How my first couple launches have gone
Launching is a necessary part of selling, especially for cohort-based programs, but it's a skill that needs to be learned. Here's how my first couple have done and what I learned.
Today I’m here with a behind-the-scenes debrief and recap of my private practice launches. Over the past 6 months, I’ve done two launches for my group program. The first launch I did on my own and the second I did with the help of an ads strategist/copywriter. Now I’m gearing up to do another launch but in a different way. Here is a bit of a debrief and reflection on everything.
The first launch — Nov/Dec 2022
When I started my private practice, I planned to see clients individually, build a group program based on those interactions and then build a course based on the group program. That was the plan in 2019 when I started setting up my private practice.
Then everything was put on hold in 2020, mostly due to my pregnancy. I tried to stick with this plan but struggled to get clients. So I decided to try setting up the group program. I had enough of the program created to launch it at the end of 2022, with the plan to run the program starting mid-January.
I posted on social media (Instagram), including going live a couple of times. I sent emails to my tiny list. But I got crickets. I didn’t even have people joining my email list from social media.
The main struggle, I felt, was trying to get in front of people. Hardly anyone was seeing my social media posts and I only had a couple of emails.
What I learned in Launch 1:
If you don’t have people to talk to, you don’t have anyone who can buy. It’s also harder to know why things aren’t working. Is it simply the lack of an audience? Or is there something about the program that should be improved?
The second launch — Jan/Feb 2023
At the end of December, when I was feeling the most frustrated with attempting to launch on my own, I saw an ad for an ads strategist/copywriter. I clicked the link and connected with the person. She was excited about my offer and felt confident that she would be able to help me.
I felt like this was going to be a good move. The thought of spending money not knowing if it would amount to anything was scary. But it felt like the right next step. It seemed like this was going to be the thing that would allow me to get in front of enough people to have them buy my program.
The model that the ads strategist used is ads → webinar with a pitch at the end → email sales series. Along the way, there were also ‘retargeting’ ads as well to increase people’s awareness of my brand and offer.
Before starting any of the ads, I worked with her on clarifying my audience and offer. She also helped me outline the webinar. Then she created the ads, sales pages, and sales emails.
The result…
There were around 75 people who signed up for the webinar but no one bought the program or even signed up for a call to get more information about it. At the end of the launch period, 64 people hadn’t opted out of receiving emails.
In the end, for all the money I spent on ads and services, all I got was some copy, which I am rewriting to make it sound more like my voice, and 63 emails. It was absolutely not worth it for me.
Debriefing the second launch
After the second launch, I felt like I had to go back to the drawing board again. So I asked for some feedback on my program in the WAIM community. I had the chance to talk with someone who would fit my target audience and we talked about the way I had things set up — a live group program. She noted that structure would be very difficult for her to commit to.
I designed the program as a live group program because that worked for me. It was a structure that I was familiar with teaching, from my years working in a Family Health Team and running in-person programs. I am in a good place with my own health so I felt confident that I could commit to leading the live groups. I also do feel that the group environment is super powerful for those who can commit to them.
But that was a problem. I was focusing on what I wanted, rather than what my ideal client wanted. Anyone who is actively struggling with chronic pain and fatigue is going to struggle to commit to attending a program at a specified time each week. So they aren’t going to be able to get the benefits, nor will they raise their hands to join that program.
Next Phase: Anti-Inflammatory Path to Wellness course
I’ll be taking the material I already created for the group program and adapting it for a course. I also thought of a way to give myself permission to sell before it’s created.
I will be running a presale of the course starting at $37. As I finish each module and make it live, the price will increase by $201. When all is said and done, I’m planning to sell the course for $197 for lifetime access. As long as the course exists, they’ll have access to it, including all future updates and upgrades.
I like this pricing model because it will give me opportunities to promote the program as I create it. It will also reward the people who join sooner.
This week I have a random lull in appointments, so I have been focusing my time and energy on setting up the course platform. On Wednesday, I was able to get the sales page mostly complete. I just need to update the images (by the time you read this, I may have already done that as that’s the next item on my to-do list for this project) but the sales page functions: path-to-wellness.teachery.co/about. There are still many more steps to go: setting up the introduction module of the course, updating my website, promoting it, starting to work on the modules, promoting it, onboarding people who buy, etc. But I am taking the win and allowing myself to celebrate each step completed.
Bottom Line - Should you buy ads?
I feel good about where I have gotten. However, I am disappointed about the money spent that only gave me 63 email addresses and a bit of copy that I’m rewriting anyway.
In my experience, it feels as though ads are like gambling. You should only spend money on it if you can afford to throw away the money. Maybe you’ll get a little back, maybe you’ll get a lot back, but there’s a decent chance you won’t get your money’s worth.
That said, people use ads and I assume that some people are succeeding at it. Perhaps it was the type of program that didn’t fit; maybe I would have a different experience with my course. Maybe I would have had a better result if I had done another round of ads.
But, for me, I don’t think it is worth it. As with anything business related, you’ll have to look into it and see for yourself if it is worth it to you and for your business.
Until next week,
-Samantha 💜
If you found this newsletter helpful, I would appreciate it if you could leave me a tip or become a supporter on Ko-Fi!
I’ll announce either that the next module is up and then give people a week to join before the price goes up. Or instead, maybe I’ll talk about creating the module and give people a heads up that the next module is nearly complete, so if they want to save $x they should buy now. That second option feels a lot better. (I decided to leave this in as a footnote in case you are curious about how I make decisions; here is a sample of my thought process.)