Just as hotly debated as the chicken and the egg, is the question of creation and the launch.
Which one should really come first?!
There are tons of experts out there that will tell you to sell an online course or program before you create it.
And you totally CAN do that!
But, I firmly believe that you shouldn’t for three simple reasons.
Find out the why behind my advice in this week’s video:
You’ll most likely price yourself too low.
It’s super hard to know what to price your e-course or program at if you haven’t created it yet.
Nine times out of 10 you’ll end up under pricing yourself if you try to sell it before it’s created, because you don’t yet have a concept of its value and what it will contain.
And once you’ve sold it at that price, you can’t ask for more from your new customers. You have to honor that price and deliver – even if you now feel taken advantage of in the deal.
Launch burnout is real.
I can definitely work with you to create a stress-free launch plan, but even with that – there’s no guarantee you’re not going to feel completely burnt out after a launch.
It’s a lot of time and energy to spend focused on just one are of your business for so many days in a row, and at the end you’re going to want a break.
But, if you pile all the work of recording course videos, designing worksheets and building a membership site on top of that, it becomes a nearly impossible task.
Customers want it now.
Let’s face it, we live in an instant gratification society. Especially when our money is on the line.
If you tell your new customers they have to wait to get access to your program or e-course, it gives them time to reflect on the investment and the lack of ROI, and can increase your refund requests.
It also doesn’t give you a chance to wow them with a super smooth customer experience that will create a raving fan, and a lifetime customer.
So, can you launch a program or course before it’s created?
Absolutely!
But I hope you’ll consider your own sanity first, and hold off on the launch until it’s at least 90% created.
Your reasons for creating a course first are SO spot on, Jessica! I wouldn’t have even thought of these on my own, but you make such valid points that scream “common sense.” If you focus on the launch first, you’ll end up spending too much time and money creating the course later and then wish you would have priced it higher. Being burned out by the launch will leave you not even wanting to create a course later and the idea of “customers want it now” is so real. If people spend their hard-earned cash on something, they want the product right away. Anyone who is even thinking of launching an online course should read this post, first! Thank you for your brilliant insight!
THANK YOU for saying this, Jessica! And giving such smart reasons for why it’s better to create the course before the launch.
I know from my side of things as a copywriter, it’s ridiculously hard to “sell” a program before it’s created. Selling a general idea is way less compelling than sharing the juicy details that you can only discover by actually creating the dang thing.
And you’re so right — even with a clear launch plan, you’re gonna be exhausted at the end of your launch. That’s the time for champagne and slippers, not a marathon session producing/recording course content!