#129 - Build a Digital Product That Lasts: High-Converting Lead Magnets + Your 6-Week Summer Camp Plan

Are you spending hours creating social media content that disappears in a day?

In this episode of the Mindset to Market podcast, Deborah Smith introduces Summer Camp—a free six-week business-building series designed to help purpose-driven entrepreneurs create one meaningful digital asset before the end of August.

Whether you're considering a lead magnet, private podcast, online course, workshop, quiz, email course, membership, toolkit, or another digital product, this episode will help you choose the right project based on your business goals—not what's trending online.

Inside this episode you'll learn:

• Why digital assets outperform disposable social media content
• The highest-converting lead magnet ideas for today's online businesses
• Four powerful questions to help you choose the right digital product
• A simple six-week roadmap to build, launch, and promote your asset
• How to create something that continues generating leads, sales, and authority long after it's finished

If you've been sitting on a course idea, workshop, free resource, or membership you've never quite finished, this episode is your invitation to finally bring it to life.

Ready to build alongside me this summer?

Become a SummerCamp VIP! 

I have a limited number of spots for hands-on support in Summer 2026. VIP includes 2 (60 min) strategy sessions plus text-based messaging to help you nail the perfect project, flesh out your timeline and position your messaging so your digital asset truly converts!

Learn more and join VIP.

Don't want to miss an episode? Join my weekly email list for project updates at DeborahCSmith.com.

Mindset to Market is a Luminous Creative Production. If you'd like to learn more about our business coaching program and group coaching container, please visit us online at DeborahcSmith.com.

Mindset to Market is produced by Deborah C. Smith and designed to inspire and support big-hearted creatives in finding their own unique path, building a sustainable business, and creating financial, spiritual, mental wellness and abundance.

🎉 Work with Deborah Learn More
💕 Visit Deborah online at DeborahCSmith.com
💕 Follow on the 'Gram. @deborah_smith_coaching

