A small, engaged email list can often outperform a large, disinterested one. So if you are really mindful of curating a really solid, small email list that is engaged, you could actually smoke someone with a bigger email list. I'm Amy Porterfield, ex-corporate girl, turned CEO of a multi-seven figure business. But it wasn't all that long ago that I lacked the confidence, the budget, and the time to focus on growing my small, but mighty business. Fast forward past many failed attempts and lessons
learned, and you'll see the business I have today. One that changes lives and gives me more freedom than I ever thought possible. One that used to only exist as a daydream. I created the Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast to give you simple, actionable, step-by-step strategies to help you do the same. If you're an ambitious entrepreneur or one in the making who's looking to create a business that makes an impact and a life you love, you're in the right place, friend. Let's get started.
Hey there, before we dive in, I've got a quick word about AI. So recently, I've become obsessed with how AI can help make course creation way easier. But before you can get into the mountains of automated support that exists for course creation today, the question that any course creator to be needs to answer is, but do I really have anything to teach? Is what I know enough to build an entire digital course around? So this question comes up a lot, and that's why I created an AI tool for anyone
curious about whether they have a digital course in them. All you have to do is input a single sentence about something you know, like vegan meal prep or managing your Facebook ads account as a small business owner or how to create cohesion as a blended family. Just the topic, and then that's it. Once you share your area of knowledge with my AI tool, it will instantaneously generate a half a dozen digital course ideas based on what you already
know. No more years of experience or certifications required. Just what's already inside that sweet brain of yours, ready to be packaged into a digital course outline and shared with the future students who need your knowledge the most. A digital course is easily the number one way to serve more people and earn more income without tying yourself to endless client meetings or one-on-one deliverables. And I bet everything I've got that you're sitting
on a dozen plus profitable course topic options right now. So go to emyporterfield.com forward slash AI to find out what they are right now. That's emyporterfield.com forward slash AI. Hey there, welcome back to another episode of online marketing made easy. I'm your host, emy porterfield. And today I just want to tell you this is one of my most favorite
topics because I get to talk about digital courses and email list. And the big question is can you launch a digital course even if you have let's say 500 people on your email list, which I would say is a small email list. Can you launch with a small email list? And
we're going to answer that question with a few insights into today's episode. So if you've ever thought about creating a digital course or heck even a membership or some kind of group coaching or any kind of coaching online and you think I can't launch whatever I want to launch because my email list is too small, stay with me because I want to change that mindset and I want to change it quickly. So here's the thing. I am passionate
about digital courses. If you've listened to any of my podcasts, you know that. I am known for teaching people how to create and launch digital courses to create more freedom-filled businesses. And so this is something I talk about all the time. I work with my students with all the time and I attract a lot of people who are just getting their email list going and want to create a course. So this topic comes up a lot and I thought it's important
enough that it needs its own episode. So when I talk to people about creating digital courses, there are usually five objections or reasons why they haven't created their course that come up often. I don't have enough time. I don't have enough money. I don't have enough content to put into a full digital course. I don't have enough expertise or
knowledge yet to create a course. Any more education. I need more research. I just need more time, which is the first one, in order to learn what I need to learn to create a digital course. Hint. You already know what you need to know for a course. But that's another episode. And the number five is I don't have a big enough email list to make money with
a digital course. So this one comes up all the time. So if you've ever thought about creating a course and you haven't yet, have you ever like felt or thought one of these things? None of time, money, none of content, none of expertise and email list. Have one of those or several of those come up. Well, here's the thing. The reasons that I just shared with you, they can be super valid. I'm not going to tell you that, oh, those are excuses.
Just ignore them. No, they are very valid. But here's the kicker. My students have proven time and time again that these are really myths that we create. My students have shown me firsthand that even if you're short on time, tied on cash, have a tiny audience or any other obstacle you can think of, you can still create a wildly successful digital course. So here's what we're going to do. Over the next five weeks, every Tuesday, I'm going
to share an incredible story from one of my digital course Academy students. Now, these students of mine, they've taken these obstacles or reasons and turned them into success stories. Now if you've been with me for a while, you might remember that we actually did something kind of similar to this last year. And it was such a hit that I wanted to bring it back, but give it a different twist, new stories and really remind you what you are capable of.
