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Launching anything can be stressful and scary and even kinda vulnerable at first, putting something you CREATED out into the world, but every time you do it, it becomes more natural as you systemize and streamline your preferred process more and more, which helps you look at it with less emotional eyes!
I promise you, it’s normal to feel emotional about what you create and then sharing that with the world, but at the same time, when you launch your product or service or offer from a place of showing up to serve and over deliver, all the emotions and prep are worth it in the end when you’re able to provide value to your target clientele. Let’s dive into what my exact plan looks like!
The pre-launch phase
The way I think of it is this: Pre-launch is where you help share the “what” and the “why” of whatever it is you’re launching, and later when you actually launch, your offer will be the “how” for people. The pre-launch is where you start building hype, start shifting mindsets, and help people to understand if they might be qualified for the next steps which will come with the launch itself!
Before pre-launch, we always map out the entire project, so we look at what we will need in terms of copy, emails, social posts, graphics, videos, and opt-in, sales, and thank you pages. Before you start chugging away at each of these tasks, try to write down as many things you can think of that you will need.
To get ya thinking, feel free to ponder these questions:
- What content can you create to share prior to the launch to help people understand the “what” and the “why” of what your offer is?
- Where will you send people to check out your new offer, is that ready?
- How will they “check out” or provide payment for your offer?
- How will you promote the offer? What copy and graphics will you need?
- What does the offer delivery look like for you? Do you need emails or systems to help?
- How will you follow up with your new customers? Plan for that!
- Think through: email marketing, landing or sales pages, social media marketing, ad strategy, and where the offer will be hosted or live.
At this point we have a blueprint of what’s generally required for a launch but every launch is unique and different, having a kind of project plan that lays it all out is super helpful! This part of the process is always step number one for us so we can then look at the entire launch from a big picture view, see what might be missing, figure out what we need and coordinate all the moving parts with team members. It ensures you don’t miss any important pieces, saving you from last-minute toss-ins the day before or even the day of launch.
If you can template out your launch process, do it! I can’t tell you how tremendously time saving this has been for our team. We use monday.com as our tool of choice for all things launch organization and management. It’s a project and task management site that allows you to build custom boards for individual projects, but the best part is that you can create a “template” board that covers all the various pieces and parts of your launches that you can then copy and customize and reuse again and again.
My goal is to have all moving parts and needs completed prior to hitting the live launch period. Actually better yet, I love to finish everything with enough time to give it all a little breathing room so I can revisit with fresh eyes before the launch itself!
The Launch
During launch week, we have a calendar that marks out what is happening day by day. It’s imperative to know which email is being sent, which social posts are going up, and what part of the launch you are in. Most of our launches are 7 days in length and that’s perfect for me energetically to get the word out, keep the energy up, make myself available for any questions, and show up on social media.
Remember the pre-launch period is about talking about what it is you’re preparing to launch and why you are launching it, and then once you’re in the launch, it’s all about sharing HOW it can help or serve or deliver an end result or change someone’s life.
One of my favorite ways to launch an offer is through webinars or free masterclasses, especially for our course launches. I know so many people who use webinars just as a sneaky sales opportunity with no real value in them, and at the end of the day, we DO use them to invite people into our offer but that’s ONLY after we’ve earned the right to based on the free value shared!
To me, a webinar HAS to provide free value and education and get someone results regardless of if they purchase a dang thing and they also share a glimpse of what those next steps can look like if you join the offer or course if they choose to buy it. I focus on delivering tangible takeaways in our webinars that viewers can take and apply and benefit from because I want to prove to them that they are capable of getting results!
Beyond the traditional hour-long masterclasses, I’ve also been playing with what are called “5 minute webinars” which are still aligned with but go a bit against the grain of your typical longer webinar that we and several other entrepreneurs often use in launches. With a 5-minute webinar, it’s more about debunking common myths or ideas about the certain topic that your offer revolves around in a short, Cliffnote’s version of a webinar. This method was developed by Jamie Cross and derived from Russell Brunson’s “perfect webinar formula!”
Now, I’ve been liking these shorter webinars because they still provide value but they aren’t an enormous time buy-in for potential buyers but they don’t constitute in my opinion as a launch in itself, moreso just a promotion or a different way to get someone information. We actually starteed implementing these right around the time when the pandemic hit because we recognized that not everyone has an hour of time to devote to learning about an offer, some people just need the Cliffs notes version to make up their mind!
Beyond the webinars, we also deploy emails throughout launches to touch on objections, share end results, answer common questions, generate excitement and urgency, and continue sharing the value of the offer.
Your email plan might vary depending on your email list size and the cost of your offer, but we aim for 1, maybe 2 emails per day throughout the full launch period, generally having fewer emails going out on the front end of a launch and more going out toward the end for those fence sitters or people who still have objections or questions.
All in all, your launch period is when you should be on, showing up, and energized. It’s your time to be loud, available, proud, and shouting from the rooftops. And if you follow my method, there is ZERO apology needed around your launch because you’re busy serving and showing up for 90% of the year, so that 10% of the time you’re launching, you’ve earned that right to sell.
Post-launch strategy
After launch, we always do a full assessment of everything to review what worked, what didn’t, and where we can evolve, improve, or do things differently next time. Pull all the numbers that you possibly can from launch including open rates for emails, campaign clicks, webinar numbers, ad costs, conversions and of course your actual sales.
Take the time to decompress and document what went well, what was a miss, what left you stressed, and what moved the needle the most. If you have a team, collect their feedback as well!
My BIGGEST recommendation is to take all the notes you can while it’s fresh because you will have launch amnesia the next time around and forget it all before the next one! This part should be a fun and low-key review—don’t harp on the negative or what didn’t work too much but just try to keep it all objective as much as you can.
Trust me, there will always be a flop or two whether it was an email that didn’t convert well or a mess-up during your webinar or a typo in your ads. Don’t be too hard on yourself for these things because it is a TOTALLY normal part of the process. They happen to even the most experienced launch experts and are only an opportunity to learn and grow for the next go-round!
Organize all of your launch assets if they aren’t already so you can easily access them next time too. Using a task management platform like Monday.com will help with this so you can keep all the numbers, final review, and assets ready to use for your next time you launch!
The Big Picture
You now have a full insider look at my launch plan, from pre-launch to post and everything in between. I am so eager to see how you take these materials and make them your own to rock your very own launch, whether that’s a course, a product, a service, a membership or mastermind or something else your heart is set on releasing out into the world.
Remember, the aim is never perfection with launching, it’s simply preparing so that you can feel as much peace and ease as you go through the motions of launching your offer and not feel caught off guard by any forgotten or unforeseen circumstances. I am rooting you on and wishing you all the luck and good vibes on your next launch!
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