
The Secrets Behind Successful Course Launches In 2025
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Emily Hirsch
Hey there.
Amy Porterfield
Welcome to the Amy Porterfield Show.
Emily Hirsch
Everybody fails. Like, everybody has things that they launched that didn't work. And it would actually be weird if the first time you launched something, it just like, knocked it out of the park, was a seven figure business, because that doesn't exist. The best thing you can do is take action because you're going to learn through that action. You're going to get feedback both from yourself. Like, you're going to get better at creating content, better at the messaging, and then you're also going to get feedback from the leads, from the audience, from the sales that you make. So the best thing you can do is commit to taking action and do it imperfectly.
Amy Porterfield
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Save your seat and I'll see you there. Sometimes I record the intro for an episode after I interview the guest because I don't know exactly what I want to say, and I want to make sure that I align the intro with the conversation we just had. So I'm recording it after I just interviewed my guest, and one of the things I just can't get out of my mind is that my guest, Emily Hirsch, I'll tell you about her in a moment. She said something that I've probably heard before, but for some reason in the season I'm in and the way I help my students right now and what we're focusing on, it just hit me harder. And she said, you have to remove the expectations. When you're starting something new, when you're jumping into something big, when you're trying something you've never done before, it's usually the expectations of how it should turn out, which is going to make us either stay stuck or move forward. And when I think back at my first course, you all have heard it many times that I, I made $267 with my first course launch and I cried for a week. But the reason I cried for a week and the reason I beat myself up and told myself I wasn't cut out to be an entrepreneur, let alone a digital course creator, is because my expectation was I should have made a hundred thousand dollars on that first launch. Not $267, a hundred thousand dollars. I had seen other people do it. I. People were talking about how much money they were making online with their courses, so I should make that as well. This is just what I told myself. That was my expectation. But if I were to let go of my expectation and instead really focused on just the goal of I'm going to launch something for the first time so I can get data, I can get feedback, I can learn so I can continue to get myself out there, to eventually have huge success with my course and my online business. If that was my goal and I focused on that, not the what I think how much money I should make, I would have treated that whole experience differently. So as you start to think about creating a course and launching it out into the world, or whatever you're creating and launching out into the world, remove the expectation that it should be a hit, a success right out of the gate, that you should make X amount of dollars. Remove it. Only focus on the goal at hand. The goal is to launch. The goal is to get myself out there. The goal is to collect data, insight and learn so I become better each time. I think it just makes a huge difference. So if you think it might be finally time to create your digital course or pick yourself up and get back out there. If you tried to promote a course but nothing took off like you had hoped, maybe you had big expectations you couldn't let go of, then I want you to hear this. The online marketing landscape has been changing. I've been talking about it for many, many months now. And that includes the digital course landscape. And here's why that is great news for you. The new course creators, that's you who are willing to adapt and to lead and truly serve their students, are the ones rising to the top. If your heart's really in it, and I know it is. You can rise to the top now because everybody else who's not putting that heart into their programs, they are falling into the online sea of noise, but not you. And if you are ready to show up and meet this moment that we're in, the opportunity to create and launch a successful digital course has never been bigger. You're going to hear that in the episode today. People still want to learn online. The industry is still growing. They're craving wisdom and results, but they're choosing more carefully who they learn from. Let me repeat that. They are choosing more carefully who they are going to learn from. Because more now than ever, people aren't just looking for information, they're looking for someone who can help them make sense of all of it and a world full of noise. A well crafted digital course isn't just valuable, it's essential. Essential to so many people who are looking for the results that you can get them. And it's not essential because it teaches everything inside the course, but because it walks someone through a transformation they can't Google or ChatGPT their way through. That's what makes a digital course powerful, not how much information that it covers and that should be music to your ears. It's not about how much information you put into your course, but how deeply it supports someone through real change. And that's the heart of it. So if you've been holding back, wondering if your course idea matters or if it will work, or if you're really ready to create a course, let me say this, your course matters and you are ready. And because I want you to have the tools and strategies that match the moment that we're in, I've been talking about the changes and the opportunities and why it's the most perfect time for you to get in the game. And along