I call it the Mac Daddy of all courses. It's a signature course and your complete comprehensive system. So, let me give you an example.
Let's pretend that you are a therapist, a marriage and family therapist, and you use a system to help your one-on-one clients. You take that system and you put it into a course and you teach it from start to finish. Now, what makes a signature course really unique is that you're going for total transformation from start to finish. So, I would say, John, that your Podcaster's Paradise, that is signature, right, that is start to finish everything you need to know. Would you agree?
JLD: Create, launch, grow, monetize your podcast, and access to me and Kate every day. Absolutely!
Amy Porterfield: Okay. So, that, I'm gonna use you as an example –
JLD: Yes!
Amy Porterfield: – that's a perfect example of a signature course. And, if you look at how John talks about his students, he's got tons of transformational stories, people that had zero, zero talent, or I should say skillset or know-how, to do a podcast, and now they're podcasting and they get tons and tons of downloads. That is total transformation. So, with something like that, you can charge for that, so it's usually $1,000.00 or more. And also, you are getting really big success stories, which puts you out there as, again, the go-to source. Like, when you think podcasting, you think JLD. And so, with that, and Kate, of course, I love Katy, love that girl!
So, this is a great example of the whole shebang. So, when you have a system that you wanna teach, this is the kind of course you would create. Now, I will say that I don't want my newbie students to start here because it does take some work. Like if you've never created a course, I suggest you go for a workshop course or a starter course just to get your feet wet, then you move into the signature course. Because the pro is you can charge a premium price, you're known for this one thing, and you become that go-to source, even more so than any other types of courses.
And also, the transformations put you on the map. Like, that is something that when you have stories like that, you get to even charge more as time goes by. Like, there's a reason why JLD and Kate are known for what they're known for, because their transformations and what they can do for people.
Now, a con is that it takes a long time, it takes longer than any of the other courses. You've really got to drill down and make sure that you're putting the entire map in there so you don't forget anything, or miss anything. When you skip steps in a signature course, people get very frustrated because they're looking for that big transformation, and so you've gotta be very mindful of how you teach it and make sure you've got that framework dialed in. That's why I say, let's start with some of the easier ones first, because your framework then starts to take shape over time. So, just something to think about.
So, the last one is a Certification Course. So, I teach how to create digital courses, and I teach how to do the Workshop Course, and the Starter Course, and Spotlight Course, and the Signature Course, but what I don't teach is a certification course. And the reason for that is this is way more detailed, dive, dive, really deep into how you are teaching it so somebody else can teach it. So, a certification course is, typically, you teach them how to do it but you also teach them how they would teach others how to do it so they can go out in the world and do that.
So, let me give you an example so it makes sense. My good friend Brooke Castillo, she has online coach training. And it's somewhere around $18,000.00, and I think it takes about six months to get through, if not more. And there's tons of homework. Like, she tells people, do not even join my certification course if you are not gonna make time every single day because there's homework you've gotta turn in. Because she's certifying people to become life coaches and business coaches, so she doesn't want her name stamped on that unless these people are showing up.
So, you've gotta really prove yourself in these certification courses. And they're very much in-depth, and they're often taught by experts who have tons of experience behind them, and they offer the certification so that you can say, yep, I went through this type of school. So, there's a lot there, but that would be a very profitable course, but something you ease into for sure.
JLD: Legit certification, Fire Nation, doesn't come overnight, especially when you're putting your name on the line here, that's a critical thing.
So, talk about a pro, about a con, and then that price range.
Amy Porterfield: Yeah. So, a pro with certification is that you get to charge a pretty penny for that. So, you're charging anywhere from $10,000.00 up to $20,000.00, is what we typically see for a certification course. So, there's a lot of money to be made with them.
But a con would be that you have to make sure that your institute, or your course that you're creating in the business behind it, has a lot of clout. Because nobody's going to wanna be certified from somebody that nobody else knows about. So, in Brooke's case, The Life Coach School is where her, she builds her business around The Life Coach School, and then from there this online coach training. It is well known, now she's grown it into thousands and thousands of people who have gone through it. And the more your business grows, it's easier to charge those kinds of prices, so you have to ease into this. And so, a con is you gotta work for it. It's like you said, it's not gonna happen overnight.
JLD: Fire Nation, that was a deep dive into the Five Most Profitable Digital Courses. Let me just rip through them really quick because I just wanna kind of rehash all of this.
