Greg Gottfried Review: Passive Income Businesses? Alternatives Explained

What Are the Pros and Cons of Greg Gottfried?

Pros:

• Clear, step-by-step explainer who simplifies beginner workflows and lowers the intimidation barrier.
• Emphasizes low-cost, accessible tools and lean setups, making him approachable for first-timers.
• Calm, encouraging delivery that motivates action without excessive hype.

Cons:

• Content often targets novices; advanced operators may find strategies too basic or repetitive.
• Heavy reliance on third-party platforms means real-world results can be volatile when algorithms or policies change.
• His public case studies tend to spotlight wins but his limited discussion of failed tests can understate risks and timelines.
• Efficiency-oriented methods can nudge viewers toward commoditized niches where competition is intense.

What Is Greg Gottfried’s Affiliate Marketing Course?

Greg Gottfried’s Affiliate Marketing course runs for slightly less than 1 hour of videos, but Greg really does pack them with a lot of knowledge and there is no fluff to them, straight no-nonsense facts.

It is divided in 14 different sections and promises to get the student started as soon as he has finished the course.

Basic Info on Passive Income: Affiliate Marketing

• Teaches total beginners how to move their first steps in AM.
• Designed to get you started in a business after the one hour course.
• Teaches you how to find profitable niches
• Guides you in the tricky abundance of affiliate offers.

Course Breakdown

Section 1: Affiliate Marketing for Beginners

The first ten modules, all approximately 5 minutes long, cover all the bases in affiliate marketing:

From finding profitable niches to finding the best keywords, from setting up your website to creating content for it.

It may be all a bit too familiar for those who are already in the know about affiliate marketing, but it’s a great and clear introduction if you are still new to the subject.

• Lesson 1: Introduction.
• Lesson 2: Finding a Profitable Niche.
• Lesson 3: Finding the Best Keywords.
• Lesson 4: Finding Affiliate Offers.
• Lesson 5: Website Introduction.
• Lesson 6: Website Link.
• Lesson 7: Website Setup 1.
• Lesson 8: Website Setup 2.
• Lesson 9: Creating Content 1.
• Lesson 10: Creating Content 2.

Total Video Time: 39 minutes and 15 seconds.

The tips Greg gives during the niche choice are pretty important, as the choice of the niche is ultimately going to spell success or failure for your business. The content creation for the website too contains a lot of nifty tips.

Section 2: How to Get Free Traffic

Once you’ve built your site and you are waiting for Google to work its magic and make it appear to those looking for what you’re selling, here’s what happens.

Greg gives us three very useful strategies to drive free traffic to our website to begin with: Facebook Groups pertaining to your niche, Instagram and Later, ’the #1  Marketing Platform’ that lets you post simultaneously to FB, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

• Lesson 11: Free Strategy Number 1.
• Lesson 12: Free Strategy Number 2.
• Lesson 13: The Ultimate Free Automation Tool.

Total Video Time: 14 minutes and 21 seconds.

Later is a software that I was totally unaware of and that I can see many newcomers to the world of affiliate marketing using often: being able to post on 4 huge platforms like FB, IG, Twitter and Pinterest: Powerful stuff!

Section 3: Coupon Code

Section 3 comes as a bit of an anticlimax right at the end of a course: it’s a one minute video on a coupon Greg gives to his students for a discount on other courses of his on Udemy. Was expecting a bit more.

• Lesson 14: Coupon Code.

Total Video Time: 1 minute.

The course appears to be on permanent discount, like many other courses on Udemy, from $199 to $11.99. So for what you’re paying the value is actually good.

What Is Greg Gottfried’s POD Course?

Greg Gottfried’s POD course is definitely more complete and longer than the previous one, and focuses expressly on creating t-shirt designs and selling them on print on demand websites for a profit.

This seems to be Greg’s favorite way of generating passive income and he freely admits to be paying off his mortgage through his monthly gain from tees alone.

It is divided in 39 different sections, more than double of the previous course, and goes into much more depth.

Basic Info on Passive Income: Top 3 Easiest Free Websites

• Overview of each of the 3 top websites.
• Inside look at Greg’s personal accounts.
• Step by step website building tutorials
• Easy passive income.

Section 1: Introduction

The introductory section of the course, like all others , aims to answer to the most common the students may have: why should they trust Greg, what is in the course, and is it really all free, with no upsells?

• Lesson 1: Why Should you Listen to me?
• Lesson 2: Learn From my Mistakes.
• Lesson 3: Questions?
• Lesson 4: Just How Much is Packed Into This Course?
• Lesson 5: This Course vs ‘7 Free Ways’ Course.
• Lesson 6: Why This Course?
• Lesson 7: Course Check-in.

Total Video Time: 11 minutes and 20 seconds

In the ‘Why this course?’ section, Greg really explains well the idea of passive income: putting a lot of hard work beforehand and only monitoring your site and generating passive income after. Tempting!

