Explore every episode of the podcast Digital Course Creator Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #211: Guest Tracy Beavers Shares her Top Ways to Build Your List Every Day WITHOUT Paid Ads | 01 Oct 2024 | 00:39:02 | |
We are told to build our list every day. That without consistent list growth our digital course business will not thrive and in fact, it will likely do a face plant. But almost no one talks about how to build your list in a way that works and doesn’t require you to waste thousands of dollars on ads and an exorbitant marketing agency fee. Today, I invited guest, Tracy Beavers, to share her top tips with you on evergreening your list growth efforts. And guess what? She doesn’t used paid ads! You might recognize Tracy’s name because she was on the podcast last fall in Episode 155. And everything she shares is absolute gold. That might be because as the CEO and Founder of Tracy Beavers Coaching, Tracy has a proven track record in marketing, sales, and business growth. With an award winning career spanning 20 years and a multi-six figure business, Tracy has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs with everything from overcoming the fear of sales to growing their business visibility through organic marketing strategies. She has been honored nationally by Vanity Fair Lingerie as a Support Award winner for Women in Entrepreneurship. Pretty amazing, right? She is a public speaker, and a published author. She has been featured on top business podcasts, and has been a regular contributor on one of her hometown’s premier tv shows. Kajabi looks to her as one of their expert coaches for small business owners. She is the creator of two online programs: “Business Visibility Made Easy” and “Be A Confident Entrepreneur”. She also has a top ranked business podcast “Create Online Business Success!” I’m thrilled to have Tracy back on the podcast and without further ado, let’s talk with Tracy about all things strategy and list building. Show Resources:
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| #210: Top 3 Reasons You Should Be Listening to Podcasts as a Digital Course Creator | 24 Sep 2024 | 00:19:42 | |
There are so many ways to learn these days and as a course creator you know that we have to constantly keep up with new ideas, technologies, and trends (even if it is to avoid a pointless trend) that is tough to figure out the best use of our time. After all, we only have a finite amount of time in a day, week, month, and year and we just want to make the most of that time without experiencing burnout. But most of us, myself included, don’t have enough time to dig into everything that comes across our paths. What are your favorite ways to learn? Today I’m going to share with you 3 reasons why you should be listening to podcasts as a digital course creator as a way to learn and grow your business. Now I know that you are already listening to a podcast so you might be thinking, well yea. I don’t need to listen to this episode, but here’s why I’m going to suggest you stick around. Are you making the most of your time with the podcasts that you are listening to? Could you be getting even more out of them? If you have even the slightest nudge or feeling that you could be making more out of your podcast time, stick around. Show Resources:
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| #209: Minding Your Money as a Digital Course Creator | 17 Sep 2024 | 00:23:11 | |
Fall is the time of year when many entrepreneurs find themselves checking their checking account balance, their running credit card balance and trying to figure out what to invest in for their business. This is especially true because so many amazing things launch in the fall months and there are some spectacular Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals that will pop up. Unless you are one of the entrepreneurs with endless pots of money, these are things that need to be planned out. And you know from Episode 208 that I think every course creator should be buying and learning from other course creators. This brings the inevitable question of what courses to invest in. After all, we can’t go into endless debt nor can we just continue to figure things out on our own year after year. Today I’m going to share some insights that I’ve had over the past few years of being immersed in the entrepreneurial online course space that will help you avoid some of the same mistakes that I’ve made and instead use your money and time in a way that leads to success. After all, it is nearly impossible to build a successful and profitable business if we are stuck in a vacuum without outside ideas, teachings, and input. And be sure to stick around to today’s Sixty-Second Solution where I’ll share the number one thing I look for in digital courses and experiences that are over $500 because it means the difference between success and stagnation. Show Resources:
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| #208: 3 Reasons You Should Be Buying Online Courses as a Digital Course Creator | 10 Sep 2024 | 00:20:21 | |
You are an expert in what you do, so why would you buy courses that are related to your course topic? There are 3 reasons you should be buying online courses as a Digital Course Creator. The reality is that we all have our own perspectives, our own perspectives, and our own preferences, but our students might benefit from a wider range of approaches than we feel comfortable with. This is where buying online courses can help immensely. Now, you don't have to spend thousands of dollars checking out other courses, but you do need to include research and development in your business budget. Without this line item in your business strategy and budget you will fall behind in what is working, and you might miss out on some really great approaches. Today I'm going to highlight for you the 3 top reasons I still invest in courses as an expert in digital course creation and why you should do the same. Show Resources:
