How to Build a Successful Launch Plan for Your Latest Offer

Feb 19

If you offer services, a digital course, or have a digital product shop, congratulations — you want to let people know what you’ve got. Usually, that requires a launch, especially if your offer is new.

Of course, if you’ve ever looked into “launching” something, you were probably instantly overwhelmed by the 84 assets you needed, the 6-month timeline, and all the software you needed to buy.

Don’t panic though — you don’t have to pull out “all the stops” to have a successful launch. And it doesn’t have to be complicated either. Once you understand the key pieces and your timeline, you can create a successful launch plan that feels good to you.

In this post, I’m going to share with you all of those pieces and give you a recommended timeline that you can easily follow, even if you’re launching something as a solopreneur.

What does a successful launch plan include?

A launch plan is basically just a promotion period where you’re talking really loud about your offer. You hype it up, you talk about it everywhere, and you may even throw in some freebies or bonuses to entice people to buy.

The upside to launching versus running your offers on evergreen mode is that it often leads to a bigger cash injection (because of that hype).

It can also tell you a lot more about your offer and your audience. Launching allows you to test theories and collect evidence as you go. You can start to get a feel for whether or not people actually want your product/course/etc.

The first step of a successful launch

The first step to a successful launch? You guessed it…a plan! And the best time to start doing that is roughly 12 weeks before your offer goes live.

The reason you need so much time before isn’t just to prepare (because you will need to do a lot of that), but it’s also to get your audience warmed up to that offer.

You probably don’t like it when salespeople come to knock on your door during nap time just to get you to buy insurance. Insurance may be something you need, but not while your toddler is sleeping. You’d much rather have had a heads-up about it, right?

It’s the same thing with your offers. YOU know your audience needs it, and they know they need something to fix XYZ problem, but they just aren’t sure what it is yet. It’s on you to ease them into discovering that it’s your offer.

Your launch plan timeline: One month out

The next phase of a successful launch plan begins the month before you go live. This is the time when you’ll need to start following a specific and actionable content plan that prepares your audience.

Your goal during these four weeks is to get them super excited about how you’re going to solve their problem. And this will help them get ready to buy as soon as you make the big announcement.

Week 1

The first week of this month needs to speak to your audience about why what you do is so important. You’re trying to talk to people in your audience who are unaware they have a problem that needs solving.

Week 2

Now that your audience is problem aware, it's time to throw them a bone with an easy win! Give them something valuable they can easily implement and doesn’t feel overwhelming. Remember, you’re warming them up.

Week 3

During week 3, the wheels are a’ turning. They know the problem, they have a quick win under their belt, and they want to know how they can continue to solve their problems. This is the time to let them know you are the solution.

Show off case studies that show the journey for someone who uses your offer. Use testimonials that hype up your offer beyond a simple sentence. Ultimately, give them as many reasons as possible to buy, and the evidence to back that up!

Week 4

This is where it all comes together. You tease your offer with a hype piece (a phrase coined by my good friend Ashlyn Carter) like a webinar to get them ready to hear all the details about what you’re going to show them in your offer.

This is the time to show them why your process is the solution, and how it’s different than everyone else's. You don’t even need to bash competitors. You need to show them how YOU can help them with their SPECIFIC problems.

And then after that hype piece wraps up, BOOM. You fill them in on what they knew all along — you have the solution. It’s time to tell them about that offer.

Your launch plan timeline: The hype piece and open cart period

Again, the hype piece is something you can use to generate excitement right before your launch. But webinars aren’t the only thing you can use to kick things off. You can also do a…

Challenge
Mini series
Private podcast
Virtual conference

And after this event is when carts open!! It’s officially go-time!

Should you use FOMO?

FOMO (fear of missing out) is a technique people have been using since the beginning of time to get people to do something, especially to buy a product. While you shouldn’t go over the top with it, it’s okay to generate a little FOMO with your launches.

After the hype piece wraps up, you have about 24 hours to get those people who really want to buy from you to click that shiny purchase button.

At this point, you’ve already done most of the education you can do, which is why creating a sense of urgency (FOMO) is a good technique. You’re not trying to get people to keep up with the Joneses, you’re just trying to let them know that you’ve got a great offer that’s not going to be available for long. That’s just the truth.

Launch content essentials

To make all of this work, you’re going to need content — and a lot of it. You want to get it done as early as possible because nothing is more stressful than realizing you don’t have any social posts or emails a day before you’re supposed to go live.

This is why inside 10K On Replay I give you templates, swipe copy, and examples of ALL these assets!