You’ve got a course. You’ve got testimonials. But no one’s seeing it.

If you’ve ever felt like your incredible offer is just sitting in a corner of the internet gathering dust, this episode is for you. I’m joined by Zach Spuckler, marketing strategist and host of Not Your Average Online Marketing Podcast, who pulls back the curtain on what actually works when it comes to running Meta ads to build your audience and grow your course-based business.

Zach brings 10+ years of experience and breaks down the difference between ads that waste money and ads that grow an email list of the right people - without needing a $10K funnel or a million views.

We get into the realistic starting budgets, how to know if your leads are quality, when to DIY and when to hire, and why the long game is your best bet.

🔍 In this episode:

• Why boosting a post is not the same as running an ad, and what to do instead
• The three types of ads (and why course creators should start with lead gen)
• How to tell if your ad leads are actually worth the money
• A behind-the-scenes look at real numbers: ad spend, list size, conversion windows
• When it’s too early to hire an agency, and what to know before you do
• Why email lists beat social media algorithms when it comes to selling your course
• What not to believe about $37 funnels and the myth of passive income

📌 Mentioned in the episode:

• Zach’s Bootcamp – A 5-day experience for creating your first Meta ad campaign
• Not Your Average Online Marketing Podcast – Zach’s podcast, including his take on the passive income myth
• The Build Lab – Shannon’s community for course creators who want to build high-quality, high-impact programs
• Zach Spuckler on Instagram
• Zach's website - Heart Soul Hustle

🎧 Listen now if you’re:

• Wondering whether ads are worth it (especially with a small list or tight budget)
• Tired of being invisible online and want to build a consistent audience
• Thinking about hiring help but aren’t sure if you’re ready
• Curious about how real course creators use ads to grow their email list and community

Your course deserves to be seen. This episode will help you get it in front of the people who need it without wasting your time or money.

➡️ Subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tag @shannonlboyer with your biggest takeaway!

Get started on your own course creation journey or learn how to make your existing course even better at The "Your Best Course" Build Lab, my interactive and supportive online community.

To get started creating your own online course, check out my new freebie that will take you through the steps of choosing a topic that will be profitable for YOU.

To be in the know about new offerings and opportunities, make sure you sign up for my newsletter.

This podcast is produced, mixed, and edited by Cardinal Studio. For more
information about how to start your own podcast, please visit www.cardinalstudio.co
or e-mail mike@cardinalstudio.co

Once upon a time, online communities were alive - buzzing with conversation, collaboration, and connection. But lately, many of them feel... quiet. Too quiet.

In this episode, Shannon pulls back the curtain on what’s really happening in online spaces that once thrived, and why the problem isn’t spam, it’s silence. She explores how community “rules” designed to protect authenticity may have accidentally stripped it away, leaving creators and entrepreneurs unsure how to show up, share, or sell without guilt.

From her own experience running The Classifieds, a thriving Skool community where promotion and collaboration coexist beautifully, Shannon reveals how a new wave of community design is making it possible for entrepreneurs to be both genuine and visible.

You’ll hear:

• The hidden reason engagement has dropped across online spaces
• How well-meaning guidelines often stifle connection instead of fostering it
• Why Skool’s model is changing the game for course creators and community builders
• Real stories of collaboration and generosity that prove business and community can grow together

If you’ve ever wondered how to revive the soul of your online community, or how to talk about your business without breaking “the rules”, this episode will change how you see what’s possible when authenticity and entrepreneurship finally get to coexist.

🎧 Listen now to discover why a community that sells isn't necessarily a sell-out.

Mentioned in this Episode:

• Join The Classifieds on Skool
  
  
• Check out Skool (affiliate link)

Get started on your own course creation journey or learn how to make your existing course even better at The "Your Best Course" Build Lab, my interactive and supportive online community.

To get started creating your own online course, check out my new freebie that will take you through the steps of choosing a topic that will be profitable for YOU.

To be in the know about new offerings and opportunities, make sure you sign up for my newsletter.

This podcast is produced, mixed, and edited by Cardinal Studio. For more
information about how to start your own podcast, please visit www.cardinalstudio.co
or e-mail mike@cardinalstudio.co

Ever felt like you’re sitting on a mountain of valuable content (tutorials, workshops, PDFs, maybe even entire slide decks), but you have no idea how to turn it into a structured, sellable course? You’re not alone.

In this episode of The Art of Online Course Creation, Shannon sits down with Alexis Galloway, founder of So Sweet Academy and a creative entrepreneur who went from stitching for fun to building a full-fledged online business teaching machine embroidery to beginners. But Alexis’s journey wasn’t a straight line.

She started, like many creators do, by sharing her passion and answering questions one by one… until she found herself repeating the same explanations over and over. That’s when she realized there had to be a better way - a way to multiply her impact, streamline her teaching, and scale her business beyond one-to-one conversations. Enter: online courses.

But as Alexis discovered, creating a course isn’t just about recording tutorials and uploading them to a platform. Her first course (though successful on the surface) lacked the structure, intentionality, and learning journey that students truly needed. The result was confusion, repeated questions, and missed transformation.

In this honest and inspiring conversation, Alexis opens up about:

• The mindset shift from hobbyist to business owner and the pivotal moments that sparked her evolution.
• Why her first course made her cringe and how refining the structure changed everything.
• The biggest mistake most creators make with existing content (and how to fix it).
• How adding coaching and real-time support took her course from “nice to have” to life-changing.
• The essential (and often overlooked) parts of course creation that separate scattered content from true transformation.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by your own ideas, or if you’re wondering how to turn your expertise into something that actually gets results, this episode is packed with insight, honesty, and actionable wisdom.

🎧 Tune in to hear how Alexis transformed a messy vault of tutorials into a profitable, purpose-driven program, and how you can do the same.

Connect with Alexis here:

https://www.facebook.com/Sewsweetacademy https://www.youtube.com/@sewsweetacademy https://www.instagram.com/sewsweetacademy

Get started on your own course creation journey or learn how to make your existing course even better at The "Your Best Course" Build Lab, my interactive and supportive online community.

To get started creating your own online course, check out my new freebie that will take you through the steps of choosing a topic that will be profitable for YOU.

To be in the know about new offerings and opportunities, make sure you sign up for my newsletter.

This podcast is produced, mixed, and edited by Cardinal Studio. For more
information about how to start your own podcast, please visit www.cardinalstudio.co
or e-mail mike@cardinalstudio.co