How To Plan, Launch, And Sell Your Digital Course in 60 Days or Less
How To Plan, Launch, And Sell Your Digital Course in 60 Days or Less
In today's EPIC blog post, I'm going to walk you through my proven process for launching a digital course in 60 days or less.
I've broken it down to 8-weeks (56 days) so you've got a few extra buffer days...
If this is your first launch, bookmark this page because I give a LOT of details, resources, and plans to help you succeed at your course launch.
If you read (and love) this post - don't forget to leave a comment, I absolutely LOVE hearing from YOU and learning your big takeaways.
Enjoy,
Zach Spuckler
P.S. What's an EPIC blog post? It's a term I use to describe content I write that is IN-DEPTH and (in my opinion) worth paying for, but is FREE! So yeah, this post... it's gonna be good!
Week 1: Plan & Validate Your Course Idea
Braindump Your Ideas
The first step to creating an online course is to get clarity on what you're going to teach. If you're not sure what to teach the good news is that people really only want one of three things: More money, more happiness, or more relationship success.
So ask yourself which of these categories would be relevant to your current expertise or desire to teach. To give you some specific examples, here are some topics you could consider for each of these (3) categories:
MORE MONEY
How to get clients on Instagram
How to run Facebook Ads for eCommerce
How to write emails that sell courses
How to scale your brick-and-mortar
How to start your side-hustle
MORE HAPPINESS/HEALTH
Yoga Workshops
Meditation Programs
Plant-Based Living/Challenges
Cooking Courses
Life Coaching/Goal Setting Programs
BETTER RELATIONSHIPS
Marital Support
Parenting Courses
Finding A Partner (Dating Courses)
Now, any of these ideas can WORK, however you want to make sure that there is market demand for the specific angle that you want to take. Which means we're going to head over to your social media to validate your idea to your current audience.
(Note: Don't have an audience? No stress, we'll cover that too!)
Post On Social Media With a Validation Post
Before you can bear the fruits of your labor, you have to go fishing - fishing for insight, that is. Before I ever publish a product, or start to sell one, I take the time to go to Facebook or Instagram to validate that people would pay for it.
This is how I do it:
Facebook Profile
I'll create a short post that says "I'm thinking about creating some training around X - would you be interested in joining for $37?"
The reason that I include a price (even if it's not the final price) is because I want people to understand I'm making a PAID offer. Does their comment guarantee that they would actually pay? No, only a payment can do that.
But, if I throw out a net on my profile and NO ONE BITES, then I know that my idea doesn't have legs. I always start with a validation style Facebook Post.
Instagram Stories
Once I feel like I've got some good feedback (comments) on Facebook that show my idea has legs, then I'll jump over to Instagram stories and ask the question again.
This time I may ask in video or "text" format as a story, but I'll include a poll that says:
"YES, I want more info" or ""No, this isn't for me"
If I can get 10+ votes for YES and I have a following, then I know that my idea still has legs. Now, do these posts GUARANTEE sales? Again, no. BUT they are much better than rushing in blind to something you THINK may work - but doesn't have any demand.
How To Validate Your Idea WITHOUT a Following
If you're reading this and you have no following yet, you might be asking yourself "How can I validate my offer if I don't have a big following?"
Well, let me ask this, do you have $20-40 to test something out? If YES, then I recommend you post 2-3 IDEAS of what you want to launch on your Facebook PAGE and then spend $10 to boost each post to a cold audience on Facebook.
So, if you were thinking "I want to launch a course on Instagram Hashtag Research," one post you might share is...
"I'm thinking about creating an Instagram hashtag training, would you be interested in that, let me know with an emoji below!"
Another might be,
"I'm thinking about creating an Instagram Hashtag Client Getting Strategy Training! Would that be something you want to learn about?"
Notice how the TOPIC is still Instagram, but I'm trying different angles. Then, I will boost the post for $10 each, and see which one gets the MOST engagement. I may even take another step to reach out to ALL the people that comment and invite them to my related lead magnet or opt-in.
If people are ENGAGING (organically or paid), that's an indicator you're on the right path!
BONUS: Consider Pre-Selling a Small Version
At Heart, Soul and Hustle, we're a HUGE fan of low ticket offers. In fact we have THREE core offers that we sell for $37-47 for digital businesses looking to grow...
Anytime we want to build a more "high level offer" we consider creating something for $37-47 to pre-sell to our existing audience and validate that the idea will not just garner INTEREST, but will actually garner SALES!
I think that the best way to confirm that an offer will "float" in a sea of saturation is to put a low ticket tag on it and try to sell it.
