Lessons from a failed launch
7 Jul
I may be *this* close to hyperventilating. I just checked our stats, and since its release we have sold 40 copies of the e-course. In total, $880 USD.
I find this hilarious. We “launched” on May 8th and it flopped in just about every way possible. It hurt at the time but was so important to the growth of our business.
I was uncomfortable with all elements of selling and starting a mailing list. I decided that I was going to have an anti launch and take the internet marketing world by storm by showing that you don’t need a huge strategy to rock the sales.
Despite my defiance, I knew there was a good chance I would fail. I knew this was important for learning. It wasn’t enough for Dave Navarro to repeatedly tell me I needed a list. I needed to experience a launch cycle without the list and learn how to sell without it making me feel physically ill.
This post deals with some of key lessons we’ve learned.
High Profile Coverage Will Not Lead to an Influx of Sales.
I already knew this as I had done several product reviews on Problogger and TwiTip. I am friends with Darren and usually knew the product creator so I was able to get an insight into how it converted.
I recently did a Problogger guest post called The Unmissable Secret of Long Term Blogging Success. I included both a link to my email list and the course in the footer of the post.
We’ve had a significant increase in the newsletter subscribers but only one sale. That’s cool, and expected. Part of low key marketing is that it is low key. I had a couple of people email me saying that they’d been told to check me out, but the guest post cinched it.
I’ve always done guest posts for the networking benefits and this was the first one I did for potential sales. It didn’t convert but that was just part of my experiment. I could have done many things to improve the odds including providing a tighter call to action or making it the sole focus of that section.
I have this technique convert rather well for other bloggers. They usually include a custom discount code for that audience and include a call to action. I had planned to do this but had made a number of errors with discounts and decided that it didn’t fit with my marketing style.
I’m going to continue guest posting but won’t seek out high profile blogs. I’ll seek out blogs of friends which allow me to experiment with my style. Sales are now a secondary goal but I find the less I focus on them, the more I make.
What I’ve learned:
- Make your first priority helping people. If people feel like they are being used, they will ignore your message. No matter how awesome it is.
- If you really want to increase sales, give the readers a reason to buy. Provide an incentive and a compelling reason to buy.
A Mailing List Isn’t Necessary
Image by s-t-r-a-n-g-eNone of these sales have come from the mailing list. Some have come from interviews and guest posts. Many are people those that I have helped via Twitter and email and are looking for ways to support my work. However just because its not necessary, doesn’t mean that you aren’t leaving money on the table.
The problem with ignoring a mailing list is that you are missing out on that initial boost of sales. This isn’t just good for the pocket – its good for the ego AND it’s good business. More buyers results in more potential affiliates. More people who could opt into other sales messages.
Selling, and mailing lists, doesn’t have to be sleazy. It is scary but I recommend getting over the fear. I just hit 110 newsletter subscribers and love the level of engagement I get with you guys. I’ll be creating and releasing more products via the list. My primary focus will be to help but I will start drawing attention to my paid products.
What I’ve learned:
- Mailings lists aren’t scary. However, there is nothing wrong with avoiding a mailing list altogether for a launch. You will limit potential income but you will earn so much more just by taking action. If it is the list that is preventing you from taking action, then focus on it post launch.
I Didn’t Ask People to Write About It.
When most people launch a product, they coordinate a group of people to talk about it. They provide incentives, review copies and suggested tweets. I didn’t have anything like that.
I intentionally tried to avoid the ‘buzz’ element. When other people do this, they usually have a significant price rise that encourages people to buy. I didn’t want to make people feel rushed so stood clear from these methods.
I chose not to do this because I didn’t have the energy to coordinate something that huge. I felt that if someone wanted to talk about it, they would. People are now starting to talk about it but it took a lot of time to build up traction. And, rather than talk about the product, people are talking about my personal approach to blogging and how they resonate with what I’m doing.
Now, this isn’t to say these techniques aren’t worth doing. Many people are able to do this tastefully and, along with a mailing list, it does lead to a significant influx in sales. I chose to go with my gut rather than what the industry was doing and I believe this worked for me.