The workshop, you know, we're talking like a two-hour workshop. The pro is that it's quick, the con it's not high ticket, you're gonna max it at about $100.00.
To start a course, that's like a jumping off point. You can kick-start the momentum of people that go through it. And the pro to that it's easy, and the con is you can actually get more dollars and cents for that, like between $100.00 to $200.00.
Then, you have the Spotlight Course, we're talking micro niche, this is a deeper dive, step-by-step. The pro, you get real specific, you're the go-to source. The con, you might get pigeon-holed. But Amy, I did make a note there because you're a success story here. You were kind of pigeon-holed for a little bit as the FB ads girl, and you made the transition out. So, can you just real quick talk about that?
Amy Porterfield: Yes. So, I was known forever as a Facebook Marketing Expert. And then, I drilled down on Facebook ads with the Spotlight Course, it was Facebook Ads Insider. And I started to be known for the Facebook ads person. And then, and that made me great money, and put me on the map, and it got me out there. And so, I would never change it for the world. But after a while, I started creating courses, and I wanted to teach how I created courses. I started doing webinars with huge success! I wanted to teach it.
So, what I did is over time I made that pivot. And here's something, I'm glad you brought this up. It's not like I woke up one morning and I'm like, I'm gonna make this pivot, and then I made a big fan fare online, everybody, I'm changing my business, I want you all to know why, and here's what's gonna happen. I really tell my students let's not do that. Let's just start to pivot our content over time, expand our messaging, start telling new stories, start teaching new content, and over time things start to move in the direction you want them to go. I really do believe if they followed you this long, let's ease them into this next thing instead of making a total jarring change.
That, typically, works really well. It's exactly what I did. Now, I'm not even known for Facebook marketing.
JLD: Love that! And one thing, Fire Nation, that we talked about was the Workshop, you're maxing out at about $100.00, the Starter Course you're gonna be between $100.00 to $200.00. Where are we at, dollars and cents, on the Spotlight Course, Amy?
Amy Porterfield: Oh, that's a great one! So, with the Spotlight Course, usually, I'll say somewhere between $200.00 to probably $500.00. So, anywhere between about $200.00 and $500.00 is typically what you're gonna see for a Spotlight Course. You could go higher, but that's typically the average.
JLD: The Signature Course is next. We're talking a total transformation and, Fire Nation, I was honored, Amy used us as an example.
Podcaster's Paradise, it's the complete total package. And that's the pro, you're known for it. Someone says, I think I'm gonna start a podcast; oh, you should go check out JLD's Free Podcast Course, this Podcast Master Class, it then leads into Podcaster's Paradise. It's the total package; create, launch, grow, monetize. But a con, it's a lot of work! But you get a $1,000.00 or more; Podcaster's Paradise, it's an annual $1,000.00 course, it's $97.00 every single month!
Amy Porterfield: Dollars!
JLD: Follow Dollars! So, Fire Nation, you've gotta realize that with the more work comes the bigger rewards.
And then, you know, I was really wondering where you were going with Number 5. Because I was like, I feel like the students or courses were an end, but of course you are the course expert, like I did that, of course you're the course expert [laughter], and you are with the Certification Course, and Fire Nation, this is a legit certification. You know, the pros, again, you are just making the certification. And I love this phrase that's, "the higher the barrier the lower the competition". If you're gonna spend the time to make this huge massive, potentially six months certification process, it's not gonna be easy for someone to just snap their fingers and copy you. The higher the barrier the lower the competition.
The con, your institute does have to have some clout. Like, for instance, at this point I could probably come up with a pretty legit podcast certification. You know, Podcaster's Paradise, it's been going on for six years, we have over 4,500 students that have gone through, over $6 million in revenue. Like it's legit, but I couldn't have done that back in 2013. So, you have to have that clout over time. So, you start a little bit up this ladder.
Now, Amy, you gave awesome, awesome success stories for every single one of these digital courses. Before we take a quick break, do you have like one or two other just favorite success stories you can share with us really quick?
Amy Porterfield: Yes! So, one of my students, Lauren Messiah, she's a stylist. So, she used to go to people's houses and style them for photo shoots and movies, and all that good stuff. And if you know anything about a stylist, they're lugging all the clothes, the clothing racks, everything; they need to do all the shopping. And she was thinking, you know, I don't wanna do this anymore, I'm tired and burned out. So, she created an actual course around Styling Yourself. And the interesting thing is, she had a business partner, and her business partner said, that's not gonna sell, we have to do this in person!
