Podcast Summary: "Do This, NOT That" with Jay Schwedelson

Episode: Amy Porterfield!! Her NEW Email Playbook!💥 Guru Conference Session | Ep. 466

Date: December 19, 2025

Host: Jay Schwedelson (A)
Guest: Amy Porterfield (B)

Episode Overview

In this special Guru Conference fireside chat, Jay Schwedelson sits down with leading entrepreneur and digital course creator Amy Porterfield to unpack her bold new approach to email marketing. The episode spotlights Amy’s 2024 overhaul of her newsletter, the evolving relationship between authenticity and marketing, innovations in leveraging AI (her new tool, Porter), enduring webinar strategies, how courses are evolving, and actionable tips for marketers in a changing landscape. Expect candid stories, proven tactics, and a touch of '90s–2000s nostalgia.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Amy's Email Newsletter Transformation

• Background: Amy’s email list reaches hundreds of thousands and historically mirrored many industry-standard best practices: consistent weekly emails, episode announcements, and a corporate tone.
• Major Change in 2024: Influenced by Jay and her own observations, Amy pivoted toward a more personal, unfiltered style featuring:
  • Edgy subject lines (“what it looks like to give zero Fs”)
  • Pop culture references, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and personal faves
  • Less “corporate,” more real and even “unhinged” content
• The Why: A need to re-engage her audience after open rates dropped to 15–20%

  "It worked and worked until it didn't." (03:45, Amy)

• Execution: Amy now shares more of her authentic self, reality TV obsessions, and quirky life moments.

Impact:

• Audience is more engaged—friends text her about the newsletter, fans mention specific tidbits at Q&As.
• “People started to say, 'Amy, this feels so real. I look forward to it.' ...I’m connecting with my audience more than ever.” (05:26, Amy)
• Willingness to embrace unsubscribes as part of “shedding season”—getting closer to the right, aligned audience.

2. Authenticity as Advantage in an AI-Driven World

• Human Touch as Differentiator:

  “We’re in a trust recession right now... so the more real and open you can be, the more that trust is sealed.” (06:05, Amy)

• AI’s Rise: It’s easy to lose human perspective; being yourself is now a marketing strategy.
• Negative Feedback:
  • Amy received criticism for her new tone (“your cringe” with a grammatical error she found amusing and turned into a subject line).
  • She uses unsubscribes and critiques as a means to strengthen her community’s quality.

3. Newsletter & Email Marketing Metrics

• Open Rates Matter (to Amy and Jay!):
  • Increased from 15% to consistent 30–40% since the shift (08:06)
  • Target goal: 40%
• Click Rates:
  • Emphasis on embedding 5–6 clickable elements—products, podcast episodes, Amazon picks
  • Most popular clicks? Amy’s Amazon recommendations.
• Send Time Optimization:
  • After months of testing, 11:00 AM Eastern is now their sweet spot (08:52)
• Iterative Experimentation:
  • Varied subject lines—long/short, spicy/cryptic, and even “no pre-header” trick.
  • “Give yourself some time to figure it out. We have done so much experimenting...” (08:52, Amy)

4. Subject Line and Pre-header Tips

• No Pre-header: A blank pre-header draws attention in crowded inboxes (09:59)
• Winning Subject Lines:
  • Twists, hooks, or anything unexpected about Amy’s life or business
  • “What I overheard my husband telling our marriage counselor...”—personal and intriguing!
  • Anything with a download or AI prompt is effective.
• Shorter Subject Lines = Better Open Rates
• Philosophy:
  • Track everything. “One of our values... is data into impact. We don’t make any decisions now without true real data.” (10:26, Amy)

5. Evolving Launch & Webinar Strategies

• Shift in Urgency Dynamics:
  • Classic “cart close surge” (50% sales on last day) is fading (12:11)
  • Bigger opening day sales, slower closes—people decide faster if properly primed
• Amy’s Adaptation:
  • Front-loading launches: 4 live webinars in first 48 hours (13:08)
  • Post-webinar emails build off that momentum
• Webinars Still Rule!
  • Amy remains “obsessed” (14:04): Best conversions out of all marketing channels.
  • Show-up rates rebounded to 30–35%. One webinar converted at 12% (14:35)
• Pro Tip:
  • “Get to the selling portion of your webinar by 45 minutes...by 60 minutes people are jumping off.” (15:04, Amy)
  • Put your best offer highlights BEFORE the 60-minute mark for max conversions (15:35)
  • Amy gives live attendees a pre-made workbook to boost engagement.