What I’ve learned:
- Stories sell. I didn’t see it, but there are a number of elements to my story that help improve my authority. Pushing through the anxiety disorder is one of them.
- You can empower other people to create the buzz. I did a brutally honest interview with Ije Ude about my struggles, and a really casual podcast with Catherine Caine. Both were talked about in blogs and forums during a time when I was unable to be online much.
Don’t Touch Discounts Unless you Know what you are Doing
Image by camkageI assumed that since all the retail stores offline used discounts that it was ok for me to do so. And it is – there certainly isn’t anything negative about it. The problem is that in a retail situation there are multiple people selling your product. They can do whatever they like to attract customers.
As soon as you start offering discounts, you devalue your product. People buy because of people and will be upset at the particular person if you knowingly let them purchase a product when they have a promotion elsewhere.
I did discounts as an experiment and they worked. People responded to them on the twitter landing page and in forums. They are useful as an incentive.
I had one lovely person contact me, kindly pointing out that they’d bought the product on good faith and asking if they could take advantage of the discount I provided after they had bought the course. I had felt uneasy about discounts for a while and this cinched it. I removed most of them and will be researching them heavily before using them again.
What I’ve learned:
- If you are going to provide a discount, make it no more than 5-10%.
- If you have a promotion planned with a significant discount, let your list/readers know in advance.
How are things now?
We make a couple of sales a week dependent on my promotional activities. I haven’t done many guest posts this year, nor do I really publicize what I do. I feel that the sales will increase as others start to talk about me more.
I know I made a lot of mistakes during my launch process but I am very glad that I did it the way I did. My goal was to get as much practical experience as possible and this was achieved.
I’ve changed my style somewhat during this process. I plan to offer products that target a small group of my readers covering topics that no-one else has heard of. I’m not sure if they will be as successful as a generalist product like this one but, well, you only learn by getting out there and giving it a go.
Over to you:
What are your experiences with product launches? Have you turned mistakes into learning experiences?
If you want the kick arse information that I don’t provide elsewhere, sign up for my Blog Networking Tip newsletter. You’ll get the secrets I don’t share on the blog plus exclusive resources and recommendations. It's kinda awesome.
Absolutely Jade. This is why I'm starting to pick vegetables for money. I can build my business without needing to. That means for me, and the people.
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Hey Jadus,
Been "off your radar" for a few weeks so I thought it time I chimed back in on your blog.
So, I've "launched" (you'll understand the sarcasm quotes in a sec) a product and have gone about things the old fashioned way.
See, I truly believe in all the "build a relationship with your list" stuff in order to warn prospects etc, (god knows, sometimes I don't email the list for fear off pissing somebody off - get over it I know), but I figured if I can't sell a product that converts off pure CPC advertising, no one's going to buy it. I guess it seems to me that if I can get a product converting by *paying* for advertising first, that right there is a sustainable business.
It's not gone great. Opt in funnel conversions to list via squeeze page? Check. Sweet videos explaining benefits to prospect? Check. Sales? Zilch.
Still, at least the list's grown...
I think what I realised in the aftermath is:
1) Offer may be great, but it's too complex
2) There's no single, over arching "gotta have it" benefit.
And in a month where every email in my inbox is "PLF 3.0" or something else, the market's saturated.
Maybe that's the problem. Maybe some of us are missing that simplicity of the offer in terms of (a) what it is and (b) how the cost translates to benefits mucks up our fine work.
My friend runs a tiny super-niche classified site that he has consistantly runs AdWords on for 5 years and consistantly been in profit on via a landing page that fits in one browser screen, no videos.
Simple offer - "Sell your [x] on Australia's biggest [he won't like me saying it] Site" - $20
I'm trying to get back to that mentality - a simple offer with a clear cut benefit ....
Food for thought?
Chris out.
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Erk. Me again. My friend (mentioned above) got sage advice years ago from a mentor that sums up Objection Resolution for every sale on the planet:
1) "What does it do for me?"
