Of all the different types of marketing activities your brand could engage in, nothing is as powerful as building an email list.
Amy Porterfield—and her new course, List Builders Society—want to help you build your own.
Email marketing provides a whopping 4200% return on investment (ROI), which means that for every $1 you put into building your email list, you’ll get an average of $42 back.
Because it’s such a valuable source of revenue, there is no shortage of instructors who have created courses around email marketing. Very few, however, have the expertise and experience of Amy Porterfield.
In this review, we’ll tell you if her new course on list building is worth your time.
High-Level Overview of List Builders Society
Amy Porterfield has spent years building brands. One of her keys to success has been developing a strong email list of clients she can sell to over and over again.
While some may know her from her podcast, Online Marketing Made Easy (nearly 50 million downloads and counting), others may recognize her from one of her eight courses. Nearly 45,000 students have taken her flagship course—Digital Course Academy, earning her nearly $30 million in course revenue alone.
Her latest course—List Builders Society (LBS)—already has thousands of student enrollments and is all about attracting your target audience and turning them into email subscribers.
She covers everything you need to know about building an email list, from attracting an audience organically to creating a lead magnet and driving sign-ups.
Overall, here’s what you can expect from her List Builders Society course:
- Three modules that show you how to define and engage with your ideal audience (plus a welcome and follow-up module)
- A three-step framework for getting started with a new list—or kickstarting a stale email list
- A full tech library with videos that show you how to set up your processes no matter which email service provider you go with
Amy offers a few added bonuses—access to list-building Q&A sessions and content-creation modules—in addition to a module on paid ads for those who pay in full when registering.
This is not a course designed to teach you abstract concepts that only apply in theory. Amy has years of experience in online marketing, and her courses are practical and approachable to just about anyone.
What’s Included in List Builders Society?
Considering the fact that email marketing is such a big topic, it’s surprising that Amy can condense such a vast amount of information into just a few modules.
Each module, however, has several lessons each (16 in all), for a total of 15 hours worth of actionable content. Amy has structured her course so that you’ll be able to implement the material in real-time while going through the lessons.
In fact, she even gives you a handy slider to see how long it’ll take you to complete the course, depending on how much time you can devote to learning throughout the week.
Let’s take a peek inside these modules and see what kind of specific topics are covered.
Module 1: Define Your Value and Your Audience
The first module is all about defining your core audience. This is arguably the most important part of the entire process since understanding who you’re talking to plays a big role in whether that email will ever be opened in the first place.
According to Amy, defining your ideal customer avatar is the key to unlocking the real potential of your list. What you don’t want are thousands of people on a list—what you do want are thousands of the right type of people on your list.
Throughout this and other modules, Amy provides audio and video downloads, as well as transcripts of the video for offline usage. When applicable, she also has worksheets and cheat sheets you can print off and use as well.
Module 2: Create Content That Sparks Attention
Next, the focus turns to content creation, or what to actually put in all your emails.
Amy argues that most people suffer from a form of paralysis in which they stare at the screen for a long period of time, unsure of what to write. Her course emphasizes building a content plan that is both effective and sustainable.
A lot of time is spent on developing content that is compelling and makes your customers actually want to open your emails. This includes creating “irresistible” lead magnets and lead funnels that will take your customer from indifferent to engaged as quickly as possible.
Module 3: Attract Your Ideal Customer Avatar
It seems odd that Amy would leave the “attraction” part of list building until the end, but it makes sense. Without a sense of who your ideal customer is and what kind of content you’ll send them, there’s no reason to attract them.
Once you build your foundation, in other words, you can drive traffic.
This module deals with specific attraction strategies that you can use to build your list, especially for new lists. Amy goes in-depth on leveraging your existing network, social media, and search engine optimization (SEO) to drive consistent traffic.
She also talks about how to leverage other platforms and techniques—such as live video—to create a flow of potential subscribers.
Tech Library
If you’re intimidated by the idea of list building from a technical viewpoint, Amy has you covered there. In addition to her practical list-building strategies, she also shows you the how-to of implementing top-shelf funnel software to grow your list.
Just about every type of relevant tactic (and associated software) is covered in this massive tech library. Here are a few that you can expect:
- Lead Magnet Creation (Canva)
- Opt-In and Thank You Pages (Kajabi)
- Setting Up an Automated Email Sequence (ConvertKit)
- Google Analytics and Google Search Console
Most of the instructional videos are less than ten minutes each, which means they’re long enough to tell you exactly what you need to know without getting too technical.
They are also updated whenever changes are made to the platform, so when you buy the course, you’ll also get current instructions on how to set up these systems.
Monthly Q&A Calls With Amy
Also included in the course are monthly calls with Amy Porterfield herself. It’s not a one-on-one call but rather a Q&A where Amy sits in and answers pre-submitted questions live through a Zoom call.
The questions range from beginner to advanced but are all related to list building in some way. Once the conference is over, the audio and video (along with the chat transcript) are uploaded to the page inside the course and stored for at least a month.
Every course purchase grants access to 12 months of these calls, but you do have the option of extending it for another 12 months if you would like to. The cost for that is $297—about $25 a month. Since Amy Porterfield doesn’t even offer one-on-one coaching, this is as close as you’ll get to pick her brain with your specific questions.
Other Bonuses Included in the LBS Program
In addition to all the information you can gain from her course, Amy offers several bonuses that should help you get a jump start on your list-building process.
