Matt D. Smith, or, MDS, as he's mostly known on the internet, is a designer, who runs the cohort based UI design course Shift Nudge (enrolment opens by the way June 3rd).
I've never taken the course myself but if designing would be part of my income streams, that's the first resource I'd turn to. In fact, I hear it's so good, that even as a developer, I have to battle my inner FOMO demons every time MDS opens the doors.
But anyway, enough about Shift Nudge. I want to quickly highlight a few things I've noticed about the new course Matt just published two weeks ago: Figma 101.
I think that course is one of the most perfectly executed lead magnets I've seen so far, and here's why:
The level of quality matches the flagship product #
This is not a half-assed AI-generated ebook for the sake of getting emails, this is a proper course. The real deal. A course that easily matches, if not outperforms, many of its paid competitors.
The visuals, the editing, the pacing, the teaching style, it's all there. VALUE, but in capital letters. The best part:
It's a free course #
Yup, it's free. And I personally love this. Not because I'm cheap, but because I believe it maximizes Matt's reach. People will share it (as I did). People talk about and link to it (as I did - just now 😁), strengthen his brand even more.
He could've easily made a smooth 5-figures on that course, but how short sighted would that've been? Instead he did something else, and that brings me to my favorite part:
Prepares newcomers for the main dish #
Figma 101 basically teaches new users the skills that'll help them follow and succeed with MDS's premium offering, which is Shift Nudge. That is absolutely genius, you not only water their mouths with such a course, but also fast-track their readiness to succeed with the main thing.
Figma 101 will undoubtedly get more people to engage than Shift Nudge alone and with it, Matt not only showcases his expertise and the high quality of his courses, but he also builds trust and goodwill among his people.
To me, MDS giving something so substantial for free is a breath of fresh air. It's a powerful reminder that in a world eager to make a quick buck, the long game of genuine value creation leads to more meaningful and sustainable success.
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