6. AI in Amy’s Courses: Introducing “Porter”

• What is Porter?
  • Suite of custom AI tools inside Amy’s paid courses
  • Built using Formwise—infused with 16 years of Amy’s IP
  • Answers student questions using only her proprietary content unless unsourced, then goes to the web (with attribution)
• Value Over ChatGPT:
  • “ChatGPT does not have access to content behind a paywall...and [Porter] is 100% in line with what you are learning.” (19:53, Amy)
• Strategic Reason:
  • Signals that Amy—and her students—are embracing the future of AI
  • Elevates her brand as innovative and attentive to audience needs

7. Digital Courses: Not Dead, But Evolving

• Straight “info-dump” courses are fading. AI can do that for free.
  • The new value is in “support, accountability, and community” (22:18)
  • Example: Amy’s son gets a 4-minute mile plan from ChatGPT, doesn’t follow through—because there’s no accountability (23:10)
• Winning Strategy: Build community, provide real support, offer touchpoints beyond information.

8. Building an Email List from Zero

• 2026 Playbook:
  • Lead Magnet: Still essential.
  • Consistent Content: Weekly podcasts, YouTube, or Substack. “Consistency and discipline will build your brand.” (23:53)
  • Live Paid Events: Small-ticket ($27–$47) live trainings to grow quality leads.
    • Higher caliber, more engaged audience than freebies.
    • “If you charge, you’re likely continuing to attract more freebie-seekers than you’d like to admit.” (25:37)
• Charging for Live Events: Amy encourages experimentation—even Jay admits he’s nervous about it but is keen to try.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Negative Feedback:

  “One time a bunch of people wrote in after my first few newsletters...someone wrote, 'your cringe.' But they wrote it y-o-u-r. So I was like, oh, I’m fine with that one. So I took the y-o-u-r cringe, made it my subject line.”
  — Amy Porterfield (07:11)

• On Trust & Authenticity:

  “We’re in a trust recession right now...the more real and open you can be, the more that trust is sealed.”
  — Amy Porterfield (06:05)

• On Front-loading Webinars:

  “We front load more on opening day…four live webinars…the email marketing that happens after is more connected to something that just happened…”
  — Amy Porterfield (13:08)

• Webinar Tip:

  “By 45 minutes, I’m talking about my program and sharing all the most valuable, sexiest stuff before that 60-minute mark.”
  — Amy Porterfield (15:09)

• AI & Courses:

  “Most of what we put in [Porter], you can only get behind a paywall…we trained it…Pull from my content. If it’s not in there, then you can go out to the web.”
  — Amy Porterfield (17:48)

Q&A: List Building & Digital Courses

• On Charging for Trainings: (25:21)
  Jay: “I have this fear…there’s going to be a handful of people that said, that sucked. I want my $27 back. You’re a big loser…Does that happen a lot?”
  Amy: “That rarely ever happens…And also, if you’ve always given it away for free, you’re likely continuing to attract more freebie seekers than you would like to admit.”

Fun ‘90s–2000s Segment (26:20–28:39)

• Z Cavaricis? No, but Amy dated a guy who wore them.
• Doc Martens? Yes, brown ones.
• Juicy Couture tracksuit? Wanted one, never had the confidence.
• Scrunchies? “Still have scrunchies.”
• Stores? Wet Seal all day!
• Making mixtapes? “I can take you back beyond the CD.”
• NSYNC vs. Backstreet Boys? “Backstreet Boys. I feel like they’re a little grittier...I like the bad boys.”

Important Timestamps

• 02:52 – Amy’s newsletter overhaul: how & why
• 04:41 – Measuring increased engagement and impact
• 06:05 – Authenticity and “trust recession” in marketing
• 07:11 – Processing unsubscribes and negative feedback
• 08:06 – Evaluating open, click-through, and send time metrics
• 09:59 – Subject line & pre-header experimentation
• 12:11 – Changing urgency in launches/promotions
• 13:08 – Launch strategy: front-loading webinars
• 14:04 – The enduring power of webinars in Amy’s launches
• 15:09 – Perfecting webinar timing & engagement
• 17:05 – Porter: Amy’s custom AI tool for students
• 19:53 – AI as a point of course differentiation
• 22:18 – Digital courses: from info-dump to accountability and community
• 23:53 – 2026 roadmap for list building
• 26:20 – '90s and 2000s fashion, music, and mall nostalgia

Final Takeaways

• Be fearlessly authentic: Personality and realness are now more important than ever—even (especially) as AI takes hold.
• Track and experiment: Don’t rely on “industry standards”—test, analyze, and adapt for YOUR audience.
• Support & community win over pure information: Digital courses must go beyond content; accountability and relationships are the new competitive advantage.
• Don’t be afraid of paid lead generation: Quality, engagement, and even minimal payments can make a world of difference.
• Webinars work—if you optimize timing and delivery.
• Customized AI (Porter) is a powerful value-add: If you teach or lead, think about curating artificial intelligence for your own community.

For more Amy Porterfield brilliance, follow her newsletter and Instagram.

“Allow yourself to be in that shedding season, because it doesn’t last that long.”

— Amy Porterfield (07:44)