Section 2: The Three Websites!

Section 2 is the central part of the course and the way of earning passive profit is revealed: print on demand t-shirts that you will choose the design of, and then put up for sale online.

The first site is Amazon Merch.

• Lesson 8: The First Website Overview.
• Lesson 9: The First Website Screen Recording.
• Lesson 10: Quick Update.
• Lesson 11: How to Get Accepted into #1 Website Faster.
• Lesson 12: Invitation Notes.
• Lesson 13: Non-US Citizen?
• Lesson 14: How To Easily Design Shirts for Merch.

Total Video Time: 11 minutes and 21 seconds

Since Amazon Merch must approve your application, Greg goes over some tips that may help speed the process: insider news!

The second site, and Greg’s personal favourite, is Teespring. With more margins for profit than Amazon Merch and an on-site shirt designer, it seems to be the go to choice.

Greg also suggests using other free apps to create the designs that can be then exported to Teespring and guides the student in a step by step fashion.

• Lesson 15: The Second Website Overview.
• Lesson 16: What is a Campaign.
• Lesson 17: The Second Website Screen Review.
• Lesson 18: The Design App is for Commerical Use.
• Lesson 19: Smartphone Design App.
• Lesson 20: Free Desktop Design Software.
• Lesson 21: Site #2 Walkthrough 1.
• Lesson 22: Site #2 Walkthrough 2.
• Lesson 23: Site #2 Walkthrough 3.
• Lesson 24: Site #2 Walkthrough 4.
• Lesson 25: Copy Paste Description.
• Lesson 26: Site #2 Advice.
• Lesson 27: Best Tool for Site #1 and #2.
• Lesson 28: How To Find Good Niches.
• Lesson 29: Copyright and Trademark Rules.
• Lesson 30: Finding Ideas and More FAQs.
• Lesson 31: PlaceIt Discount.

The app Typorama, which Greg suggests to help us with designing t-shirts is free and a godsend for anyone in search of inspiration. It basically does all the work for you!

This is where the course gets pretty weird: we’ve been learning all about creating our shirt designs and selling them online and then we get to the 3rd website reveal:

Udemy: that’s right, the platform that hosts the course is suggested as a way to make money. Create your own course, sell it on Udemy just like Greg and rake in the cash.

A pretty random end to the course is also a half an hour lesson on how to sell your photographs (?) online for a profit. This whole last section seems slapped here just to add minutes, almost like an afterthought. A pity.

• Lesson 32: The Third Website All-in-One.
• Lesson 33: Bonus Website.
• Lesson 34: Foolproof Method to Make Money Online Today.
• Lesson 35: Link for Above Lecture.
• Lesson 36: Link for Next Lecture.
• Lesson 37: Have any Cool Photos? Here’s How to Passively Sell Them Online.
• Lesson 38: Coupon Code.
• Lesson 39: Coupon Code Copy Paste.

Total Video Time: 1 hour and 56 minutes.

Nevertheless, at the price of $14.99, the information he gives on the print on demand system is valuable indeed, and we can’t really complain  about the last third of the course too much.

What Is What Is Greg Gottfried’s 2nd POD Course?

Greg Gottfried’s 2nd POD course is much more specific than the previous ones, and because of this it’s definitely my favorite.

It really goes into every detail of how to start your Teespring business, and even though some of the videos have been recycled from the previous courses, they make much more sense in here and in this order.

Basic Info On How to Sell on Teespring..

• Shows the secrets to create a highly profitable Teespring account.
• Tells you of the best Shirt Designing Smartphone App.
• Promises a highly profitable online business.
• Teaches Teespring Campaign Setting Tricks To Optimize Sales And Sell Continuously Long-Run.

Section 1: Why You Should Be Here

In the first few minutes of the course, Greg explains the importance and the simplicity of the print on demand model.

He also waxes lyrical on the possibility of making money wihout paid ads, and instructs the student to follow him to learn how to do just that.

• Lesson 1: Welcome to the Course.
• Lesson 2: Introduction to No-Paid Ads.
• Lesson 3: How to Ask Questons Along the Way.
• Lesson 4: Course Check-in.

Total Video Time: 7 minutes and 03 seconds.

Section 2: Very First Step

The subject of hot topics and niches is discussed here again: you must have clear ideas if you want to make in in the print on demand world, as most niches are quite saturated already.

• Lesson 5: Finding Hot Topics to Sell Designs.
• Lesson 6: How to Find Good Niches (the Quick Way).

Total Video Time: 6 minutes and 53 seconds.

With kwfinder.com, Greg shows how easy it actually is to find a winning niche. No more guesswork with this great tip!

Section 3: Finding Design Ideas

Here Greg spends a good 5 minutes instructing us on how to find cool design ideas to inspire us from Etsy’s tee section.

• Lesson 7: How to Find Design Ideas.
• Lesson 8: Resource: Copyright.