So, I want you all to hear, if you have the limiting belief, like this would only work with my one-on-one clients, I have to be working with them personally for me to get them results, that is a limiting belief. Because I have so many stories that that is not true, however, the person initially thought it was.
So, Lauren went out with The Personal Style Institute. It was a Signature Course, $997.00, and she taught you how to style yourself, how to detox your closet, how to find your own style. And she took them through this entire process. Huge success! She still makes so much money with this. And now, some of her students, for the record, work with Beyoncé! So, I mean, come on.
JLD: Beyoncé! That is such a dream, I would love that!
Amy Porterfield: Right. So that was a really good one.
And then, another one of my favorite stories, I mean, gosh, I've got so many, let me think. Oh, I've got a great one.
One of my students, she was a weight loss coach, or she is a weight loss coach, but she used to be a physician, her name is Katrina. And when she was a physician, she gained tons of weight because she was working really, really late at night. And so, she thought, you know what, I've gotta change this up, I've gotta lose the weight for myself. And so, she lost about 50 pounds, and then all the other female physicians said, how did you do this?
So, if you're thinking about creating a course and you don't know what to create a course about, the first thing you wanna do is what do people tend to ask me? Like, about what I do, my skillset, my habits, my life, my experiences, what do they tend to ask me for insight, knowledge, information about. So, they started asking Katrina, Katrina Ubell to be exact, what did you do to lose this weight. So, she created a course all about how to lose weight. But, here's the thing, for busy physicians.
So, I would call that more of a spotlight course, when you get really zeroed in on the type of person you wanna work with. That kind of teeters the line between a spotlight and a signature, and here's the great thing, don't get caught up on the type of course, focus more on the type of the course topic you wanna create. So, with her, she created this How to Lose Weight as A Busy Physician for females and it worked like gang busters. She's gone on to do so much with that course.
And here's one more thing I wanna tell you. When you're thinking about the type of course you wanna create, I wanna break it down really fast. You wanna think about your skill and your know-how, the kind of transformations maybe you've gotten for yourself over the years. Like, what do you know well? I also want you to think about what your audience genuinely needs and wants from you, and I want you think about what you really like to teach. Don't think about how you'll teach it, don't get caught up on the how just yet. What do you really like to talk about, what could you talk about for days, what would you love to teach? So, we're looking for that intersection there.
And I want you for the next 24 hours, if you like a good challenge, if you were the type that you wanna have marching orders, for the next 24 hours any idea that pops in your head write it down, good, bad, no judgment, write it down because it's likely already in you, you just don't know it.
JLD: I love homework. Fire Nation, make it happen. And the reality is this, this episode of Fire Nation is dropping on September 9, 2019. Hopefully, you're listening when the first couple of days of this going live, I know most of you are. Because we've got something pretty cool to share with you. There's only so much we can do on an audio-only podcast.
Of course, we are dropping a value bomb left and right, but let me tell you, Amy and her entire team have created an unbelievable webinar presentation that's happening over the next few days. You're gonna have multiple times to go check it out. And what you're gonna have to do is go to eofire.com/amy. You'll see the options of when to sign up. And even if this is way past September, 2019, there's going to be links to a replay or to a gift, so still get over there because we're gonna get you access to get what you need. But hopefully, you can join us live, eofire.com/amy.
Amy, before we get to break, give us a quick rundown about this live webinar.
Amy Porterfield: I am so excited! It's called the Three Behind the Scene Secrets to Digital Course Success. And if you were, ever, have you ever thought about creating a digital course, or if you're just curious as to what it might look like, I'm going to take you behind the scenes of my own business of creating digital courses. I have now created eight successful digital courses, well over $12 million in revenue, and I know a thing or two about what works and doesn't work. But when I do a free master class, I teach you stuff that you walk away with and can apply.
So, we're gonna talk about how to pull your content together. We're going to talk about how to record all of it, what kind of stuff do you need to record, what does the editing look like. And we're definitely going to talk about how you would market your course, as well. But all along the way, I'll tell you more stories of my students, and I'll give you insight about what worked for me and what didn't work for me, as well.
JLD: Fire Nation, Amy's webinars are amazing. You have to go, you have to learn. There's gifts, there's bonuses, there's just awesome conversation going on in the chat, you wanna be there, eofire.com/amy.