Because you can make excuses or come up with reasons why something's not going to work. But I also know that you've overcome obstacles before. You've risen above your excuses. And you've been able to make things happen even when you felt like things are stacked against you. So I know I'm talking to someone right now who has proof that you can overcome these challenges. So let's do the same for this. Let's use those same skills and knowledge and
insight and experiences that you already have in order to figure this out. And I'm going to help you do just that. So like I said, over the next few weeks, we're going to bust through these myths and we're going to start with the one that comes up the most, which is Amy, I do not have a big enough email list to sell a digital course. Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking you're always talking about the importance of an email
list. Like this always comes up with you, Amy, and you're right. I am. But here's the thing. Well, a robust email list is really optimal. It's not the be all end all of course success. And here's why first off, let's talk about quality over quantity. A small engaged email list can often outperform a large, disinterested one. I've seen it over and over again. So if you are really mindful of curating a really solid small email list
that is engaged, you could actually smoke someone with a bigger email list. Again, I've seen it over and over again. So this idea of quality over quantity is very real. If you've got let's say a hundred people who are super excited about what you're offering to me, that is way more valuable. Then let's say a thousand people on your email list that are just kind of lukewarm and they're not really paying attention. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they
don't. Oh no, I'll take that 100 really engaged email list anytime. Secondly, there are things you can do to supplement a small email list. To me, the email list is the most important thing. But if you have a small email list, we can't discount that social media is going to be important to you as well. Meaning Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, they are really valuable platforms for engaging with your audience. Now, I teach that you use social media
to move people over to your email list. But when your email list is small and you're trying to move them over and you're still working on it, they're engaged with you if you do it right. So when you sell your course, you're absolutely going to use your email list, but you're going to heavily use your social media to get in front of your audience as well. And so now you've got two different marketing vehicles that you're going to use. And when
you have a bigger email list, you're still going to do this. But I think social media is more important when your email list is small. So you can tap into both because both are going to be important. And then also you can tap into other people's audiences. So I want you guest podcasting. Maybe you do a joint webinar where one of your peers invites their audience onto one of your live webinars. They can be an affiliate. And I think that makes
a really big difference. So I do a lot of affiliate marketing. I have people that drive to my webinar. And when I sell my courses, they get 50% commission. I would have never had access to their audience before. So to me, it is very much worth it. So there's ways to enlist your peers to help you sell your course as well. And I talk about that on the podcast. But when you have a small email list, getting scrappy is so important.
And the scrappy you get now when you're just getting started, when things are building up, it becomes second nature when your business is bigger. And now it's working on all cylinders. So learn to make the mistakes when your audience is smaller. Figure things out when you're not doing a million things because your business is booming. You have all these opportunities. When things are smaller, that's when you want to test this out and try new things and
make your mistakes because you will. And so again, email list number one. But when it's small, social media and other people's audiences and the way I explained it, it makes a difference. And let's not forget about paid advertising. With the right strategy, you can use platforms like Facebook or Google ads or Instagram ads to get your course out in front of the exact people who need it most. Now, I have to say I've used paid ads since day one of my business.
And you might say, but I can't afford it, Amy. And what I'll tell you is when I wasn't making any money in the beginning or not much money, I would make a little money and I would use that money to pay the bills, keep the business running. But if I had a little extra, it was going to pay ads. That's how much I believed in and still believe in paid ads. Now, I will say, because I like to be real here, paid advertising was much cheaper
15 years ago. But I also wasn't making the kind of money I make now. So if I was making a few thousand dollars a month, paid advertising was cheaper back then, but also I didn't have much money to put to it anyway. And so it's normal not to have a bunch of money to put toward it. And yeah, ads have gotten more expensive. And you don't have to use them. If you can't use them now, that's one thing or you're not ready to, but I will tell you,
I'd like you to consider paid advertising for list building as soon as you can. Even though ads are more expensive now, I don't think we're ever going to see them go down. So it's just the reality. And as soon as you can start to afford paid advertising, even if it's $50 a week, I would absolutely get in the game because you're going to start to see how amazing it can be for list growth to find people you normally don't have access to. And
we get some energy into your business. So I'm all about paid advertising if you can make it work. I know you're focused on marketing and selling your digital products, but I know many of you also have physical products. And I want to talk about Shopify. Shopify is a user-friendly commerce platform that helps you, my dear online entrepreneur, build an online store and make more sales at any stage of your business. They're the force behind
all birds, rothies, brook linen, and millions of other businesses at every size. Let me tell you why Shopify is an online entrepreneur's dream platform. It's because it helps turn your browsers into buyers with the internet's best converting checkout experience. In fact, it converts 36% better compared to other leading e-commerce platforms. Yeah, loving that. And I don't know about you, but as an online entrepreneur, my customers experience, especially
when it comes to checking out, is so important. Plus, not only do they support your customers, they support you as the entrepreneur. Shopify's award-winning help desk is there to support your success through every question and every step of the way. There's a reason Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US because businesses that grow grow with Shopify. Sign
up for a $1 per month trial period at Shopify.com slash made easy, all lowercase. So go to Shopify.com slash made easy now to grow your business, no matter what stage you're in, that Shopify.com slash made easy. Hey, before we continue, let me tell you about a resource that I wish I would have known about earlier. When Hobie and I first moved to Nashville three years ago, one of the biggest stressors we faced was finding an in network, highly rated doctor. And what happened was
I didn't know where to go or what to trust. So I just reached out to some of my Nashville friends. And they would say, yeah, I love my doctor. You should call them. Here's the number. I would call the doctor and they wouldn't be accepting new patients. And this happened over and over again. So for months and months, Hobie and I did not have a doctor here in Nashville.
