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Hey there. Welcome to the Amy Porterfield Show. The more personal you make it, the more experiences you add to it, the more lessons that you've learned so that your students don't have to learn those same lessons. Those are the courses that are killing it right now where you take people behind the scenes and. And you say, look, here's how I did it, here's how I got results, and here's exactly what I did. That is what builds trust, and that's what creates transformation. And most importantly, that is what AI cannot replicate. The other day, I got a text message from one of my former employees, and she since left the company and gone on to create her own business, with which I couldn't be more proud and excited for her. But she sent me a text message and she said, amy, I'm thinking about adding a digital course to my new business. And I was talking to a girlfriend of mine, and she said, oh, digital courses are dead. And she said, amy, what do you think about that? And I kind of laughed when I saw the text message because I thought, she's definitely expecting me to send a message back quickly. Being defensive, probably saying, no way. That woman's crazy. Don't listen to her. Digital courses are not dead. She doesn't even know what she's talking about. But I didn't get defensive and I didn't jump at saying, no, she's wrong, because 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, because the old way that worked really, really well is to take your information, take your knowledge and package it up into modules and lessons and get that course out into the world. And your knowledge and your info that you included in your course was valuable because people needed information, and so they wanted your information, and they wanted it perfectly packaged so. So that they could go through your information easily and get the results that you're promising. And for so long, there was nothing wrong with that. And my students and me included, we have done incredibly well packaging our knowledge and our information into digital courses that help people get results. But there's something that is missing in those courses that it actually didn't matter as much as it does today. Today, in an AI world where information is at your fingertips, packaging your information in a digital course that's not working anymore, but the thing that is working, the new era of digital courses, and I'm just going to say it here, there's absolutely a new era of digital courses being ushered in to the marketplace, and I promise you, as a future course creator, is so much of a better experience for you, the course creator, and for your students. And I am excited about this shift. This is something I study morning, noon and night. I eat, sleep, and breathe digital courses. And because of that, I've always had a pulse on what's working and not working, and. And what I'm seeing that is working absolutely in the world of digital courses is very, very exciting. And I know that it's going to ignite a flood of new students into your future course if you do it right. So this episode is important because I want to make sure that you understand what this new era of digital courses looks like. So I'm going to give you exactly what you need to know. So here it is. People don't need more information today. At the moment that I'm recording this episode, now more than ever, people do not need more information. The information that they think they need is absolutely at their fingertips, and people are accessing the information they need through chat, GPT, through Claude, whatever it might be. So, yes, people are using AI. Maybe not every audience. Maybe you're thinking, amy, my niche, they're not using AI. They're. They're not even thinking about AI yet. And that could be true, but still, this episode is important for you to understand the new era of digital courses. But many of you are going to create a digital course for an audience that is starting to use, let's say, ChatGPT, to get their information, to do their research. So you might say, okay, Amy, if that's true, then why would they need to buy a digital course? And I'm so glad you asked today's students, they aren't signing up for a digital course to be taught. They're signing up to be changed. What they're looking for now is clarity. They're looking for someone, you, my friend, to help them make sense of all the noise, of all the information at their fingertips, to give them a trusted path and to walk alongside them as they take action. So I'm going to repeat that one more time, because if you're listening now and you are thinking about creating a digital course, dare I say that you have waited for the perfect moment. I'm going to get into some details here so that I'm just not blowing smoke. Like, I'm really going to show you what I mean in this episode. But if you haven't created a digital course yet, or you've created one and it never really worked, it never really sold well. I want you to hear this, that people aren't going to buy your course because they need your information. Instead, they want change. And that change that they're looking for, they need help to make sense of all the information online and to give them a true trusted path that works. And for you to walk alongside them as they take action, helping them work through challenges, helping them continue to stay moving forward, and keeping them accountable so they're not buying access to more content. They're investing in your lens, your mentorship, and your path that will get them the results they're looking for. So the new era of digital courses, it's not just like a trend, it's literally a turning point that I see happening right now. And my students who are really adopting this new era of digital courses and, and teaching in this new way, they are crushing it with their launches. I just had a student who did a $250,000 launch with her brand new digital course. Digital courses are alive and well. If you subscribe to this new way of creating digital courses and this new way, if I, if I had like one word, this isn't really a word, but one word to sum it up, it's, or one phrase, let's say that it's your pov. Your