You can follow the same process of validation, but DM people that are interested in it and give them a link to buy from a SIMPLE pre-sale sales page.
If you want to learn the proven process to map out, pre-sell, and validate an offer through low ticket - you can check out The Low Ticket Laboratory for $47 right here....
Connect with 3-5 Potential Customers for a 1:1 Chat
As you're taking the time to validate your idea and are reaching out to potential new customers, or acquiring customers at a lower price point - you'll want to connect with 3-5 potential clients for a 1:1 chat!
Here's a SIMPLE SCRIPT you can email (or FB Message) to anyone that you think would be open to having a chat with you...
"Hey [NAME] - I noticed you commented on my post OR bought my low ticket offer and I wanted to reach out because I'm working on more content (both free and paid) to create around this topic and I'd love to hear what would support you! No pitch, nothing for sale, just research for 15-20 mins, and in exchange we can hang out for another 15-20 minutes and I can answer any questions and offer support! Would you be open to that?"
NOTE: It is VERY important to stay in integrity with these calls, they are not sales calls, they are research calls and these people are doing US a favor, so treat them well and help them without restraint.
Once you're on the calls ask the following questions:
Why are you interested in learning more about (TOPIC)?
What's been your struggle in (life/business)?
Where do you need help?
What would make you feel supported?
If I could wave a magic wand, what would you want to have created for you?
The answers to these questions should be recorded and documented so that you can go back and reference them as you're working on your sales and email copy.
Also, take note of if your idea for what you WANT to teach is in alignment with what they want to learn - don't be tied to your expertise, be tied to their expectations and desires.
Refine the Idea and Outline Course Structure
At this point, I recommend that you take ALL the information you've collected up to this point and choose the MAJOR OUTCOME you want people to achieve for their course.
For example, in our upcoming course the major outcome is to launch a digital product in 60 days or less. So the title or "promise" of the course needs to be in alignment with that.
We're calling our course "Launch It: 60 Days to a Profitable Digital Product"
Once I have a core outcome, I break it down to 6-8 steps! Why? Because I recommend that your first course be 6-8 weeks in length, and if you can get someone through ONE step a week - then you can make progress.
Once you have these steps mapped out, list out "sub-steps" for each step - these sub-steps become your videos, handouts, and content for your digital course.
Don't worry about creating a big sales page... yet! For now we just want to have the flow of your course that we can use in the next BIG step.
Week 2 - Create a High Quality Promotional Blog Post + Share It
Why & What Is A High Quality Blog Post
So what exactly is a "High Quality" blog post? For me, it's a post that is OVERRUNNING with value and content for your ideal audience.
The blog post is long-form (3,000+ words) and really addresses a MAJOR pain point that your audience has - and in this case I'm going to recommend that it follows the basic flow of your course - which means that the outline that you mapped out in week 1.
Why would we share our process for free?
Because over the course of this blog - there will be ideas, inspirations, but more importantly you will build TRUST. People are very withholding of information online when they think they can charge, but not YOU.
This blog post will be SO GOOD that people will be begging to work with you by the end of it.
Oh, and the added benefit of these long form posts? They create consistent traffic and sales on your website. Seriously, as someone that reaches over 500-1000 NEW PEOPLE a month through Google alone (and over 1500 a month from the audience I grow!) - I can tell you that organic traffic comes a LOT to these high quality blogs.
So I build trust, I grow my audience, and I see my course through text - giving lots of value and giving them the desire to "do more" - which my course will help with.
Ask yourself... "Would I rather buy from someone who's methodology you know and can trust - or someone who's a slick webinar sales person?"
I sincerely believe that leading with massive value, creates massive reciprocity.
Long story short: If you want to GET clients, GIVE more than expected.
How to Create Relevant Content That Shares Easily
So, now you probably find yourself asking...how do I write this long form blog post, Zach - I'm not a great writer!?
Good news, neither am I. My initial posts were usually short, riddled with typos, and not as good as I want them to be...
But I came up with a system that has worked time and time again to help me write epic blog posts that lead to customers, clients, and revenue.
What I do is take the TOPIC or PROMISE of the course that I want to sell, and I break it down into 6-8 steps. Then I break each of those steps down into another 5-7 steps a piece.
Note: You already did this for your course outline!
Once I've got a core topic, a list of steps, and a list of sub-steps - I then create a simple outline of the blog I'm going to write...
My Step-By-Step Process For Writing a High Quality Blog Post
So at this point you basically have a list of 40-50 "topics" - now you turn each topic into a headline.
For example, if the topic was "add 100 people to your email list" I would flip it into a compelling headline such as "Generate Your First 100 Leads With Ease".
