The Amy Porterfield Show

When it comes to picking the format of your next digital course, the options may seem... daunting. Because thanks to the growing demand for online trainings, there are A LOT of choices out there today.

So how do you know which one is right for you?

Today, I’m taking all of the confusion out of what can be a tough choice, and giving you three solid choices to pick from. These three are based on my experience as a course creator, and what I think works best for my students overall.

I’ll walk through each of the three, giving you the pros and cons, as well as an example from one of my students.

Then make sure you stay on until the end, where I give you the exact questions to ask to help determine which of the three are right for you.

Let’s get started and figure out your next course format, together.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

It’s planning time. My favorite time of year. Time to pull out the giant calendar, the sharpies, and any other office supply I can get my hands on. And start to plan for BIG things in 2019.

In this special bonus episode, I walk through my 7-step process for getting what you really want in your business in 2019. Download my 2019 Planning Roadmap and follow along, because I know great things are waiting for you next year...

Are you ready?

Oh, and three things before you get started…

#1: Just focus on the first 6 months. Don’t think beyond that so you can stay focused.

#2: Take ONE entire day to plan. Break out that white board, the post-its, anything that gets your juices flowing, and eliminate any distractions. Think about getting out of your environment, even booking a hotel room for a day so you can really dive in.

#3: Plan with someone who knows your business. Whether it’s your virtual assistant or a trusted colleague, the more someone knows you and where you want to go, the better.

Again, make sure to download the step-by-step worksheet that goes along with this episode—your 2019 Planning Roadmap—to follow along and do this exercise.

Let’s get started…

First you’re going to start with your opportunities and big dreams for the next 6 months. Will you create your own digital course? Hire a VA for extra support? FINALLY write that book that’s been swirling around in your brain?

Then you are going to decide on your non-negotiables—what did you hate doing this year? What are you not willing to do or experience to get to your wildly successful year? There is always stuff that you just get tired of doing. For me, I’m no longer to make excuses for not posting on Social Media. You might say: I’m no longer going to take clients out of fear that you will lose out on the money.

Then you get to the fun part—to declare your number. Is it $555K or $55K? How much do you want want to earn next year?

Next you’ll take a step back to move forward. I’m not about living in the past, however one thing I always do on my planning day is to look at the metrics of 2018. Because so much of what you’ve done (the good, the bad and the ugly) influences how you are going to move forward.  

Then you’ll do your calendar planning in two phases. This is the big step. In phase one you’ll figure out how you’ll make the number you declared. Then in phase two you will calendar it out.

Then you’ll identify how you need to show up to make 2019 the biggest year yet.

In the final step, you’re taking action. There is where you pull it all together and identify your steps to get it done.

Now promise me one thing: At the end of this process, you need to celebrate and do something special to commemorate the moment! (My integrator, Chloe, and I did something fun and silly!)

So get going and build your vision for 2019.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

I’m getting a little personal in this episode, because it’s time to revisit something I brought up back in October 2017 on this podcast: My weight.

Now, that October ep was the first time I had ever brought up my struggles with weight. I shared how I hated video because I was incredibly embarrassed about my weight. That was just over a year ago, and today, I can confidently say everything is completely different.

Coming clean to you guys put a fire under my butt and helped me make a shift in my life. I was no longer hiding this big, dirty secret from the world and that opened up space in my mind for what was possible.

It took a couple of months, but on March 25, 2018, I officially started my weight-loss journey and so much has changed about my life. I hired a weight-loss coach, Corinne Crabtree (who just so happens to be one of my students, but more on that later…), and have learned to put myself and my health first—even before work.

Since then, I’ve lost roughly 60 pounds and I’m a little more than halfway to my goal. I know that before I started this journey, any time I saw someone make such a transformation, I always wanted to know, how did you do it!? So today I’m sharing with you guys how I’ve gotten here—not just in my weight loss, but also in the mindset change that has happened.

Look, if we’re going to be real, it’s not just about the weight. I had to change the way I handled my feelings and thoughts; most importantly, my thoughts about myself. I have a feeling that many of you might need to make that kind of mental change too. My wish is that when you hear my progress, you also decide that enough is enough and you join me on this journey of letting anything hold you back from living the life you want to live and building the business you want to build.

I want this episode to be more like a conversation—so grab a cup of coffee, find a cozy spot, and press play.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Find people who want to be found.

Talk to them in ways they want to be talked to.

Take them on a journey to where they want to go.

—Seth Godin

Those are just a few of the nuggets of marketing mastery from THE Seth Godin, my longtime DREAM guest for the podcast.

I’m SO excited to have Seth on today to chat about his new book, This Is Marketing: You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn to See, and diving deep into what sets the best marketers apart from the rest.

According to Seth, as an online marketer, you know you’re not going to be able to successfully serve every single person in the world, but for some reason, you still (probably) freak out in narrowing down the people you can help or reach.