2) "How do I know it works?"
3) "How much does it cost?"
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Thanks so much for sharing this! I plan to launch my first product in the next few months (once I build some traffic and have a product ready for launch), so this sort of information is priceless!
One of my big messages is not to lose the lesson. Failure is a part of life, but if we learn from each failure, we get that much closer to success.
Great stuff.
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Jade Craven Reply:
July 7th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Hi Kathleen.
So glad you learned something from the post! I would recommend you don't follow my lead in this case - I've since learned you can do a lot in a few months. You can grow your list and blog so much.
I got to a point where I felt so uncomfortable that i said "no, I'm going to so this my way. I'll take what I Learn and use that in the future.
I needed to do it that way but i'd certainly so things differently. However I accomplished a lot more by doing rather than waiting until I felt ready
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Ali Dark Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 4:35 am
The most important things is that you did it, Jade. You shipped (is that cliche when I say it? At least everyone knows what it means). You took the best advice available and used it in your own way - and learned for that. Your next 'launch' - soft or 'hard' will be probably be something new to everyone. Best wishes for to both you and Kathleen.
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I'm still newish at this and haven't launched products, but I know from classes I've taken with Leo Baubauta that sales keep coming long after the launch. I'd much rather work to maximize those sales than have a big hypey launch. Just not a launchy-type person
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Jade Craven Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
I know from my work with several product creators that you can make sales long after the launch, and that a launch cycle can be useful for more than just sales.
It's very interesting to think about and I'll be doing lots of experiments until I find that happy balance.
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Thank you for sharing your insight on this, Jade. As a 'newer' blogger, I'm still working on the info product side of the business, but it's good to consume such experience from those that have been there and the postmortem information is truly valuable. Thanks again and take care!
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Jade Craven Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
Thanks Rich!
I'd also recommend you read from those who have been much more successful than me, like David Risley. I have a very conservative approach however I can pull it off because I've built my site and brand over two years.
I'm going to be hopefully launching another product soon (small launch, and one major one before the end of the year) and I'm genuinely fascinated to see what happens.
- Jade
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Rich Wallace Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Thanks Jade!
I read David quite a bit and learn something new from his offerings almost daily. Thanks again for taking the time to share with us and I wish you all the best with your future plans!
-Rich
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As somebody who has done launches, my take on your post is that you were way too timid about doing your launch. It also seems as if you're afraid to market something to your audience. You said:
"I decided that I was going to have an anti launch and take the internet marketing world by storm by showing that you don’t need a huge strategy to rock the sales."
That doesn't work. All the big launches you've ever seen.... well you saw them at all because they marketed themselves like crazy. I think too many people make the mistake in thinking that marketing means you have to be a hypey douche. And that just isn't true.
You do need a strategy. You do need a list. And you have to market. The anti-launches fail every time. I've never seen one work. Ever. And even the ones people think work, trust me, the person was doing ACTUAL marketing and just doing it in a clever way.
So, well done, Jade, on actually launching something.
So many people never even get to that point! Next time, just don't be so timid. Best of luck.
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Jade Craven Reply:
July 7th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
I've learned that now
I had an incredibly hectic first half of the year and my anxiety played up. I was bedridden for a few weeks. I had the decision to do the anti launch rather than implement the strategy I had worked on
and, as you said, taking action is better than holding off.
I am a timid marketer and I know it will affect future stuff i do. I'll get better at it. In the meantime, i hope to provide as much value and find ways of marketng that resonates with me.
Thanks dude
your marketing resonates with me
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I love your transparency, Jade. All I can say is: Keep being your genuine self. In the end, business is just business. Nothing more, nothing less. Your reason to work is much more than just a desire to make money or to attain success or recognition. It comes from another place. You connect with people. And your business style is aligned with your values. And that means a lot.
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Jade Craven Reply:
July 7th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Thanks for your lovely comment
but following along that line of thought - if I had promoted it more, I could have helped more people. I had doubts that people would like it. Now that I've gotten a lot more feedback, I have more confidence to launch future stuff.