I do that for each topic, and now I have a list of 50 headlines that flow in the order my course will - now you simply write out 50-100 words to pair with each headline that explains your process.
I recommend that you commit a couple hours to writing out the epic post and simply write without editing as you go. Just free-write, let it flow, and have fun.
AFTER you have 50-100 words per topic, you then go back and edit, add relevant links, and images to fill it out and make it visually stimulating.
I usually do ALL of this in a Google Doc, and then myself, or someone on my team, will migrate the Google Doc over to my website.
Now that you've got an incredible post, it’s time to make sure that it generates growth for our business...
The Upsell or Lead Magnet
It's important that people who read the blog have a "next step" to take after they read your blog. I recommend that you do ONE of three things....
1. Offer to join the waitlist for your course throughout the post.
A great way to let people take the next step is to let them know that you're going to have a "guided course" of this blog that you offer in real time with coaching, consulting, etc. I recommend creating an image OR inserting a SIMPLE OPT IN FORM like this one…
NOTE: This is an opt-in for the waitlist of our 60 day digital course launch program, so if you want help going through this EXACT process live, drop your name and email!
2. Offer to join a low ticket offer.
Throughout my posts, I will sometimes link to the low ticket offer that I'm using to validate my course.
Why?
Because if people read and trust me, I want to give them a chance to pay for more INSTANTLY without having to wait. Just like the waitlist, I insert an image that promotes one of my low ticket offers. They look like this:
3. Offer to sign up for a freebie, summary, or checklist of the blog
For some of my epic blog posts, I add in a freebie opt-in that is a downloadable summary or checklist for the content that I'm sharing. For example, for this blog I could create an 8-page weekly checklist for launching your course in the next 60 days.
Think about how people that opt-in to the lead magnet have qualified themselves for your upcoming offer, because the lead magnet is directly related to the course outline that you're writing about! It's a lead generator that builds trust, authority, AND your list!
My 5-Point Promotional Process
Writing an incredible piece of content is major, but getting the word out about it is just as important - you don't want to just hit publish and walk away. Instead, you want to follow my 5-point promotional process for maximum reach.
POINT 1 - DESIGN 4-5 PROMOTIONAL IMAGES
The first thing to do is to create 4-5 square images in Canva that you can use to promote your blog post. You're going to use these later, so take some time to make things that look nice and work on both Instagram and FB.
Bonus - Create a few promo images for IG Stories!
POINT 2 - Write (3) Captions For Instagram and Plan (3) Days of Promo Within a Week of Publishing the Post
The biggest mistake that I see people make when they DO create amazing content is that they promote it ONCE on every social media platform and then stop. It's very important that you continue to promote your content time and time again.
On average a VERY small percentage of your followers are going to see your post. In fact, most people are only going to see one or two of the things that you post.
POINT 3 - Write (3) Captions For Facebook and Plan (3) Days of Promo Within a Week of Publishing the Post
Same as above, write 3 captions for Facebook and distribute them. I personally will throw them on my page AND my profile. Technically, you can’t do business from a personal profile, but sharing a link should be okay :)
POINT 4 - Email Your Existing List And Ask Them to Share
You have a true connection to your email list, even if it's small, and you can use that connection to drive traffic to your new blog post. These are your existing fans, so take the time (in the email) to ask them to PLEASE share the content if they enjoy it. This simple act can help you reach people who don't know you yet and expand your influence.
POINT 5 - Ask 5-10 Close Friends For a Share
This is the one that people skip... but don't! Take time to brainstorm 5-10 people you're friends with on Facebook, in real life, or even in your masterminds and ASK THEM to share your big piece of content. A few shares can go a long way for social proof and reach!
Optional: Adding Facebook Ads Traffic
Once you've got the blog up - it's time to promote it with Facebook Ads traffic if you have some budget. Remember, you've created a HIGH-QUALITY, SHAREABLE PIECE OF PRE-SALE CONTENT - readers are no longer just blog visitors. They are qualified traffic.
So, I recommend that if you've got the budget, spend $3-5/day driving traffic to your new blog post.
Bonus: Make sure the Facebook Pixel is installed on your website, because you can run ads to everyone that has read the blog post with strategic retargeting.
Responding to Comments on Blog & Social
The last thing that is super important is that you respond to ALL COMMENTS on your blog page and on your social media profiles.
Google watches your blog and rewards you for responding to comments.
Facebook and Instagram watch your posts and reward you for responding to comments.
Seriously, don't skip this step - it's a game changer for the long-term reach of your business.