And that's not a good thing, right? We felt a little shaky about that. So I want to tell you about a resource I wish I would have known about three years ago because I would have absolutely used it. It's called Zock Doc. It's a free app and website where you can search and compare highly rated in network doctors near you and instantly book appointments with them online. I'm telling you, this would have saved me so much stress. And many hours
of calling around saying, can you please take me? I need a doctor. So I'm a big fan of Zock Doc. And if I ever need to find a doctor again, you can bet I'm using this tool. Go to zock doc.com slash made easy and download the Zock doc app for free. Then find and book a top rated doctor today. That's Z O C D O C dot com slash made easy. Zock doc.com slash made easy. And then lastly, remember that some of the most successful course creators started
with tiny email list. And also remember, we all started with zero actually by being real here. We all are starting with zero on our email list. And so you have to remember that you got to start somewhere. What matters most is the value you're providing and how well your course solves a problem for your audience. So if only a few people buy in the beginning, you getting your course done, you getting it launched out into the world, focusing on
growing your email list while you're creating your course, all of that will pay off. Even if it doesn't pay off that first launch, it will pay off. So remember, action creates clarity. You'll learn more about how to be a better launcher. You'll learn more about how to create a course that people really need and want will get results from if you get the first iteration out there. You know what Seth Godin always says, right? You got to
ship it. We got to ship it. And I promise you, you'll never be 100% ready to launch your digital course. I probably don't talk about that enough. You'll never be 100% ready to launch your digital course. Your first digital course. And that is okay because you will figure it out as you go. And the lessons I want you to learn cannot be learned unless that course is out into the world. And people are engaging with it and you're putting your
funnels together and trying your webinars. That's where you grow and move forward. But talking about your course, worrying that your email list isn't big enough, worrying that maybe it won't work. None of that is going to get you to where you want to go. And I've said it a million times, but I made $267 with my first launch and look where I am now in my business today. I would never be here if I hadn't shipped it when I did.
And it was a disaster. But I needed that to get to the next step. So so important. All right. So hopefully I've given you enough reasons. Why? It is important for you to start creating your course even if you have no list or a small list because we're going to grow the list while we're creating the course. And we're going to launch it when we hit 500 people on our email list. So that is a magic number. A lot of people that get into digital course
academy, they have zero or like less than 500 people on their email list. Not all. Some of them come in with really robust lists and more advanced in their their business building. But a lot of people are just getting started. And so I always say, okay, the first milestone is 250 people. That's just the first milestone you're going to go for. The next milestone is 500. And when you hit 500, you are ready to launch your course. And just for the record,
you can grow an email list of 500 in a month or two. I have no doubt in my mind. And so this is going to happen faster than you think it will. But I know people are always looking for that number. So our goal is 500 people. And you can do that sooner than you think. Now, so I told you all the reasons why you should keep going, why you should ship it and how important it is to get into action. But if you need one more reason, I want you
to hear from one of my students, Diana. She is busted through this myth that you need a big email list to launch a course. And I want you to hear directly from her. So let's do just that. Hi, my name is Diana Alex and Drowba. I am a business coach for freelancers. I'm a copywriter and I'm a marketing strategist. And I had my best launch ever thanks to Amy's DCA strategies. Here's what happened. I've always been a storyteller. And I don't always
love. I have to admit this. I don't always love promoting my services. So I've managed to build a loyal following on my email list of about 400 people. Now, when I launched my first course after taking DCA, I ended up having $58,000 generated as a revenue that year with only 400 people on my email list. And I know what you're thinking, don't you need to have thousands of people to hit these numbers actually not. And that's not even
the best part. After I enroll people into my group coaching program called OEA, I ended up up selling my private coaching for an additional $70,000 in revenue for my one-to-one business coaching services for solar partners and freelancers. So how did I do that? Well, I decided that I was going to work with what I already had instead of going out and finding new people and constantly making freebies and spending a lot of energy on acquiring
