“Whether you think you can, or think you can’t- you’re right” – Henry Ford
You’ve come to this Amy Porterfield courses review because you believe you CAN create a profitable course.
You have a skill set or knowledge that you just know can help other people if only you can manage to get it out there in the web-isphere.
Maybe the struggle has come because you aren’t sure about the course flow, the actual build of the course, or how to get it to the masses to have a sustainable income.
Which has left you with questions. Well, I am here to help you on your path with an unbiased non-affiliate review of Amy Porterfield’s Digital Course Academy.
Amy Porterfield’s Background
In short Amy teaches business owners, educators, and entrepreneurs the profitable action steps for establishing a highly active email list, building an online training course, and how to use online marketing strategies to convert effortlessly.
Amy is a California resident who hosts the Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast as well as being a contributing writer for ENTREPRENEUR.
She has launched many campaigns for big name companies and worked with Tony Robbins for almost 20 years!
She is an author and was named by Forbes as one of the Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers.
Having accumulated over $15 million dollars as of this year from her digital courses she is definitely a force to be reckoned with and someone who not only talks the talk but walks the walk.
She is also the creator of the Amy Porterfield List Builders Lab, now updated and called the List Builders Society; a streamlined program to help your list building foundations.
In January of 2019 she launched the Amy Porterfield Digital Course Academy and received 3.5 million in sales. If there was a voice to listen to on course creation it is Amy Porterfield.
What exactly is the Amy Porterfield Digital Course Academy?
The Digital Course Academy or DCA as I will henceforth refer to it as, is the culmination of 12 years of Amy Porterfield courses that have been fused into the most comprehensive program for validating, creating, launching and selling your digital course.
At just under 3 months, this online training system provides online business owners and entrepreneurs the ability to translate their mastery and skill set into a digital course that will help them produce stable earnings.
The DCA offers a step-by-step plan of action for the whole course creation journey; from strategy and planning, to creation and launch.
This program includes eight modules released on a weekly basis as well as two bonus modules.
There are multiple application weeks for attendees to put their education into action as they flow through the coursework and a plethora of extra material to satisfy the hungriest of learners.
The overall flow of the program goes like this:
- The Pre – Launch Runway – the “Getting Started” Bonus
- The Digital Course Academy Project Plan
- Module One: Planning Your Digital Course Launch
- Module Two: Validating Your Course Idea
- Module Three: The Art of Outlining Your Course
- Module Four: Recording Your Course Content
- Module Five: Creating Your Profitable Webinar Presentation
- Module Six: The Webinar Fill-Up Framework
- Module Seven: How to increase Webinar Sales
- Module Eight: Live Webinar Success Secrets
Here is the gist of the entire program to help you figure out if this course is for you.
In Module One you are given access to a planning worksheet which allows you to plan out your initial key decisions.
This first section helps you get intentional about your goals and desires for your course and helps you establish the different phases from creation to launch.
You are encouraged to establish dates for each of these phases to help keep you motivated and accountable for your own creation.
Don’t worry you are provided an example which will help you execute the advice and all the processes for designing and setting up your course.
In Module Two you figure out your perfect client. For many successful businesses creating a customer avatar is what can really elevate them above their competition.
Knowing exactly who your ideal customer is and what they want can be the decider on the success of your online course or business.
Most people however, don’t really know how to go about defining that person. This module will give you step – by – step practical exercises and actionable steps to becoming 100% assured in your course, your perfect client and your core offering.
There’s a module bonus here. You will get different types of ways on how to collect feedback from your particular audience on different social media platforms and the inquiries you need to ask.
The “secret sauce” of the course comes in Module Three, where you will receive worksheets and tons of actionable advice and practical steps on how to take the ideas out of your head and into an organized framework.
You will receive guidance on where to include supporting content within your course, how much content is actually needed, how to give your course a successful name that will convert and much more.
Module Four is all about recording your content. Amy imparts her Do’s and Don’ts using examples from her years as a podcaster to help you get the most from this set of lessons.
You’ll learn about the best recording strategy for you, plus you’ll get suggestions on the types of equipment and software to use, how to use them and even tips and tricks for recording videos.
As a module bonus you will receive editable layouts for designing training decks for webinars and training presentations. This set of lessons gives great insight on how to teach in a way that drives action and student retention.
Module Five is all about how to initiate your course through webinars. Here is where you will receive an EXACT play by play that covers everything you could possibly need to know to launch a successful webinar.
You will learn a tried and true sales funnel to help generate sales through LIVE webinars and how to come up with the perfect marketing presentation for your course.
This module will also help you with the technical aspect of what it all entails to host a webinar.
Amy enlists the help of Ry Schwartz (world renowned sales copywriter) who will teach you how to write copy for your course to guarantee sales.