Your Blog Is Now An Asset
Think about this... now everyone that has read your blog knows what you do, knows how to work with you, and maybe even joined your email list!
You're growing the REACH of your influence, the GROWTH your website traffic, and (if you've added a low ticket offer) an INCREASE in your sales and revenue.
Stop thinking about content as a one-time chore for social media - from here on out, you create content that's an ASSET!
Week 3: Plan Your Launch & Set A Date 4-5 Weeks Out
In the first two weeks of this process, you've taken the time to validate your idea, and start creating some "authority" around it with a blog post (just like this one).
If everything's adding up positively - you're getting traffic, opt-ins, possibly sales, and people are asking for more... Now it's time to start planning the launch of your digital course.
Planning out a launch can feel very complicated, but the good news is that this post is walking you through my 8-week launch plan - you're already 25% there!
This week is all about planning HOW you're going to launch - and I recommend that you plan the content of your launch this week, then focus on the promotion content next week.
Webinar or Challenge?
If you've been in the online space you know that a LOT of people sell a digital course with a webinar, and while there is NOTHING wrong with webinars, they aren't my preferred launch method for beginners.
I recommend that you do a 3 or 5 day challenge for your audience.
Challenges are great because unlike webinars, they don't rely solely on 90 minutes and your sales skills to be successful. I've consulted on launches from $10k to $100k and what I've found is that those who do challenges get better conversion rates.
How To Map Out Your Challenge Launch
I have two AMAZING resources for helping you plan to launch with a challenge:
The first is this blog post called...
The Complete 5-Day Challenge Launch Strategy
The second is my $37 program, called...
That blog post will give you a 100% free (and in-depth) view of how I manage my 5-day challenge content, topic, and flow.
The toolkit is for you if you KNOW you want to commit to a challenge and are looking for video training, swipe files, and templates for your launch.
BUT here's what is important to map out...
The topic of your challenge (I teach how to come up with this in the strategy blog post)
The content you're going to cover each day
What you want to sell
A simple Facebook Ads / Promotional Strategy
If you have the topic, you can write your sign up pages.
If you have the content you're going to cover, you can write posts and emails promoting your sign up pages.
If you have what you want to sell (which you already do from the first 2 weeks), you can determine a fair price and predict your profits.
If you have a simple promotional strategy, you can fill up the challenge.
(Note: I cover filling your challenge in my free blog post AND my paid toolkit).
The Important of Planning
I'm not saying that you need to plan every minor detail of your launch, but I AM saying that you want to have a clear picture of what you're going to do over the next 2-3 weeks.
Note: This is an accelerated launch plan. I recommend that if you're going to follow the plan and release and sell your course over the next 4 weeks, that it be the PRIMARY focus of your business.
I'm going to show you what to do for the next 4-weeks. The key is to take a moment AFTER reading this post and write out all the TASKS you need to complete to launch your course in 60 days.
Don't skip this step. It can be in a notebook, in Trello or Asana, or even a list in your Slack - just don't forget to PLAN so you can have a running to-do list of what needs done!
Week 4: Write Your Creative, Copy & Landing Pages
I recommend that if you truly want to launch in 60 days that you spend one week, buckle down, and commit 2-3 hours PER DAY to writing out the content you need to attract leads to your launch (challenge) that you have coming up.
This is a short list of the REQUIRED assets you're going to want to create. You may end up doing other things to promote your launch like Livestreams, Instagram Reels, etc - but this is the minimum that you need (in my experience) to launch.
The Sign Up Page
Now, if you read the Challenge Launch Blog Post you know that you need to have a compelling topic for your challenge, and this is prominently featured on your landing page where people can sign up for the challenge.
The key things to include on your landing page are:
A strong headline (the title of your challenge)
The date your challenge starts
The opt-in box
A short description of what you'll cover in the challenge
A short bio about who you are
A STRONG call to action to sign up
Here's a sample page we used for a Facebook Ads challenge a couple years back that converted at 40%:
I also recommend that you use a Landing Page Software to build a robust landing page that is designed to convert from the start. (This page was built in LeadPages, and that's the software we use for our business and for some of our top clients.)
So carve out one day, write your landing page, and get excited to start promoting it.
The Invitation Emails
Whether your email list is 10, 100, 1,000, or 10,000 people, it's important that you take the time to write some emails that you're going to send to your list inviting them to your challenge.
So many people "skip" this step because they don't think they have a big enough list. What I find is that the SMALLER your list, the higher engagement you're going to get from it (in most cases).
Meaning, a list of 250 can be just as powerful as a list of 1,000 when the engagement and strategy is there.