And don't go anywhere, because when we get back from the break, we're gonna be talking about the biggest mistake that most first-time course creators make. So, don't make this mistake. And also, how to choose a course that will be the perfect fit for your business, as soon as we get back from thanking our sponsors.
So, Amy, we're back. And I gave a little bit of a tease right before the break about the biggest mistake that most first-time course creators make. Break that down for us.
Amy Porterfield: Yes! So, what I see all the time is that my students try to throw everything and the kitchen sink into their first course. Even if it's a signature course, even if it's a full transformation start to finish that you're teaching, I still want you to pull back. But here's how you do it.
First, you sit down, open a Google doc, and you just brain dump. Everything you can think about this topic that you want to teach you put in here. But I teach my students inside my course that we do a lot of pruning. We take out a lot and we keep it simple. Your students wanna get from Point A to Point B as fast as humanly possible, so we've gotta pull back a lot. And the question you wanna ask is, do they really need to know this in order to get the results that I wanna get them? So, if we start with what kind of results do you want to get your students, it's pretty easy to prune and pull back.
So, that's the mistake I often see, you're putting too much into it.
And here's the good news. If you put less into your course but you make it really valuable and you get the results you promised, it's less work for you. So, this is actually a really good thing once you dial it in and you get the right mix of content.
JLD: The biggest mistake that most course creators make. Amy just broke it down, don't make that happen, don't over think this; KISS, Keep It Super Simple.
Now, Amy, I wanna end with a bang because we need to choose the course that's gonna be the perfect fit for our business, and you're gonna help us take a step in that direction. Of course, your webinar is gonna help us take multiple steps in that direction, and then of course, Digital Course Academy is gonna bring it all the way home. So, what's that first step?
Amy Porterfield: Yes. So, the first step is actually to do the homework. So, I've already teased the idea and I wanna get really serious about this.
You're going to spend the time, every time an idea comes up, you're going to write it down. Now, this is important because we want your ideas on paper first. But from there, I want you to jump on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, anywhere and everywhere. And I want you to ask what I call is the magic question, or magic wand question
So, I want you to ask the magic wand question which is this, it's some version of this, you can write it down right now so you don't forget it, I'll repeat again, but here we go. It's, if you could wave a magic wand and make your biggest challenge disappear, what would it be? Now, I pause there because let's say I'm a hair stylist and I teach other hair stylists how to build their business, I would say something like, if you could wave a magic wand and make your biggest salon challenges disappear what would it be?
So, you insert your niche or the topic you're thinking about. And so that way, you want them just to tell you anything and everything, even if you don't have a big audience, everyone who responds back to you, you get into conversation with them. They'll tell you more, I promise you that. If you ask a few more questions, you have them drill down a little bit more. Your audience will tell you what they want.
First, I want you to think about these topics, and then I want you put that magic wand question out there into social media.
JLD: The magic wand question, Fire Nation. It is pure magic. And something to add on to that, that I found a ton of success with and I got the idea from Amy in one of her webinars. So, I'm telling you that's why you're gonna get so many more golden nuggets by actually attending, listening, and absorbing that content, is going to question and answer sites, like a Quora, and actually typing a question like that, and just seeing what other people are asking questions about. Because that's their magic wand question, too, and then you can take that knowledge and you can insert it into what you are creating and get step-by-step into one of those five digital courses that we talked about at the beginning of this episode.
So, Amy, The Three Behind the Scenes Secrets to Digital Course Success, that is gonna be your live webinar that's happening all this week. If you, Fire Nation, wanna get over there, it's eofire.com/amy. Sign up, it's free, it's amazing. Amy's gonna drop value bomb after value bomb.
Amy, if we could only walk away with one thing from this entire master class, of course, beyond the fact that they're gonna go to eofire.com/amy to sign up for the webinar, what would that one thing be?
Amy Porterfield: I believe that everybody has a digital course inside them. And you might be telling yourself, who am I to create a digital course, I don't know enough, or I don't know how to teach! Put all those fears aside, you do have a course in you. And the first step you need to take is to explore some topics that you would love to teach and you know that there's a need and a want out there for that information. Just start there. Don't even worry about the how-to, I'll show you how. But let's start with thinking about the idea and the type of course we wanna create.
JLD: Fire Nation, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with, and you've been hanging out with AP and JLD today. So, keep up the heat and head over to eofire.com/amy. Sign up for this incredible webinar and we will see you there.
Amy, thank you so much for sharing your truth, your knowledge your genius with Fire Nation today. For that we salute you, and we'll catch you on the flip side.
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