When it comes to selling online, a question I get asked quite a bit is “whether or not launching my digital product is necessary”?
While the concept of passive income and making money while you’re asleep is definitely sexy, that’s not a realistic goal with a new digital product or even a service. You definitely need to launch.
Today on the podcast, I am talking about why you need to launch your digital product versus going straight to passive sales.
I know that launching feels scary and can be intimidating but it doesn’t have to be. My goal with this episode is to help you understand what is a launch and what isn’t, why launching your product first is a good thing, and a quick overview of what a launch consists of. Having a good understanding of launching goes a long way towards making your future launches feel doable.
What is a launch and what isn’t a launch
Not a launch:
- Opening the virtual doors of your website and then tweeting “I just launched my website today”.
- Building your product in silence, hitting publish, and posting it on your website site.
- Posting about your digital product coming soon on instagram and then never mentioning it again until it’s for sale.
These are all things I see regularly online but that’s not how launching works.
A launch is:
A focused marketing campaign designed to introduce your product to your ideal audience, while generating buzz and excitement.
Launches are intentional. There’s a period of education. There are specific launch-related events. Launches have a defined start and end period.
There’s usually a limited timed promotion (but this isn’t a hard fast rule).
Why you need to launch your digital product versus going straight to passive sales
Launching gives you the best chance at attracting buyers (especially if you have a smaller audience) because you’ve spent weeks educating your audience and making them aware of their problem. Launches you give the opportunity to showcase the solution.
Other reasons launches are important…
Launches get people talking.
Launches help generate quick sales and build momentum for your product going forward. They build urgency.
Launches give you an excuse to go even harder for your product.
They help you get your ‘first’ buyers who in turn provide you with feedback and social proof.
The problem with passive sales
I want to make this clear, there’s nothing wrong with passive sales. They just are not the right goal for a new digital product.
Simply putting up a product for sale on your website is not going to generate many sales.
Passive sales work better for digital products that have already been through a launch cycle or two. At that point your digital product has had real people spend money on it and has collected some social proof.
So what does a launch consist of…
Pre-launch
Pre-launch is the period of time leading up to when you open your cart and make your product for sale (aka your launch). The purpose of the pre-launch phase is to build buzz about your upcoming launch and generate a list of interested leads. Can last 1 to 8 weeks depending on how much awareness you want to build
Launch
The launch is when you make your product for sale. This is also known as opening the cart. Your launch can consist of a variety of different tactics and events to get eyes on your product. This phase normally lasts anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks depending on the activities you have planned for your launch.
Post-launch
The post-launch phase is where you assess and evaluate how well the launch went. This phase is typically the shortest and lasts about a week.
Here are your next steps…
Start thinking about your digital product. When do you want to launch it? Remember, you need time to plan and create your product as well as launch content.
Reverse engineer your product creation timeline based on the date you want to launch.
Questions to think about when planning:
- How long will your pre-launch period last? How familiar is your audience with this topic? The less familiar, the more education they need.
- What type of launch event will you have? Webinar, challenge, daily lives, email series only? Something else?
- What stats are you going to track during your launch besides sales?
- What will make a successful launch for you?
Launching your digital product is a topic I cover inside of the Brilliance Lounge Membership. If you need help planning your launch, head over to brilliancelounge.com for access to all the training, monthly coaching calls, and community to help you create your digital product with confidence.
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