I recommend that you write (3) emails to invite people to your challenge:
The Logical Email
The Emotional Email
The Last Minute Email
THE LOGICAL EMAIL
This is the first email that I usually write and send out to my audience. I like to keep it around 400-600 words and the basic gist is that I'm writing about WHY they should sign up for the challenge, from a logical standpoint.
What kind of ROI could they see? What's the benefit of joining? What results can they expect?
Talk about the TANGIBLE POSSIBILITIES of what they can create if they do the work you're about to share with them.
THE EMOTIONAL EMAIL
There is a segment of your audience that thrives on emotion and possibilities. This email (while similar to the logical email) is unique in that it doesn't focus on numbers, or data, but rather potential outcomes and the FEELINGS associated with them.
Does your audience want 100 new IG followers? How would that make them feel - important, successful, validated? Dig deep into the mindset of your audience and WHY they want what you have to offer.
THE LAST MINUTE EMAIL
There is a segment of your audience (and mine too) that just waits until the last minute. They'll see the emotional and logical email and say to themselves "Oh yeah, I gotta sign up for that thing" but then they'll get distracted.
I recommend that 1-2 days before the challenge starts that you send out an email that simply recaps the challenge, the content, the outcome and reminds them they have a limited amount of time to sign up.
This the "last call" email.
The Reminder Emails
Now that you've gotten the emails written to INVITE your audience, you'll want to spend a day writing the emails that your audience gets AFTER they sign up, but BEFORE the challenge starts - I call these reminder emails.
I recommend that you write 5 of them in total.
Email #1 - Goes Out Instantly On Sign Up
Email #2 - Goes Out 5 Days Before the Challenge Starts
Email #3 - Goes Out 3 Days Before the Challenge Starts
Email #4 - Goes Out 2 Days Before the Challenge Starts
Email #5 - Goes Out 18-24 Hours Before the Challenge Starts
The content of these emails can be VERY simple, but I recommend that you beef them up with testimonials from clients if you have them, stories that you can share about your journey, and reminders to join a Private Launch Facebook group.
Note: I won't get TOO into the logistics of the Facebook Group for the Challenge in this section, but just note that everyone that signs up for your challenge should be invited to a private group.
Organic Social Media Copy
Just like the blog that you wrote, it's important to promote your challenge on social media multiple times. I recommend that you write 3-4 Instagram Posts, and 3-4 Facebook Posts.
I often get asked, "How big does my audience need to be for this to work?"
My answer - any size.
Even if your following on Instagram is like 100 people, you should still consider getting into the habit of writing, creating, and posting social media content for your launch - it may seem like a lot of work for small returns TODAY, but as you scale and grow your reach, it's going to make a difference.
Not sure what to write/post about? Here are my top 5 "angles" to promote a launch:
Write a post about WHY you're running the challenge
Share a client WIN and that you'll reveal their process during your challenge
Talk about the RESULTS people can expect from your challenge
Share your STORY and weave it into the challenge
Do a last minute post 24 hours before the challenge with all the details
I'll post each of these on Instagram and Facebook at staggered times.
Recommended: Facebook Ad Copy
I know what you're thinking... "If this is my first course launch do I NEED to run Facebook ads?"
The answer is no, you never NEED to run Facebook Ads - but I'm going to recommend that you consider it from day one - even if it's only $100 you want to spend on the launch...
Why?
Because in my opinion advertising is going to become NECESSARY as you scale your business, and it's better to get practice in for $100 than to suddenly wake up one day, your audience is burnt out, and you have to spend BIG BUCKS to grow overnight.
I have a TON of resources on my website about Facebook Ads Copy and Creative, but I'll give you the cliff notes right here...
I recommend that you create (2) copy variations, and (3) creative variations. Copy is the text of the ad, creative is the image or video that goes with it.
I'll write one long-form set of copy, and one short-form set of copy. Long-form is around 300+ words, and the short-form is just one or two sentences.
For the creative, I'll usually do 2-3 images. I do one that's text based, one that's an image of me, and one that's a stock photo. I find that one of these (6) potential combinations will get me some results when I start running ads.
TOTALLY unfamiliar with ads? Don't panic - I've got an epic blog post (like this one) that details how to run Facebook Ads for a launch that you can check out here.
Your Launch "Content" / Your Challenge Content
On the last day of this week I recommend that you sit down and create the content for your launch or challenge. I say 'launch content" because you might be doing a webinar OR a challenge.
For this post I'm going to focus on the challenge content you need to create, since that's my recommended launch strategy.
