If you’re planning on launching a product online, then you ought to know what you’re getting into.
Product launches are a funny beast, they tend to take a lot of effort, bring a lot of rewards, and leave you wondering exactly what just happened.
That’s why I liken launching a product with riding a roller coaster at the amusement park: it’s quite the ride, there are ups and downs, and when you’re done you usually want to go again.
Launching a Product – Safety Requirements
Before you decide to launch a digital product or group program, you need to run through the safety requirements, just like a roller coaster.
Instead of asking yourself if you are tall enough to get on the “launch” ride… You need to check your ideas against the measuring stick.
Have you proven your business idea by talking to interested buyers or doing a paid prototype before launching a new product?
Have you successfully sold a related service or product before?
If yes, then you meet the safety requirements and we can start the on boarding process.
The Product Launch Roller Coaster
1. Anticipation Before Launching a New Product
Before you start creating or setting up your product launch plan, there’s so much anticipation and the ideas are flowing.
Maybe you’re a little anxious, not too sure how it’s all going to pan out, or what to expect.
You’re hopeful, and you know product launch activities are going to take up a lot of time and energy.
2. Exhilaration
Once the launch is underway, you’ll feel the wind in your hair, and like you’re on top of the world.
It feels amazing to be sharing your message with the world, getting the word out about your product, and getting to interact with more people around your work.
3. Fear During The Product Launch Process
Then you hit a downward segment: something unexpected happens during your launch, like a promotional partner backing out, a lack of sales, or tech systems breaking down.
It happens to all of us, and this doubting stage of a launch is something that most people don’t talk about openly.
You will sit at your computer obsessively refreshing your statistics to see how many visitors, email opens, and sales you’ve got… and worry that the number isn’t matching up to expectations.
You might lose sleep over a faulty tech set up, or your website going done, or an inordinate amount of support queries coming in. It’s normal.
4. Let’s go again
Then, after all of these ups and downs, you still want to do it again. There’s a certain “addiction” factor to launching. Launches tend to be high risk, high reward, and when your message and product lands on the mark it can feel incredible, like a business high.
That’s why people keep launching, and keep looking to re-launch. You’ll learn so much from your first launch that you can use to improve your next round, so it’s well worth getting the anticipation going for the next time!
Is This The Right Ride For You?
One thing to considering when launching a product is what type of ride you’re really going on…
You might have seen people in the industry going on big roller coasters, but maybe you’re more of a log ride or Ferris wheel fan. Maybe the product that you’re launching could do with a little less velocity and a little more intimacy with the others on the ride.
Right now all eyes are on Marie Forleo and her launch, and you’ve probably witnessed many other big internet marketing product launches… but you need to remember that Marie has years of experiencing going on these roller coasters, and she’s not going it alone: she has a team riding it with her.
Consider what type of ride and launch will best fit your personality and your business model.
Launching a Product While Staying Sane
Here are my recommendations for launching a product online without tossing your cookies:
- Take exquisite care of your body: sleep enough, hydrate, eat well, exercise, go outside.
- Disconnect from the web as much as you can, and have a team member to help with communications, tech systems, etc… so that you’re not the only person on call if something goes down during the launch.
- Have someone on your side who has done a launch before and can tell you when you hit certain “roller coaster” points and how to keep going. For example, riding a coaster with my dad or my older cousins was a lot less stressful and enjoyable!
- Plan ahead as much as humanly possible.
- Be willing to chuck your plan out the window, extend deadlines, and shift things based on how your launch it unfolding.
Launching a product soon? Already launched?
Tell us in the comments below, I want to know!