Transcript

What's up, rock stars? Can I make you a little offer? Instead of spending the rest of your summer chasing the algorithm, what if you spent the next six weeks creating one thing, one asset that could continue bringing people into your business long after Labor Day passes? Not another Instagram post, not another Canva graphic, and not another "I'll finally get to that someday" idea that just sits in your notes app. But I wanna help you create a meaningful business asset, one project, one clear outcome, because here is something that I know for sure. Those posts that are short form content that take forever to create but then are gone in just a second, they disappear, and sometimes they're relevant for 60 seconds, sometimes they're relevant for 24 hours, and then they're gone. Whereas assets compound. They continue to work for you week after week, month after month, and in some cases, year after year. So today I'm gonna kick off something that I call Summer Camp, and whether you're officially joining me or just listening along each week, my hope is that by the end of August you will have built something that makes your business stronger than it was in July. So stick with me 'cause I'm gonna break it all down in this episode. Hey there, welcome to the Mindset to Market podcast, your go-to space for practical tools and solutions to the everyday challenges of being a creative and soulful entrepreneur living in a material world. I'm your host, Deborah Smith, a holistic business coach and marketing strategist with 17 years of experience. I help my clients bust through mindset blocks and learn daily marketing practices that balance personal wellness with financial growth and impact. I'm here to offer you support with creativity, mindset, practical how-tos, and getting into imperfect, messy action so you can experience daily breakthroughs as you grow. If you're a purpose-driven entrepreneur building an online business, you're in the right place. Let's dive in. Hey, friends. Welcome to the Mindset to Market Podcast. I'm Deborah Smith. I am a business strategist, I'm a marketing mentor, and I'm the creator of Soul Aligned Systems. And that is the business where I help simplify marketing for my clients so that businesses can grow in a way that actually feel good to run and don't burn you out. We pay a lot of attention to how we feel, and we set up foundations for, for our businesses that incorporate wellness planning, et cetera. And so this episode is dropping on July 7th, 2026, and the good news is that you can listen to this anytime, and everything that I'm creating and that I'm gonna roll out over the next, uh, series of six to seven weeks is gonna be relevant any time of the year. But if you're listening to this in real time, you are in luck because it is the very beginning of a six-week sprint that I'm calling Summer Camp. So for a lot of people, July feels like a month where business slows down. Clients are traveling, your kids are home from school, everyone says they're gonna get serious again in September. But personally, I think summer is one of the most powerful seasons for an entrepreneur, specifically for solopreneurs, to build something. Not because you have to hustle and dive into these two months and really, like, make it happen, but because you finally have a little bit of space to be intentional. So with that space and with that, I wanna invite you into a six-week experiment. First and foremost, what is Summer Camp? So for the past four years, I have run a private summer camp program. It's been eight weeks long, and in that eight weeks, we followed a seven-week project timeline. I'm gonna condense that into a six-week project sprint, and I'm gonna l- roll those, um, each step out here on the podcast. So week after week, you can follow along and work on this asset, this business asset with me. Your only job is to choose one digital asset and finish it. And I'm gonna help you get to that finish line by the end of August. So if you follow along th- with the series, you should be able to get this done, and that's it. That's all you have to do is choose one asset. Not five assets, not 12 things. We're not doing a multifaceted project that's like a website with a bunch of different funnel pieces. It's just one digital asset Because after years and years of coaching entrepreneurs and working with women building businesses, what is very clear to me is that people do not have a problem coming up with good ideas. They have a problem actually taking action on them and completing them, and they have a problem with shiny object syndrome. And I'm guilty of having done this myself, so these project timelines and containers where you just focus on one thing, they're really helpful because you're gonna just put on blinders to all the other shiny objects and stick with the program for the, you know, for the rollout of these next six weeks, and you're going to actually complete this project. So we're surrounded by half-written courses and unfinished PDFs and podcast ideas and membership concepts, lead magnets, websites, funnels. It's all waiting for when things calm down, when you have a little bit of space, after that first client gets onboarded, after you finally, you know, launch the other thing that you're doing. But that's where things get really messy. So what if, what if this summer became the season that you actually finish one of those ideas? And if you talk to any of the women that went through summer camp last year with me or the year before that, you will tell ... They will tell you that they all finished their projects because I was holding them accountable and helping them make decisions. So let's get really clear on what this is about so that you can decide if this is for you. Um, spoiler, it is for you if you have a-- if you want to create a digital asset. But let's define digital asset. So a digital asset, it's anything that you create once that continues creating value after you're done building it. You build it once, and you can sell it many times because it lives in a digital format So some examples are a private podcast. I have a private podcast that I created three or four years ago that anytime I see somebody online say that they have the problem that this private podcast solves, I