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| #207: Online Course Bonuses: Do they make a difference? | 03 Sep 2024 | 00:20:55 | |
Should you include bonuses with your digital or online course? So often we get the advice that bonuses should be even better than your course, they should make people buy your course just to get the bonus, and they should overcome objections. But do they really help? Yes and no. But the real question is should you include them for your online course when you launch? Today we are going to talk about the pros and cons of including bonuses with your digital course launch and 3 things to consider as you make your decision. Show Resources:
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| #206: Entrepreneurial Costs: What is Normal? | 27 Aug 2024 | 00:17:38 | |
What is one thing that you didn’t necessarily think about when you decided to become an entrepreneur, when you decided that you’d like to have a digital course? What is one thing that you rarely hear people talking about out in the open? Money and the debt that being an entrepreneur can bring with it. That debt adds up fast, but still it is something that we keep hidden, kind of like that chocolate bar you have secreted away in a cabinet away from your kids and spouse. Just like it isn’t healthy to hide food away and sneak it, neither is it healthy to hide talk about money as an entrepreneur. Today I’m going to talk candidly about money, entrepreneurship, and the risk of debt. I feel strongly that everyone should be fully informed. If this is not something that you want to acknowledge in your business yet or with your entrepreneur friends, that's ok. This episode will be here when you are ready. If you are ready to talk about money, then stick around. Show Resources:
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| #205: How to Make the Most of Social Media Groups (Hint: Use Google Search More) | 20 Aug 2024 | 00:22:10 | |
I've noticed a trend in course creation groups: asking for instructions on how to do a tech task. Sure you pay to be in these groups, they are filled with people who are on the same pathway you are, creating, launching, and serving a digital course, but the big, important questions can sometimes get buried under the smaller, simpler questions that can be searched on Google in 10 seconds or less. This makes the groups less valuable. Hard stop. You know I’m a big fan of being active in social media groups because you are building connections, trust, authority, and even gaining referrals. So I understand the temptation to ask questions in the group when you get stuck. But that clogs up the groups and keeps your important questions hidden away. It is frustrating when you have a question about where a funnel isn't working inside your business only to be drowned out by the mundane tech questions like how do I save as a PDF from a word document. To get the most out of the paid and free groups that you are in, let's talk about best practices and, of course, feel free to share this episode with your friends so that they too can become better members of those same groups you are in. Show Resources:
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| #204: Does Weekly Content Really Build Demand for your Course? | 13 Aug 2024 | 00:29:29 | |
The best way to build demand for your online course is with weekly content, or is it? So often we are told that we need to build an audience so that when we launch a course, there will be eager buyers ready with their credit cards. To build an audience the direction often given is to create weekly content. Why then, after creating and sharing weekly content for months and even years do course creators not have an audience primed for buying when they launch their course. It's frustrating to spend hours each week crafting new and original content only for it to fall flat and get hidden in a crowded inbox or busy social media scroll faster than you can snap your fingers. How are we supposed to build that audience when the advice doesn't seem to work? Today I'm going to walk you through why weekly content doesn't build demand for your audience and what it actually does for you and your business. With this simple shift you'll finally start to see your weekly content gaining traction. Show Resources:
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| #203: When is the Right Time to Launch Your Course | 06 Aug 2024 | 00:22:33 | |
When is the right time to launch your digital course? Is it in the summer, the fall, January 1, or April 28? This is a reasonable question. You put so much effort into the creation of a truly fantastic and meaningful course that the last thing you want is to scuttle your efforts with a poorly chosen course launch date. Why, then, if this is something that is so important, can you not find a clear answer anywhere? Search Google you get answers that tell you to analyze your course, your audience, and a list of other things. In other words, no straight guidance here. You have two choices to make, you can simply draw a date out of the hat and hope for the best OR you can follow the same guidance that I give my digital course clients when they are wrestling with the question of when to launch. Show Resources:
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| #202: Online Course Creation Launch Success: Revenue vs. Profit | 30 Jul 2024 | 00:23:23 | |
What is your business making? Should you be measuring your revenue or your profit when launching the online course you painstakingly created? A lot of times you’ll see people talking about how they had a 5 figure launch or a 6 figure launch, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. It’s frustrating because when someone lists a number, you don’t know if they are talking about revenue or profit. And as we look for role models, strategies, and ideas to emulate in our own course launches, how do you know what to pay attention to and what to ignore? You could end up choosing a strategy that has you losing money if you aren’t careful. Today I’m going to share with you how to think about the numbers you see being reported on social media, in podcasts, on YouTube so that you can make decisions for your business and digital course that will lead to more profit, more reliably. Show Resources:
