When you're gearing up for your next, or first, launch it can be easy to think you have a lot of time to plan and execute it. But gearing up for a hugely successful launch starts long before you'd imagine.

Here are my top 10 tips, some of them learned the hard way, on how to set yourself up for a future launch success.

1. Don’t disappear

Just because you’re having a rest, or you’re not fully in launch-mode, it doesn’t mean you should disappear off the face of the planet! Make sure at the very least you’re putting out the regular scheduled social media posts and valuable content. Is it really THAT hard to do a quick livestream and answer some of your audiences biggest questions?! Don’t be that person who only sends sales emails when you HAVE to launch, schedule in some value-add emails and you’ll always be top of mind.

2. Collect case studies / testimonials

When gearing up for your next launch, make sure that you’ve reached out to all your customers for success stories. Don’t discount the small ones because it's in those stories, that you can find the GOLD that inspires people to take the first step in working with you. Find a great mix of levels of success, ranging from the smallest wins to the biggest wins.

3. Share stories

The best way to capture new audiences, engage your community and create content that speaks to them… telling stories! Want to see a good example? Head over to my Facebook page and see my latest video! I simply shared a story and its been hugely popular and VERY easy to put together. The great thing about sharing stories is that because they are yours to share, its easy to find your flow with the video and you don't need a full script – just bullets. (That FB video was inspired by my mentor Stu McLaren!)

4. Be smart with your time

If you’re intentionally taking time off to rest before a launch, then do be smart with the time you do get to yourself. Take care of your health, get rid of any personal admin and do all those projects that you’ve been wanting to so that when you DO come back… you’re absolutely CHOMPING at the bit and have nothing you actually CAN do when you’re thinking about procrastinating. It can be a challenge getting back into the swing of things so avoid getting derailed by being fully prepared for a period of laser focus.

5. Create content

To me, there’s not a lot more fun than sitting down with a coffee and writing all day long and when the pressure isn’t on with business. I very often batch create content when I’m quiet so that when I do get busy, I don’t get inconsistent. Also, now is the time to create your launch content – videos, banners, emails, social media posts and sales copy. The more you prep now, the less launch stress you’ll get. Note to self: should have done this more often in the past myself. Note to you: take it from me that this one is CRUCIAL.

6. Batch create future content

If you’re gearing up for a launch, it also means you’re gearing up for a new group of customers to SERVE and WOW. This means in the time during your launch, and after when you’re welcoming new customers, you can find yourself being inconsistent with content creation and ongoing lead generation. Create a bit of content for sharing after your launch so your non-buyers still feel valued, and so you can continue the momentum after your promotion ends.

7. Don’t leave everything to the last minute

If you’re the type of person who thrives under pressure, but you find launches stressful, then you’re probably a bit of a deadline dancer who leaves everything to the last minute. Why not, (purely as an experiment if you are resistant!) try prepping more than you ever have WELL ahead of schedule and see how this launch pans out for you. I’m betting (through personal experience) you’re going to LOVE the free time it gives you to deliver an incredible experience during your launch event.

8. Cleanse your list

There is nothing worse than the feeling of putting out a launch campaign and seeing terrible metrics like low open rates and lots of unsubscribes. But this can be skewed if you haven’t cleansed your list (removing people who are unengaged) because it gives you inaccurate data. It’s far more effective to have a list of 100 highly engaged people, than 1000 people who aren’t – so do yourself (and your metrics!) a huge favour, remove the people who aren’t engaging.

9. Plan your launch thoroughly

The thing I personally love about launch planning, is that having a great plan in place means that instead of spending the crucial time during launch planning – I’m head down, getting work done, doing amazing things with MORE energy because I know exactly what I should be working on every day. Spend your time before your launch planning (it usually takes me 3 full days, yes THREE!) to map out a launch plan outlining everything I need to do. This means during the launch period I’m so laser focused on my tasks, I achieve more and get bigger and better results because I’m not switching between strategy and tactics constantly. And it gives me more time to WOW my audience.

10. Clear the potentially urgent upcoming tasks

Finally, during this quieter time, clear your deck of any outstanding projects such as accounts, business admin tasks and anything you’ve been meaning to do. Sometimes these non-urgent, but important, tasks can BECOME urgent during a launch and it can completely derail you when you’re trying to deliver an amazing experience to your audience. Get everything out of the way so you can have more focus and less distractions.

Summary

As you can see, most of these are not marketing tactics but simple shifts on how you spend your time in the lead up to the launch. These things make all the difference!

Got any golden nuggets you'd like to share? Drop a comment below!