You’ve been thinking about it for months, maybe even years. You’ve got an online course, membership, or program you’ve been dreaming of creating, and you FINALLY have the time to get started. But where do you even begin? Time to draft your launch plan.

In this next series of blog posts, we’re going to dive deep into all things launch related. We’re going to take a look at the pre-launch strategy, what happens when you go live (or not!) for the week of the cart open period, and how to debrief so you actually learn something from the experience.

I’ll start with the bad news first. Not every launch is a six-figure launch. Heck, not every launch is a 4 or 5-figure launch. But guess what? Every launch is a learning experience. This is why it is important you keep detailed notes of what you did or didn’t do … and reflect. But that’s a blog post for the end of the series.

This series will go in chronological order, starting with my personal favorite part – THE PLANNING. Maybe it’s because I’m an ex-teacher, but planning is my favorite part of the entire launch process. Setting the due dates, the process to make sure that no detail is missed, and then tracking all details and data carefully. If you’re a visionary and big dreamer, my guess is that your favorite part is not the planning and the due date assignments. The pre-launch part of the launch is so important and one of the most common parts missed. (I’d say it’s a toss-up between the pre-plan and the debrief) So let me help you out with a few quick tips!

Plant the Seed: 

1. Plant the seed in your audience’s mind sooner than you think. I’m talking 6 to 8 weeks in advance, you should have a clear marketing strategy and be thinking about what your ideal audience is struggling with to create your launch plan.
   
2. Seed the idea by mentioning that you’re developing an offer/course/membership. Ask them for feedback when you show sneak peeks. Let them know what problem your product/ course/membership will solve. 
   
3. When people comment on posts or DM you, use their exact language when you write your sales emails, sales page, etc. later on down the road.

Provide quick wins: 

1. Start to build your authority on whatever subject your offer is. This means lots of FREE content for your audience and tips that they can implement in their own lives/businesses right away. 
   
2. Plan out your content for the 6 weeks leading up to your launch with your ideal audience/customer in mind. How can you support them? Keeping the customer in mind will help to develop your launch plan.
   
3. Develop a freebie or lead magnet that solves a small problem for your audience and establishes your ability to provide value.

Plan your $h!T! 

1. Choose your launch date and get to planning! I recommend choosing your cart open week first (7-10 days) and working backward from there. 
   
2. Set due dates! This is all variable from where you are with the creation of your course/membership because if you still need to create some of the content, you’re just simply going to need more time. But hey, that’s okay as long as you plan for it! 
   
3. Hold yourself accountable. If you’re not great at meeting due dates, set little checkpoints and “carrots” for yourself along the way. Have a friend who’s also launching or building their business? Have weekly accountability hours and talk about your process. 
   
   

The planning is not the end-all-be-all of a successful launch, but it is DEFINITELY the right place to start. I’ve got a tool to help you make sure you have all your bases covered! Grab my free launch checklist right here and answer all questions that everyone has when they launch “What do I do, and when?!” 

Think you might need extra help? I offer launch support in two capacities – a customized launch roadmap and full launch management. Book a {free} chat with me today to see which one is best for your needs!