My primary goal will be to create and release stuff that makes me feel empowered and not icky.
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C. A. Kobu Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 12:52 am
You can consider it as the prototype of the real launch. And you can relaunch the whole thing in a longer period of time and a more powerful way. Now you have more tools, more insight, more experience about it.
Why don't you create a relaunch and turn that whole process into a transparent case study based on sharing with people what you do step by step and documenting the entire process (the evolving story) simultaneously.
I think people would love and follow it. And you'll have helped a so many people by teaching the process and the steps. It might be motivating for you too. And it would also include storytelling. You can integrate your fears, worries, road blocks, solutions, little triumphs into your 'live launch documentary'.
By the time your revised product grows wings and is ready to take off, people will have bonded with it. And then you can turn this whole 'launch documentary' into a free ebook.
Sorry, I got all excited and got carried away
Btw, I didn't realize that it was wintertime over there until I received your newsletter! Doing all that moving stuff in the winter must have been tiring. So out of context: Eat lots of avocados, broccoli, turkey, fish, and dark chocolate to have lots of energy and many smiles even in the winter
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Worry about not seeing something I put out do well keeps me moving a couple of steps forward and several back - well, that and not yet having a product to promote. I have been thinking about doing a soft launch on an anger mastery course I am working on, but think I'm way to low on the radar to even think about it. Your post tells me a couple of things - first, if I did try to launch it and failed, it probably wouldn't kill me, and second, from what I've read of your stuff you know what you are doing and you admittedly went awry in a number of areas. Very helpful.
Thanks,
mike
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Jade Craven Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
Getting a product out there can be useful even when you have no brand. So many people talk about the first product being the stepping stone for the second. It's almost expected to go wrong.
Once you have that product out there, you have more authority. Interested people will buy it. It can be a conversation starter and something you can leverage.
The thing is - I have a lot of really influential friends and I didn't really leverage any of them. I just let it be and focused on the grassroots stuff - emails, interviews, forums, comments. And that earned me nearly 1k.
Let me know how your launch goes.
Jade
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Hey Jade... I agree with David, good on you for even launching a product in the first place.
So many folks never get there.
I've launched a couple things in the past (not related to my blog) with a partner, but I have yet to create an launch a product all of my own, on BGB.
Like you, I tend to undervalue what I've got to offer, and it takes my friends beating me over the head with it and saying "hey you could charge for that and make a product out of that, people would actually pay for it!" before I realize exactly that. lol
Great post, and hey as long as your learning you're growing.
That's what counts!
c
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Jade Craven Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
Thanks!
What has been brilliant about this whole process is that my business partner is now (quite literally) telling me that I should take notice of how useful people find my stuff.
I seriously doubted they were any good so didn't really bother to push them that hard, but some of the comments here have kinda astonished me and really challenged those doubts.
My main goal for this year has been personal growth. I believe thats why the business has really taken off.
Thanks for commenting
Jade
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Hi Jade,
As someone who bought your course from your interview with Ije, I'd have to say that I liked you, right off. You came across as real, unpretentious and very down-to-earth. When I checked out the course, I thought it seemed like something I could use and it was priced within my budget.
(Actually, now that I've seen it, I think it's a bit low. You really packed it with an amazing amount of information!)
But honestly, it was YOU who made me want to look into it more.
Looks like you got some good lessons out of the experience and perhaps can try a different road with it and see how that works out. Compare and Contrast, eh?
While my blog doesn't focus on this particular niche (more of a woo-woo niche!), anyone who is setting things up professionally needs to learn how to do these things.
I've been blogging in a personal blog for eight years but this is my first foray into the world of more professional blogging and it's daunting. I'm an introvert by nature so the whole idea of "Hey! Look at me. Over here! Come see ME!" totally threw me at first. (I got over it, obviously, because I reasoned that I couldn't help anyone if they didn't know where to find me. The Universe is helpful, true. But I can do my part as well. heh)
Anyway, if you ever need a testimonial or recommendation about the product from some really outside the field, holla at me.