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| #201: Digital Course Creation Toughness (Mental Toughness) | 23 Jul 2024 | 00:21:11 | |
Course creation is a marathon not a sprint. Course creation is a long game. We can apply any number of inspirational quotes or mantras to our digital course creation business, but that isn’t going to keep you warm at night. The reality is that knowing course creation and the subsequent success will take time doesn’t protect us from the challenges that will pop up, the exhaustion and frustration that inevitably send us for the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream section at the store, or the bank account that doesn’t seem to have enough to cover our business expenses. So what do we do to get through these times when we are busily working without seeing tangible proof of our progress? We have to develop a mindset that is realistic, rooted in the truth, and ultimately helps us to stay focused and taking the process step by step. Today I’m going to walk you through those concepts that will actually help you to stay mentally tough, but don’t worry, you can still indulge in a case of wallowing when needed. Show Resources:
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| #200: Entrepreneurship is About Persistence | 16 Jul 2024 | 00:19:32 | |
“State of running a business with considerable initiative and risk”. That is the definition of entrepreneurship (dictionary.com). This definition is accurate. You have to show initiative, you have to assume the risk of creating something new, finding an audience who wants to purchase what you’ve created, and then deliver on what you’ve promised. What I don’t see in this definition is the word persistence. And the truth is that persistence is at the foundation of every entrepreneur's journey. It takes persistence to create something new, find the right audience, and then deliver on what you’ve promised. Today, in the 200th episode of the Digital Course Creator Podcast, we are going to talk about the realities of persistence, the actions that can help you generate persistence even when you don’t think you have anything left, and also when it might be time to step away from something because the risk or cost is too high. And, because it can be hard to keep going when it feels like nothing is working or moving fast enough, in today’s Sixty-Second Solution I’m going to share what I do in those moments to pick myself up, dust myself off, and start moving forward again. Show Resources:
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| #199: The Easiest Way to Record your Online Course Videos (Maximum Impact) | 09 Jul 2024 | 00:17:08 | |
You have carefully planned out your digital course. You’ve mapped out the modules, the outcomes, the examples, and the resources. Which leaves you with the actual recording of your online course. All too often this is where the dramatic music that you hear in horror films starts to play because course creators want their course to have an impact. But it feels impossible to know what to do when hitting record. You can choose to stress over the best way to record your course, or re-record your course OR you can follow the three steps that I’m going to share with you today so that you can just get those recordings done and out where your students can learn from your wisdom. And, if tech is something that gets you tangled up when thinking about recording, stick around for today’s Sixty-Second Solution and I’ll share with you the easy solution that most people overlook for creating their digital course recordings. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #198: Creating a Digital Course that Engages: Regardless of Attention Span | 02 Jul 2024 | 00:21:56 | |
Today’s topic is a little controversial and completely practical all in one nice serving. So what makes today’s topic practical? We all want our students and clients to finish the digital course that we have painstakingly created, assembled, and sold. We want them to succeed and eventually become a case study for our business in addition to experiencing the change that we promised. In order to do that we have to make sure our course is engaging. We are going to cover three ways to make your course more engaging. This doesn’t sound controversial, except it is, as I found out in a live stream training I provided this week. I made the comment that attention spans aren’t necessarily shrinking so we do not need to be worried about that when creating our courses. And one listener said that we would need to agree to disagree on that. So down the bunny trail I went into the research and that is where the controversy comes in. We are going to talk about not just 3 ways to improve student engagement, but also how that completion rate might be impacted by attention span, or not. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #197: What makes sense? One-to-One Coaching vs. Group Program vs. Digital Course | 25 Jun 2024 | 00:13:12 | |
What makes the most sense for your business? Building a One-to-One Coaching Offer, a Group Program, or a Digital Course? This is probably something that you’ve been wondering and have seen suggestions telling you why each one of these is THE way to go. But which one makes the most sense for you? After all, our businesses are not a one size fits all concept. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #196: Too Many Ideas & Too Little Time: 3 Tips For Staying Focused on Your Course | 18 Jun 2024 | 00:16:31 | |
