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How to do a product launch?

by Carty
29 replies
I see that there are a couple of beasts like Frank' Mass Control series and Jeff' PLF. I have not gone through them.

What I believe in a break down to launch formula is to build a massive list of prospects and keep providing them some value and education about your product and finally launch it on a date, send out a blast to those prospects and watch the sales flow in every second! Is this what product launch is about? To build a list and promote to them on launch date?

Of course there are launches where you secure a ton of affiliates in the middle and they promote to the launch date..

Is this all a product launch about?

Regards,
Carty..
#launch #product
  • Profile picture of the author rickkettner
    There is a lot more to it, but those are the very basics (what people see on the surface). Going deeper, there are a lot of persuasion tactics, relationship building strategies, and other things that can make a launch a lot more effective.

    I went through PLF 1 and 2... so many ideas from there, and I didn't even get a chance to apply it all. Years ago I used PLF 1 for my first $30k launch, and recently I used PLF 2 for my first $200k launch. The stuff works, but it helps to have an established business with solid products before hand.
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  • Profile picture of the author CurtisN
    First of all, a product launch involves JV partners, not affiliates Affiliates can play a part after the launch is done, but not during.

    Secondly, like Rick said, product launches are about much more than just selling a bunch of stuff.

    There's too much to put in a single forum post, but just know that the product launch process can stretch a few months, beginning with the product planning/development stage and "ending" with the launch itself. Of course, it doesn't really end there, because you still have to follow-up with customers, take care of customer support, follow-up with your JVs, etc.

    You've got to worry about things like:
    • quality of your product and minisite
    • conversions
    • building anticipation with your pre-launch
    • making your JV invite attractive (WIIFT?)
    • being able to handle an overnight explosion in your business (hosting, merchant account, customer support)
    • and much more, of course

    If you plan on running your own product launch, I'd suggest waiting until Jeff reopens PLF to the masses. You should buy it even if you can't afford it...that's how life-changing this stuff is.

    Curtis
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    Curtis Ng (blog) - Product Launch Manager
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    • Profile picture of the author Sean Fry
      Originally Posted by CurtisN View Post

      First of all, a product launch involves JV partners, not affiliates Affiliates can play a part after the launch is done, but not during.
      How do guys typically structure the joint ventures as far as profits go? And how is it tracked?
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      • Profile picture of the author Carty
        Originally Posted by snowtiger View Post

        How do guys typically structure the joint ventures as far as profits go? And how is it tracked?
        I'd love to know this as well.. And the big launches include JV prices

        Regards,
        Carty..
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      • Profile picture of the author CurtisN
        Originally Posted by snowtiger View Post

        How do guys typically structure the joint ventures as far as profits go? And how is it tracked?
        The exact % varies from product to product depending on what it is, but JV partners typically get a slightly higher commission rate.

        For instance, if you plan on opening up your product to affiliates but want to do a launch to get it out there first, you would offer 60% to JVs and then lower it to 50% for affiliates after the launch.

        Clickbank can take care of basic tracking and payment for you. Of course, CB isn't the only option...InfusionSoft is another popular platform to set-up products on.

        I hope I answered your questions

        Curtis
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        • Profile picture of the author Sean Fry
          Originally Posted by CurtisN View Post

          The exact % varies from product to product depending on what it is, but JV partners typically get a slightly higher commission rate.

          For instance, if you plan on opening up your product to affiliates but want to do a launch to get it out there first, you would offer 60% to JVs and then lower it to 50% for affiliates after the launch.

          Clickbank can take care of basic tracking and payment for you. Of course, CB isn't the only option...InfusionSoft is another popular platform to set-up products on.

          I hope I answered your questions

          Curtis
          Yes you did, thank you. Do you happen to know if this can be done on ejunkie as well?
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          • Profile picture of the author CurtisN
            Originally Posted by snowtiger View Post

            Yes you did, thank you. Do you happen to know if this can be done on ejunkie as well?
            Sorry, I've got no experience with e-junkie except from buying a couple things hosted there
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            Curtis Ng (blog) - Product Launch Manager
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            • Profile picture of the author jk21
              Hi all...

              Yes, product launches are all the rage, interesting, profitable and a whole world unto their own...

              There are a ton of different aspects to them...and as one of Jeff.W's Platinum PLM's, I can surely answer any questions for you...or you may find the answer in my 'Creating The Crush' report...

