Is Digital Marketing a Scam? Or Are We Just Being Scammed?

If Everyone’s Making Six Figures, Why Are They Still Selling You a Course?

If you’ve spent more than five minutes on the internet, you’ve probably seen a “marketing guru” on Instagram, claiming they’ve cracked the code to making six figures in 30 days. Their secret? Buy my course, and I’ll show you how!

Sounds… familiar, doesn’t it?

The conversation about digital marketing being a scam has been heating up, and honestly? I’m here for it. People are finally waking up to the fact that social media is not real life—and in many cases, it’s actually harmful. To your finances, your mental health, your sense of reality.

So, let’s dive into the real question: Is digital marketing a scam, or is it just being used in scammy ways?

The Shiny Lie We’ve Been Sold

Social media has made us believe that selling digital products is a get-rich-quick scheme….
“Just create an ebook!”
“Launch a passive income stream!”
“Monetize your knowledge!”

And while digital marketing is a legit way to make money, the problem is how it’s being packaged and sold to people who are desperate for financial freedom.

The reality?

Most of these “coaches” aren’t making money from their strategies—they’re making money teaching you the strategy. Your registration fee is their actual income stream.

So while they’re promising you $100K months, they’re really just recycling the same playbook:

• Sell a high-ticket course on how to make money online.

• Fill it with generic advice you could Google for free.

• Get rich off people who don’t know better.

Not All Digital Products Are the Enemy

Now, before I throw the entire digital marketing industry under the bus, let’s get one thing straight: selling digital products is not inherently a scam. There are plenty of creators who actually put thought, effort, and real value into their products.

Think of an online business planner designed by someone who actually runs a business (ahem, like mine). Or a content strategy guide from a marketer with years of experience (also me, by the way). Those are real, useful products.

But the issue is when people start selling low-quality, copy-paste, AI-generated, MRR, zero-effort garbage and calling it a business model.

You’ve probably seen it:

• $1,500 for a “business-in-a-box” (aka, a bundle of Canva templates you could have made yourself).

• A masterclass on “how to make money online” that’s just recycled information from free YouTube videos.

• “Done-for-you” courses that you can resell as your own (um, what?).

The point is, digital products should be valuable. But when people start selling courses on how to sell courses on how to sell courses (see the loop?), that’s when we have a problem.

So, Is Digital Marketing a Scam?

No. But the way people are selling it is often scammy as hell.

Marketing, when done ethically, is just about connecting the right product with the right people.
It’s about:

• Selling things you actually believe in.

• Providing real value (not just recycled fluff).

• Being transparent about what people are paying for.

But let’s be honest—if someone is making real money from their strategies, they wouldn’t be desperately trying to sell you a course on how to do it.

Because here’s the thing:
Anyone who is truly making $100K a month is too busy running their business to spend all day trying to sell you a $500 digital marketing course.

Read that again.

How to Spot (and Avoid) Digital Marketing Scams

If you want to avoid getting sucked into the nonsense, here’s your checklist:

• If the course is priced at $500+ but only teaches what you could learn for free on YouTube… run.

• If they tell you the money is in “passive income” but their own income comes from selling you the course… run.

• If they use fake urgency like “Only 3 spots left” for a digital product that has unlimited spots… run.

• If they say you’ll make six figures in six months but don’t show proof beyond flashy lifestyle photos… you already know—RUN.

Whether that’s a service, a skill, a well-made product, or even your own knowledge—just make sure it’s yours and that it actually helps people.