The curse and the gift of being a creator is that you probably have a lot of ideas. That is a gift, because you can always create a new offer, adjust an existing lead magnet to better align with client needs, and write those stories that will engage your reader. Sounds great, right? It is, right up until it isn’t. The swirl of ideas also means that you may find it difficult to focus on just one task, one offer, or one idea. The other ideas are crowding in and tempting you to shift gears to something else. What happens as a result is that your tasks remain unfinished and your course remains un-launched. You can keep up this half-finished way of building your business, or you can implement 3 tips for staying focused in spite of the never-ending swirl of ideas. Which path will you choose? Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #195: Entrepreneurship: I think I want to Quit | 13 Jun 2024 | 00:18:18 | |
I think I should just quit now. That is what the digital course creator wrote in response to a comment on their post. I think I should just quit now. In the post this creator shared their numbers around their email list and conversion rates or sales rate for their course. They wanted some help to figure out how many people would need to be on their list to make a certain sales goal. That number felt staggering. We’ve all uttered the words or felt that sentiment that maybe we should just quit before. If you are nodding your head yes, I’d like to invite you to stick around for this unscripted, no holds barred conversation about what it means to be an entrepreneur and dealing with the doubts that creep in. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #194: What comes first: Lead Magnet or Digital Course? | 11 Jun 2024 | 00:14:50 | |
What comes first: Lead Magnet or Digital Course? The question of chicken or egg comes up in every possible scenario, including whether you should have a lead magnet before you have your digital course or if you should just jump in with your digital course. Most marketers will tell you that you need to go ahead and create a lead magnet so that you can build your email list while you then turn and build your course. This seems logical on the surface, but after years of watching this advice play out in the digital space, I don’t know it serves digital entrepreneurs well. Would you rather have a lead magnet out there attracting an audience that isn’t aligned with your core offer or would you rather have a lead magnet that creates a solid stepping stone to your paid offer? Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #193: If You Build the Digital Course, Will They Come? | 04 Jun 2024 | 00:18:08 | |
The digital world is a busy and noisy place, but when we publish our course we still expect people to come flocking. But, we can’t expect someone to find our course without getting out there and raising awareness, helping others to see what impact it will have on their life, and what they have to lose if they don’t make a change. In other words, creating a high-quality course doesn't guarantee success. So what does? The list might feel endless, but what we really need is magnetic messaging and a commitment to mastering our mindset in addition to a solid course design and willingness to stay focused on learning and implementing only the things that matter. Of course, you can absolutely choose to hope for the best or you can roll up your sleeves and dig into the actions that make a difference. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #192: Perfectionism is the Fastest Way to Digital Course Creation Failure | 28 May 2024 | 00:19:41 | |
Building a digital course creation business is full of hoops to jump through, obstacles to avoid, and decisions to make. Perfectionism is the single biggest saboteur of the entrepreneurial spirit and biggest indicator of potential failure as a digital course creator. I know that your intention as a digital course creator is to get your course out to the people who need it the most and make a profit while doing that, but what is the likelihood of that happening if you let perfectionism creep in? There are 3 beliefs that many digital course creators have that will lead to failure and they might not be what you think. Belief number 3 is a bit counter-intuitive so I’ll be sharing more on that one at the end of today’s episode to save you angst and time. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #191: Failed Digital Course Launch. Here’s What to do Next | 21 May 2024 | 00:26:10 | |
Have you ever found yourself getting jealous as you read through social media because you want to post on social media that your course launch was a rousing success? You want to shout from the rooftops that you didn’t just get one sale, but you in fact got more than you planned for AND your audience has grown exponentially. You’ve seen the posts that share that exact news, but when it comes to your launch all you can post is that you had low or no sales after months of effort, a course that is detailed and packed with valuable information, and you even spent money on ads that ended up costing you instead of adding to your bank account. Now, what? Well there are two paths forward. You can throw your arms in the air, proclaim it to be unfair or you can take 5 steps that will help you get back on the horse AND have a different outcome with your next launch. Which will it be? Continued effort to get to the rewards you have on your vision board, or head back to the 9-to-5 job that left you feeling unfulfilled? Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #190: Why You Don't Need a Virtual Assistant | 14 May 2024 | 00:20:29 | |
Among the very first bits of advice you get as a digital course creator, or really as a digital entrepreneur, is to hire a virtual assistant before you think you need one. But hiring a Virtual Assistant, or VA, costs money and at the beginning or middle of your journey that might feel like a luxury instead of a necessity. There are books telling you to Buy Back Your Time, how to hire a VA, and even what tasks you should be outsourcing, but let’s face it. That doesn’t work for everyone. Today I’m going to share with you 5 ways to put off hiring a VA and they are all free! Now, you can go ahead and hire a VA, but I encourage you to consider these ideas first because they are certainly easier on your budget and don’t require you to interview anyone! Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #189: 5 Actions That Create Success as a Digital Course Creator | 07 May 2024 | 00:15:56 | |
