Part 1: Fewer People, More Buyers

There’s a growing feeling in the online space that launches don’t work any more. Some people are even starting to say they hate them.

In truth they don’t hate launches, they just hate the results they’re getting from them.

(Cue the swathes of marketers declaring “launches are dead!” while encouraging you to try their new approach that looks remarkably like… launching)

Anyway…

The trouble is that many of these people aren’t getting results anymore because what they were doing before isn’t working, not because launches themselves don’t work.

So why have things changed?

Well, the e-learning and launch industry has blown up in recent years and the pandemic accelerated things that were already happening like zoom fatigue, more noise and more competition.

More and more people are also now using ads, so generating leads with a tiny ad spend isn’t as easy as it used to be.

But this challenge actually became our biggest opportunity with our launches…

How can we do MORE with FEWER leads?

Here at Love to Launch we have overwhelming proof that launches still work. Since 2022 we’ve personally generated over $6 million in sales for our private clients and our own company.

So it’s not that launches have stopped working. It’s simply that what was working just a few short years ago no longer is and we need to change our approach.

And it all comes down to the experience you create.

So what we’re kicking off today is a multi-part series where over the next few weeks I’m going to share with you exactly what’s working for us and our clients in 2024.

If you’re looking for a spark to light a fire under your marketing efforts that generates excitement to get out there and sell, you won’t want to miss what we have coming up!

With that said, let’s jump into strategy #1 that’s working for us…

Strategy #1 – Run Paid Launches

For a long time now the core strategy when it came to getting people into your launch was…

Basically, get as many people as we can into the launch because more is better, right?

That worked for a time, but with launch saturation from marketers and launch fatigue from attendees, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get people to really care.

They often know what to expect, making it harder to create something they want to show up for.

What should you do then?

Stop trying to fill your launch with people who don’t care, and focus on creating an amazing experience for a smaller group of people.

How?

Put a price tag on it!

A winning strategy we’re continuing to use in 2024 is putting a small entry fee on your launch events.

You’ll get more people showing up, because they value what they’ve invested in more, and you get more people staying because they're committed to making the most of their investment. They’ve got skin in the game.

And when people consume content, they’re far more likely to buy.

Although you’ll get fewer people signing up, we have seen conversion rates from leads to sales as high as 24%!

We’ve done paid events from anywhere between $17 and $47 – and what’s great about them is that even if you’ve got a small audience, you can do private outreach to those that you know to sell tickets.

This is a strategy that we’re seeing working for us, but also from some of the biggest players in the online space.

For example, Amy Porterfield recently did a paid launch and had over 16,000 show up. That’s incredible!

Justifying the Price

Now, I get that the idea of charging money for something that you previously did for free might make you feel all clammy.

But we don’t recommend just slapping a price tag on it and being done with it.

We need to justify the price with some juicy extras so that attendees really feel they’re getting value (something that’s becoming more and more important).

You can add in some workbooks to help keep people on track, add in some support sessions to get their questions answered, or some extra training to go deeper on certain topics.

Like we always say, there’s no one-size-fits-all here.

Simply ask yourself, what does my audience need to take this up a gear and ensure they get maximum value for the investment they’ve put in?

Top Tip: Give back the cost of entry

One fun way you can create an incentive to take the next step while also displaying a level of integrity is to give back the cost of entry in the form of a coupon to use on this or any other purchase from you.

It’ll create the sense that they’ve just got all that amazing value for nothing, and equally, that they’re getting a little discount on the next purchase too.

The Takeaways

So bringing it all together then, here’s what you need to take away from this…

🚀 Launches aren’t dead, they’ve just changed – What worked 4-5 years ago isn’t working now, but with the right strategies you can absolutely see success in 2024.

💸 $6 million in sales – This is what we’ve personally generated for our private clients and our own company since 2022. The right launches still work.

🪙 Strategy #1 – Run paid launches – A lot of people are done with free launches and they’re becoming less and less engaged when they do join them. Paid launches will bring together a core group of people who are truly invested in the experience you put together for them.

🤝 They convert! – We’ve seen conversion rates as high as 24% in launches like this, all because the attendees have skin in the game and are consuming the content. More consumption means a greater chance of conversion!

📑 Justify the price – Anything between $17 and $47 is a good ballpark figure for a great paid launch experience. Add in extra resources and support to truly demonstrate value.

👥 It works for small audiences too – While big players are seeing crazy show-up figures (16,000 in a recent Amy Porterfield launch), even with a small audience you can do private outreach to people who you think would be interested. Don’t be put off, everyone starts small.

😍 Tip: Give back the cost of entry – Give people a coupon to use on the next purchase from you to incentivise them to take the next step.

If you’re looking for something new to try in the early part of 2024 (we should always be testing as marketers!) then this is a fantastic first strategy to look at.

While you’ll end up with fewer people overall, the quality of attendees will be so much higher in terms of their willingness to show up and take the next step with you.

Plus, if you’ve run ads then you can recoup some of that ad spend right up front!

All that said, if going for a fully paid launch has you feeling a little uneasy, in the next part of this series we’re going to discuss a fantastic hybrid approach that may work better for you.

One thing free launches are very good at is growing our email list, so this next strategy is going to ensure you can still tap into that big benefit while also creating a pool of people who are financially invested.

I can’t wait to share Part 2 with you soon!

Laura x