Change—and thereby, growth—can only happen when you find your smallest viable market and serve the heck out of them. You have to find and build your community in order to be an effective online marketer.

In his book, Seth writes:

“Find a corner of the market that can’t wait for your attention. Go to their extremes. Find a position on the map where you and you alone are the perfect answer. Overwhelm this group’s wants and dreams and desires with your care, your attention, and your focus. Make change happen. Change that’s so profound people can’t help but talk about it.”

That’s your goal as a marketer—to find people who want to go where you are going and who want to experience what you are offering. Then you can teach them what they need to know to get there.

If it’s your content that’s going to help them, awesome. But, as you’ll hear Seth share, that’s not the only thing they need; you should be providing them safe places that build tension, invoke change and push them forward in their journey.

His book—and this interview—have already dramatically changed the way I view content and community. And I can already tell you, it’s literally going to impact how I teach my brand-new course, Digital Course Academy.

So, are you ready to have your mind blown like I did? Press play to hear Seth’s nuggets of wisdom!

This episode is brought to you by the women of Cultivate What Matters and their Power Sheets. How would it feel to get anything you wanted? What if you could create goals with clarity and purpose? If you want to create goals that matter (“goals with soul”) then you’ve got to check out Power Sheets.

If you’re reading this, I know that you are an entrepreneur that puts a lot of time, energy and resources to building your business. The last thing you need in your entrepreneurial journey is to run into any sort of legal trouble, but if you do, you’ll want to be protected. Better to be safe than sorry, right?  

The sort of legal protection I’m talking about is setting up a corporate entity to protect you and your business. The good news is that it’s a relatively cheap investment. The double dose of good news is that I’ve got attorney extraordinaire, Bobby Klinck, on the show today to walk us through all the ins and outs of setting up an LLC or S Corp without all the confusing legal jargon.

You may remember Bobby from our GDPR episode, but what you may not know is that Bobby has become our resident attorney here at Team Porterfield. We love him because he breaks down all the legal stuff for us an understandable, doable fashion, and actually kind of makes it all fun!    

What we cover in today’s episode:

Let me tell you, this episode is packed with good information. Even after being in business for 10 years and all set up legally, I learned a ton and am glad to be more clear on the whole process. Bobby gave so many good examples throughout this episode and we both hope that you walk away with some real clarity on understanding what you need to do in order to protect yourself and your business.

Let’s get to it...press play and let’s dive in!

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for a while but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here for more details.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Ok, I have a confession to make...I totally LOVE to binge-watch certain shows like Housewives, Game of Thrones, and my latest binge has been The Handmaid’s Tale. So good! Anyway, I’ve heard from enough of you to know that you, too, love a good binge session.

So what do you think it is about these types of shows that keep us coming back? I’m pretty sure the writers have a secret writing potion they use when they’re creating the storylines and scripts. ; )

But seriously, wouldn’t you love to know their secret so you could create content that your ideal customer avatar (I’m looking at you episode #236) wants to binge consume and can’t stop raving about?

Well, you’re in luck, because on today’s show I’ve brought in a Hollywood insider to tell us exactly how it’s all done. My guest Melissa Cassera, is a publicity strategist and a professional screenwriter who loves nothing more than creating binge-worthy content, so she’s our girl!

Melissa became obsessed with how movies and TV shows could create obsessed fan bases, so she decided to figure it out and share the secrets with business owners, like yourself, so that you, too, can create an obsessed fan base through the power of storytelling.

In this episode Melissa breaks down these five storytelling techniques that you can use when you’re creating content:

(Don’t forget to download the worksheet that Melissa created to help you walk through these techniques the next time you create content.)

You will love Melissa’s approach to storytelling and you’re not going to believe how fun it is to create content using these strategies. And best of all, you’re going to have your ideal customer avatar LOVING what you’re giving them and coming back for more!  

Press play and let’s dive in!

This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for a while but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here for more info.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Have you ever struggled to communicate a clear message to your followers? One that grabs AND keeps their attention?

Is this scene familiar? You sit down at your computer, fingers on the keyboard, ready to create the perfect content to captivate your audience. You know this email you're about to send or the social media post you’re creating is going to resonate with your audience!  

You hit SEND or POST….

And….

No comments on your post (except your aunt and a high school friend who is definitely NOT your ICA). The open rate on your email isn’t at all what you expected and the click-through rate is even worse.

I think we can all remember scenes like these from our entrepreneurial journeys. But there’s hope, my friends! And that hope comes in the form of a 7-part communication framework. One that’s easy to understand and fun to implement.

With just a couple tweaks to the way you position yourself and your customer, and how you talk to them, they’ll be eager to read that next email or social post. Excited to jump on your weekly FB lives or show up for your next webinar. And better yet, they’ll want to buy what you’re selling because you’ll know how to present what you’ve created for them in a clear way that speaks directly to their pain points and desires and offers a solution that they won’t be able to refuse.