Creating success as a course creator is tricky, but it is easier when we borrow other’s blueprint and successes. There is absolutely no reason you should have to create the wheel all by yourself. Being a success in business isn’t about being a one person island, it is about creating shortcuts by learning from what others do. Now, you can do it yourself without anyone else’s help, but that would be like trying to climb Mt. Everest without a guide. Slow and likely unsuccessful. Today I’m going to share with you the 5 things that made the biggest difference in my business so that you can steal them and shortcut your time to success and be sure to stick around to the end because I’m going to share with you how to amplify Action 4 so that it does not become a business liability. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #188: Avoid these 5 Mistakes as a Digital Course Creator | 30 Apr 2024 | 00:16:40 | |
I don’t know about you, but I’ve made some mistakes as a digital entrepreneur. Some cost a lot of money and others cost me time and energy. Regardless of the cost, I’m going to pull back the curtain today on my 5 biggest mistakes so that you don’t have to make them too! Yes, there are some who might say that we need to make mistakes in order to learn, but can’t we also learn from others so that at least we don’t make the same mistakes? We tell our kids that they need to slow down earlier to stop behind the line at a stop sign. We don’t just let them make the mistake and learn for themselves, right? In business we need support from one another so that this journey isn’t any harder or complicated than it needs to be. Today, I’m going to share with you the 5 mistakes that cost me the most in building my business and at the end I’ll be sharing the best way to avoid Mistake 5 to give you an added boost forward. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #187: From Uncertain Course Creator to Becoming a Six Figure Digital Course Creator | 23 Apr 2024 | 00:18:48 | |
You want to have a digital course in your business, but right now you are feeling uncertain whether this is even doable. Maybe you’ve taken courses in the past on how to create a course and felt even more confused and overwhelmed. Or perhaps you’re frustrated with slow or no progress and are feeling nothing but tired and frazzled. The reality is that building a course has a lot of moving parts, including parts that aren’t taught in the big programs on creating courses. All of this leads to that uncertain feeling about the place a course has in your business or if it will even be profitable. Becoming a six figure course creator relies on four key components so that you can finish your course, get sales, have a steady income that leads to six figures and even have time off without business crowding your time and thoughts. Today I’m going to walk you through those four key components and we will wrap up the episode with the best way to implement key component three effectively. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #186: The Secret Behind why StoryBrand isn’t Working for Your Business | 16 Apr 2024 | 00:13:37 | |
You’ve read the Building a StoryBrand book by Donald Miller. You’ve mapped out the 7 parts of the framework, but nothing is changing in your business. People still aren’t finding you. Your email list growth is the same size it has been for three months, the people following you on Facebook and Instagram aren’t your people, and your latest course launch yielded a handful of sales at best. We've all been there. We've read the book and felt like we should be able to figure everything out, but we just get stuck when nothing changes after implementing the 7-part framework. The secret behind unlocking the power of StoryBrand isn’t something that you’ll find in the book, but I’m going to spill the beans on the key today. And at the end of today’s episode, as a StoryBrand Certified Guide, I’ll highlight for you which piece of the 7-part framework I think is the single most important part to nail so that your audience feels seen, heard, and understood. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #185: Should I Invest in a Business Coach? (Getting Help as an Entrepreneur) | 09 Apr 2024 | 00:18:40 | |
If you’ve been on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or really any social media platform at all in the past day you’ve seen countless ads for business coaches. I’ll share with you the exact process I go through when deciding if I need to work with someone 1:1 and in today’s Sixty-Second Solution I’ll share great interview questions you can ask a potential coach so that you can find the perfect match. These are the same questions that I encourage my private clients to ask when they are interviewing me. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #184: How to Overcome Course Creation Paralysis and Finally Launch Your Course | 02 Apr 2024 | 00:16:40 | |
Have you been working on your course for more than 6 months and haven’t launched yet? Do you wonder how you’ll ever get everything recorded when new module ideas keep popping up? Are you still purchasing solutions and courses to help you get to the point of launch and not making visible progress? The truth is that course creation paralysis happens to most course creators at some point and it is the single biggest reason that entrepreneurs fail to successfully add a course to their business. Today I’ll help you figure out what piece of the course creation process is creating paralysis in your business and the steps you can take to finally go from being uncertain to being a Six-Figure Course Creator. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #183: Danger: Ignoring Your Email Subscribers Limits Revenue | 26 Mar 2024 | 00:22:34 | |
