Podcast Summary: The Amy Porterfield Show

Episode: My "Best and Worst" List of Current Digital Course Trends

Host: Amy Porterfield
Date: August 26, 2025

Episode Overview

In this candid solo episode, Amy Porterfield breaks down the evolving world of digital courses, declaring that the “old model” of information-based courses is dead and outlining the rise of a new era that’s driven by personal stories, mentorship, and transformation—an approach that artificial intelligence (AI) cannot replicate. Drawing from her 16+ years of experience and sharing updates from her own teaching business, Amy guides listeners on why and how to build courses that stand out in today’s AI-saturated digital market.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Death of the “Old” Digital Course Model

• Information alone is no longer enough.

  • Previously, packaging up one’s knowledge and selling it as a digital course worked well because information was scarce.
  • Now, thanks to AI like ChatGPT and Claude, “the information that they think they need is absolutely at their fingertips” (04:30).

• Transformation over information.

  • “Today's students, they aren't signing up for a digital course to be taught. They're signing up to be changed...” (05:10).
  • Learners crave clarity, guidance, and a trusted path, not just content.

• AI cannot replicate lived experience or POV.

  • “That is what builds trust, and that's what creates transformation. And most importantly, that is what AI cannot replicate.” (00:12).

2. The Hallmarks of the New Era in Digital Courses

• Courses rooted in Point of View (POV) and lived experience win.

  • Sharing stories, lessons learned, case studies from your journey are what “kills it” right now (00:01-00:12).
  • “Your voice, your story, your nuances that no tool can ever generate—this is coming from you.” (17:40).

• Personalization and authenticity drive results and joy.

  • Amy shares a shift in her own newsletter content, describing how infusing stories and her actual beliefs (“POV”) has skyrocketed open rates and more deeply resonated with her audience (19:10–20:12).
  • “In the past, yes, I've done that, and it's worked really well… But it didn't really infuse a lot of my POV. I was just like, here's steps 1, 2, 3. Just do this. But now steps 1, 2, 3 you can definitely find online. But what you can't find is my belief in why I do those steps.” (20:23).

• Clarity and transformation as the goal.

  • Information overload is real. Courses that provide a clear, actionable path and accountability, rooted in the creator’s specific framework and experience, are in demand.

3. How to Develop Your Unique POV

• Key questions to find and amplify it:

  • “What do I believe my students truly need—not just to learn something, but to come out of the course changed?” (32:10).
  • “What do I know from my years of experience that offers a better or simpler way than what's commonly taught?”
  • “What’s worked for me or my clients that isn’t talked about enough in my industry?”
  • “What frustrates you about how your topic is usually taught, and how would you do it differently?” (34:05).

• Be bold, even if it’s polarizing.

  • “Now, when that happens, I think I'm onto something…The people that are like, yes, Amy, that is what I needed, they are my future buyers.” (21:40–22:30).

• Show, don’t tell.

  • Take people “behind the scenes” and show “here's how I did it, here’s how I got results, here’s exactly what I did.” (00:01, 17:50).

4. Using AI Without Losing Your Voice

• AI is a tool, not the teacher.

  • “You can use AI, not to replace your voice or create your voice, but use it feeding it your own beliefs, your own philosophies, your own frameworks, your own experiences, your own stories.” (45:20).

• Best practices:

  • Load your content, stories, and brand philosophy into AI tools, then have the AI help with structure, sequencing, and brainstorming—but don’t let it lead. (52:10–54:00)
  • Example prompt:

    “After this module, here’s the transformation I want students to have. Based on everything I’ve shared, what’s the clearest path to get them there—and how can I break it into three, teachable, action-focused lessons?” (54:30)

• “Structure comes from AI; leading with your wisdom comes from YOU.” (57:18)

• Memorable student quote:

  • “Christy Foster, one of my past Digital Course Academy students, she said something that I absolutely love: ‘I treat AI like the assistant I don’t have. I tell it, don’t just agree with me, help me sharpen this idea so it lands right with my audience.’” (1:01:46)

5. The Trend Data & Market Opportunity

• The e-learning market is projected to surpass $1 trillion by 2032 (15:22).
• Digital education is growing at a steady 17% annually—so it’s more than a spike; it’s “steady, long-term growth.” (15:52)
• “If you’ve thought about creating a digital course…this is the perfect time to do it.” (16:05)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the shift in course creation:

  “I do believe that the old model of digital courses is officially dead. And this is the first time that I've said that, and I want to talk about it with you today...” (01:23)

• On why POV matters:

  “If you keep your eye on the prize...your point of view is what will make your course a huge success.” (13:58)

• On authenticity’s impact:

  “Having a bigger voice starts with having more ideas, opinions, experiences expressed in the content that you are creating.” (23:11)

• On beating the competition:

  “I hope your competition thinks that digital courses are dead. I hope that they don’t create a course so you can corner the market.” (15:00)

• On working with the right students:

  “Do you know how exciting it is to work with people that are all in, excited to get those results? I don’t want to be dramatic, but it feels life changing.” (59:27)

• On using AI as a collaborator:

  “You're the leader. AI is your partner or your assistant. You're the leader. So the courses that fail, they're the ones where they're allowing AI to be the leader.” (56:10)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:01–04:30: Why the old course model is dead
• 04:31–09:00: What students seek today (change, clarity, mentorship)
• 09:01–16:12: The future of courses: POV-driven, more personal and effective
• 17:01–21:30: Amy’s personal content shift (newsletter example)
• 32:00–34:55: Questions to develop your POV
• 45:00–48:00: Using AI in the new course creation process
• 52:00–58:00: Practical AI prompts and workflow
• 1:01:46: Christy Foster’s approach to using AI

Actionable Takeaways

• Embrace your unique stories, beliefs, and lived experiences in your course—this is your true “edge.”
• Don’t just inform—transform. Frame every lesson with the final transformation in mind.
• Let AI assist with organizing and editing, but always drive with your voice and wisdom.
• Test your POV in free content like newsletters to refine what resonates and polarize with intention.
• Begin course creation now: the market opportunity is massive and favorable for authentic, transformational offerings.

Final Thoughts

Amy closes by inviting listeners to be bold, lean into their unique perspectives, and see the new era of digital courses not as a threat, but as an unprecedented opportunity—for both creators and learners.

“They’re not paying for content. They’re paying for your mentorship and your guidance. That’s what happens when you infuse your point of view into the course that you’re creating.” (1:07:15)

For more digital course strategies and guidance, subscribe to The Amy Porterfield Show or join the Digital Course Academy waitlist at amyporterfield.com/DCA.