              Feel free to ask any questions or drop me a line...
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              • Profile picture of the author genietoast
                You can always announce your new product with a free press release.
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        • Profile picture of the author The French Marketer
          Great answers from my fellow PLMs in this thread (especially Curtis - were you part of the first PLM class ? I did not get to meet you in LA in Feb.)
          I'd like to comment on the JV side of things :

          Originally Posted by CurtisN View Post

          The exact % varies from product to product depending on what it is, but JV partners typically get a slightly higher commission rate.

          For instance, if you plan on opening up your product to affiliates but want to do a launch to get it out there first, you would offer 60% to JVs and then lower it to 50% for affiliates after the launch.
          I would beware about profit margins.

          Someone should never assume that they have to pay JVs a certain amount, say, 50% or higher.

          How much you are going to pay a JV partner highly depends on :
          - the market's standard
          - their marketing education
          - the leverage they will add.

          I have done a 6-figure launch with great JV partners who got 25% of the sale. However, it was in a market were typical affiliate payouts were, say 50% on a $39 ebook.
          Since we were selling in a $1000-$2000 price range, 25% of that still makes more sense than promoting everything else on that marketplace.

          Another thing is to be open to super-affiliate payouts for the biggest JVs. Basically my policy is to have a standard payout, and I'll be open to a higher percentage (up to a certain limit) for anyone that meets certain standards AND asks for it.

          A marketer is a salesman is a negociator.
          If you don't have any margin to negociate with your JVs (because everyone already gets the maximum payout you can afford), you might actually lose attention from the ones that are smart enough to negociate everything.

          Sebastien
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeHumphreys
      Originally Posted by CurtisN View Post

      If you plan on running your own product launch, I'd suggest waiting until Jeff reopens PLF to the masses. You should buy it even if you can't afford it...that's how life-changing this stuff is.

      Curtis
      Curtis, I agreed with your original post until you got to this point.

      Putting yourself in a deep hole to buy a big ticket course is rarely a good idea. The OP should focus on building his business so he *can* afford to buy PLF. That way, he has the cashflow to pull off a product launch properly with a well-crafted salesletter, top-quality graphic design... maybe even bring in a PL or JV manager to get maximum effect.

      If he's really in a rush to get PLF, then grabbing a used copy of PLF off ebay would get him started. I picked up version 1.0 about a year ago for a mere fraction of the current version price. It may not have all of the current info but it would at least deliver some of the core fundamentals and tactics to use until they could afford to buy PLF 2+ from Jeff Walker.

      Take care,

      Mike
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      • Profile picture of the author OllieGo
        Great discussion. Certainly getting JVs on board is the toughest part. First of all, it's a numbers game. If you romance 20 JVs...you should only expect that 3 of them will follow through and mail for you. Of course it will depend on how long you've had a relationship with them, your niche etc.

        Yes, very important to do an Internal launch first for all reason mentioned by Brian. a) work out the bugs b) get the metrics c) improve launch sequence where necessary.

        The two things you want to get started on right away when heading for a launch:

        a) optimize your list building funnel
        - constantly A / B test your squeeze pages
        - Funnel traffic from social network
        - Use PPC to test headlines
        - blog

        b) start your JV sequence
        - research and list all possible JVs
        - start the "making friends" process. This means doing stuff for them / for their list for free. Accept that you will have to do 7 cool things for a JV to gain their trust and expect any sort of reciprocation.
        - create an mini-site for information for JVs...build this as you go so that when your internal launch is finished, it's rich with content.

        Best,
        Oliver
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      • Profile picture of the author CurtisN
        Originally Posted by MikeHumphreys View Post

        Curtis, I agreed with your original post until you got to this point.

        Putting yourself in a deep hole to buy a big ticket course is rarely a good idea. The OP should focus on building his business so he *can* afford to buy PLF. That way, he has the cashflow to pull off a product launch properly with a well-crafted salesletter, top-quality graphic design... maybe even bring in a PL or JV manager to get maximum effect.

        If he's really in a rush to get PLF, then grabbing a used copy of PLF off ebay would get him started. I picked up version 1.0 about a year ago for a mere fraction of the current version price. It may not have all of the current info but it would at least deliver some of the core fundamentals and tactics to use until they could afford to buy PLF 2+ from Jeff Walker.

        Take care,

        Mike
        Mike,

        I get what you're saying, but it's always a good idea to spend your last dime on a good course if you intend on going through with it.