You're going to want to create:
The Private Facebook Group for your challenge
The daily emails that go out each day of your challenge
The content you're going to teach each day of the challenge
The images/Facebook Group posts you'll use during the challenge
It's pretty straight forward, but if you're looking for templates for the email, support with creating content, or just want to go DEEPER on the challenge content - you can check out my Challenge Launch Toolkit for templates, prompts, and more...
By The End Of The Week
My goal for you is that 3-4 weeks prior to your challenge, everything that needs to be created for the promotion and launch itself is completed.
I've worked with clients & customers who do things in realtime and while it works...it's stressful! Give yourself a full week to FOCUS on creating your content and from there you can move to promotion.
Week 5: Facebook Ads + Organic Promo of Your Launch
Now, as we move into Week 5 we're going to start inviting people to your challenge via the emails, social media posts, and Facebook Ads that you built last week.
The most important thing to remember is that you DO NOT want to promote your launch more than 10 days out from the start of the challenge.
Why?
I find that if you promote more than 10 days out, it hurts the "engagement rate" of your challenge. You want as many people showing up live as possible, so here's what to do for the first couple days of the week:
Connect & Test EVERYTHING
Last week, we created all your content for sign ups, reminders, etc. But, we glossed over the important piece that is connecting all your softwares and testing that everything works.
If you decide to promote your challenge 10 days out, you don't really need to do anything the first couple days of the week - so I recommend using those days to catch up on any content that didn't get done, and to connect your tech so that you know everything is working.
(For reference, the "tech stack" I use for my challenges is ConvertKit for email, LeadPages for landing pages, and Facebook Groups for content delivery on social).
Setup Facebook Ads 2-3 Days Ahead of Time
What most people do is wake up 10 days out and go "Oh gosh, I need to set up Facebook Ads today..."
But with the changes from iOS 14 and the time it takes to get ads approved on new accounts - you'll want to get everything set up 2-3 days in advance. With Facebook ads you can schedule ads to go live days ahead of time, so it's no sweat!
I recommend that you run ads to your warm audience and a cold audience so that you're maximizing the audience you have and reaching new people with your launch at the same time.
Setup & Catch Up
This may seem like a simple and straightforward week - because it can be!
This is your week to set everything up, catch up on anything else you need to create before your ads kick off and you start promoting on social media.
Note: In Week 5, I start running ads, but I don't start my organic (email and social media) promo until the following week - it gives me extra time to test my ads, make sure all my tech is working, and get some leads in the door.
Week 6: Promote Your Launch & Write The Sales Page & Emails
Now, this is where most people disagree with me, but I'm going to recommend that in the 7-days before starting your challenge, you promote it with all the content you created, but that you also use this week to write your sales page and sales emails.
Do I want you to be focused on your launch this week? Yes!
BUT, I also think that during the promotion week, something is going to happen. As you start posting and emailing about your challenge, people are going to ask their burning questions, they are going to tell you where they are stuck, and they are going to post in the Facebook Group what they are hoping to achieve.
This open sharing (which we see all the time) will give you the ammunition, copy, and verbiage that you need to write an amazing sales sequence. So, consider this week "launch fill up" and "sales research and writing" week.
Promotion of Your Challenge
Remember that at this point, you now have Facebook Ads running in the background to drive people into your challenge, but you also wrote out emails and social media posts that you can now release to your list and the world to get people to sign up.
EMAIL SCHEDULE
I recommend that you send the logical email 7 days before the challenge starts.
I recommend that you send the emotional email 4 days before the challenge starts
I recommend that you send the last chance email 18 hours before the challenge starts
THE SOCIAL MEDIA SCHEDULE
You've got (5) posts that you can share on Facebook and Instagram. Don't share the same topic in both places on the same day. Stagger your posts for 7 days before the challenge starts.
As a bonus, consider doing a Facebook Live about your challenge and why people should come, and a bonus if you decide to do an IG Reel. Live video and Reels can get really amazing reach and engagement, so don't sleep on them!
Write Your Sales Page
The good news (and one of the many reasons I recommend a challenge) is that your sales page can be SIMPLE and still convert. How is that possible? Well, with a challenge you build a lot of trust through social engagement, live video, and consistency.
So, in many cases, when you make the offer people are already ready to buy on the spot - a sales page is still necessary, but it can be simple. This is the BASIC FLOW that I follow for my sales pages when I'm launching something new:
Start with a section that shows the product, its name, and its tagline/promise.
Then, move into your bio that leads with the problem they are facing and how you've created the solution in your life or business.
Talk about the course modules and BENEFITS of those modules - don't just talk about what's in the course, talk about why it's important.