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Jade Craven Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
That is AWESOME to hear. I struggled with pricing - we had it at 67 but no-one bought so we lowered it. I figure its the first product and having a reasonable price helps people find out what I'm about.
(oh I would LOVE a testimonial!)
I just wanted to say I am all those things you described but mostly because of the anxiety disorder
If anything I have to talk myself out of the negativity and come off as someone thats very well balanced.
I'm looking forward to future launches to see what I learn. I'm looking forward to creating free products for the library. It's so much fun.
I'm also looking forward to getting to know you more. Just gotta wait another work week for the net to get connected.
- Jade
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hi jade,
i really appreciate your honesty in this post. i hope i get to the stage where i can launch an information product and when i do i am going to come back and read this and remind myself that no matter what happens it is all a learning experience, and in the end you guys have to go for it and give it a try!
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Jade Craven Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 11:58 pm
Even as a learning experience, we still earned nearly $1000 US. We are planning on releasing two other products between now and when I go to Blog World Expo in 3 months. I learned so much by doing this. I know the theory of how normal launches work - I'm employed by Dave Navarro from thelaunchcoach.com but I wanted to see what would happen doing it my way. Now I know and will be able to compare different methods.
You are only new once and sometimes, only have one chance to test your wacky theories
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The first website I built and monetized made $6 from Adsense in 3 years.
How's THAT for a first failure
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Jade Craven Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Oh gosh you want to talk about adsense failures?
I swear, my business model is 'screw up as much as possible. Then find new ways to screw up'.
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Jade, I love your honesty. There is so much to learn from your launch process.
When I helped Danielle LaPorte with her launch of The Fire Starter Sessions, her strategy was to go against the mainstream grain of traditional marketing. She didn't have a massively long sales page, she didn't offer discounts and although it was a somewhat anti-marketing strategy, there was still a massive amount of structure and planning that went into the launch.
I picked up your course awhile ago and there is so much information packed into those books. You're a wealth of information!
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Jade Craven Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
I had strategy but shit happened
I still have the launch plans tucked away in the dropbox but I'll be modifying how I do it.
I'd love to know more about the structure and planning that went into it. With me, I was sick at the time and I was like 'screw the plans. We can take action now or we can wait for me to get better'
I know that I'll be going against traditional marketing in future launches. I'll do things my own way
However I'm going to research alternate methods of launching and experimenting as I go 
Just wait until future products. I'm all geeky now and have so many ideas on how I can help people.
[Reply]
Hey Jade, that isn't too bad, at least you sold. It was your first major project, right ?
All the cool stuff here just shows how much you have learned. I'm going to launch a product myself in the near future.
This post shows what I have to get right.
Your next one will better, I know it;)
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Jade Craven Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Yeah. It was my first major project and it felt like everything was going wrong in my personal life at the time.
It was really weird. It's like - I have all these connections and stuff going for me. The product is solid. It was my own self doubt that really screwed things up for me. I'm fine with it because I learned so, so much. I mean, I freakin' WORK for the launch coach and doing it this way was far more useful in terms of lessons that I needed.
Lemme know if I can help with future launches. I suck at promoting my own stuff but I rock at getting other people attention.
[Reply]
Hi Jade, I think it's clear from everyone that despite your so-called failed launch, it's been valuable from the lessons. I've told you before that you're someone who's on the same path a little ahead of me and what you've shared is super helpful for me.
All the best with your next product, or improving the current one. I'll be happy to help you write about it, so let me know if there's anyway I can be of assistance!
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Oh em gee, girl, I totally flopped my first product launch. But honestly? It's cool. I wasn't expecting to make tons of money and am still kind of shocked when I get a sale - any sale. The thing is, if I had waited until I knew enough people to coordinate some buzz, figured out how the hell affiliate programs work, built up some klout AND my list, I never would have done it. Never ever. You know that super cliche when people tell you to "just do it"? Seriously, it's true.
Now that I have my product I can say I have a product. It's a good product, but my marketing efforts were lame. Next time I'll have a better idea how to coordinate. For now though, I at least did it and that's okay
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