those lines, I'm inviting people on the podcast that are going to extend that conversation that we've been having. And my guest today will do just that. Her name is Emily Hirsch. She's someone who's deep in the day to day of what's actually working when it comes to launching and marketing digital courses. And in today's episode, she's sharing what is working. Now, the last time Emily was on my podcast, she was actually on online marketing Made easy. It was May 2023. Oh my gosh, so long ago. But at that time, in May 2023, she came on to talk about AI and what it looked like at that time and where it was going. And she, she was deep in the weeds, testing it real time, which made her the perfect guest at that moment. Now, a lot has changed since then, especially when it comes to launching digital courses. And as I've been thinking about how to best support you in this new season, I knew I wanted to bring her back. And while I've been inside my business testing what's working and what's not when it comes to creating and launching digital courses, Emily's been doing the same for for her clients. So she has a really good point of view. And I have to say, there's nothing I love more than having a real conversation with someone who's also in the trenches, doing the work and thinking about where this industry is headed. So together we're pulling back the curtain to give you an honest, up to date look at what is really working when it comes to creating and launching courses and how right now is the perfect time for you to get in the game. I know you and I have been going back and forth talking about some changes we're seeing in the industry, some cool opportunities, so we're going to talk about all of that as it relates to course creation and launching. But before we get started, you and I go way back. I've worked with your ad agency in the past and so I love everything you do. Can you tell my audience a little bit about you and the work that you do?
Emily Hirsch
Yeah. So I'm CEO of Embodied Marketing and we specialize in marketing specifically for course creators, service providers. I've been in the game for almost 10 years now, so I've seen a lot change. We help people done for you, also a program, but I have a unique perspective of getting to see a lot of different businesses, a lot of different offers that are being sold at different price points, from low ticket memberships to $10,000 high ticket offers, and really taking the foundational principles that are always true and pairing that with the things that change year over year. And we're in a time where I think a lot of things are changing. So I'm excited for this conversation and honored to be back on the podcast. Yes.
Amy Porterfield
I'm so happy to have you back. So tell me this, what are you seeing in the world of course creation and launching in terms of also how people are buying courses today. And just like the industry in general, not industry, but our landscape in online marketing as it relates to courses. What are some of the things you're seeing?
Emily Hirsch
Yeah, so, so much. And I'm sure we'll dive into some of these in more detail, but I think one of the biggest things is information is not really hard to come by anymore. Where, you know, when you started way back in 10 years ago, buying a course, a lot of it was for the information. It was like I wanted that digital information to get me the result. People still need the result that a course and a digital product can create for them. But information is actually on overload, right? So if people are overloaded from podcasts and YouTube and ChatGPT and all the information, you have to create the result for them in a way that is very much like a roadmap and is very step by step and it's going to make it easier for them. So the thing I think about right now with all products but digital products is how do you get someone to their result in the fastest and the easiest way possible? And that's how you mold your product. So that's one thing is I've seen a lot of people need to evolve their product to be able to meet that because the buyer is overwhelmed, overstimulated, there's too much noise. And you've got to, you know, solve that in your product. The other thing is online in general, we're kind of in a trust recession, right? Like people are, there's so much noise. And if they don't know you, getting someone to pay attention to you, it's possible. It just takes more work and it takes more investment. So the number of touch points that somebody needs with a brand in order to be able to sell is now more than it used to be a few years ago, more than a lot more than it used to be 10 years ago. And I say these things because you can absolutely be successful, but you've got to look at things from that full big picture. I'd say, like, that's the most important thing is how do I look at my marketing from the entire picture, the entire ecosystem, building a business that is more than just a single course, it is also a brand and it's a movement and it's content and it's a connection to your audience. And then how do I provide an offer that's better than anything else out there?
Amy Porterfield
Yes, I do love that. And some of the insights you just shared, we'll get into them more specifically throughout the interview, but I want to start here. You have been on the back end of many digital course launches in terms of running their ads, but then you see the whole picture while you're doing so. So you get a front row seat to many course launches through the work that you do. So when a course Launch underperforms. In today's landscape, it's easy to blame the algorithm or a ton of other circumstances. But when you look under the hood of a failed digital course launch right now, what are you actually seeing? Maybe that is missing most of the time, or what are you seeing?