ALWAYS have a bonus section - bonuses should "add content". They should ENHANCE someone's experience in the course by making things easier or faster.
And always wrap with an FAQs section that details the common questions people ask about your process (and logistical q's such as access, refunds, and timelines).
Oh, and always make sure to sprinkle buy now buttons (and testimonials if you have them) throughout the sales page.
I could write an entire post at length on sales pages (and maybe I will one day), but if you keep it simple, include these sections, and rock your challenge, you'll see results.
IMPORTANT: Make it Easy to Buy!
I don't want to dive tooooo deep on this topic, but it's very important that you have a checkout system where people can EASILY enter their info and buy from you. Don't make it complicated for someone to say YES and PAY.
I recommend that you use one of these softwares for checkout...
The software you choose will depend on your needs, but these (3) softwares have a pretty seamless checkout process.
Write (6) Sales Emails Minimum
As you're gearing up to start your challenge and you're getting feedback from your audience, now is the time to write your sales emails.
I recommend that you take one of two paths:
PATH #1 - OPEN THE CART FROM FRIDAY - SUNDAY
If you're new to launching, trust me when I say that it is VERY TIRING WORK, so I recommend that you open the cart for 48 hours, go hard and then RELAX.
If you decide to take this approach, you're going to:
FRIDAY - Send 1 Sales Email in the afternoon
SATURDAY - Send 2 Sales Emails (AM & PM)
SUNDAY - Send 3 Sales Emails (Morning, Afternoon, Evening)
PATH #2 - OPEN THE CART FROM FRIDAY - TUESDAY
If you've got more experience, OR you work with an audience that isn't going to be online much on a Sunday, you may want to extend your cart open through Tuesday.
If you decide to take this approach, you're going to:
FRIDAY - Send 1 Sales Email in the afternoon
SATURDAY - Send 1 Sales Email (Afternoon)
SUNDAY - Send 1 Sales Email (Morning)
MONDAY - Send 1 Sales Email (Morning)
TUESDAY - Send 2 Sales Emails (AM & PM)
THE EMAIL TOPICS
Again - email copy writing is a super in-depth topic - which means I could write a whole post about ALL these emails. Instead, I wanted to give you the (6) email topics that I recommend you cover inside your sales emails.
Email #1 - The Pitch
The first email that you send should be a full-on pitch of your program. Talk about the benefits, the modules, the testimonials... Put it all in there. Your goal is to really SELL the program and explain to your challengers why this is the next step!
Email #2 - The Q&A
The first email of the second day (in both paths) I announce that I'm going to do a Livestream on my page as a Q&A for the entire challenge and for my program. I invite people to come engage with me live, at a set time, and link them to my page.
Email #3 - The Case Study or Story
If you have testimonials, now is the time to USE THEM. If you don't, now is the time to tell your story. In this email, I share a success story (even if it's me) that really weaves a story of why they should buy.
Email #4 - The FAQs
I call this the "Will this work for me email." If someone is reading your emails but still hasn't committed to the program, it simply means they are wondering if it'll work. So, this is the time to publish 7-10 questions that people are asking you (or you know they are wondering) about the program. Two of those questions should always cover how the course is delivered and what the refund policy is.
Email #5 - The Bonus Reminder
I recommend that you give a bonus to everyone that joins before the "cart open" period is over - in this email recap the big bonuses that you're offering and remind them they expire that night.
Email #6 - The Last Call
In the final email what I see most people do is write a 50-100 word email that basically says "last call". I recommend that you go DEEP! Recap why they are here, talk about results from your challenge, talk about the course. This is your LAST EMAIL - don't be afraid to REALLY SELL AND SHARE what you have to offer.
WANT SALES EMAIL TEMPLATES?
If you're looking for Sales Email Templates for a challenge - check out the Challenge Launch Toolkit - I give away templates for EACH of these 6 emails with a schedule to follow. I offer this toolkit for just $37.
It's Go Time...
At this point you've written email copy, social media posts, Facebook Ads, and you're inviting people to the challenge... Now it's time to DO THE THING!
Week 7: Run The Challenge
The Challenge itself shouldn't be TOO hard because you've already created all the content for it - all that's left to do is to release the content, engage in the group, and show up.
Here's the daily challenge flow:
Daily Challenge Flow
Each day, I recommend that FIRST thing in the morning you send out an email with the daily training & tasks and link people to the private Facebook Group to share their insights, takeaways, and lessons from each day.
After the video is released, schedule blocks of time to actually go into the Facebook group to comment and engage with the challengers. Be in this WITH THEM, don't just talk AT THEM.