point of view is what will make your course a huge success. If you keep your eye on the prize. This digital course that you're creating, it is not just the information you know, it is your point of view. And I'm going to get into that. So I promise we're going to drill down even more so you understand what I mean. But I will say this again and again. Creating a digital course and marketing it to your audience, selling it online, it's where financial stability and freedom, whatever that looks like for you, and the harmony between your work and the life you want, it truly begins there. And so digital courses can do so much for you as the founder of your business, and so much for the success of your students. But things have changed. And I feel a responsibility to usher in that change and to make sure that you fully understand what it looks like. And I want you to hear this. The change, it makes creating digital courses easier. It makes them feel more personal to who you are, to the lessons you've learned, the experiences you have. And that is what people are paying for, that is what they actually want. And it's way more fun to create a course that is absolutely your POV versus a course that is just the information you know, and that's just A it's a small distinction, but it actually is a really big distinction that makes a huge difference in your audience getting the results that they want and the data backs it up. So I want you to know I'm just not saying this or making it up or this is how I feel there's actual data behind it. So. According to Devlin Peck, the elearning market is projected to grow significantly, reaching over 1 trillion by 2032. And Yahoo Finance reports that digital education is expected to continue growing as at a rate of 17% every single year. Which means it's not just a spike, that is literally steady long term growth. So if you've thought about creating a digital course, I'll say it again, this is the perfect time to do it. And I promise you, the experience of creating a course just got elevated because of this distinction that your POV matters more than anything now in your digital course, which makes it way more fun to create. So I just want to make sure that we have this discussion because you might have heard the grumblings too in terms of, well, are digital courses dead? Like with chat GPT, do we really need digital courses? Absolutely. But you want to start looking at it from a different lens and this is where you're going to stand out. This is where you're going to beat out your 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. But believe me, my friend, you are leaving money on the table if you do not start exploring. What would it look like to put your POV into a digital course? This is the moment. Because since the landscape is shifting and the tools we use to create, teach and connect in our digital courses are evolving, there's no better time. But I want to help you. I want to be your mentor in this journey. So I want to give you some specifics of how to look at this new era of digital courses. That's why we're talking about this today. I want you to really understand this opportunity that's at your fingertips. So let's start with the concept that the courses that truly stand out, the ones that are having amazing success, they are not the ones that are just throwing more content at the problems. They're the ones that are rooted in your point of view, your lived experience with a trusted framework to back it up. Your voice, your story stories, your nuances that no tool can ever generate. This is coming from you. The more personal you make it, the more experiences you add to it, the more lessons that you've learned so that your students don't have to learn those same lessons. Those are the courses that are killing it right now, where you take people behind the scenes and. And you say, look, here's how I did it. Here's how I got results, or this is what it looked like in my experience. And here's exactly what I did. That is what builds trust, and that's what creates transformation. And most importantly, that is what AI cannot replicate. Now, I know what you might be thinking, all right, Amy, I get it. But what does it actually look like to. To develop a strong point of view? And you might be saying, and how do I use AI without losing my point of view in the process? So your point of view is more than just like your opinions on a topic. It's how you see the world based on what you've lived, what you've overcome, and what you've helped yourself or others do. It's your business philosophy, it's your I believe XYZ statements, it's your stake in the ground. So to develop your point of view, and this is something you want to use in social media, you want to use in your emails, in your sales campaigns, and absolutely in your digital course, you want to learn to develop your point of view in a much stronger way. And I want to stop for a second because over the last year, but I'd say more so in the last six months, many of you have seen a shift with my voice online. And I know this because I get DMS about this all the time. So you all know I have a brand new newsletter. It comes out every Tuesday. And that newsletter I write, so I don't use a copywriter. I write the whole thing. And I tell a story at the beginning of every newsletter. And that storytelling is absolutely rooted in my point of view. And my open rates for that newsletter have skyrocketed. And I believe the reason that they skyrocketed and the reason why people are signing up for my newsletter every single day, more so than I ever imagined, is because I'm not just sharing information. In the past, yes, I've done that, and it's worked really well. Here's the information you need. Here's the information based on my knowledge. 