Nearly the first thing you hear as a digital entrepreneur is the importance of building an email list. You think. Ok. I can ask people for their emails. No problem. What no one tells you is that simply getting someone on your email list in ActiveCampaign, Mailerlite, or Convertkit is not enough. You have to do something with all of those emails and a LOT of something. When the realization hits home that we have to send emails, we are often faced with indecision, questions, and overwhelm. Clients often ask me, “What do you send in the emails?”, “What is the whole purpose”, and “How often am I supposed to email the people who have trusted me with their email address?” You can stay in this cycle of stuckness or you can decide to make a change and embrace your email list as a meaningful and important part of your business and business success. Today I’ll share with you three mindset shifts that are critical to happier customers who are willing to invest in your product or service. Without this shift your email list will continue to languish and simply generate a bill that you pay each month to an email service provider. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #182: How to Create a Quarterly Plan the Fast Way as a Digital Course Creator | 19 Mar 2024 | 00:15:51 | |
Quarterly planning is upon us and it doesn’t have to take forever. You don’t have to spend weeks creating an elaborate plan for your quarter, because let’s face it. The more elaborate the plan, the more likely it is to fail. Instead, you need a fast way to plan your quarter so that you can get back to serving students, creating new modules, and revising messaging for your business. Today, I’m going to walk you through the 3 steps that I take my clients through and use for my own business. With limited hours to work each week, we have to be focused on action rather than planning. If we spend all of our time planning…nothing will change. Instead, let's focus on creating a strategy that generates action. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #181: Part 2: Top 6 Tools for Creating and Selling Your Digital Course | 12 Mar 2024 | 00:27:54 | |
Too many tools, tech options, learning management systems and decisions lead to overwhelm and stuckness as a digital course creator. In Episode 180 I shared with you 3 of my Top 6 tools for creating and selling your digital course and today I’m going to share 3 more to round out our 6 tools. If you didn’t catch Part 1, be sure to go back and listen when you are done here. With over 15 years of experience in digital courses, I’ve dealt with the ins and outs, ups and downs of the process and choices around technology. My goal is to simplify things for you and save some hair pulling so that you have more time for course development AND your hobbies…even if that means rediscovering hobbies you had to put down while figuring out the tech side of your business. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. *Affiliate Link. I do earn a commission if you join with this link. | |||
| #180: Part 1: Top 6 Tools for Creating and Selling Your Digital Course | 05 Mar 2024 | 00:22:25 | |
There are so many choices out there for digital tools and technology when we build our digital course business. It is downright dizzy-ing! All too often, course creators ask me what technology they need because the process of figuring it out is time consuming, overwhelming, and no one has time to compare 20 different tools when we are wearing all of the hats in our business. As a digital course creator for over 15 years, I’ve gotten to know a lot of the platforms out there and today I’m going to help simplify your search for the right tech tools, and this is not just another recommendation for an AI tool. I’ll share with you 6 of my favorite tools, but to keep this episode short and listenable, I’ll walk you through three this week and three in Episode 181. This will give you time to check out the tools in manageable chunks and to actually make some decisions. Whether you genuinely enjoy spending hours researching tech tools or want a shortcut to getting tech figured out, I’m sure you’ll find something for you inside this episode. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #179: How to Sell Digital Courses Without Paid Ads | 27 Feb 2024 | 00:25:35 | |
I opened the email, and it said that words are the only difference between a 7 and 8-figure business. My immediate reaction was, “Nope!”. But in reality, words impact our business greatly from social media to email language, website to course content, sales pages to webinar slides. Words are critical when we want to sell digital courses without thousands of dollars on paid ads. Words will still matter even if we want to spend thousands on ads. Words impact everything that we do. So is that the only thing that is different between a 7 and 8-figure business? Not necessarily. Still, it is an incredibly important piece that must be mastered, regardless of income level. It is for more than just 6, 7, and 8 figure business owners. It matters even before turning a profit. But how do we get the words working? Based on my 15+ years in psychology and my experience as a StoryBrand Certified Guide. Today I’m going to share 5 adjustments that we can make to any piece of copy so that by the end of today’s episode you’ll be set up to make your messaging more magnetic and not reliant on wasted advertising dollars. And the 3rd adjustment feels the strangest to implement, so I’ll share my favorite way to implement the third adjustment to take away the potential embarrassment that can happen. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #178: 5 Steps to Preventing or Reducing Digital Course Refund Requests | 20 Feb 2024 | 00:25:25 | |
