Does the word launching cause you to break out in hives? Are you ever confused about whether you need a challenge or a webinar, or whether you should create something evergreen or have an open and closed cart launch?
In today’s episode, I am going to talk all about launching and help you gain some clarity about this often confusing conversation. And I’m even going to share with you a resource that will help you determine if you’re ready to launch something in your business.
Don’t miss the resource my friend Christa Hutchins and I have put together that will help you assess if you are ready to launch. We’re going to give you more details than what I just hit on here. It is a checklist that you can go through and figure out where you are at and if your business is ready to put something out and do a launch.
What is a Launch?
A launch is essentially a word that describes putting something out into the world.
Launching in the online world is very similar. It refers to the time period when you release something into the world. It could be a new offer, like a group program or a course.
Different Types of Launches:
- Open/Close Launch: (Sometimes referred to as a Live Launch) A launch when you have a program, service, course, or membership that is open for a set amount of time, and then the cart will close.
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- This type of launch tends to be programs that include an element of live coaching, or teaching inside of the course or program.
- A lot of times with an open and closed cart launch, there’s often a set timeframe for the program that is running.
- Evergreen Launch:
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- This type of launch is when you have a course or program that is always available.
- This type of launch is common for programs that are on the lower end of the price point, as well as programs that someone has launched with an open and closed cart model several times.
- I used this launch with my Podcast in a Weekend mini-course.
Common Launch Approaches:
One type of launch is a basic sales page and email launch. This is one of the simplest ways to do a launch. Because you basically need two things, you need a sales page, and you need an email list. This can work with both an open/close launch and an evergreen launch.
Another type of launch is a webinar launch. This is where you create a webinar, and the webinar is the sales mechanism for your product or your program. In this case, your goal is to get people to the webinar, and the webinar is where you’re going to do the selling of your program. This can also work with both an open/close launch and an evergreen launch.
The third version of a launch is a challenge launch where you may have a free or paid challenge that you run prior to launching your program. You might teach for a certain number of days, often inside of a Facebook group or via another method. And then at the end of that challenge, you offer your product or service for sale.
Another version of a launch is a video series launch. This is a series of videos where someone will opt into a video training series, and then at the end of that series, you’re getting sold into that program, or you’re selling your program or your service via that series.
Lastly, there is a type of launch referred to as an under the radar launch. This is a very basic launch (i.e. a minimum viable launch). With this type of launch, you would have some kind of sales page where you have a very brief summary of the program or the offer. You send private messages to a small group of people to offer them the opportunity to learn about this offer that you’ve got. You’re not just sending them a link to the sales page. You’re inviting them to learn more. If they say, yes, they will be opting into you sending them that link, and then they will be able to purchase directly through you or get on a call with you depending on what you’re selling.
A lot of people won’t even know that you have the offer available because you are just privately reaching out to people and offering something to them. This is something that Renee Hribar teaches and she calls it a Duck Launch.
Launch Timeframes:
A launch is not just about the time that you’re selling. You also need time before the launch and after the launch in your overall launch timeline.
I recommend usually having about eight weeks before your launch for the planning, the prep, and the pre-launch activities that you need to do.
Then you actually have the launch phase, which is going to be usually about three to seven days. So I don’t usually recommend extending a launch much past five days, definitely not past seven days, because you will just be so exhausted. The only exception to this is if you’re selling a live event, like a conference or a retreat that needs a longer time frame.
After the fact, you need to make sure that you also have time set aside for your post launch, which is reflecting, assessing results, shifting tech, promo materials, taking things down, changing out cover photos, etc.
During this time you are making sure that you tie up those loose ends and remove anything that has been out there that you’re promoting your program or service with. I would recommend about a week or two for this to tie up loose ends, assess your numbers, and recover from your launch.
To learn more about launch timeframes, take a listen to my friend Christa Hutchins’ episode 69 of Do a New Thing Podcast.
Are you ready to Launch?
There are two main things that I think you need to have in place to be ready to launch something.
First, you need to have an offer that is validated. This means that you have had some kind of results using your method or process or program or coaching whatever it is that you do.
Second, ideally, you should have a community that you have built up or a following that you can launch your offer to unless you’re planning to spend money on ads.
Want to evaluate if you are ready to launch? Grab the FREE Pre-Launch Assessment that Christa Hutchins & I put together.
Mentioned Episodes:
Check out the episodes from last year I covered all about launching!
Quotes to Note:
“A launch is just this time period where there is an increased attention, excitement, and awareness of your offer, and you’re sharing it with the world.” [4:00]
“That’s the basic requirement for any sort of public launch: you’re going to need a sales page and emails.” [14:45]
“Many people think, well, if I have a longer timeframe for my launch, I will get more sales. But here’s the truth, a longer launch does not mean more sales, it often just means you are more exhausted.” [16:30]
“When you do an evergreen type of product, you can still create excitement. But, you don’t want to just keep selling and selling and selling forever. You want to have the promotional period not really last past five days or so.” [18:30]
“It’s so much better if you have validated your offer or tested your offer in some way before you try to sell it on a bigger scale.” [20:30]
“If you want to have a launch of a course or a program, group coaching, you have built up some level of community.” [22:30]
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