We’ve already mentioned the monthly Q&A calls, but when you enroll, you’ll enjoy these bonuses as well (depending on when you enroll):
- Batching Brilliance: Creating Stellar Content in Half the Time: Content creation is always a headache, so in this module, Amy shows you how to find content opportunities that you’ve overlooked and generate material in a much more efficient manner.
- Advanced Strategies to Grow Your Email List: If you’re ready to take your list building to the next level, Amy has online marketing strategies that should help. Five strategies in all are covered (besides paid ads), that are more creative and could provide an extra pipeline of subscribers for your business.
- Three-Part Email and Lead Magnet Template Packs: Those who struggle with writer’s block will especially appreciate these template packs since they provide working content examples that you can emulate to create your own. Just change some of the brandings, and you’re good to go
- How to Get Started With Paid Ads to Grow Your Course: Putting paid ads behind your list-building efforts is like adding rocket fuel to your process. You’ll see results in a short amount of time, but unless those subscribers are relevant, it’s just wasted money. In this bonus, Amy shows you how to make every dollar count.
How Is LBS Different From Other Courses?
With so much attention on email marketing from virtually every corner of the digital marketing world, you may be wondering why Amy’s course is any different. After all, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, right?
Truthfully, there are lots of reasons to consider picking up Amy’s course, several of which are described below.
Actionable Advice From a Leading Expert
Amy Porterfield’s name carries a lot of weight in the online world. She’s spent years building her brand using many of the tactics that are described throughout her courses, so you know that if it’s worked for her, it could work for anyone.
But Amy’s work doesn’t just stop at herself. Before she made her name, her day job was as the director of content development for Tony Robbins—arguably the most well-known public speaker in the world. Her strategies have been deployed since she quit in 2009 to help thousands of other students build their dream careers.
The key word, though, is “actionable.” Unlike a lot of other courses, which describe list building in theory, Amy’s course is grounded with checklists, worksheets, follow-ups, and a host of other points that are built in to make you demonstrate progress.
Emphasis on Free or Cheap List-Building Tactics
Many list-building courses center around one or two strategies that, while effective, can cost a lot of money. Those creators who are trying to sell courses from their websites, for example, may have to spend money on software, then invest time in learning it. Adding regular marketing costs on top of that can be too resource intensive.
According to a 2022 study, the average cost per lead for a Facebook ad is $5.83—not absurd, but definitely higher than it has been in years past. As such, the average entrepreneur doesn’t usually have the funds to build up a significant list, especially those who are just starting.
Amy’s course only mentions paid ads as a secondary option. Her main focus is on list building through SEO, content creation, and sharing through networks. All are (relatively) free methods to grow a large, engaged list.
Continuous Updates to Modernize Content
It costs a lot of money to update old content, and it’s a job that many course creators don’t take the time to do properly. In a niche that moves as fast as online marketing, failure to do these updates can mean your course becomes irrelevant in no time.
Amy has made it a priority in her courses to continually update her old content—including the tech library—to demonstrate the latest strategies and advances. As such, you can expect to gain relevant knowledge no matter when you purchase the course.
It’s just one of many reasons why her course has over 25,000 students already and is poised to add thousands more over time.
Personalized Support at Every Step
Building a community for your course is a great way to provide your students with ongoing support. Likewise, when you have a teacher like Amy Porterfield, it’s nice to have the opportunity to learn directly from her, as well.
Her monthly Q&A calls are chock full of valuable information, and it’s a great opportunity to ask questions either about your niche or the process that can help you apply her principles in your own business.
Who Is List Builders Society For?
No one course is right for everyone. Every person is at a different stage in their business, and because of that, they need to consider whether spending time and money on yet another course will really impact their bottom line.
That being said, there are lots of people that List Builders Society is absolutely perfect for:
New Entrepreneurs Who Haven’t Launched Their Brand Yet
Those who are just starting out with their business are usually trying to gain traction. They’re trying to identify their market, find their brand voice, and identify the most effective marketing channels to reach their audience.
Even though List Builders Society is primarily an email-marketing course, Amy discusses the other topics at great length. Her modules on identifying your ideal customer avatar and developing content suited to those people can provide a huge head start over some of your competitors.
Business Owners Who Haven’t Launched a List
If your business has been moving along for a while now, then chances are you already have most of the demographic information you need. Amy’s course will help you sort through all that information to speak more directly to your audience.
Additionally, think of an email list as yet another marketing channel to add to your lineup. Your brand already utilizes other methods to drive traffic to your business, so adding an email list is another powerful way to attract potential customers.
Those Needing a Way to Continually Engage Their Customers
In the age of social media, brand building is more about the people behind the brand than the company itself. People don’t want to be sold to; they want to connect and identify with the companies they buy from.
An email list is one of the best ways to do that. In it, you can share information about your company, your upcoming promotions, your social initiatives—anything you think your audience may be interested in.
Those Who Want to Primarily Use Social Media for List Building
There’s no question that social media is one of the best ways to grow your email list, but trying to navigate every platform’s algorithm can be tricky. In List Builders, Amy goes through current strategies like Facebook Live and Instagram stories to help maximize your reach.
She also brings in outside experts to help with certain portions of this, like Salome Schillack for Facebook and Instagram ads. Even though this is not a course about social media, there’s no question you’ll pick up valuable tips along the way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Final Thoughts
If you’re on the fence about using an email list for your business, you owe it to yourself to at least try out a course like Amy Porterfield’s List Builders Society.
She offers practical, efficient techniques that can take your business to another level, and she communicates the concepts in a way that just about anyone can understand.
We hope you found this review of Amy’s List Builders Society helpful. Please leave us a comment below if you have any further questions or feedback.