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. The nuances of what works and what doesn't work with those steps. And absolutely the lessons I've learned where those steps all break down and what I've done specifically to make them actually work to get past the challenges. And so I've heard from many of you, like, amy, you sound different, or something's different about you. And it's because I'm expressing my POV more. I finally said, amy, you have to push yourself to share views that might not be universal, that might not be for everyone. And now when people unsubscribe from my email list, and thank goodness it's not like in droves, but definitely we all get unsubscribes, and I get them on newsletter day and all of that, just like everyone else. But every time. This is so weird because, you know, I've said in the past, I'm more sensitive. I take things really seriously. But now, now when that happens, I think. I definitely think I'm onto something because I know if my point of view is in everything I do now, that I absolutely will be so clear for some people and I won't be for others. But the people that are like, yes, Amy, that is what I'm thinking. That's what I need. That's what I needed to hear. That's the lesson I needed. They are the ones that aren't just kind of just checking out my newsletter and then not paying attention. They are my future buyers. They are the people that are absolutely in my community because they want to learn from me. And so having a bigger voice starts with having more ideas, opinions, experiences express in the content that you are creating. It's just at another level. But I want you to hear it's not harder. It's actually so much more fulfilling. I love creating that newsletter every Tuesday. Like, absolutely love it. I actually do it every Sunday night. And you might be like, you're working on Sunday. I know. This is so cliche. It actually doesn't feel like work. I know. Vomit. I hate when people say that. Like, if you. If you love your work, it will never feel like work. I don't know. But this actually feels fun and it allows me to be creative and just get so much more personal with my audience that I look forward to it. And that's saying a lot because I typically do not look forward to writing anything. So I'm here to tell you that if you really get on board with me and really believe that there's a new era of digital courses right there on the horizon, if you come on this Journey with me. You'll be at the very forefront. And it's so much more fun to create your content because I promise you, your students will absolutely dive into it and more likely to hit that finish line because it's absolutely tailored to what they need. And it's not just a bunch of information, a bunch of knowledge that they have to make sense of. So it actually takes less information, less content in your course, meaning you get it done faster because you don't have to add all the fluff that I think a lot of people added in the past. Absolutely not needed. Hey, real quick, before we continue, a quick word about our sponsor. I've got to tell you about a really cool model that I'm a little bit obsessed with right now. So it's called the working genius model. 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It's worth every penny, but you'll get a discount. Go to working genius.com and enter the promo code marketing at checkout. Okay, let's get back to the episode. So to develop your point of view, if it's something that is a little foreign to you or you're not sure if you're doing it at the basic level. This is basic. I want you to go deeper than this, but I've got to get you started somewhere. Right. So the first thing you could ask yourself is, what do I believe my students truly need? Not just to learn something. I didn't say what do they need to learn, but what do they truly need to make sure that they follow through and come out of the course, changed, different, transformed. So just a bunch of watered down information that ain't going to cut it. But that's not what you want to create anyway. There's no fun in that. What's fun is when you get to tell your stories, when you get to share all your mistakes and you get to share your solutions in a really personal way. That's when it becomes really fun to create the content. Another question to ask again, we're just starting with the basics. What do I know from my years of experience that offers a better or simpler way to than what's commonly taught? What is beyond the. Oh, yeah, I know that. Like what is beyond your students saying, yeah, I've heard that before. That's where your experiences and your life lived through your experiences. That's where it starts to shift how your students take in the information and how they apply it. So another question you could ask is, what's work for me? Or let's say the clients that I work with are the people I teach. That isn't being talked about enough in my industry. That's where your point of view starts to like, rise to the top. This isn't talked about enough. This is actually not the way to do it. My good friend Ryan Levesque, he has a newsletter called the Digital Contrarian. And in it he is challenging the status quo. So if everyone is doing it this way, he is now doing it that way. And the way he is doing it is sometimes jarring. Like, I read this newsletter and I'm like, did he really just say that or does he really believe that? But it pulls me in and I'm fascinated because the entire newsletter is his point of view of how to do things differently and how it's working for him. And he takes them on this journey. And I'm always drawn in because I think, wait a second, that is fascinating. That's different. I'm looking for a different way to get results. So I'm all in. And that's why his newsletter is so wildly popular, because it's just got a different take. And not just a different take, it's his take. He's not afraid to, to open up the kimono and just say, this is what it looks like. And if you create a digital course where you're not afraid to actually let them in and really take them through that path that you have gone through to get the success that you have, that is what is working today with digital courses. Okay, one more quick question that you can ask as you start to develop Your point of view, what frustrates you about how the topic that you're going to teach is usually taught? How would you do it differently? This is kind of what Ryan Levesque is doing in terms of, hey, this is how you've been taught, but here's a whole other way to think about it. That's not AI, my friends. That's not typing in a question and getting a list of