It is frustrating when you have barely finished doing a happy dance over your digital course sale Stripe notifications only to open your email and see course refund requests. Sometimes before the course has even started! How can we live in the excitement and success of the moment if we are dreading the refund requests that we feel are sure to come? In today’s episode I’ll give you 5 steps to minimize the refund requests you receive for your digital course. After all, we want to keep those funds heading from Stripe into your bank account not back into theirs. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #177: The 5 Reasons Your Digital Course Messaging is Failing and What to Do Instead | 13 Feb 2024 | 00:24:46 | |
It is frustrating when you spend hours, weeks, and even months perfecting your course and the messaging only to hear crickets when you put it all out into the world. All too often we create messaging and course content based on a few conversations with our ideal client. We get those first few sales and then everything comes to a grinding halt. There are no more sales or they slow down so far we can’t even call it a trickle of sales. It leaves us feeling unsure about the next steps or even if our course idea is still valid. How are we supposed to figure out what to do when we can’t get any attention from our posts, webinars, and course content? Today I’m going to share with you 5 reasons that this is happening and they all center around the word purpose. Having been in this exact position in the past and helped other course creators through this phase, I can share with you what makes a difference and it isn’t what you expect. In fact, the 4th and 5th reasons are really meta, but I trust that it will be the missing component that brings things together for you and creates a shift in your messaging both in your sales process and in your course itself so that you can bring in happy students who get engaged and stay until the end AND then ask what they can purchase from you next! The 3rd reason that I’m going to share can be tricky to uncover, so at the end of the episode, I’ll walk you through the exact steps that I use to simplify the process and get to the root of the reason faster. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #176: 5 Ways To Fix Your Digital Course Videos So Students Don’t Quit Early | 06 Feb 2024 | 00:25:24 | |
It can be time consuming to edit the videos inside our digital courses trying to make them engaging for our students. Videos are an important part of nearly every digital course these days, but that doesn’t mean that they have to cost a ton of time or money to create and edit. Thank goodness engaging videos aren’t really about our editing skills at all! Today I’m going to share with you 5 tips for editing your video content to be more engaging for your students. These are the same tips that I've been using for over 15 years in my courses and none of them involve video editing techniques. By the end of the episode you’ll have 5 new ways to engage your students with your video lessons. After all, video editing really doesn’t engage your students, it is the content and presentation that draws them in and keeps them learning, so let’s jump into what really matters. And the 4th tip can create a lot of angst for course creators, so at the end of the episode I’ll share my favorite ways to make a course more accessible for any type of learner. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #175: 3 Critical Steps to Getting Started on Your First (or Next) Digital Course without having to backtrack | 30 Jan 2024 | 00:20:31 | |
You’ve finally decided to create a digital course for your business, but when you look on YouTube or do a Google search about what you need to do, there are endless lists that all say something different. Suddenly adding a course doesn’t seem like a good idea, it feels overwhelming and downright messy. The reality is that a lot of people have put together lists of things to do to create a course based on their experience instead of research and proven practices. Creating a profitable course can be your reality and today we will cover the first 5 steps you need to take. Without these 5 steps any course will fail to gain traction and become a profitable piece of a business. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #174: How to Get Students to Finish Your Digital Course | 23 Jan 2024 | 00:22:58 | |
Getting your students to finish your digital course is tricky. In the post-COVID world, it isn’t enough to have an interesting course idea, catchy sales page, and some video modules. Your course has to be designed to not only help students move through the content, but to skip binging Netflix in favor of your lessons. While this isn’t always easy, today I’m sharing 3 ideas that you can implement to boost your course completion rates and have students hiring you again. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #173: AI in Digital Course Creation: Capabilities and Limitations | 16 Jan 2024 | 00:27:02 | |
AI in digital course creation has many capabilities and many limitations. So many people are saying that you can simply put your digital course idea into an AI generator like ChatGPT with a few parameters and it will write your whole course for you. While that is technically true, you won't end up with a digital course that delivers on the course promise, is designed with solid learning principles in mind, and might even have inaccurate information. It is worth the time to create your course without relying heavily on AI. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #172: Busting 5 Common Digital Course Creation Myths | 09 Jan 2024 | 00:27:16 | |
As a digital course creator, it is easy to fall into myth traps as you search Google, scroll on Facebook, and even sink into YouTube videos. There are countless "to-good-to-be-true" stories out there that our brains have trouble alerting us to. In today's episode, I'll walk you through 5 myths to keep your eyes open for as a digital course creator and the truth behind each. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #171: Embracing Change and Refocusing - The Evolution of 'The Digital Course Creator Podcast' | 02 Jan 2024 | 00:10:14 | |
