How I Map My Product Launch Timeline For Success

A Lifetime Of Launches

I’ve been launching projects my whole life. Even when I was a kid!

I would think of crazy projects I wanted to do, and then I’d break them all down in my head step by step with my plan to get them done.

Before I worked in the online world I was using these same skills in the film and video game industry.

We were always working towards a specific launch or premiere date.

When I moved into the online world as an internet marketer I loved seeing ideas being directly transmitted to my audiences’ heads.

Over the last several years of observing launches I’ve noticed that many of the highly successful launches do something different when it comes to their planning.

What stands out about this particular group of launches is that these were the founders who appeared to be the least stressed. They didn’t cancel events, they all cruised through to successful launches.  
What I realized was they didn’t run their launches by a strict calendar of delivery dates.

Instead what they did was they mapped out their communication and built the launch off of that.

They figured out what they needed to say, how to say it, and where, all before the when.

I’ve seen tons of founders put dates on the calendar of when certain pieces of their launch needed to be complete and then those dates would just fly by.

When you map out your communication you’re actually able to focus on the message and connecting with your audience.

The reason I run my launches this way and my clients do too, is that it keeps you in a place of excitement.

You can be creative when you have time on your side instead of writing your email copy out in a state of panic.

That subtext always sneaks into the copy and it doesn’t work as well as the cool, calm, and collected approach.

 
You do need to keep some dates in mind for your launch.

For instance, the dates you’ll open up the shopping cart for sales and the date you’re closing it.

If you have any live events planned, like a webinar, you’ll need those dates worked out too.

You don’t need to be crazy with the details from this far out, but I like to open my launches in the middle of the week.

Some people are very successful opening on a Monday and closing on a Friday.

For me, I usually leave my shopping cart open for two to three weeks and I always open with a live event.

These decisions can be highly audience dependent, so consult your research before you decide.

Having gotten down these hard dates you can step back and begin to think through your launch from your first mention forward.

When do you start mentioning it in emails as a PS, or on your podcast?

Start listing these out in the order you think they’ll be sent out.

The format isn’t incredibly important at this stage because the focus should be getting all your ideas out on the table.

It doesn’t necessarily need to be a list like “Five blog posts, three YouTube videos, etc.”

The question you want to answer here is “what do you need to say?” pre-launch.

Often times the format changes as your ideas come together.

Now once you have this list you can start grouping items around key dates in your launch like opening day and closing day.

At this point you have your communication mapped out enough that you can now see where there are holes in your plan. Maybe you have a gap of five days where nothing is being sent out.

This is your opportunity to fix it!

From here we begin adding in more layers to your communication.

At certain points you may want to ramp up the incentives for people to make a decision like a 48-hour fast action bonus.

Maybe a payment plan that you announce towards the end.

This is to keep your launch strong during the middle period where sales are the weakest.

Communication planning from the pre-launch can cut down on all the stress that typically comes with a launch and keeps you honest with your audience.

Action Steps

1. List out any hard dates in your launch like the shopping cart opening date, closing date, and any live events you have planned.
2. List out all your mentions of your launch from the beginning.
3. Get out all the ideas that cover the “what” of your message.
4. Build out your list to include all your planned communications.
5. Look for gaps in this list and fill them in.
6. Add in incentives for purchase during the middle period.

 

Result You Will Achieve

A launch that frees your communication plan from dates on the calendar and allows for you to have a more successful launch.

 
This article is based on an EHQ interview with the mentor.