So you aren’t left in the dust, Amy also gives you a walk-through of an exact webinar she uses, plus you will receive another printable/downloadable success tracker!
If Module Five was all about creating a webinar then Module Six is all about how to help you line up potential customers to watch said webinar.
This group of lessons teaches you how to create a converting webinar registration page. What is really exciting about this module though is it teaches MULTIPLE ways in which you can generate leads for your webinar.
You will be educated on how to properly use social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to help generate those leads. Amy brings in another expert, this time Facebook Ads guru, Rick Mulready.
He uses his teachings on how to use FB Live to generate traffic for your webinar.
The highlight here is you learn how to create a compelling email chain and set up a sales funnel that will be appealing to prospective customers at your webinar.
Module Seven is how to increase your webinar sales. Well, how do you increase your webinar sales? By getting people to replay them!
As most of us understand, prospective clients in any business do not usually purchase after a first visit, they will need a friendly push one or a few times to convert them.
This module shows you how to do that successfully without being “salesy”.
Amy will help you craft flawless post-webinar emails which should help amp up your replay views thus increasing your course sales.
What is great about this module is it also covers customers on boarding email sequencing to help reel in your potential customers into the program layout.
The final module takes you through all the steps to help you implement a successful live webinar.
What is really going to take your webinar to the top is going to be your capability to bring to life a webinar that stays with your audience after it’s over and inspires them to interact with you while it’s live.
To help ensure this you will receive a checklist that goes over everything, so you have a flawless and smooth execution.
Lastly, you will be taught how to get the most from the Q&A section within your webinar to build participation and create even more sales.
Your super Bonus Material comprises a complete, play-by-play launch guide explaining how to design and launch a high-converting webinar course that ethically (and authentically) registers tens, maybe even hundreds, of participants every time.
As well as a Webinar Fill-up Formula so you never have to deliver a great webinar to a blank room of silence again, but will deliver to a perfectly targeted “ready to buy” audience every time; with email marketing, sales pages, Facebook Ads, and social media strategies to amp up your results and get you double or triple the registrants.
Of course a program like this wouldn’t be complete without even more extras and incentives, so check out everything else you can receive:
BONUS ONE: For the duration of the 12 week program, Amy will be having Live question and answer sessions in the private Facebook group for the DCA. She will be available to answer questions and troubleshoot; Monday through Thursday for those 12 weeks.
BONUS TWO: Guide to Create a Pre-Launch Runway
This Ultimate Guide to Attract and Engage Your Audience Before You Launch your course. Re-vitalize your present followers while racking up dozens or dare I say even hundreds of fresh subscribers anticipating your course launch.
BONUS THREE: How to Create and Promote a “Workshop Course” in 30 Days
This step by step guide will teach you how to design a two hour seminar – from choosing your subject matter to generating content that flows, to producing your slides and how to advocate and effectively deliver your course.
BONUS FOUR: A Resources section that will be essential as you go move the modules. It consists of links and information, like which email provider is best, which platform is the most advantageous for your course launch, which webinar platform is the most user friendly, as well as email swipe files & layouts, asset & document management, stock photography links and much more.
The not so mini bonus of the Tech Library will be a saving grace for all the technical mumbo jumbo. This library comes jam packed with extensive tutorials for damn near every technical undertaking you can foresee while building your course.
Guess what? The Digital Course Academy is currently open as of 2020!
So for those of us who don’t like to dick around and want to immediately know how much something like this will set us back here is the breakdown.
The DCA will set you back a cool $2,000 or more, specifically $1,997. A payment plan is available for three payments of $737.
Look, it’s not the most expensive thing on the market but if you’re looking to create an income, this may not be the starting off point for the average joe.
Is Digital Course Academy worth it?
I’m not gonna lie here, you will be receiving a lot of content, a lot of help, and a lot of actionable steps to get you where you want to be.
So if creating programs is where your passion lies, if this is the thing that moves you, then this may very well be what you need and I hope you can make it work.
After all, if you’re here and checking out other Amy Porterfield reviews then you’ve probably started a few other programs of your own with the sincerest of intents of course; and just like so many other entrepreneurs, your amazing ideas are lying forgotten on a pixelated shelf.
So if this is your path by all means continue on your journey to creating courses and webinars and I hope it is profitable for you.
So to break it down even further, at the conclusion of your twelve weeks you ought to be able to do the following:
– Finalized your program subject and content. (I’ve got notebooks of ideas over the years that prove this can be a debilitating step of inaction for many people)
– You will have validated your program by understanding your prospective customer base and that they are interested and eager to support your course. (Hence all those questions you posted on social media)
– Even if you’re a super noob to technology, you would have recorded and produced all your program information.
