3 builders who never spoke to each other

Cut the free course out of work you already published

Old posts, chapters and videos are the raw material, so the course costs editing time rather than writing time. It can also go live unfinished, because an automation that counts each subscriber's days will backfill lessons you add later, and shipping it is what makes it earn.

The method

1. 01

   Assemble the email course out of work you have already published, cutting blog posts, book chapters or video into lessons rather than writing from scratch.

2. 02

   Launch the email course before it is written: an automation that tracks each subscriber's day count will backfill lessons you add later.

3. 03

   Build the follow-up email course out of sections of the product itself, alternating teaching with soft and hard pitches, and leave it running

4. 04

   Ship the onboarding course unfinished and keep adding to it every few months: waiting for it to be perfect is why most people never turn one on

5. 05

   Turn the giveaway resource into a drip email course and put it on the product site as the lead magnet, so it keeps collecting addresses after the post is over.

What it returned

• 2,000

  A course with over 2,000 subscribers that he kept adding lessons to over several months

• Blog posts, books, videos and existing longer courses are all named as source material to repurpose.

• The sequence has been unchanged for over a year and still sells books every week

• Improvements he names: adding a newly written piece, adding testimonials to the pitch emails, and tightening the calls to action

Sources

• Email marketing systems for professional bloggersNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · A few tips for your onboarding course · 2015-04-16
• The complete guide to making a full-time salary from one bookNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · 4 ways to continue promoting your book · 2014-08-06
• Driving ongoing book sales with a sample chapterNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · Building it in ConvertKit · 2013-09-25
• Email Courses: Types, Tips, Examples - Trends.vcDru Riley · trends.vc · What are the benefits of email courses for creators? · 2023-06-21
• Am I becoming a marketer?Luca Restagno · solopreneurtofreedom.com · Lead magnet · 2024-02-25