send them the link, and that very frequently leads to clients for me. So private podcast, great example. A workshop, something that you can teach once and then share the digital video, the replay over and over and over again. A quiz, an email course, something that rolls out in a series of emails. It's a digital format. A toolkit, something that you can create that has a link to a bunch of different resources around one niche topic or problem. A template, a swipe file, a challenge that you're going to run maybe live the first time and then record everything and have it stay in digital format. A paid mini course, that's another asset that I, I spent a couple of months creating last year, and it's been wonderful in terms of filtering and inviting new clients into my world. So a paid mini course is another digital asset you could consider. Um, a newsletter, right? Just really getting your newsletter really robustly clear and, and figure out who it's for and how you wanna house it and share it A community space, an online community where you can invite people to work with you week after week. A resource library, a calculator. Um, one of my clients created this incredible tax dashboard that she sells. Really good example of a digital asset that continues to serve her over and over and over again. Whatever you choose that you wanna work on, I just want to make sure that you're picking one thing as it relates to this series so that you can really focus on it and get it done. Now, some of these are going to generate leads. Some of these generate revenue. Some just build authority. Some do all three of those things. So the point isn't which format you choose, the point is that you're creating something that continues working for you after you have gone to sleep at night, while you're on vacation, while you're out playing in the leaves with your kids or swimming or, you know, taking care of your wellness or doing something that you just enjoy, a hobby, and your business is still, you know, working for you because it's got online digital assets that are helping to move the needle for you. So unlike social media posts, these digital assets have a lifespan that lasts lot longer than short-form content. So, and just to drive that point home, here's the distinction that's been changing how I think about marketing in general. Posts that you make on social media, even though they might live on your grid or, you know, be searchable, they're, they're temporary in the s- in the sense that people looking at social channels are looking at whatever is popping up in front of their face in that moment. Whereas your asset, your digital asset can compound. One thoughtful workshop that you design really strategically might generate clients for years to come. One excellent quiz could introduce literally thousands of people to your work, you know, versus a post that you make that might be seen by a couple of people unless you go viral, which is really hard to do. One private podcast could nurture somebody while you are out doing something else, while you're in your garden, while you're shopping, whatever. Walking the dog, you're on vacation. So the goal isn't to become a content machine Right? The g- the goal is to have assets that continue to work for you while you're living your life. So that's what we're gonna do inside Summer Camp. Okay, so what should you build? I wanna really get into the possibilities here. So this is probably the biggest question that people have kicking off. Everyone wants to know what is gonna convert right now. Is it a PDF? Is it a challenge? Are... You know, communities are super hot because people want contact with their guide. Quizzes. Is it private podcasts? Is it a mini course? And honestly, the answer is probably yes to all of those things, because the highest converting lead magnet or digital asset isn't gonna be determined by the format that it takes. It's determined by what best fits your business model. So the best lead magnet for you is the one that solves the right problem for the right person and naturally leads them towards your paid work. So instead of asking what's trending right now, like, what is everybody else doing, I have four much better questions that you can ask yourself to prepare for this. Okay, so here come those four questions. So if you are excited about this idea, if you're excited about Summer Camp, and you're gonna be following along and participating, then definitely jot down these questions or hit pause or whatever so that you can answer these questions as you're choosing your digital asset. So question number one: What do people ask you over and over again as it relates to your niche or your business? And, like, if you answer the same question week after week, there's probably an asset hiding in there. You can build a digital asset to help answer that question in a very effective way so that when people say, "Hey, what is the answer to this question?" You can say, "Oh, I have a link to a digital asset that answers that question for you." And then you're now in a conversation with them where they can jump onto your mailing list. So what do people ask you over and over again? Like, what do people come to you for? Question number two: What could save your client hours of their time? Right? People don't just want information, they want momentum, they wanna condense or compress time. They wanna save time. It's a very compelling reason to get, to get a digital asset from somebody is that you're gonna be able to save them time. So what, what do you ... What could you offer that can save your client hours of their day? That's a fabulous springboard for the type of digital asset that you can create. Question number three: What would let someone experience your expertise before they hire you? So for this, I just want you to think about, like, confidence is built through experience. Like, we ... As we get better at doing something, we become more confident. So what would let somebody experience your expertise before they hire you? The goal there is not to just rest on your copywriting and the claims that you make that you can get them the result, but actually give them a taste And question number four is what naturally leads into the thing that you actually sell? So if you're a