Emily Hirsch
Yeah, I mean, hands down, I think it comes down to the messaging. And when I say messaging, I mean the emotional connection that you're creating for somebody through getting them to take an action, whether that's sign up for your free webinar, your lead magnet, or buying your course. And honestly, like 90% of the time I see something not work, I can trace it back to the messaging. The language that's used, the emotion that is created, Is it standing out from the other things out there? Is it surface level? Does it sound like everything else? And that's not necessarily easy to do. You can't do that overnight. You have to learn. And the best way to learn is actually through doing. It's through creating content, it's through having conversations, it's through practicing this. And I think the people who have been in this game for a long time, you, me, we've had so much practice, right, talking to our audience, creating content, running webinars. And I think that some people think you can do it once and it's like, there we go. But the messaging is the most important because that's how you stand out, that's how you capture attention. Attention is currency today, hands down, and get people to take action. And, you know, I think I always try to look at marketing as it's actually simple, it's not complicated. The bells and whistles of having, you know, 50 emails and an automation and multiple step funnels and all of that, that's like the icing on the top. But the foundation is your messaging. It's the offer that you have. And it's not just the offer, but how you talk about the offer, how you represent the offer, and is it irresistible? So majority of the time, if something doesn't work, I trace it back to the messaging. I look at the language through the lens of the person that we put this in front of. Is it irresistible to them? If we're in a time where there's so much noise and it's hard to get somebody to take an action because there's so much noise, our messaging just has to be that much better, that much more irresistible. And I also think if you think about you, if someone listening to this, if you think about the times you have taken action, like you have consumed A piece of content on social media or followed someone, or listened to Amy's podcast, or signed up for a freebie, you know you're going to get tremendous value from that or you wouldn't do it. And so you have to do the same, same thing in your own brand and really provide that depth and that work to get it to that place.
Amy Porterfield
Okay, so this is so good. I wrote down, first of all, attention is currency, and more so than ever. So I love that you really brought that up. And being in a trust recession is hard to get that attention. So when you talk about messaging, can you share a little bit about some things that practical things that my listeners can do to either audit their messaging or just make their messaging better? Is there kind of a way that you look at that?
Emily Hirsch
Yes, absolutely. So first thing is, I boil it down to simple three things. Pain, frustration, desire. All humans take action based off of emotion. I don't care if it's the most boring digital or physical product, even, you know, like a necessity, you're still taking an action based off that emotion. So you could sit down after this episode and you could write out and make a list of the pain, the frustration, the desire. The thing is, I'm talking about the specifics. So I'm not saying, oh, their frustration is they want to lose weight, and they're not. Okay, why? Keep asking the question why until you get to that baseline foundation. Why do they want to lose weight? Oh, they want to play with their kids. They want to have energy. Well, why is that important to them? What happens if they don't? Getting to that base specific so that if you were sitting across from your ideal customer having coffee, you've got the language that they would use that describes the problems that they're experiencing, experiencing and where they want to go, the desire that they have. So that's the first thing. And asking the question why works really well. I find myself on strategy calls or in strategy conversations. Clients will think that they have gotten to that base level. And then I'm like, but really, you know, this happens a lot with, like, mindset or, I mean, honestly, even business and making money. It's like, why do they want to make money if that's the transformation that you provide, why do they want to improve their mindset? And so you keep asking the why until it is at that foundation. And a lot of times you get to that root and it's. It takes that time to get to that root. We think we're at the root. And I also think a lot of Experts think throughout the route because you understand the benefits. So let's say you are an expert in, you know, breath work or some sort of somatic work. I see this a lot with that type of expertise. It's like you understand the benefit of that, but the reality is no one's actually buying the breath work. They're buying the transformation that the breath work can have for them. So you have to get clear on that. So that's the first thing. Second, like, simple thing that you can do is you can pull up a sales page, a landing page, any of your copy that you have today, and I read back the top of it in the statement of I want. So you could take your headline and or your sub headline and read it back and say, I want read the sentence. And then you ask yourself, would my ideal customer say that? And a lot of times the answer is no. It's over complicated. It's flat, fluffy. It's using jargon. It's using more technical language. And it sounds like so simple and so like such a simple strategy. It's like, why don't we all do it? But most of the time I see headlines that you read it back and it's like, they wouldn't actually say that. And you literally want it to be in their words, as simple, specific, and clear as possible. So those are two things that everybody listening. Like, you do that today and you'll improve your messaging.
