DCA was a disappointment
I signed up for Digital Course Academy in 2024 and it has been a waste of money for me personally.
To be clear, DCA is partly about how to create course content and partly about marketing and selling your course using email marketing funnels, webinars and scarcity/urgency tactics.
I've since learnt that so much of Amy Porterfield's tactics are the same as (if not based on) Russell Brunson's work, who openly boasts marketing tactics based on Cult Psychology and propaganda. She has also had him on her podcast. From an ethical point of view, I'm not OK with this approach.
You need to be willing to copy her exactly and spend a lot of time doing social media marketing and newsletters, this is a business model that felt like a recipe for burnout. I tried to give this course an earnest go, but it wasn't sustainable. I also think that people are tired of being bombarded with emails. I hate being on the receiving end of them myself.
If you don't already have a relatively good understanding of how to use social media, websites, newsletters, apps like Canva, etc, you will struggle. A lot of people who joined my cohort didn't already have basic social media marketing skills and felt overwhelmed and left behind. In 2024 Amy launched a "Start from Scratch" pathway which made it sound like beginners would be just fine on DCA, but they don't teach you how to use the tools. They just tell you to build a mailing list (with regular social media content) and a workshop.
You should know that the FB groups are closed after the initial live period (I think it was 3 months?) and support is very limited, you can pose questions in that time and Amy might address it in the Q&As but there are too many people for her to address all. Lots of people started accountability groups together, including me, but mine didn't last for long because people were lost. You are invited to sign up for the Momentum membership for ongoing support but who knows how much support you actually get.
For those who are already confident with social media, newsletters etc, the course content is really overly simple and I found there was nothing new to learn. The topics include things like defining your course topic, client avatar, transformation statement, pricing, launch date. You are also taught how to use AI a lot - she says for help with ideas and structure only, not the actual content. I don't like AI, but I did try it using her prompts and to be honest ChatGPT probably could have coached me through the whole process without the need for DCA.
After one year I was emailed and informed that the course bonuses were being deleted from our library, so not everything is lifetime access.
I feel the need to balance my review by saying, I don't have a problem with the way the course is priced. I understand consumer psychology, people have a tendency to appreciate things they invest more money in and I am happy to invest money in things I value. I was also not naive, of course she is suggesting partners and platforms which she is an affiliate for. But I didn't learn anything, it's just a step-by-step formula to sell courses in the same way she does (ie. with a lot of hype) and my ethics don't agree with her approach.

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