coach and you offer a coaching program or a one-on-one session, then let's reverse engineer the digital asset you're gonna create from the thing that you are going to sell over and over again. This is the part that a lot of people skip, and it's to me the most obvious thing, but you'd be surprised. So your free resources shouldn't end the conversation. You want that to be the beginning of a conversation. It should be the beginning of a relationship. If your paid offer is, you know, a service provider role where you help them do their taxes, then your lead magnet should be something that educates them about a way you can save them time with the, with the service you provide, right? So if your paid offer is coaching, then perhaps your lead magnet should help someone experience a little bit of your coaching. That would be potentially, you know, a three-day challenge or that private podcast I mentioned earlier. If you sell a membership, then give them a taste of the community. Could it be a free month or, you know, a way to give them a, a little taste of what's inside your community? For example, one of my clients built a community where she hosts these sound baths, could-- And she gives away a sample audio of what a sound bath is, so that they can understand what they would be getting if they join that community. Um, if you're selling strategy, let them experience one strategic shift. What is a digital asset you can create that helps them experience one strategic shift? So for question four, it's what naturally leads into the thing that you already sell. Everything should feel like just a really natural next step. Okay. Now, you're thinking about your digital asset. I'm gonna give you time. You're gonna have this entire week until we actually start next week to really think about what digital asset is gonna be the project that you're gonna focus on for this series. And I'm gonna give you a little roadmap of how summer camp is gonna work. So here's how the next six weeks are going to roll out if you continue to join on the journey and listen to these episodes. Um, week one is gonna be really choosing that, that product. I'm sorry, that digital asset. So you're gonna do some research. You're gonna commit to one thing. No building yet. We're just gonna make a really smart decision. Um, I love to do research. The data does not lie. And so a lot of people have good ideas, but then they don't really check to see if that's what their community wants or is hungry for. So in the research phase, you're gonna pick something, and then you're gonna have conversations with real people who are really in your audience who really might want the digital asset that you're really gonna create. We're not gonna do this in a vacuum. You're gonna do this with real- you know, actual user content and data. So we make smart decisions in week one. Week two, we're gonna clarify what that digital asset will actually be. We'll define the transformation that it provides. We're gonna name it, we're gonna outline it, we're gonna keep this so simple, and you're gonna have a rough draft of the complete asset as it were on paper, right? In week three, we're actually gonna build the thing. So we are gonna do this without perfectionism and without ego. We're not gonna redesign your logo. We're not gonna get super, like, you know, into the weeds of branding and all that stuff. We're gonna just create the thing that you actually are gonna offer to people. So-- And trust me when I tell you I can help you get this done quickly, because I know so many people get that really shiny object syndrome that starts catching you up in all the weeds. But that's why we're doing this in a project container, so that you will have me as a coach and a guide to keep you on track. So in week three, you're gonna hit record, you're gonna start working on, you know, the content itself. You're gonna put the actual thing, the product together Then in week four, once you have the thing done, we're gonna build the customer journey that leads to it. So that looks like oftentimes a landing page, a delivery system, maybe a welcome email, a very simple automation if you're using email marketing, uh, platforms. If not, I can help you set up with a free account. Nothing fancy, just really intentional delivery. So this can be so simple, you guys. At first, you do not need all the bells and whistles. You know, your product can probably be delivered on a Google Doc. Even if it's a video, you can h- house it for free on a YouTube channel and have a private link that you send to people in the DMs. You can have a one-page Google Doc that explains what it is and delivers the thing and explains how to use it. This does not need to be complicated. If you have automation systems set up, you'll set up a very simple automation to deliver the product, okay? And then in week five, we start to get visible. So now we're ta- talking about, uh, content and talking about the digital product that you've created because you now have actually something to talk about, right? So we're gonna create stories around it. We're gonna send some emails. We're gonna send some posts and do some of the behind-the-scenes stuff that it takes to create the invitation to actually experience your new digital asset. And then in week six, you're actually going to launch this thing. You're gonna share it to the public, invite people to check it out, collect feedback, refine it a little bit, figure out where the kinks are in the system, run some water through the pipes and see where it's leaking, right? And celebrate that in six short weeks you have a really cool digital asset that you can share with the world and that will continue to work for you long after August has passed. So once again, if you follow along with the series that's gonna be rolling out over the course of the next six weeks, each week will be another step in the process. And by the end of six weeks, you'll own something that you didn't have in July that you can use, hopefully, that will still be working for your business a year from now, two years from now. And I will just give you a quick little anecdotal story of why I know this... I mean, besides that I have multiple digital assets that continue to bring me new clients, um, one of my favorite stories