I’m not a fan of blueprints and formulas in business, because everyone’s business is different.
But there are times when having a checklist to run through is a good idea.
Like before you jump out of a plane with your parachute. (That’s what launching can feel like many times!)
7 step launch checklist for your next course, product, or book
1. Validate your idea
The biggest mistake I see people make when they want to launch a new product or course is trying to sell something that no one is interested in buying.
That’s where the launch crickets thrive.
Instead of creating something purely because you think it will be what people want, validate your idea by talking to potential customers, and even going so far as to sell it before you make it.
If you can talk to a handful of people who are willing to give you money for something before you have it, then you know you’ve got a winner.
2. Line up your prospects
Another reason why launches fail is because you just don’t have the right people seeing your offer, or enough of them.
This is where building your email list really comes into perspective. But it’s not just about building a general email list, it needs to be the right people.
I talk a whole lot about list building in my free 30 Day List Building Challenge, but when it comes to building a list, you can get loads of new subscribers during your pre-launch, too.
3. Design your promotion strategy
Will you have joint venture partners or affiliates helping you promote your new offering? Will you use Facebook ads, do guest interviews, or have a series of free videos and downloads?
Do you want to offer your program or book for just a short period of time, or will you make it available indefinitely as an evergreen product?
Are you going to do a live webinar, Google Hangout, or start out with a lower price and increase it to create more urgency?
Answering these questions will help you design the best launch campaign for your offering.
4. Create your launch calendar
Now that you have a better idea of what your pre-launch sequence will look like, it’s time to put all the pieces together into a calendar or plan you can follow.
I’m a huge fan of being nimble during a launch, to adapt to what’s happening in real time so you can make the best of any situation.
But I also love to see which days I’ll be emailing my email list, when I plan to release certain pieces of pre-launch content and whether I’ve got too many things happening at once or I can ramp up the excitement even more.
5. Set up the technology pieces
The tech side of a launch causes many headaches, especially if things don’t work when people are trying to buy.
That’s why I recommend running through your ordering process from start to finish a few times before you open your shopping cart – just to be sure there aren’t any breaking points.
Decide if you’ll need a new website, membership software, an email auto responder, a shopping cart, tracking tools, and which ones you’ll use.
You can start simple and improve the tools you’re using once you’ve done your first launch.
6. Announce it to the world & get accountability
One major block you might be experiencing with launching is “not being ready yet”.
The reality is that you’ll never feel like everything is perfect, so set yourself a non-negotiable deadline and announce your launch to the world.
When people are expecting you to launch it, you’ll do what it takes to make it happen. You can always improve on your next go around!
7. Ready, set, launch
Launch It and Profit registration is closed, but click here to find out how it can help you plan and execute your launch profitably from the get go.
Now it’s time to do the work, one step at a time.
Leave a comment below and let me know which step on this launch checklist is stopping you up, and I’ll help you move through it so you can get your work out into the world in the next few weeks or months!