Amy Porterfield
The I want. Oh, my goodness, I love that. Very practical. Everyone can do that, including me. So I'm gonna play. Play around with that for sure.
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Okay, so in response to some of these incredible insights and shifts that you've spoken of and that you're seeing, I know that you've been using a strategy that goes from Lead Magnet and my audience is going to love this. So because this is very practical to them. Lead Magnet to low ticket offer to the webinar. So can you walk us through what that is and why that sequence is working so we can really understand it? And I've heard a lot about these low ticket offers leading into a webinar. I've seen many of my peers do it. So talk to me about that. About.
Emily Hirsch
Yeah, so. So the root of what I was trying to solve with this strategy is it's getting harder to get somebody to show up to a webinar and it's also taking more touch points. Right. With a lead to get them to buy. So in an ideal world then we would have people on a webinar who maybe have already been in our. It's been, they've been in our world for a while. They're warmer, they're more bought in to showing up to a training. And so then we need to run ads to a lead magnet, a simple lead magnet, like a PDF download, something easy to give somebody and if we can offset some ad cost with that, that'd be great. And then also if we get some buyers, like those are very quality leads. So let's say you have a course that's $1,000. You can create a 47, 27 dollar offer and actually put it on the thank you page of your lead magnet, which does two things. Pays for some of your ad cost. I mean if we can even like break even on that, we're right. Like even if we paid for half of the ad cost, honestly, you're winning and then you're nurturing a buyer through that low ticket offer and you over deliver in that offer, you build up that trust and then it brings them into your higher ticket offer. So I've been implementing a lot of strategies around lead magnet to 27 to $47 offer. Now here's the strategy with those, those have to be, think of it as like an impulse buy. Like they have to be like somebody sees that landing page and they're like, this is such a no brainer. I would pay, I would actually pay $500 for this. And it's $27 and it's a huge quick win. It's going to get them results. So when you think about like templates or swipe files or things that really are that fast result, that's the key to those offers. And I've been doing a lot of strategies where then we take those buyers and we nurture them into the bigger offer. And sometimes they actually don't even need the webinar. The, the offer itself kind of serves the purpose of a webinar to bring them in. And so especially for Evergreen that can work well because Evergreen webinars have gotten harder. I don't know if you're seeing the same thing, but I see like live does really well. Evergreen is challenging to get the sales conversion on it.
Amy Porterfield
It is, I think it comes back to that trust recession. They know you're not like a lot of the times they know you're not live and there's a higher perceived value with Live.
Emily Hirsch
Yeah. And I think just the energy of it live like you can't really replicate it and then it's more challenging to get people to show up and consume it. And so this has kind of been my like if you look at the strategy as a whole, you've got lead gen with a small priced offer on the thank you page and then you do, you know, maybe a quarterly live launch and then you're doing both because it's dangerous to just live launch. Then you're you know, counting on that revenue and then there's nothing until you live launch again. So you need an Evergreen strategy. Evergreen webinars, I do have some clients but it's like in specific niches that don't have over saturation of webinars that it's working. So this is a good kind of two way strategy. Right, right, right.
Amy Porterfield
Let's stay on the topic of webinars because as you mentioned live webinars, it's been tricky for some to get their students to actually show up. And I say tricky for some because I do have some students that are killing it with their show up rate. And like you said, sometimes it's industry specific and I don't know particulars about every industry and how people are showing up but I know that does make a difference. But I don't want anybody listening to think people won't show up for my webinar. That is not true. You just got to get creative and get strategic with some of the strategies. So if someone's struggling with their show up rate for webinars or they've never done a webinar, we have some newbies listening that have never done a webinar and they want to make sure they have a good show up rate. What are some of the things that you're seeing that will actually help to get people to show up but also see stay engaged until the end of the webinar?