and examples of how powerful this can be is about six, seven years ago, I designed a little mini course called Green Smoothies 101. This was coming off of closing my juice bar and my wellness company. I wanted to have some digital assets that sort of packaged up my knowledge so I didn't just completely abandon all the work I had done. And so I designed two or three little mini courses, and they live on the internet. Anyone can buy them. I then made a series of recipe videos that's on YouTube, and I just let it ride. I, I haven't even logged into that account now in well over two and a half, three years. But every single month, that little mini course gets sales because the YouTube channel still continues to pop up. I can check the numbers and see that people are watching these videos. I made evergreen content with very simple plant-based recipes, and it leads to this Green Smoothies 101 course. And so I get repeat sales month after month on something that I haven't even looked at in well over two and a half years. Like, I really don't even remember the last time I logged in and it's just evergreen content that lives on the internet and people find it, and I don't promote that anymore. My brand has completely pivoted. I don't even talk about that anymore in my online short form content, but it's out there making me money. So that's what we're talking about here. We're talking about digital assets that continue to serve A, a client out there that has a problem that you can solve year after year after year and accrue and compound value for you. Now, if you're listening to this and you're thinking, "I know exactly what I wanna build, I just don't wanna do this alone. I really want to have somebody else's eyes on this. I want feedback and, you know, a little more structured support," then I am offering a small VIP version of summer camp. Um, this isn't gonna be another giant coaching program where there's, like, hundreds of people and everybody's posting constantly. What I'm gonna do instead is simply offer two sessions with me, two strategy sessions, one at the beginning and then one at the end. So the one at the beginning is gonna help you choose the right project, map it out, make sure that you're building something that actually supports your business goals. And then the one at the end will help to refine it together before you actually put it out into the world and make sure it's tracking and it's gonna do what you want it to do. So you would think of me as your architect, helping you build this house, helping you build this digital product, product, and helping make sure that the foundation is solid so that it really does work for you. If that sounds like exactly the kind of support that you have been looking for, um, you will find all of the details about that in the show notes, and I will be very, very happy to help you bring your project to life. Um, the other thing that I'm gonna offer to everyone who does the VIP version of this is the in-between will have a text messaging group app. So there, there will be some opportunity to ask questions as the weeks unfold, and everybody will get a PDF version of the project timeline, of course. So in order to get involved in that, just message me. Um, again, I'm putting the information in the show notes. You can send me an email at hello@deborahcsmith.com, D-E-B-O-R-A-H-C, like the letter C, like the word cookie, um, S-M-I-T-H dot com. And again, that will be in the show notes, so you can easily grab that. Shoot me an email, let me know you're interested, and I will check in with you, make sure I feel like I can support you, and we'll take the next step. And if you are thinking, "I'm not sure I wanna do VIP, but I don't wanna miss a single episode in this series," then get on my mailing list so you will be the first to know when each episode drops week after week. And so you can simply follow the podcast online. Um, make sure to click follow and you'll, it'll just automatically populate in your streaming service. But if you're not on my mailing list, grab the email list, be- get on there because, um, that... I'm gonna send, of course, support emails that go along with each episode. Okay, I'm very excited about this. Um, it's a brand-new way for me to share this support, and I think it's gonna be a fun summer project. So I'm gonna leave you with one final thought. We spend so much of our time, aye, aye, aye, creating things that just disappear. The posts, the stories, the videos, the reels, the following the algorithm, all- the notifications, all the things. But every once in a while, we need to create something that stays, something that continues to teach, continues to serve, keeps opening conversations for people, keeps creating opportunities for you and your business to grow. So that is what I hope and my intention to help you build this summer. One focus project, six very intentional weeks, and one asset that you're gonna be grateful that you created this time next year. All right? So thank you for listening. Thanks for spending a little piece of your day with me. This is the beginning. I will see you next week for week one of summer camp. In the meantime, if you're interested in the VIP option, I encourage you to get in touch with me right away because there's a limit am- a limited amount of space for that as it's, you know, private coaching session. So, um, I think those strategy sessions will help people who want to have guidance from someone who has launched over 100 successful digital assets between myself and my clients. Super proud of that. And that's basically it. I'm really excited about this. I know it's a brand new way for me to share this, um, type of support. So, and just know I'm always doing this work alongside of you. I'm literally building alongside of you. I'm, every Tuesday throughout August, we're gonna have one step after the other and move one step closer to launching something meaningful. So it's a, think of it as a challenge, think of it as a series, however you wanna think of it, but think of it as an opportunity for you to focus in and get something done. All right, my friends, until next week, drop me a line, let me know what you're working on, and I cannot wait to get this thing started. And until then, may you be vibrant