– You will have fully developed a high-converting webinar course with an alluring proposal that organically registers your perfect customers into your program.
– You will have created a mix of Facebook ads, email marketing, and Instagram posts to get all those virtual chairs filled with thoroughly vetted clients for your course/webinars.
– You will have crafted an enticing sales page and post-webinar email funnel to boost your program sales while making sure your well deserved clients have the greatest opportunity to convert.
– You will have learned how to execute an advanced client onboard series to give your clients the most advantageous opportunity to succeed in your program while eliminating the need for multiple refunds.
In conclusion, if you are a cerebral learner, this course isn’t for you.
Amy’s approach is very actionable, which means there will be steps for you to take and processes you will be creating for your program as you go through the course.
If in your mind you are 5 years down the road but in reality you haven’t actually made any steps towards your goals, then this course is going to be a waste of your time and most definitely a waste of your money.
I have had access to and participated in many courses. However, the Digital Course Academy is telling you the truth when they say it is the most thorough course out there for designing, implementing and selling a digital course.
Again, Amy talks the talk and walks the walk, she understands how to teach you what is going to work. She’s known for being a patient and personable mentor.
Her gradual and common-sense style breaks everything down into its most elementary of terms, and she truly brings the essentials you need to know in order to reach success.
The Digital Course Academy gives you a color by number guide that can show you how to deliver and design your online course like a professional, but also shows you how to get it into the hands of a horde (or for the more timid aspirationalists; dozens) of clients every month.
Now, let’s get down to the real shit:
Pros:
- Amy really is a phenomenal teacher with years in the game, teaching to every level of entrepreneur.
- Her course material is extensive, well researched (as it should be), and also expertly laid out to the point the most amateur novices could understand it.
- Any experience level entrepreneur or business owner can benefit from her course.
- Detailed, play-by-play guide from creation to launch is available to you
Cons:
- For the average person it has got a pretty steep price tag. Most people are seriously going to have to budget to make this course a reality for them.
- You need a fuck ton of time to put into this course. I don’t know about you but that old adage “time is money” is true for a lot of reasons; and if you have the money then you might have the time to put aside for this.
There is a ladder to success, everything in some way builds upon the next to get you in the most advantageous point for your chosen path.
Of course there will be things you didn’t know and will have to learn, that goes with anything you do!
However, if you thought that by just creating the course and maybe doing a little marketing you would be able to quit your job?
Sorry to say but that is a big not gonna happen. Did you just read everything you had to do to make even a small profit?
What if you don’t have a single person in your email list? This course will help you, sure, but it also does not tell you the truth of the matter.
And, the truth is this: if you don’t have some form of established email following/traffic you just wasted so much fucking time learning skills and a craft that will take you years to create the income your searching for not weeks or months.
It is going to take TIME and that is a precious commodity to an entrepreneur.
“ Time is free but it’s priceless. You can’t own it but you can use it. You can’t keep it but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back.” – Harvey Mackay
The reality of the situation is this; there is a low profit margin.
The amount of energy and time you put into creating this course will leave you depleted and frustrated because it will take you a LONG time to make a profit right out the gate.
Unless you have an almost inexhaustible email list, you WILL struggle to make a profit.
We all know consumers are getting smarter and smarter every day. They are doing their own due diligence on when and how and why they are willing to spend their hard earned money on a particular product.
Creating and selling courses is highly competitive, so even if you have an amazing product worth buying; do you know how to beat out your competition who is selling similar information?
Again this particular field is highly competitive so you need to ask yourself WHY would someone buy a course from you?
I am not saying this to dishearten you. I am saying even when you are a well known individual, a commerce tycoon, an industry leading expert, an influencer with an engaged audience; it can still be very difficult to make a PROFIT from courses.
I didn’t say you can’t make money, I am letting you know it’s hard to make a profit!
There are lots of people out there who have integrity, are reliable and trustworthy and it is still difficult.
I’ve been doing very well with local lead generation since early 2019. I earn 45k per month from my lead generation sites, and even I can find it to be difficult gaining new students for our LEAD GENERATION training program.
So who am I to be giving you advice?
Hey, my name is Grant Garab, and I’m stealing the show from Brittney’s awesome review for a hot sec.
Here’s the rub, I quit messing around trying to launch products no one was buying that I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into.
I quit messing around trying to gain audiences I honestly didn’t always have the energy to engage with to keep trying to sell to.
I prefer to invest my precious time into gaining steady leads for OTHER business to grow by ranking websites on Google.
What is lead gen then? Well it’s making me $45,000 per month, worry free, while I spend time doing other stuff… like being a present and engaged parent, traveling… ya know, the things we all want to be FREE to do.
Legit though, real talk……..Lead generation has exponentially changed my life.