Emily Hirsch
Yeah. And so let me talk about some specific strategies for that. And I want to say this because it just popped in my mind that anything I say is like, oh, it's more challenging. I want to make sure anyone listening doesn't feel discouraged by that because it's still 100% possible and you just have to become more irresistible. And so I want to make sure that's so clear that you can still be wildly successful with webinars, with digital products, with all of these strategies. It's with anything you have to innovate. Once something becomes saturated or becomes more noisy, you have to innovate. And I think if you are willing to be the best and you are willing and all in on creating that dream in that business, you'll be successful, period. Like, it's still possible.
Amy Porterfield
Same page friend. I totally agree with you.
Emily Hirsch
So on the webinars, kind of on that note, okay, if we're struggling to get people to show up, I always, I go to the question, why, okay, why are we struggling to get to show up? Well, they're not showing up because they don't value it for whatever reason. Maybe they think it's not worth their time. They're too busy, they're too overloaded. Okay? So we have to make it irresistible. We have to make it worth it for them and make them feel like if I don't show up to this, I'm going to be losing out. Like I'm going to be missing out on something. So some ways to do that that I've done is one of these. You don't want to do this all the time, but it works every time as you do. No replay. So you say you've got to be there live. Agree there's no replay. I don't do that every time because then you're you, you've got to keep the newness too. Right. If someone expects it, they're like, okay, that's Not a good strategy anymore. But every once in a while I'll do no replay. And then a cool thing I'll do with that because I still want to send something out to the people who really couldn't make it. Like they genuinely time zone, middle of the night, whatever is, I'll record like a recap video. So instead of sending the full replay, I'll still send something out that has my pitch and has a recap of the content, but it's not the replay. So I stayed true to the no replay. It boosted the show up rate. But I can still send something out to the people who I could capture in the follow up. So that's one strategy.
Amy Porterfield
Love it.
Emily Hirsch
And then a show up bonus, which is not a new strategy, right? We've done this for a long time. The key with the show up bonus is you really have to make it where people want it. Like it's so good they pay for it. That's so good that I'd pay for it. I'll show up to get that thing. And what is something that's so good somebody would pay for? Think about speed and ease. What's something simple that you can give somebody that's a hack that can get them their result faster, that can help them. So templates, swipe files, scripts, like those things that we know are not going to get the user the full result, but in their mind they're like, that's a really valuable hack that I need. You give it to them at the end of the webinar, after the pitch, after everything, before you go into Q and A and you tease it at the beginning of the webinar. So you say, all right, you're here live and if you stay until the end, here's what I'm going to give you. And you'll have people where they're like just waiting for that free thing, but then they stay through the entire piece of content. And what you'll do is you'll tease that to all the registrants of the webinar. So you'll say, and remember, if you're there live, you get xyz. One other thing I do, and this just goes back to human connection, is I actually call out the audience and I say, like, look, I'm going to give you a ton of value on this webinar, but I can't show up for you. So you signed up for this webinar because you want XYZ result. You wouldn't have signed up if you didn't know you needed this. Content. So I need you to mark this in your calendar and actually show up because that's the one thing I can't do for you. But if you show up, I'm going to give you this value. I'm going to give you this thing and here's how you're going to win. And that creates a connection because people are like, oh, you're right. Like how many things have I signed up for that I haven't shown up for? So you just, you just treat people like humans, right? Like what's going to get a human to show up to something? It's accountability. It's something irresistible that I want and they'll still show up. But you've got to do that work and create that connection.
Amy Porterfield
Amen. Agree with you 100%. Now you talked about a show up live bonus, so let's talk about bonuses. Because when I teach my students to launch digital courses, I always say that bonuses can make a big difference, not just in getting people to enroll, but in helping them get that transformation that we're promising. But right now, people don't want more information and a bunch of more stuff when they buy a digital course. They're overwhelmed as it is. So what kind of bonuses are you seeing that work right now in this world of over information?
