So, you’ve got this amazing new program (course, membership, coaching – could be any one of those in this case!). It’s proven, your clients are seeing great results, and now you can’t wait to launch again. That means it’s time to start thinking about your next-level launch strategy. 

🥳 I’m so proud of you for making it this far! 🥳

To show how happy I am for you, I want to give you a gift – the gift of reason. More specifically, a reasonable launch timeline! 

How many times have you filled your schedule to the brim with all the amazing things you want to do today and only half of it gets done? I know I have! 🙋🏽‍♀️

And with over 3 years of launching experience within my own company and with dozens of clients, I know the same thing can happen with a launch. Rushing your launch prep can lead to overwhelm, burnout, and FEWER sales! But having a healthy amount of space and breathing room in your timeline will keep you from pulling your hair out and give your clients and customers the best experience, one that has them crazy excited to purchase your offer. 

So what does a reasonable launch timeline look like? 🤔

Usually, it’s about 8-12 weeks, and I wouldn’t be afraid of using all 12 weeks if you’re still getting the hang of online launches in general, still have to build an engaged audience, or you don’t have a team to help you get everything ready. 

These 12 weeks give you the gift of time. You’re gonna need it when something goes wrong, when something’s running late, or when you just need a good Netflix break between all your launch prep tasks!. 

There are so many reasons to give yourself a reasonable launch timeline. Let’s take a look at a few big ones! 

Make Room for All the Moving Pieces 

So there is always, ALWAYS, more work to be done than you think. Every time. There’s gonna be something that needs to be fixed, something that needs to be done but isn’t, or something that takes waaaaaaay longer to do than expected. 😮‍💨

• Maybe inspiration is lacking when you need to write your sales emails.
  
• Maybe your webinar opt-in form showed up just fine on a desktop but people can’t sign up on their phones.
  
• Maybe you forgot you’ll need to prepare some launch social posts ahead of time because your sister’s getting married the week before those need to go live!

Trust me, I know. It’s been my job, and my team’s job, to be prepared when these kinds of missteps come up and act accordingly. 

Even if you’re planning the simplest launch the world has ever seen, you may want to pad your launch timeline with some extra wiggle room. 

I know! I know. This is not what you want to hear. But it’s true. 

And you can try and convince me that you don’t need the space, that everything is going to go right and everyone’s going to be on time no matter what. I will have to respectfully disagree. 😇

Some setbacks are preventable and some are not and that’s ok. Taking the good with the bad is all part of launching. 

Pro tip: If you want to be “on time,” plan to be late at least once in your launch schedule.

More Rushing Means More Stressing

Launching can bring out the crazy in people, including me 🤪

For a business owner, it can be stressful prepping for an event that’s going to be responsible for a significant amount of revenue.

It’s no longer just about creating an incredible product and paid client experience.

When you decide to have an intentional, strategic launch, you are now creating an experience for people who HAVEN’T bought from you yet!

Your launch campaign should invite, educate, and delight. That means you’ll want to plan for emails to go out, social media posts to be scheduled, and not to mention time for YOU to show up for your audience wherever you like to do that most such as Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, etc. in addition to your free sales event (webinar, challenge, series, whichever you choose to use!).

Having a reasonable launch timeline affects not only the launch but you and your team. You don’t want to sacrifice all your free time, your healthy homemade meals, or your sanity for a launch. 

And you don’t have to! 

By making your boundaries clear and reasonable you are protecting yourself and your team from unnecessary stress. 

Pro tip: Hold your ground and take care of yourself 

Support Your Team Like Your Support Your Clients

If you’re growing your company, it’s likely not just you anymore that’s working on this project. Before you had a team, before you had a launch plan, it was just you doing your own thing, grinding 24/7 as hard as your entrepreneur’s heart desired. 

You likely cannot ask that of your team (at least I hope not!). 

The same way you deserve to go to bed on time is the same way you deserve to go to bed on time. The same goes for free time, hobbies, and home-cooked meals. 

Your team is working on building content, deliverables, and creating everything that can be put in front of people. Make sure you give them time and preparation to be great. ✨

Reasonable Timeline Makes For Easy Execution

So what does this actually look like in practice? Here’s an example of a typical launch timeline template we use at The Launch Guild:

• Week 1: Strategy Brainstorm + Project Planning: Make all your big picture decisions about how and when your launch is happening and don’t change it! Make your plan then you can just switch focus to implementation. Officially exit the brainstorming phase.
  
• Week 2 – 4: Copy, Design, and Tech Implementation: Start producing the pieces! Write your email and page copy. Design your registration and sales pages. Hook up your checkouts, schedule your emails, and make sure your live event tech is ready to go. Don’t forget to plan your social media posts, too.  The more you can prep ahead of time and schedule/automate, the more present you can be for your audience and customers when it comes to actual launch time.
  
• Week 5: Finalize All Your Assets + Start Promoting Your Event: Make your final tweaks and shift your focus to showing up to promote your event and inviting people to join you for all the awesomeness you have planned!
  
• Week 6: Free Event Happens This Week + Open Your Cart: Deliver value and education for your people like it’s going out of style. Start inviting them to your paid offer.
  
• Week 7: Nurture Your Audience, Answer Questions + Close Cart: Don’t hold back on sharing how awesome your offer is and telling people about all the benefits of joining. Answer questions, engage, share testimonials, all the way to the finish line when you close the cart.
  
• Week 8: Deep-dive Debrief: Look at your metrics and figure out what worked, what didn’t, and note takeaways for your next launch

And there you have it! A solid 8-week launch timeline we use regularly at The Launch Guild for first-time launchers all the way up to 7-figure launch pros. Tweak it to your liking! (Just try not to speed it up 😉)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read about launch timelines. I know your launch will be amazing. I can’t wait to see it! 

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Whether this is your 1st launch or your 100th, we want to make sure you don’t make any all too common mistakes. That’s why I’ve made this video detailing the most common mistakes I’ve seen first-time launchers make.

“4 Mistakes Coaches and Course Creators Make as They Scale their Launches”

This FREE video is more than a few tips and tricks. These are structural changes you can make during your launch so you’re not scrambling to clean up after any preventable mistakes. 

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The Launch Guild is all about making course creators like you feel good about your launches while amplifying your impact. 

If you’d like to book one of our launch services for your next launch, schedule your complimentary consultation!