Total Video Time: 6 minutes .

Section 4: Creating Designs

The hardest part in the print on demand t shirt business is without a doubt that of creating cool designs which people are going to want to spend their money on.

Greg suggests using the free version of Typorama or Canva in order to get it done smoothly!

• Lesson 9: Creating Designs Without Graphic Design Skills.
• Lesson 10: Free Computer Design Software.

Total Video Time: 16 minutes and 53 seconds.

If you’ve followed all three reviews, by now some modules are being recycled, but the tip to use Typorama is so good that it needs to be repeated!

Section 5: Uploading to Teespring

Things get hands-on in this section: Greg goes through all the features of his personal teespring shop and gives a step by step demo on what to do:

From uploading your designs, to adding additional styles and optimizing your listings, this section reveals it all.

• Lesson 11: What is a ‘Campaign’?
• Lesson 12: How to Add Your Design to a Shirt.
• Lesson 13: Designing.
• Lesson 14: Colour Opinion and Pricing.
• Lesson 15: Adding Additional Styles.
• Lesson 16: Title and Description.
• Lesson 17: Optimised Listings.

Total Video Time: 13 minutes and 13 seconds.

Having someone who has been through it before and done all the mistakes guide you through naming, titling and describing your wares is definitely a time saver.

Section 6: Exponential Growth

In this section, Greg talks about a position we’d all love to be in : scaling an already successful business.

Finding trending tags seems to be all the rage behind successful scaling.

• Lesson 18: Growing the Fast Way.
• Lesson 19: Finding Trending Tags.

Total Video Time: 8 minutes and 22 seconds.

Greg’s Secret Weapon to successful ad campaigns is Google Trends: learn how to use it to your advantage!

Section 7: Strategy Explained

Greg’s strategy for selling tees is creating a high volume of designs, at least a couple of hundreds, and put the best of those for your storefront on Teespring.

• Lesson 20: Strategy Explained.

Total Video Time: 3 minutes and 13 seconds.

Section 8: Getting Your First Sales

Greg’s suggestion is to create free Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest accounts to drive the initial traffic to your site, while the SEO is being sorted out by Google.

PlaceIt is one of the few paid upsells described to enhance your sales!

• Lesson 21: How to Get Your First Sales.
• Lesson 22: Get Your Free Online Shop.
• Lesson 23: Successful Online Shop Example.

Total Video Time: 10 minutes and 51 seconds.

Section 9: Bonus Material

This course finishes with a bang! Discount coupons, extra tips and tricks of the trade, and a good tip on raising your prices once your shop has become more successful!

Thanks Greg!

• Lesson 24: Social Media Pictures to Post.
• Lesson 25: PlaceIt Discount Code.
• Lesson 26: How to Change Prices After Launch.
• Lesson 27: Copyright and Trademark Rules.
• Lesson 28: Foolproof Way of Making Money Online Today.
• Lesson 29: Link for Above Lecture.
• Lesson 30: Coupon Code for All Other Courses.

Total Video Time: 13 minutes and 07 seconds

At $11.99, if you’re just starting out and want to start selling t shirts right off the bat, there is nowhere else you should go for a decent and complete print on demand course.

Final Verdict: Is Greg Gottfried’s Passive Income Strategies Worth It?

Greg Gottfried’s passive income strategies are worth it for beginners because they provide simple, low-cost ways to start earning online. His courses focus on low-barrier business models like print-on-demand and affiliate marketing that don’t require upfront investment or technical skills. However, many of the niches and techniques are saturated, and the results are dependent on third-party platforms. If you’re serious about long-term sustainable income, you may eventually outgrow these beginner tactics.

Does Local Lead Generation Offer More Control Than Print-on-Demand or Affiliate Marketing?

In my opinion, local lead generation gives you far more control over your income and assets than print-on-demand or affiliate marketing.

Comparing affiliate marketing and POD to local lead generation is like NFL RedZone Sundays versus the Kepler Space Telescope survey. RedZone flips to every “hot” play, demanding nonstop attention, fresh angles, and paid boosts just to stay on screen. It reflects the margins swing with fees, discounts, and ad costs the moment you ease up. The Kepler locks after calibration and streams consistent data for months with minimal input. It’s the same with local lead generation sites that generate consistent leads with little daily effort.

Why Does Local Lead Generation Beat Other Passive Income Models?

Local lead generation beats other passive income models because it gives you ownership, predictability, and high-margin income. Instead of hoping a t-shirt or affiliate product sells, you rank a website, send leads to local businesses, and get paid every month.

One of my clients is Glendale Electric Gates & Custom Metal, 413 South Brand Boulevard, Glendale, California 91204, 818-643-4788, https://glendalemetalgates.com/. In 1 month, 8 of my leads closed for $25,600, and I earned $2,560 from 10%.

Repeat the process with more sites to scale your income without extra time spent. Check out local lead generation for a hands-free income stream that compounds.