Emily Hirsch
Yeah, absolutely. And I mean it's same thing with the speed and the ease. So it's what will get my ideal customer to their result faster and with less effort. So some good bonuses. This is where something where you offer maybe a one on one call. I love doing audits because they don't require a call but they feel really personalized. So you can offer, let's say you have something in your course that they create or they fill out and you can offer to audit that and you send a loom video and it's customized because you think about the person going through and listening to the offer. And I know you talk about this, it's like what are the objections that they're going to have? They're going to have will this work for me? You know what if it's not customized enough and then I have this XYZ nuance and it doesn't work for me. Well, you eliminate that with the bonuses by giving them some sort of personalized feedback that's also scalable. So, so I will do audits sometimes one on one calls but in a, I like one on one calls for if people buy on the webinar live. So it keeps it very urgent and very scarce or say like the first 10 people that buy you get a one on one call. But you have to also be specific of what's on that one on one call. Just saying, hey, you get a one on one call with me to somebody who doesn't know you isn't necessarily a valuable thing. But if you say you get a one on one strategy session with me where we're going to do this, this and this and you know, here's why that's important to you, that will resonate with them. So audits, one on one calls, if it's relevant for your offer, you could do some sort of done for you. So I have my program and I'll often which is a done with you program. I'll often include like we'll create 10 pieces of content for you or something that has that done for you element because time saves them time, get them results. So you what you don't want to do and this is the mistake people do is they're like, I'll give you this extra training and this other course that I made a year ago and then this thing and more and more and more information, which is like the worst thing you can do because to people hearing that they're like, that's just more work, more content that I have to go through and I don't want to do that.
Amy Porterfield
So true. Okay. That made me think of two things. We have our digital course academy program coming out soon and one of the bonuses is that we are going to be reviewing some of the key assets. I have coaches reviewing some of the key assets like the sales page they create in the lead magnet page they create. So actually someone's behind it saying, hey, do this a little differently, move this around. So that engagement and interaction, that's human. And I think that makes a big deal. But also speaking of human versus AI, I think another great bonus is an AI bot that accompanies your course. So, so we have a bootcamp coming up called Course Confident and inside Course Confident. I'm kind of giving something away that I shouldn't, but we have an AI bot to help people kickstart their digital course and it's part of Course Confident and so it's a bonus and I think it's a great way to help people get results faster, just like you had mentioned. So anyone listening? Amiporterfield.com forward/courseconfident. Just go there. You can sign up for the bootcamp. You can see the new AI tool to help you kickstart your digital course. Amyporterfield.com forward/course competent. But I think those are two additional bonuses that could kind of aligned with what you're saying here.
Emily Hirsch
Yeah. And. Exactly. Highly recommend you sign up for your bootcamp too. I have so many clients who have gone through that and found me through you. And you're definitely the master and adding that AI bot. Exactly. It's. It's adding to make it easier for somebody to get the result. And I think we could have a whole separate conversation on AI and how to do that, but. Oh, yes, you know I will.
Amy Porterfield
Emily, you're coming back. We're talking about.
Emily Hirsch
We've got a whole other topic, but that's. It's the same thing of putting yourself in the place of someone going through your boot camp and saying, how do we make this easier for them to get the result that we're trying to get them in the boot camp? And obviously AI is a great tool, but only when it's very specifically programmed by you and intentional for the experience. And so if you think about your offer, that's the same thing. How do we make it easier? Maybe with AI or something simple that we could do to provide that value. Yes.
Amy Porterfield
We're not talking to get super sophisticated and create something crazy with AI. Just a simple bot could go a long way. So anyway, we'll talk about that more inside the bootcamp. Now tell me this, Emily. If someone's been sitting on the idea of creating a digital course and maybe they've mapped it out, a lot of my listeners, they've dabbled with this idea. Maybe they've even launched it, it didn't really work. Or maybe it's just an idea in their notes app on their phone, but they keep hesitating. What would you say to them about what's really possible on the other side of saying yes to the idea of creating a digital course.
