When it comes to planning a smooth launch, there’s a lot to think about. Dates, processes, pre-launch webinar or challenge, marketing, sales page copy, email sequences, customer onboarding… (See, it’s a lot!)
No matter how diligent we are, there’s one thing people almost always get wrong – and that’s giving ourselves enough time. This is a lesson I’ve seen lots of creators learn the hard way, and even after doing this for years now I’m not immune either. So don’t beat yourself up about it!
It’s a tricky thing to figure out, because if you give yourself too much time it’s really easy to procrastinate and get nothing done (guilty… 😬). Setting a slightly-tight deadline, on the other hand, can be motivating and keep you pushing forward. You don’t want to make it too tight though – when we’re under pressure we’re more likely to overlook key steps, or miss things that aren’t working.
Here’s why your launch will benefit from a little more space in your timeline.
stuff will come up
No matter how well you plan, there will always be something unexpected that crops up. Something breaks and needs fixing, you or a family member needs a sick day, or you realise you don’t have artwork for your social posts. (Sounds silly, but it happens!) These ‘oh fuuuuck’ moments feel a whole lot less stressful when you know there’s wiggle room in your plan to fix/pause/catch up.
things get better with time
One of my top tips for editing your own writing is to come back to it with fresh eyes, because you’re more likely to spot typos or clunky phrasing that isn’t quite working. This is also true for all your launch stuff, whether that’s sales or email copy, your webinar slides, or your post-sales process.
Yes, you can absolutely pull all of these things together on the fly. But if you take the pressure off slightly, you have time to revisit everything with fresh eyes and give it all a good polish before sending it out to the world. (Not too much time though – you don’t want to get stuck in a perfectionism cycle).
you need time to test and double-check everything
Links will break, zaps won’t fire, automated emails won’t send… Basically, things won’t always work like you expect them to (and usually they’ll go wrong in the eleventh-hour without logical explanation. Super fun!).
Having a bit of extra time up your sleeve gives you the space to test everything and catch anything that’s not working properly before your customers do.
So, when it comes time to planning your next launch remember: a bit more time is your friend! Consider which phases of your launch could use a bit more space and be sure to build it into your plan.
3 simple steps to get started outsourcing
If you know you need to start outsourcing but find the thought totally overwhelming, I’ve got you! Enter your details here and I’ll send you my new resource, Outsourcing Made Easy, that will show you the 3 simple steps you need to get started outsourcing effectively.
