A Launch Date Isn't a Plan

Let's talk about launches, the kind that don't flop because you were rushing or because no one even knew it was coming. You've picked a launch date, but you haven't built the momentum behind it yet. This episode is for you. I'm gonna walk you through what real launches look like and how to know if you're truly ready to launch. Come join me.

Welcome to the Launch Your Box podcast with weekly tips, tricks, and strategies to start, launch, and grow your subscription box. Now here's your host, Sarah Williams.

Over the last month, month or so, we have been working on launching together inside Launch Your Box. I've been taking them through week by week of getting ready for their launch. And something that I've noticed is that just because you've picked a launch date doesn't mean you have a launch plan. You've got to have a full plan behind it. And if you don't, this episode is for you. Because launching without a strategy is just throwing a date on the calendar and hoping it works out. And hope is not a marketing plan. So let's talk about what launching actually looks like and why sometimes the best thing you can do is delay it. And I know I don't say that very often, but we have to make sure that we're ready and that we have a plan instead of just a date on the calendar, because that launch date on your calendar doesn't mean that you're ready to launch. It just means that you've picked a day. And too many box owners set a date because they feel the pressure just to get it out there. But what happens is they get there and they realize that no one's paying attention. So they launch to crickets. And a launch without an audience is not a launch. It's a very expensive guessing game, and it leads into feeling less than. It leads to feeling like a failure. It leads to a lot of feelings. So I'm not someone that really believes that there are bad months to launch. I've had amazing launches in January and June. Even though they say during the summer you shouldn't launch. I've had amazing launches, but there is one month that I want you to avoid launching in, and that is December. People are just too distracted. Their inboxes are flooded. They're not paying attention to anything that isn't urgent. So if you're thinking about launching in December, I want you to push it to January and give yourself a little bit of space. But let's talk about what a launch includes. Because it's not just a day, it's a runway. So real launches involve, number one, audience building a minimum of 30 days before you start. You can't just announce a launch date and not do anything to get there. So you've got to start growing your social media presence and email list before you launch. This is when you attract your people. You can run a page-like ad. You can get more visible by doing reels. You can really start to warm your audience up. We were talking about this this last week in our group. You can't just go live when you're launching. You can't just run ads when you're launching. You have to do this all the way up until the launch. You have to build momentum to the launch. And that's what that 30 days prior to launching should do for you. Number 2, you can start a lead magnet and a waitlist. So I would do this at least a month out. If you're down to crunch time, you could do it 2 weeks out. But you can create a simple opt-in something that gives value and helps you gather their emails. This builds a list of interested people who are raising their hand saying, I'm interested in what you're doing. Then I want you to start thinking about your pre-launch content 2 weeks out. So maybe you're posting about the problem that your box solves. Maybe you're posting more behind-the-scenes content. Show the making, show the planning, show the pieces, and get your audience emotionally invested before you actually open the cart. And then number 4 is having your sales page ready. This is your landing page. It needs to clearly show what the box is, who it's for, what's included, and how it works. I want you to use past box photos, benefits, and subscriber testimonials if you have them. If this is your very first launch, one thing that I suggest is the excitement. Like when you make the announcement that your subscription is coming, what are people saying in the comments? Oh my gosh, I can't wait. Use that as your review. Use that as your testimonial instead. And then you've got to have the launch week plan. Launch day plus 4 to 7 days. This is where you go all in, really 5 to 7 days. 4 is really short, but this is where you have to go all in. You're going to email daily. You're going to post social proof. You're going to create some urgency. You're going to answer questions. You're going to use a countdown. You're going to go live. You're really going to create momentum through consistency. And this is what launching actually looks like. It takes intention and energy, but when you do it right, it really works. So remember how I said sometimes you may need to delay your launch? So I want to talk about some signs that you're not ready to launch yet. And let me just be real with you. If these things are true, it's not time to launch yet because you're going to feel very frustrated. So I've got 5 signs for you. Number 1, you don't have a waitlist. If no one has said, I'm interested, who are you going to launch to? Number 2, you haven't emailed your list in weeks or maybe months. If your list has gone cold, they won't convert. You need to warm them up before you sell. Number 3, you're still unclear on your ideal customer. If you can't tell me in one sentence who your box is for, you're not ready to sell it. Number 4, you're not getting engagement on your post. This is tricky because a lot of us, including me, struggle with getting engagement on my posts. But if your content isn't getting any likes, any comments, any clicks, Your audience isn't warm and you need to build some connection first. You also might need to grow that page to get some more engagement. And number 5, you're feeling rushed or panicked. The energy will follow you into the launch and your audience can feel it. I want you to think about that first impression. You only get one chance, and so you've got to make sure it's strong. Now, this isn't, this isn't your way to procrastinate your launch, but you've got to have a plan going into the launch. So instead of launching to crickets, I want you to delay it with purpose. Take 30 days, focus on building your audience, warming up your list, and planning your launch campaign. Now, here's what I want you to do this week if you're planning to launch soon. Go look at your waitlist. Do you have one? How big is it? How can I get more people on my waitlist? Number 2, Go look at your content calendar. Are you posting consistently and how can you get more engagement? Number 3, review your emails. Have you warmed up this list? If not, do that today. Go send an email about behind the scenes, what you're working on, what's coming up. Anything will work. We've got to keep warming up that list. Number 4, I want you to take a really good look at your landing page. Does it clearly sell your subscription? Do I know what I'm going to get by looking at that? Do I know who this box is for? And number 5, just be honest with yourself. Do you feel confident or rushed? It's okay to feel nervous. It's okay to feel scared. But if you feel panic, that's not a good situation. If you do these top 4 things, you're going to feel more confident and less stress. So if you need more time, take it. Not to stall and not do anything for the next 30 days, but to strategize and implement a pre-launch plan. Launching is exciting, but rushing it is the fast track to frustration. If you don't have a launch next week or even next month, you need to start building your pre-launch. You need to launch well, and that starts with the plan. And if you need a detailed plan, Come join me inside Launch Your Box. Now let's go make your launch success story because I would love to share it.