new potential leads. I actually decided to go deep and not wide. So what I did, I showed up on Instagram consistently and I posted stories every day showing how I'm actually preparing the course on the backend, the wins that my clients are getting from our one-to-one work, and what people can expect when working with me. I took the time to reply to everyone's DM because people would often DM me and say, hey, D, how do I do a sales call? What do
I say to this client? What do I charge for my services? So by providing this value one-to-one, I was able to build this sort of loyalty in my community. And when the time came for me to announce that I was looking for people to work with me one-to-one, my spots got
sold out quicker than I ever imagined and I was extremely grateful. So if you're someone who doesn't have a large audience or who doesn't have huge engagement, instead of going wide and comparing yourself to other people and thinking, oh my gosh, I need to add 5,000, 10,000 followers to my Instagram or grow my email list. You actually don't. Just focus on going deep and really getting to know people because I'll tell you something else.
People that have bought from you and work with you once are much more likely, in fact, 80% more likely to hire you or buy from you again. So when you focus on giving that value, being your honest, true self, showing up on social media and really being consistent with your email list, even if it's small, you can get these results and much more. Thank you so much to Amy. Thank you so much to your team. Thank you so much for the knowledge and
guidance that you gave us inside DCA. I am eternally grateful. And for anyone out there looking to grow your income and build the business of your dreams, please know that you got this. See, I told you, that's just one example of many. I have many examples of students who have sold digital courses with small email list. It absolutely can be done. And don't get me wrong. Building an email list for long term success, it's a must. Meaning, I don't
want you to stop at 500. I want you to grow to thousands and thousands on your email list. The bigger your email list gets, the easier it is to sell anything in your business, not just courses. So yeah, I want that to be a long term goal, but I do not want a small email list to stop you from actually creating and launching your digital course. And if you
like to this story, I have many, many more. So I want you to focus on creating an amazing course, showing up authentically for your audience, connecting with your ideal students, wherever they are hanging out online. These are the things that I want you to focus on the most. So friend, I hope this episode has shown you that you do not need a massive
email list to create a successful digital course. And remember, it's all about quality over quantity and making genuine connections with your audience no matter how small that audience might be. And one more thing, I've got something special. If you're feeling inspired to start your digital course, but you're still a little bit unsure about how to turn your knowledge into a digital course. So I've created this resource. It's called surprisingly
simple ways to turn your knowledge into a digital course. So this guy is perfect if you're worried about not having enough content or enough expertise to fill a course. It shows you how to take what you already know and transform that into valuable lessons that your audience will love and get results from even if you have a small email list. So the best part of this resource is that let's say you have an email list of 50 or 5,000, it doesn't
matter. Like these strategies actually can work for you regardless. It's all about packaging your knowledge in a way that resonates with your ideal students, no matter how many students that you have. So to get your hands on my free guide, this is a very popular guide. I get a lot of great feedback from it. So you don't want to miss it. Just go to emyportafill.com or slash simple ways. Aimeeportafill.com forward slash simple ways. Remember, you do not need
a big email list to create an amazing digital course and launch it into the world. And the resources in this guide will help you get started the right way. All right. I hope you loved this shorty episode. And I would love for you to share it with an entrepreneurial friend who's also growing their email list. Maybe they would be interested in one day creating a digital course. So grab the link, text it, slack it, email it to a friend I'd be forever
grateful. And if you haven't left a review on the online marketing, maybe easy podcast, please do so. I love reading your reviews. And when I get reviews, Apple and Spotify, they are more likely to show my podcast to more people, which means I get to help more people build businesses that they love and ditch the nine to five. And that is my mission in life. So if you'd be so kind to leave a review, I promise good karma is coming your
way. Thank you again for being here. And I cannot wait to see you on Thursday for more entrepreneurial goodness. Bye for now.