Halfway through the day, I recommend that you then go LIVE as a Facebook Livestream to recap the day and answer any questions that people are asking.
After the video, pop back in and continue to engage in the private group.
Repeat the process daily.
Send Email -> Engage In Group -> Host Livestream -> Engage In Group -> End Day -> Repeat.
The Power of "Showing Up"
I don't wanna get too "woo woo" on you - but there is truth to the fact that how you show up for people is how they will show up for you.
When you go LIVE, give it everything you have.
When you engage in the group, share from a place of service.
This week is about GIVING IT ALL YOU’VE GOT so that people can see your expertise, your abilities, and your heart.
If you show up tired, exhausted, and "just for the money" people will sense that. So get your sleep, don't skip meals (it's totally common when you're launching), and serve first.
You'll be amazed at the results.
Week 8: Post-Challenge Sales & Email
Again, this part of the process shouldn't be too complicated. You already wrote the sales emails, but there are TWO things that I recommend adding to the mix:
Schedule Your Sales Emails
If you haven't yet, schedule all your sales emails to send out automatically through your autoresponder. I recommend that you not send in real time, mostly because then you mix things up, you rush, or you just forget!
So take some time to schedule the sales emails you wrote in week 6, if you haven't already.
Post Your Offer On Social Media
I recommend for the 2-4 days that your cart is open, you do a DAILY post on AT LEAST one social media platform inviting people to buy it.
You might be wondering, "Zach, why am I just creating these posts now?"
Simple. Because now that you've run the challenge, you actually KNOW where people are stuck. During the 5-days they are going to post wins, struggles, hopes, goals - and you can speak to that more accurately now than you could just a few days ago.
I recommend you leverage 2 platforms max - usually FB & Instagram - and post daily.
Use IG stories, do an FB Live, post on your Feeds. Remember, it just takes ONE RIGHT PERSON to see your post to get a sale.
Run Retargeting Ads
Facebook Ads can be advanced, and there is a strategy where you can run ads exclusively to people who have been in your challenge. I cover this strategy more in depth in this epic post on Facebook Ads for Launching.
Simply put, I recommend that you run ads to everyone that registered for the challenge, telling them that the cart is open for a limited time, to take action now, and inviting them to ask you any questions they have.
Simple strategy, amazing return.
Remember: It's Not Over Til It's Over
I've had clients that end up in what we call "launch freefall" - it's a period of time between when the cart opens, and the sales start to pick up.
This is normal in most launches. You may have a quick win on day 1 of cart open, then things get quiet.
You start to wonder "Is this it, did I make a mistake? What's going to happen?!"
I tell all my clients in this position this, IT'S NOT OVER TIL IT'S OVER....
I've had clients go from "break even or losing" to profitable in the final hours of their launch.
I've had clients who get bad email open rates, but start 1:1 convos on social.
I've had clients whose ads accounts won't deliver and they have to go all in on organic.
The key takeaway - things can change in a moment. So, from the time you say "my course is for sale" to the time you say ”enrollment is closed”, there is ZERO ROOM TO QUIT.
Get scrappy, get focused, go all in - but never quit. Promise?
Mentioned Resources
Throughout this post, I rounded up some free (and paid) resources that can support you in launching, so I just want to recap them here for easy access:
NO LIST - NO PROBLEM
If you read this post and thought... I have no audience or list so I'm not ready to launch, then check out this post I did on how to go from 0 to 1,000 email subscribers in 90 days (and yes I've done this for myself multiple times).
THE CHALLENGE LAUNCH SYSTEM
I dropped this blog post a few times throughout the post, but wanted to drop it here too. If you're looking for the 30,000 foot overview of our challenge system that we've taught to THOUSANDS for free, I've got a blog post for ya!
THE CHALLENGE LAUNCH TOOLKIT
If you're looking for templates, trainings, and more resources to go deeper on challenges, I have an entire toolkit with templates, workbooks, and walkthroughs available for $37.
[CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE TOOLKIT]
THE LOW TICKET OFFER LABORATORY
In the post, I mentioned that one of the best ways to validate an idea is to make a lower ticket version of it and sell that! I have an incredible workshop that teaches you how to launch and pre-sell your low ticket offer in prep for a big course launch for $47.
[CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE WORKSHOP]
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO FB ADS FOR LAUNCHING
If you're new to Facebook Ads, you don't need to spend hundreds on a course to learn them. I have a 5,000+ word FREE guide that will teach you how to run ads for your digital course launch. And if you're more into visual learning, we also have a 2.5 hour ads training for just $37. But, start with the FREE guide and see if you want more first!
[CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FACEBOOK ADS GUIDE]