“When you stop talking about your customer’s problem, they stop doing business with you.” Don Miller

And that’s where Don Miller comes in. Don, the author of Building a StoryBrand, is the creator of this 7-part framework that shows you how to clarify your message through the principles and framework of storytelling.

This interview was one of my all-time favorites and I think it might be one of yours too. I had a couple of huge aha moments for sure!

Are you ready to listen? Click here to get started.

P.S. Remember how we became intimately aware of our avatar last week in episode 235, How To Identify Your Ideal Customer Avatar and uncovered their specific pain points and desires? It’s this type of knowledge that we MUST have to create the messaging Don talks about that captivates and converts. If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, make sure you add to your playlist.  

This episode is sponsored by my free masterclass, “The Ultimate List Building Catch-Up Plan: My Proven 3-Stack System For Leveraging The Most Powerful, “What’s Working Now” List Building Strategies (without the stress, tech confusion, or crazy overwhelm). If you are struggling to get started with building your list OR if you are not attracting new subscribers to your list every single day, this is the free master class for you. amyporterfield.com/listbuilding

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

Have you ever sat down to write a blog post, create an outline for your podcast or video show, and you just froze? Not because of fear or imposter syndrome, because those are 100% real, too. Instead you froze because you just didn’t know what it was that your ideal customer wanted or needed from you. It can feel like you’re just pulling any old idea out of a dark hole.

Now of course we will all suffer from writer’s block at some point, but what is worse is not understanding who it is you’re serving and why.

In today’s show I’m talking about how to identify your Ideal Customer Avatar (ICA). Why is this so important? Because your ICA is someone who is absolutely crucial to the success of your business and if you don’t know who they are, your business won’t have legs to stand on.

Your ICA is your PERFECT customer. This ONE single person is the potential customer who wants and needs YOUR content, YOUR product, or YOUR services. This is also a person that you LOVE to work with. Win-win!

There are specific ways to really hone in on who this person is: what they like, what they don’t like, what their aspirations are, and most importantly, what their fears are. And surprise, surprise...when you know all this, you won’t be sitting there frozen at your computer not knowing what to create or to say in your next social media post.

You’ll be happily creating solutions to their wants or needs and something they will actually pay for.

You’re not just building your business as a hobby, right? I know you’re not, and that’s way I want you to get laser focused and know how to serve your customers best!

In today’s show, I’m going to share the exact steps in how I figured out how to understand my perfect customer. I’ve even created a super helpful worksheet for you to print out and use as you define your very own ICA.

Press play and let’s dive in!

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

As an online entrepreneur you are constantly putting yourself out there. You’re writing social media posts, copy for emails, creating webinar slides, creating content for your podcast or video show, and writing blog posts. And when you do, you’re showing up in one of two ways: with your true personality shining, or trying to impersonate someone else.

The problem is, especially if you’re just starting out, the impersonation route seems to be the popular choice.

I want you to hear these words from my guest today, Laura Belgray: “There is no person, brand or artist that is for everyone.”

Read that again, my friends: There is no person, brand or artist that is for everyone.

You cannot and should not even try to be all things to everyone. When you do, you water down all that is wonderful and unique about YOU.

Here’s the good news! Laura is in the business of helping people infuse their personality in all they do and she’s sharing some great tips and strategies with us on the show today.

Laura is a copywriter and television promo writer. She even works with BRAVO and tells us about a Real Housewives promo line she wrote not too long ago...sooo clever!

In this episode, we talk mindset blocks and how to overcome them so your copy shows the real you, specific exercises and assessments that will help you to discover what your unique personality is, and Laura shares the five very actionable Ps of showing your personality in your copy. Really good stuff today, my friends!    

Are you ready to step into your own special uniqueness? Press play and let’s dive in!

P.S. Don’t forget to grab the free worksheet that will help you to discover the uniqueness of your personality so you can share it with the world!  

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

This episode is a long time coming. I get asked A LOT about how to podcast. From the equipment and software I use, to knowing what topics to cover and which guests to feature, to the recording, editing and publishing phase, to how in the world I keep it all organized!

I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing all of it with you today!

Whether you’re currently a podcaster and would find it helpful to hear about my podcasting process and organization, or you’re thinking about starting a podcast soon and want to hear all the ins-and-outs of set up and how to decide on topics and guests, this is going to be an episode you don’t want to miss.

Here are the 10 podcasting areas I get into on the show today. Hit play and let’s get started!

I’ve linked you up to all the podcasting equipment and software I use here, but I thought you might like to have a little behind-the-scenes tour of my podcasting studio, too. I did this video a while ago, but I still use the same equipment.

Remember, I chose to invest in better quality equipment from the beginning, but you can still get great audio quality with a less expensive mic and by sitting in a closet to record. Feel free to start simple and get fancy later.

I hope you find this episode packed with value and resources that will help you in your podcasting process.

Wishing you all the best in your podcasting journey.

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!