answers. It's a whole different experience. And again, it's so, so much more fun to create. If you've never created a digital course, you're going to enjoy the process, I promise, more so than my students two or three years ago enjoyed the process. It's different, it's more exciting, it's more personal to you, which means it's going to feel different to your students. And that's how it cuts through the noise. So those questions that I just shared with you, they're going to start to help you think differently about what you know. Because right now, what you know is what you know. You don't necessarily think it's special. You've got this knowledge, you've got this information. But if you go one layer deeper, that point of view that has all, all the gold in it, that's what I want you to bring to the top. I want you to be more bold in sharing it. And when you do, I promise you again, you're going to cut through the noise of all the information online because you have something specific to say and you have a clear path for results. Now, does AI work in any of this? Absolutely. I said earlier that if you've never created a digital course, AI has just become an incredible tool for you to get that course done quicker. Like in Digital Course Academy, when I launch it again in September, we have added so many AI tools, but based on my knowledge, my experience, my point of view of 16 years of creating and teaching digital courses, we've built AI tools into our program to help our students get success faster. But all of the AI tools are not generic pulling from anywhere on the Internet. They're pulling from my knowledge, my success, my students success. That is a whole different ball game. And you can do that too. So you can use AI, not to replace your voice or create your voice, but use it. Feeding it your own beliefs, feeding it your own philosophies, your own frameworks, your own experiences, your own stories. And then once you've done that, it's going to help you create the content that you want to put in your course. I'm all about using AI in that way, but not until you're clear on your point of view. And here's something, you don't have to learn your point of view. You already have it. Like right this minute, you have a unique point of view that not one person on this world as can say in this universe has that point of view. And that's why it's so exciting for this new era, because I want you to share it in a bigger way. And when you do, that's when your audience is attracted to you. That's what pulls them in that newsletter that I talked about with Ryan, because it's his point of view. I'm like leaning in a little closer. Like that's an interesting take on that. And he's obviously getting results with his contrarian ways and I want in. So that's what it looks like. But when you feed AI your point of view in all those ways that I said now you get to pitch and catch with it as it starts to help you create your content. So it could even help you go deeper if you ask it to. It could help you get sharper with your message and it will help you build your course faster. I'm all for it and I teach my students in Digital Course Academy and how to use these tools to get the course done faster. So I'm absolutely behind it. But there's this new rhythm that I want you to explore with AI, where you're leading with your wisdom, you're leading with your point of view, you're leading with your stories, and AI supports all of that with structure. Structure meaning how to lay out the content in what order, in what sequence to help you pitch and catch back and forth till you get it down so good that people can't not get results from it. But it starts from you in such a big way. And that's where I just want you to get excited about the possibilities here. Because when you create from that place, your course becomes something no AI tool could ever copy. Because it's not just teaching something, it's, it's changing someone. Your point of view and your lived experiences are what make your digital course stand out and what attracts the students who are meant to learn from you. Because a watered down course with a bunch of information will not attract your ideal audience, your point of view, in your marketing, in your emails, and eventually in your course, you're going to attract people that absolutely are on the same page as you and they want to go on this path with you. And do you know how exciting it is to work with people, people that are all in. Like, they're so excited to get those results. I don't want to be dramatic, but it feels life changing. Like, when I see my students get in there and they're like, amy, teach me, like, show me your ways. That is when I'm like, oh, my gosh. I have found the these students that I love to work with because they're hungry. So your point of view in your future digital course is your edge to cut through the noise. It's what your competitors will not be doing. I promise you this will give you the edge. And I want to just say, I know that not all of you are using AI every single day, although I think that you should be. I want you to get into the habit of using it every day. If you're still kind of stumbling through it or it doesn't feel totally comfortable. Once you get in there and make it a habit, I promise you, it becomes so much easier. And when you have a mentor like me, when you're going through a program to learn something new, I give you the prompts, I give you the guidance so you can pitch and catch with it, and it doesn't feel, like, overwhelming or like, oh, my gosh, I don't even know where to start. So when you use AI right to create your new digital course, it's like you're working with a partner and you have like an expert on speed dial. Now, when I say expert, I said expert because you have fed it your information, you're the expert. But now it's taking all of your information and making it make sense in a way that is so much easier than if you had to start from scratch with a blank. Google Doc. It will help you organize your ideas, brainstorm when you get stuck, fill in the blanks. When you're like, I need to start story for this or for that, that's when it comes in handy. So here's the key. 