Launching a new service?
Have you heard of people running launches? Heard the term “launch” at all in regards to online businesses?
A launch is building hype and curiosity about your new service or product. It’s an important part of any business but many people forget about this part of releasing a new service or product.
You’ve worked so hard just to make the course/ebook/download or whatever, then you realize you need to (or would like to) plan and execute a launch and realize it’s just as much work as creating that new product.
There’s nothing wrong with just telling your friends, clients, and acquaintances about your new product. That’s what I did when I released my “Social Media Playbook.”
Guess how many copies I’ve sold since its release in Fall 2023.
One.
Yes. All that work, and I sold one copy, made $49.50 minus Stripe processing fees.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the sale, but I can’t help but feel a little disappointed. They say to create a digital product so you can make sales in your sleep but it’s not quite as simple as that.
Recently, I worked with a Pinterest expert who has a large Instagram following. She created a course for Teacher Creators showing them how to use Pinterest to sell their products. (Yes, I definitely need to buy her course and see if I can use it to sell more of my Playbooks.) Her name is Alyssa Broome, aka Teacher Noire.
One thing I told Alyssa when we started is that
YOU DON’T NEED TO HAVE YOUR PRODUCT FINISHED TO LAUNCH IT!
Sounds crazy, huh? But it’s true! Companies do this all the time. (Pre-orders.)
If you’re selling a course, you can run a launch and release the first few lessons during the launch. What are the chances someone is going to complete the entire course in a week?
If you’re selling a book, you could release a “Limited Edition Prologue.” Authors do this with their publishers.
But Alyssa wanted to finish her Pinterest Teacher Academy completely before launching, which I can definitely respect.
There are so many ways to Launch your product or service:
You could promote a free masterclass or event and announce your new release as a finale
You could do a virtual summit, where you create an event with a few other businesses in parallel industries,
You could run a challenge,
You can run ads,
Send emails,
Make reels about it,
Find other creators to promote it,
But then you need to create the assets for the launch like:
The sales page,
The webinar sign-up page,
The slides for the webinar,
The “thank you” page/video for your client to see after they purchase (which provides a better client experience and greatly reduces the number of refund requests),
The email automations for the webinar and the launch of the product,
The webinar replay page,
The reels and emails for the launch,
Just to name a few.
It’s no wonder that big-time entrepreneurs like Jenna Kutcher and Amy Porterfield and Denise Duffield-Thomas have launch TEAMS!
But if you aren't ready for a team, you could just have a launch coach. (That’s my cue.)
Alyssa came to me and asked if I could be her launch coach and I was delighted to be able to practice the strategies I’ve learned about in books, courses, and conferences.
We scheduled a batch filming session so we could film some reels promoting her free webinar (masterclass). I wrote the scripts and coached her behind the scenes. We filmed at Kindling Coworking in Downtown Walla Walla and it was the perfect space.
I also provided some sales page copy,
Created a 4-week launch plan with weekly emails lining up her action steps,
I helped her create a form to register for the masterclass which served the purpose of collecting emails as well as feedback from her most interested followers,
I shared her launch to my email list and stories,
We had several video calls to touch base,
And I cheered her on and reminded her that she is the perfect person to teach this!
Best of all, she made her sales goal!
Even though all this is a TON of work, the resources you create during a launch can be used again and again.
That webinar replay could be a lead magnet to build her email list (enter your email to watch the ABC’s of Pinterest Free Masterclass).
It could be a paid item for people who aren't ready to make the full investment of her complete course.
The transcript could be an ebook or several blog posts.
The possibilities are endless.
Launches are complex with many nuances, but they’re an excellent way to build interest in your products, get testimonials, email subscribers, and other valuable resources that build your business in the long run.
And they get easier the more you do them. That’s right, you can run a launch for the same product multiple times!
Have you thought about running a launch for your products or services?
