There’s a strange loop taking over social media right now. Scroll through TikTok, YouTube Live, or Instagram, and you’ll see a parade of “digital marketing experts” promoting their latest PDF guide, online course, or coaching program. What’s it about? Digital marketing. But not the kind that helps actual businesses improve performance, it’s a course on how to sell a course about selling courses. Welcome to the infinite funnel.
Digital Marketing Isn’t New
Some of these influencers act like they’ve discovered a goldmine no one else knows about. They pitch digital marketing as a revolutionary idea in 2025, positioning themselves as hustlers in a fresh, untapped niche. What they don’t realize (or ignore) is that digital marketing has been around for decades. The platforms evolve, but the fundamentals … value creation, targeting, conversion … haven’t changed.
These self-declared innovators aren’t breaking new ground. They’re selling reheated versions of what thousands of others have already given away for free.
What They’re Really Selling
Look closer, and the reality becomes obvious: their primary product is a course about how to sell digital marketing courses. It’s a pyramid of PDFs. There’s no end-user value, no client service, no business utility. The only people buying are others who want to learn how to sell the same thing. It’s a cycle of recycled content, dressed up as entrepreneurship.
And speaking of PDFs, can we talk about format? PDFs are clunky and outdated. They’re horrible on mobile devices, which is exactly where the target audience is consuming this content. Mobile-first design is a basic digital principle that these “experts” seem to miss entirely.
AI Is Fueling the Fire
Generative AI has lowered the barrier to entry. Anyone can now create a slick-looking “course” in a weekend. A few prompts to ChatGPT, some Canva graphics, and suddenly they’re an educator. But speed doesn’t equal value. These courses are often superficial, filled with filler, and built with zero experience behind them.
Instead of using AI just to churn out marketing funnels and PDFs, people should explore the real power of AI, because the possibilities go far beyond course creation and promotion.
You can use AI to:
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Build automation tools that save businesses hours of repetitive work
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Generate tailored customer support scripts and chatbot flows
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Analyze data trends and create reports that drive smarter decisions
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Write and optimize SEO content that actually ranks
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Personalize marketing campaigns at scale based on audience behavior
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Prototype product ideas with AI-generated mockups and user flows
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Translate and localize content for global markets
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Assist with coding, debugging, and software development
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Improve productivity with custom GPT-based tools for internal teams
These are real-world applications that add value to businesses and create opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship.
If everyone is doing the same thing, selling generic AI-generated courses, the competition is brutal, the audience is skeptical, and the product is forgettable. But if you can use AI in creative, practical ways to solve real problems, you immediately stand out.
So if you’re interested in AI, learn to use it as a lever, not a shortcut. Don’t just regurgitate content. Explore, experiment, build, and apply it in areas that matter. There’s never been a better time to learn—and luckily, there are dozens of free and paid resources available to get you started.
Check platforms like:
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YouTube … for walkthroughs, tool reviews, and project builds
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OpenAI’s own docs … for using ChatGPT and API integrations
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Hugging Face … for deep learning models and experimentation
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Subreddits … for real-world use cases and questions
By investing a little time in understanding what AI can actually do, you’ll be equipped to create something far more valuable than another templated course; you’ll be able to solve real problems, innovate, and build something sustainable.
No Real-World Experience
Ask them about client work. Ask them about running real campaigns in industries outside their own funnel. Ask them about SEO for e-commerce, lead gen for a law firm, or managing ad spend for a B2B software company. You’ll get vague answers or a change of subject.
They don’t show results, only revenue from selling the course. That’s not digital marketing. That’s content arbitrage.
YouTube Has It All (for free)
Another inconvenient truth: everything they’re selling is already on YouTube. And usually better. Video walkthroughs, tutorials, case studies, expert interviews, tool reviews, you name it. Free, high-quality, and proven. Why pay for a PDF when you can watch someone build a real campaign step by step?
Branding Over Substance
What these influencers are good at is branding themselves, not marketing products or services. Their skill is in aesthetic curation, posing in front of cars, buying followers, and editing reels with motivational audio. That’s not digital strategy. It’s personal image management.
A Virtual Echo Chamber
The whole scene is one giant echo chamber. They quote each other, reference the same tactics, and spin the same narratives. It creates the illusion of widespread success and expertise, but under the surface, it’s all fluff.
Targeting the Vulnerable
These schemes often prey on those looking for quick wins. Young people, burned-out professionals, and stay-at-home parents are lured in with the dream of passive income. They’re not told that real digital marketing requires learning platforms, testing campaigns, analyzing data, and yes, failing sometimes.
Instead, they’re told: “Download this PDF. Launch your course. Watch the money roll in.” That’s not advice. That’s bait.
They dangle the dream of passive income with bold claims like “quit your job in 30 days” or “start making $10k/month from your phone.” What they don’t show is the reality: real digital marketing is work. It takes experimentation, continuous learning, and a foundation in real business needs.
A common tactic is the “live strategy call” or webinar invite. They advertise it as a chance to speak with an expert, get personalized guidance, and fast-track your success. But in reality, these calls are just polished sales pitches—often pre-recorded or hosted by a generic rep, not the influencer themselves. Once you’ve bought in, that one-on-one mentorship disappears. There’s no expert access, no real feedback, just a maze of generic content and upsells.
To boost their credibility, they also use platforms to host their content, making it look official and extensive. The course dashboards, progress bars, and lesson titles create the illusion of depth. But once inside, you often find shallow videos, recycled templates, and surface-level advice. It’s all presentation, no power.
That said, some do stumble across genuinely useful tools, like a good AI content generator, an analytics plugin, or a productivity hack. These are the real gems, but they’re usually buried in noise. If you’re going to explore this space, your goal should be to extract these scattered nuggets and assemble your own curated toolkit, not to follow someone else’s funnel into a hollow business model.
Also, don’t forget: Google is still your friend. With a bit of effort and some critical thinking, you can find better tutorials, more honest reviews, and more detailed breakdowns from experienced marketers, often from legitimate blogs, agency sites, or established professionals.
Ultimately, you make yourself vulnerable when you buy into the idea that success requires no effort, that you can skip the research, the learning curve, the trial and error. That mindset is the real scam.
Where’s the Real Value?
Real digital products solve problems. They help businesses grow, automate workflows, acquire leads, and improve customer experience. They’re built with purpose and tested in the wild.
Courses that exist only to teach others how to build the same course are empty vessels. They don’t improve operations. They don’t create jobs. They don’t move the needle.