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. And that is not what we're doing, my friend. So when you're ready to create your digital course, just remember you're creating it in the new era of digital courses, where your point of view means everything and you're the leader and AI is going to assist you so that your course feels personal, it feels relevant, and it feels like the perfect fit for your audience. You are now the mentor. You are now, the person that is leading your students down the path to get them not just information, but to get them the change that they're looking for. So here's an example of how you might use AI to help you create your digital course. So, and this is something that I've done as well. So instead of asking AI to build out a lesson from scratch, instead I will load up my AI tool with all of my content, with all of my ideas, my stories, my brand script, all of it. And then I'll say, here's the exact transformation I want my students to walk away with in this module. So I'm really specific, I'm telling it after this module. Here's the transformation I want them to have based on the information I've included. I'm saying this to my chat GPT. What's the clearest path to get them there? And how can I break it into three teachable, action focused lessons? You are giving it all of your information, your point of view. You don't have to be the one to figure out how exactly should I teach this. That's where if you train your A.I. well, it can help you do it. This one shift, starting with transformation and then content is what makes your course feel intentional and not overwhelming to your students. So again, you're starting with the transformation. You're not just starting with a bunch of content. And that's just like the little distinctions, things that I teach my students that, that make their course stand out. And that's why my students are thriving with their digital courses, even in a time where you might think, yeah, but do courses work anymore? Absolutely. Like, no doubt in my mind. Another great way to use AI is if you feed it all of your stories. And sure, that takes a moment. You've got to collect your stories. Maybe you've told them on podcast or in blog post or wherever. But if you create a story bank and you say, I'm teaching this lesson, what story would make sense with this lesson? And it could feed you some story examples and you could say, take a story from someone famous and it could do that. Or you could say, take a story from my story bank and make it even more personal, which I love more. But it will make sure that you always have a story to go along with the content you're teaching, which again, doubles down on your point of view. So ultimately it's a dance with AI. When you're creating your digital course, it's in you knowing the transformation your ideal customer avatar truly needs, understanding how only you can guide them there with your own experiences and using AI to sharpen the way you deliver that journey. You're guiding the message. You're still making the strategic decisions, but you're not wasting time on the things that slow you down. And what's great is that it doesn't just help you move faster, it helps you move forward with more clarity. Christy Foster, one of my past Digital Course Academy students, she said something that I absolutely love. She posted in my community group, 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. So I love that she's just not having AI come up with the content. She's feeding it and saying, how do I sharpen this? How do I make this better? How do I make sure that my ideal customer avatar is getting the results that I'm promising? So that's how you dance with AI. You lead, it follows your rhythm. And then suddenly the course you've been dreaming about doesn't feel so far away. It starts to feel doable. Because you're not building it alone. You're building it with tools that support your voice. That's how you dance with AI. You lead, it follows your rhythm. And then suddenly the course that you've been dreaming about or thinking about forever now, it doesn't feel so far away. It starts to feel very doable because you're not building it alone. You're building it with tools that support your voice, not replace it. And that's what's so important. So Digital Course Academy opens up in September. I have a wait list. Amy porterfield.com DCA what I shared with you here today is something that is ingrained in Digital Course Academy and I would love to be your mentor in this new era of digital courses. Because my friend, it is the perfect time to to take your point of view and the knowledge and the know how and the skill set that you have and package it in a way that will create change for your audience. It's not just giving them a bunch of new information. It will create change. And I would love to guide you so that you have a thriving digital course that you could sell over and over and over again. That's my philosophy. You create one digital course and I teach you how to market it over and over and over again so that you create revenue long term. And it's not just like a one and done kind of situation. So if you want to get on the wait list, be the first to know when we open the doors. Amiporterfield.com DCA so to wrap this up, here's what I want you to hear. The way we've done digital courses in the past, we're leaving that behind. This new era of digital courses is so much more exciting, so much more valuable for your students. And I promise you, it's so much more rewarding to create because it's your point of view, your stories, your experiences, your nuances, your knowledge, your skill, your years of trial and error are going to be built into this course so that people are not buying more information. They're not paying for content. They're paying for your mentorship and your guidance. Mentorship and guidance. That's what happens when you infuse your point of view into the course that you're creating. So I hope you'll go on this digital course journey with me, stick around the Amy Porterfield show, and I'll continue to share strategies and ideas to help you get your course out into the world. So thanks for tuning in and, and I'll see you again next week.