Why you shouldn’t create a course as your first digital product (and what you should do instead)

[00:00:00] Rene: Hey everyone. Welcome to Your First Digital Product, a show that helps maxed-out service providers create their first digital product so they can gain an additional income stream, grow their impact without increasing one-on-one work and experience more time freedom. On the show, I talk to business owners who have launched digital products and dig deep into how you can create, launch, and market your first digital product. I'm your host, Rene Morozowich. Let's go. 

[00:00:28] Hey friends. Today I want to talk about why you shouldn't create a course as your first digital product and what you should do instead. 

[00:00:36] Let's start with a story. Picture it. Small Town America, a Suburban Middle School, 1991. Give me a shout out if you get that reference. Anyway, I was in gym class and it was the day that we had to run the mile.

[00:00:49] I had never run a mile before. My family wasn't really an exercising family for all the exercise stories I'm probably going to throw at you on this show. My dad was more of the mindset that your body had a limited number of rotations. He was a mechanic and you shouldn't waste them on things like running.

[00:01:07] So there we were in gym class. We went outside and started to run around the front of the school. It was terrible. My lungs were burning. So much burning. Everyone was passing me. I came in second to last at over 13 minutes. The whole thing was awful and embarrassing, not to mention that it made me not want to run again for like the next 20 years.

[00:01:31] Now, maybe a mile doesn't sound like a lot, but I was starting at zero. I had no experience running, no training, and hadn't ever done any exercising of any kind. So back to creating a course, think of yourself at zero and think of the course as the mile. You've never done this before. You have zero experience and zero training.

[00:01:53] It's going to take everything you have to complete it. The distance from where you are to where you [00:02:00] want to be is far, not only for you, but for your audience. Think about the last course you purchased. How much of it did you complete? I actually have a survey about this. I would love to know the answer. Check out the link in the notes.

[00:02:13] Most of us are not only too busy to create a course, but we're too busy to consume the ones we buy. If you are too busy to consume courses you've purchased, then your audience is too. It's overwhelming for them. They don't have the time to devote to it. So you shouldn't create a course as your first digital product because it's too much, too much for you and too much for your audience.

[00:02:35] Then what do you do instead? Think smaller, a quarter mile, if you will. If you've had a course in mind, think about one part of that course that can still help people. What important and specific problem can you solve for your audience? Then how can you package that up? Maybe it's an ebook, a template, a worksheet, or one video.

[00:02:57] What format lends itself best to the content you want to share, and what is most comfortable for you to create. Not only does it take you less time to create, but it takes your audience less time to consume. You get a win by launching. They get a win by actually completing the thing and solving one of their problems.

[00:03:17] And there are other benefits as well. One, you get the experience of creating and launching. This is huge. Often just by doing something for the first time, we're more prepared for the next time, and if we review what worked and what didn't work, we'll be even better prepared next time. Two, your audience gets to buy in a little more easily because the price point is likely lower.

[00:03:39] It's an easier decision for them. Three. And once they consume your content and get that win, they've likely warmed up to you and are ready for your next product. They may even tell you what they need next. And speaking of feedback, the entire feedback process is better with a smaller product. Too many people create a [00:04:00] product without proper validation.

[00:04:03] Wouldn't it be better to find out your idea isn't what your audience wants before you create a whole course around it?

[00:04:08] So to recap, why should you not create a course as your first digital product? Because it's too much. And what should you do instead? Think smaller. If you've been thinking that your first digital product should be a course, think about how you can scale that way back to something that will be quicker to create, and that solves one problem really well.

[00:04:30] What is it? Send me a voice message at yfdp.show/share. The link will also be in the show notes. I can't wait to hear your idea.

[00:04:39] Hey, thanks for listening. I'd love to continue the conversation in your inbox. Email SUBSCRIBE to hey at yfdp.show or sign up in the show notes to get bimonthly emails about how you can create, launch, and market your first digital product. Can't wait to see you there.