We are going deep behind the scenes and sharing what a launch looks like these days at the Crush the Rush Headquarters.
I won't lie, the word launch used to make my skin crawl. But in the corporate world, my whole world was launches. But instead of "launch", we called it "go-lives". My entire life was centered around "go-lives", specifically million-dollar technical projects that I was running. We had dashboards, scorecards, year-long projects with big launches, mini launches, and teams of over 100 + people. So you would think that launching would be easy for me. But launching things in my business always seemed so much harder. I always joke that I can map out my clients' launches in minutes but when it comes to mine, I get stuck.
Or at least until I started using this process.
After flaying around a bit, I finally think I figured out a process that works, but also is not stressful. I don't have a large team and up until about two weeks ago, launching was all me. All the technical and all the creation. Sometimes I have help with the copy but in the beginning, that too was all me. And it works. So I thought I would share behind the scenes of what this looks like so that if you are thinking about launching this season (or soon) you can apply this to your business.
Tips for a Simple and Stress-Free Launch
My first tip is that launching can be whatever you want it to be. If you want to just throw something out there to see if it sticks, do it. If you want a formal, fancy launch plan that calms your anxiety, do that too. Every launch is different and every launch doesn't have to be the same.
To build on that, if you are in the
mastermind or the
Club you know I talk a lot about Amy Porterfield and how much I love her, but also that I love watching how others launch.
What are they doing? What trends exist? Is it working? Do we know if it works? For the first two years in my business, I just watched others and tried to implement what I could. I actually recommend this strategy BUT the catch is: pick 1-2 people you really admire not only as people but also that you admire how they run their business as well as their values. I believe launching is very closely tied to that and priorities. See what they do. You can learn a decent amount from watching. Take notes.
I actually have a folder in my email called "launch" and when the Amy's or Jenna's or even micro-influencers I love launch something, I save their process and take notes. Be a constant learner. Watch the launch unfold. Take notes about what you like and don't like. Are you going to use social media? Email? Referrals? Bonuses? All great things to take notes on.
3 Steps To Launching
But now to the steps. I like to break it down into three:
- Mindset
- Planning and Prepping
- Build the marketing first
If I am being honest, I meant for this to be a super short motivational blog post and it turned into a full-fledged mini-workshop. Ha. So we are just going with it. Take notes. Read it again.
Step #1- Set your Mindset
Set your mindset straight and know your intentions. I will actually say that launching is 90% mindset. You have to be all in. If you are going to put something out there that you just feel ok with, you are going to get ok results. The best thing about launching is if you put 100% in the results don't matter. You will ALWAYS learn something from a launch, even if it is not what you expect it to be.
To set your mindset straight, I usually ditch the business personal development and books during launch season and instead incorporate more fun. I also set strict limitations on social media so I stay in my lane. Comparison happens and by setting these boundaries, I can keep my energy high. It is also important to make sure you have a goal in mind. If you have an email list of 100 people and 10 people purchase, that's 10% which is actually a great conversation rate. If your goal was 50 people, (and I am not saying that is not possible), is it a realistic goal? Know your numbers. Set your mindset.
NEVER stop showing up (until the very end) - give 110% even when you feel like no one's watching. For the RIGHT results. Raise the RIGHT energy.
Do you love these tips? Take the Productivity Personality Quiz to get a Netflix-style binge-worthy resource list to help you find your focus and is customized to you! Take the quiz here.
Step #2
Create a launch timeline and outline. Here's what we are told and hear...
- You have to have a team
- You need a complicated tech stack
- You have to sell on social every day
- You need to send a lot of messages and emails
- You need paid ads
- It's stressful
There are hundreds of proven ways to launch and the environment of the online space is ever-changing. Find a framework that matches your business personality and speaks to your audience.
The formula I like to follow is simple:
- Pre-Launch Phase
- Launch Event
- Launch
- Post-Launch
And for this post specifically, I want to talk about the pre-launch. Because it is the part that most people skip. (The entire formula is in the masterclass inside our community -
https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/club)
The "power" in launching is the pre-launch runway.
Use a ✨Launch Runway✨ to keep our audience at the edge of their seats and educate them on what is coming.
- Create and share an opt-in freebie with content related to your paid program
- Host a workshop
- Schedule IG Lives
- Be a guest on podcasts
- Give away WOWs for free as I call it.
Be SO good and in so many places they can't help but notice.
This phase should include:
- 2-3 weeks of content
- A lead magnet that gets your audience a quick win
- A content plan that pulls out pain points that the new offer is going to fix
In this phase - It is NOT about collecting contacts. It is about sharing and understanding what people need and how you can solve their problem. This phase is all about planting and forming relationships.
The "pre-launch" phase is when you are getting your product or service ready to launch.
STEP #1:
What are your good, better best goals?
STEP #2
What is your launch event?
STEP #3:
What are your open cart and close cart deadlines?
Are there bonuses?
STEP #4:
How will customers pay you?
What happens when they enroll
Step #3
Build your marketing first. It will literally answer every single one of your launch questions before you even start.
- Map out your content plan - what are you going to share and when are you going to share it?
- What does your sales page look like?
- What happens when people enroll? How can you get them instant results and make them feel excited about their next steps? Do they get an email? A package? How are you celebrating them?
An HOUR of planning can save you DAYS of doing
Even with the best laid-out plans, launching takes a LOT of brain power and you need to create a schedule that will support you during this time. This is your Olympics. The training (the mindset and pre-launch), the launch (the actual event), and then the recovery (the celebration).
Make a plan. Follow through.
And remember, if you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won't, you most assuredly won't. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad.
I actually love launching if you can't tell. And I love teaching it. We have a
full masterclass inside our membership on launching as well as offer intensives to put together your launch plan. But also, stay tuned, because we are launching something next week. Consider this the pre-launch phase. You can go back and look at my content and watch it come to life!
Looking for more on this topic and your High-Level Action items? Check out the Strategy Lab in the Crush the Rush Club!