Emily Hirsch
Yeah. I mean, gosh, there's so much possible with that from. From the impact of a digital course. Right. Because you can reach so many people at such scale to the life that that can create for you. I truly believe that our business is a mechanism for our dream life and our impact. That's how I see my business. Right. It's like I just told you, I just got back from a month long trip with my kids. That's only possible because of my. Because of the fact that I can work from anywhere, have this impact, create this business that runs without me and has that scale and then also the impact that I want to create. And you know, it's just, it's such an incredible Opportunity. And the thing is, like I would say to someone who's hesitant or maybe has done something and didn't work and now they're hesitant to try again. Everybody fails. Like everybody has things that they launched that didn't work. And it would actually be weird if the first time you launched something it just like knocked it out of the park and was a seven figure business, because that doesn't exist. The best thing you can do is take action because you're going to learn through that action. You're going to get feedback both from yourself. Like you're going to get better at creating content, better at the messaging, better at understanding your ideal customer and what to say and what they want. And then you're also going to get feedback from the leads, from the audience, from the sales that you make. So the best thing you can do is commit to taking action and do it imperfectly because no one is paying as much attention as you are to things that are working or not working. And every single successful business owner I've ever met, and I'm sure it's the same for you, takes radical action, does it messy. It doesn't allow that fear of failure. The fear of failure doesn't exist if you don't believe in failure. And I don't believe in failure, right. Like something that doesn't work is just feedback. And now it's a challenge that I get to overcome. And so if you, if you remove this expectation that it should work in this amount of time now, you're no, you should no longer feel the hesitation to go take the action because you're removing the expectation and the goal becomes the action and the consistency and not the end result and the finish line. And you only need to know the next thing. I tell people this all the time. It's like you think you need this whole business plan and everything planned out. Don't even do that because you're going to start and then you're going to get feedback and you're going to need to change it. All you need to know is how to do the next one or two things. Do those things and you're going to figure out the next things. And I know for some people more than others, this is challenging and uncomfortable. It should be uncomfortable. I'm still uncomfortable all the time because I pushed myself to do new things. But that's the game of business. And so if you want the impact and you want that life more than the fear of the discomfort, then take the action every day. And I truly believe, because I've seen it over and over again. Marketing and business can always be successful. It's not luck. There's sometimes a little bit of luck in there. Right. Of opportunities that come. But it's really about foundational principles and about following a process and staying committed to that. And no one can stay committed more than no one can stay committed for you. No one can come and save you and do it for you. And if you show up and you're here to serve and you have that attitude like you will be successful, period. I've never seen that. Not true. It's going to take longer for some than others, but it's always true.
Amy Porterfield
Always true. I absolutely believe that. I wrote down. I love that you said that you have to remove the expectation. That is so hard to do but so important. And then you also said, like, the goal becomes the focus, not the results that you're hoping to get or you think you should be getting really focus on that goal which gets you into action. Fantastic. There's so many sound bites in this episode. I can't wait to pull them all out and share with them on social and get people to listen to this episode because it's so freaking good. Emily, you always deliver. Thank you so much. So much for showing up. I'd love to have you on the show because you get the course creation and course launching world and you're living in it behind the scenes with paid advertising. So I love that. Where can people learn more about you?
Emily Hirsch
Yeah. So embodied marketing.com will give you everything you need. You can see our programs. I also have the Embodied CEO podcast. If you love podcasts. If you're listening to podcasts, I would definitely tune into that and see all the things.
Amy Porterfield
Wonderful. We'll put all the links in the show notes. My friend, thank you so very much for showing up.
Emily Hirsch
Thank you for having me.