Just a couple years ago I was about to retire from the Marines when I got into a devastating motorcycle accident.
I had countless surgeries and was stuck in a recliner for MONTHS. Couldn’t do a thing and had to figure out how to provide for my family from a recliner.
I tried other online business models, even did some real estate investing but then I came across lead gen and the whole world changed.
Not only was I able to make a living for my family, but today I do 45k/mo and I’m able to take my family wherever I want, whenever I want, while continuing to grow my business.
Yes, I’m out of that recliner now!
The world has been completely flipped on its head and most everyone is going through a tough time in some way.
Lead generation is the key to unlocking your future and can change your life, not metaphorically but in actuality.
Lead generation is the investment you need to break free from the shackles of financial burden and can truly catapult you into a life that you thought was only in your dreams.
Making that investment in yourself can provide you with a sustainable and exponential passive income but it also gives you the freedom you desire to have more time to LIVE YOUR FUCKING LIFE!
If you are here, reading this, you have that entrepreneurial spirit.
The drive that won’t let you be OK with just being OK.
Josh Osbornes digital leasing program changed my whole damn life and I am positive, no, I guarantee it can be the equivalent for you.
Will it take time, work and energy? Yeah of course, anything worth a lick does. But what is freedom worth to you?
It truly will help you create a successful, sustainable business, that allows you a true passive income.
Perfect example, I still make $1k per month from my landscaping site, almost 2 years later.
Tell me that isn’t an awesome income return, and that is just from ONE of my LG sites.
Now, just to give you the skinny… these lead gen sites essentially work like this. I build a simple little site, generate leads through it and send those leads to business owners I partner with.
First, I actually get to HELP people change their lives while I make money that changes mine. Hell yeah!
Second, let’s talk through how much sense this makes. Let’s say you’re a business owner and I tell you that I could make you an extra $10,000 per month in your business. Would you be willing to give me $1,000/mo to deliver those results?
Of course you would! Anybody in their right mind would jump at that and that’s the thing. This skill set is SO valuable and SO needed.
Now, truly I’m not knocking creating courses. By all means if that is where your passion lies follow that and don’t give up.
I personally prefer to have a reliable and steady monthly income from my lead generation sites that I know won’t fluctuate month to month.
I make serious bank from my lead generation sites and not by hawking products. Nor do I have to spend time and money on creating Facebook ads to sell my lead generation sites.
If there is a business needing clients (which there always is), I have a lead gen site waiting for them.
The coaching program is there to assist the people who are ready to start a new business venture.
Lead generation is my number one business model for what I perceive is the simplest way to make a recurring and reliable passive income on the internet right now.
Why I enjoy it so much, is that there is an immediate gratification I get from assisting my local business owners.
The more business I bring to them, the more value I create for myself, the more income I receive.
Everyone knows when you have a good thing going, you want to spread the word; word of mouth helps my growth but it is not necessary FOR my growth.
I am able to create all that I could ever want or need from a few hours behind my computer.
In terms of reliability, there really isn’t anything else you can do online that can make you as much money as easily as lead generation.
Don’t believe me? Let’s take a quick look here at the other options:
Amazon FBA (Fulfillment By Amazon)
– you have barely any say over your traffic and it is extremely hard to take over your competition.
Ecommerce (ex. Shopify)
– the site exclusively depends on paid traffic. What that means for you, is your shops outcomes will vary day by day!
Social Media Advertising (various platforms)
– do not be fooled there can be a lot of upkeep and pricey campaigns with a low return on investment.
Creating and selling online courses
– Might as well not bother if you are not a famous expert/influencer in your niche and especially time consuming if you’re building your audience from scratch.
You see I too have tried all those other “business” opportunities but lead gen will always be my bread and butter because it’s sustainable, passive and runs on FREE traffic.
That’s right, I said free. I don’t do a single marketing campaign for my lead generation sites.
WHY?
Because Google is the best! It doesn’t undergo any major changes like Facebook Ads or other platforms, so putting my focus on Google is not only a safe bet but a smart one as well.
Here’s the kicker, I own these sites!
No one can take any of these sites away from me – EVER.
And that’s the crux of a lot of digital courses: someone can steal your content and slap their name on it but they can NEVER do that with the Digital Leasing you OWN.
The truth is, the internet and businesses aren’t going anywhere. So, I will ALWAYS be up and running. I am my own boss and have true FREEDOM!
If you’re looking for a way to make some serious cash, a way out of the 9 to 5 that’s killing you or want to be able to travel, do things with your family or whatever the hell you wanna do in life… go ahead and give the coaching program a look.
Don’t like it? Doesn’t make sense? No biggie. Just wanted to share what I did to be able to live life on my own terms.
See ya!