From Entrepreneur Mindset to Digital Course Creator Podcast. Find out how I’ll be supporting you, the Digital Course Creator in 2024 with this podcast. We’ll dive into myths, technology, teaching techniques, launching, and more all with the goal of supporting you more fully. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| Digital Course Creator Podcast | 01 Jan 2024 | 00:01:17 | |
Immerse yourself in the world of course creation with 'The Course Creator Podcast', expertly guided by Dr. Moira, a seasoned psychology professor and course creation expert. Each episode is a journey through the multifaceted aspects of creating, developing, and refining online courses. We cover a wide range of topics including crafting compelling content, implementing effective teaching strategies, selecting the right technological tools, and marketing your courses to attract the right students. Dr. Moira brings over a decade of experience in education and entrepreneurship, combining insights from her academic background with real-world application. This podcast is more than just a series of tips; it's a comprehensive guide to building a successful and impactful course creation business. From addressing the challenges of engaging student interaction to mastering the art of persuasive messaging, the podcast provides actionable insights for course creators at all levels. When you subscribe to 'The Course Creator Podcast' you are joining a community dedicated to excellence and innovation. Each episode promises to deliver valuable knowledge, whether you're in the early stages of course development or looking to scale and expand your offerings. Stay tuned for our weekly episodes, where we dive into new perspectives, explore the latest technologies, and discuss trending ideas in the industry, all while maintaining a focus on mindset, action, and effective messaging. | |||
| #170: Planning for 2024 in Business | 26 Dec 2023 | 00:20:36 | |
Planning for your business in 2024 isn't as simple as setting a few goals and then moving forward. You need to make sure that in your planning you are taking into account your previous year, the goals that will move you toward your business vision, the strengths that you'll use and the challenges that you need to plan around. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #169: Reflect on Your Year as an Entrepreneur | 19 Dec 2023 | 00:23:20 | |
Tired of being told that you need to have all of 2024 figured out before we even hit January? Does it make you feel frustrated, confused, and overwhelmed? What if I told you that a practice of reflection can ease the planning process? In this episode, I’ll walk you through a reflection practice that I use each year in my business. Show Resources: Additional Resources:
Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #168: Entrepreneur: Being consistent isn't working | 12 Dec 2023 | 00:12:13 | |
Using the wrong definition of consistency as an entrepreneur can keep you stuck and your growth nonexistent. The key is to shift your perspective in how you view consistency. In this episode we cover three core ideas around consistency and none of them have to do with a number! Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #167: Entrepreneur Flow: A Plan to Experience Flow | 05 Dec 2023 | 00:19:29 | |
You need a plan to experience flow if you are going to build your business in the new year. The best and biggest leaps forward happen when you are tackling the meaningful actions in your business by balancing your skills and a level of challenge. I'll share 3 steps to take if you are ready to get creative, building your business, and plan your next quarter. Show Resources:
----------------- Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #166: Guest Kelli Risse: Exploring the Entrepreneurial Mindset Personalities | 30 Nov 2023 | 00:31:50 | |
Guest Mindset Expert, Kelli Risse, helps entrepreneurs break through stress and mindset traps in one day so they can have more focus, momentum and money. In this conversation we discuss everything from mindset personalities to simple techniques for alleviating the stress that strikes all entrepreneurs. Show Resources: Connect with Kelli Risse: Additional Resources:
Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #165: Next Steps After Your Course Launch | 28 Nov 2023 | 00:16:11 | |
Launching your course is a big undertaking and it can feel both exhilarating and unsettling all at once. You’ve created this resource that will help people and now it is hard to know what to do next. Today we will talk about what comes after the course launch and I bet you’ll see some similarities to high school science, but in a good way! Show Resources:
Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #164: Messaging for Your Course: Keep it Simple | 21 Nov 2023 | 00:24:19 | |
Messaging for your business doesn't have to be complicated. Too often I see course creators stumble and stop when it comes time to begin posting, writing emails, and drafting sales page because it feels big and overwhelming. When you use the StoryBrand approach, messaging can be simple and light. Show Resources:
Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||
| #163: Slow Down in Your Business to Speed Up: Take Breaks | 14 Nov 2023 | 00:15:59 | |
Don’t wait to take breaks in your business until they are forced breaks. Take regular breaks to slow down and notice the benefits and growth your business (and you) experience. Show Resources: Additional Resources:
Please Note: Dr. Moira was a Certified StoryBrand Guide from May 15, 2022 until July 15, 2024. Any episodes mentioning StoryBrand were recorded during a time when she was certified as a Guide. If you would like to be connected with an active StoryBrand Guide, feel free to reach out as she still maintains contacts within the Guide community. | |||