Amy Porterfield
Take care. I hope you love this conversation. All about digital courses and what's working now. And if you're at all intrigued, if you're thinking, I don't know, Amy, maybe now's the time. Maybe now's the time that I start looking into creating my first digital course. Well, my friend, get into course confident. It's a bootcamp I do once a year. It's only 47 bucks and I'm going to show you how, how to get started with your digital course, the steps you need to take to get started so you can choose a topic and validate your topic to ensure that people will pay for it. And what do you charge for your course and how do you grow an audience so you have people to sell to? These are the things that we're covering inside the course Competent Bootcamp. I want you there. I promise this is the best money you'll spend and I will wow you. I'm there live the entire time and we're getting into it. And every single live training I do in the bootcamp, I give you a PDF, step by step, how to do it as well. So I've got you. Go to amewporterfield.com course confident. That's amyporterfield.com course confident, and I hope to see you there.
Episode: Why Most Course Launches Fail (and How to Fix Yours)
Date: September 2, 2025
Host: Amy Porterfield
Guest: Emily Hirsch, CEO of Embodied Marketing
This episode of The Amy Porterfield Show dives deep into the realities behind digital course launches: why most initial attempts fall short, the mindset mistakes that keep entrepreneurs stuck, and the concrete, updated strategies that actually work in today’s noisy online marketplace. Joined by marketing expert Emily Hirsch, Amy peels back the curtain on what’s changed in course creation, what students really want now, and what it takes to break through, gather data, and launch with confidence—even if your first try isn’t a home run.
“If I were to let go of my expectation...I would have treated that whole experience differently.” (05:05, Amy)
“Everybody fails. Like, everybody has things that they launched that didn't work. And it would actually be weird if the first time you launched something, it just like, knocked it out of the park...” (00:11, Emily)
“Information is actually on overload, right? … You have to create the result for them in a way that is very much like a roadmap...make it easier for them.” (09:53, Emily)
“We're in a trust recession, right? ... It's possible. It just takes more work and it takes more investment.” (10:45, Emily)
“Hands down, I think it comes down to the messaging…90% of the time I see something not work, I can trace it back to the messaging.” (12:29, Emily)
“Attention is currency.” (14:42, Amy quoting Emily)
“All humans take action based off of emotion...So you could sit down after this episode and...write out the pain, the frustration, the desire.” (15:12, Emily)
“Most of the time I see headlines that you read it back and it’s like, they wouldn’t actually say that.” (17:28, Emily)
“The ‘I want…’ Oh, my goodness, I love that. Very practical. Everyone can do that, including me.” (17:51, Amy)
“It’s getting harder to get somebody to show up to a webinar and it’s also taking more touch points…” (19:55, Emily)
“You’ve got to be there live…No replay. ... But every once in a while I’ll do no replay.” (25:14, Emily)
“I actually call out the audience and I say…'I can't show up for you—I need you to mark this in your calendar and actually show up.'” (27:01, Emily)
“Everybody fails...and it would actually be weird if the first time you launched something, it just like knocked it out of the park…” (33:09, Emily)
“The fear of failure doesn’t exist if you don’t believe in failure…I don’t believe in failure.” (34:07, Emily)
| Time | Topic/Quote/Event | |--------|------------------------------------------------------| | 00:11 | Emily: Why failure is universal—action over perfection | | 05:10 | Amy: Letting go of expectations in first launches | | 09:53 | Emily: The new landscape—info overload & trust issues | | 12:29 | Emily: 90% of launches fail due to weak messaging | | 15:12 | Emily: Practical messaging audit—pain, frustration, desire | | 17:27 | Emily: The “I want” copywriting test | | 19:55 | Emily: Lead magnet → low ticket → webinar sequence | | 22:14 | Amy: Live webinars still work; evergreen is tougher | | 25:14 | Emily: No replay + recap video, show-up bonus | | 27:01 | Emily: Voice personal commitment to attendance | | 28:26 | Emily: Bonuses must be about speed and ease | | 31:24 | Amy: AI tools as course bonuses | | 33:09 | Emily: Action, iteration, and removing expectation | | 34:07 | Emily: “The fear of failure doesn’t exist…” |
This episode offers actionable wisdom, honest encouragement, and a relevant, up-to-date playbook for navigating the new realities of digital course launching. If you need a confidence boost, messaging clarity, or strategic ideas that cut through the noise, Amy and Emily deliver—in their signature candid, uplifting style.