        You heard of the story about the general ordering his soldiers to burn all their ships after reaching enemy shores? They were greatly outnumbered, so the only way home was to win. And win they did.

        I don't know if you've followed Jeff's pre-launch for PLM, but in one of the videos, he talked about a guy called Brandon Fredrickson. This guy used to have a profitable biz, but due to serious health issues, he lost it all. He had $900 left in his bank account or something like that.

        He spent every last dime he had on PLF2, I believe it was. Now he's back, bigger and badder than ever before.

        Btw, I spent my last money on PLM. I went on the payment plan, obviously, but if you added all the monthly payments together, the training was more than twice my credit limit. I took a calculated risk and it is paying off right now.

        Saying you have no money is just another excuse, IMO.

        Curtis
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        Curtis Ng (blog) - Product Launch Manager
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        • Profile picture of the author JaniG
          Having done Several 6 Figure Product Launches, here are my tips to you.

          A product launch is all about creating massive excitement and anticipation about your product launch, and building up to the launch day...

          There is an art to doing a successful product launch.

          a Typical successful product launch goes like this:

          You gather a bunch of JV partners who all agree to mail out for you for your launch.

          You plan a pre launch sequence and then a launch day.

          You give away some valuable content during your pre launch phase to build trust with your prospects, and get them to see that you know what you are talking about.

          You give them just enough information that they will need to BUY your product to get the full thing.

          You have your JV partners mail out the pre launch content at least once

          During the pre launch phase your goal is to gather as many leads as possible...

          you then have your JV partners Mail out on your launch day at least once.

          If done correctly this will result in the following:

          1 - a HUGE amount of money in a very short space of time.

          i have done 6 figures in one day with a product launch

          2 - a HUGE list gathered from the pre launch and launch which you can then market to forever

          Ofcourse it goes into way more detail then this, but this is basically how i have done many 6 figure launches...

          Hope that helps

          Jani G
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  • Profile picture of the author The_Archer
    You could ultimately hire expert product launchers. If you post a job on Guru.com, you oughta in into many who would be excited to help you on your product launch. It will cost you a pretty penny, if you can afford it, you will benefit from it. If you don't want to go that route, start writing articles and advertise for free! It will take you much longer doing it the free way but it still works.
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    • Profile picture of the author Carty
      Originally Posted by The_Archer View Post

      You could ultimately hire expert product launchers. If you post a job on Guru.com, you oughta in into many who would be excited to help you on your product launch. It will cost you a pretty penny, if you can afford it, you will benefit from it. If you don't want to go that route, start writing articles and advertise for free! It will take you much longer doing it the free way but it still works.
      I don't think that works out because there maybe too many scammers who promise you to get on the big JVs but later run away saying they're too busy or your product did not meet their expectations.

      Instead of spending time filtering them out, I guess it is better to try reaching JVs straight but that is getting close to impossible for those who don't have their name established already..

      Regards.
      Carty..
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  • Profile picture of the author Carty
    You know, getting these JVs is the hardest part.. Though you have a very promising product, since you're new to this world, you go underrated always!

    So I'm planning to do my own launch.. Create instant hype about my product, build credibility and finally launch it to the list..

    Regards,
    Carty..
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  • Profile picture of the author ChadH
    I agree with Curtis. You want to give a good share to JV's.

    Also, what else are you offering them? Sure, money talks, but providing value to their own lists and helping them leverage their own products on your back end can go a long way.

    Keep in mind that many people think that Joint Ventures are a one and done kind of deal. This couldn't be further from the truth. Think long term with the relationships.

    Don't just contact someone to be and say "hey sell my stuff". Even better, sell a lot of their stuff as an affiliate! Get noticed, help them first, and a lot of the time they will more than return the favor.

    Chad
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  • Profile picture of the author HorseStall
    I think the key to a successful product launch is to cascade messages in a variety of different channels, from press releases, to blog posts, newsletters, etc...
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  • Profile picture of the author DaveMassingham
    Having experts in the niche market that you are working on would be the best affiliates to find. Google your niche with 'ezine' and you would find ezines with lists. As they say the money is in the list, and if the ezine has a responsive list and you perform a joint venture with them for 50%-50%, then I am sure you would succeed.

    Frank Kerns does know his material
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  • Profile picture of the author Anonymous Affiliate
    The problem in launches is not the launch structure in itself, but actually getting JVs on board. There is no point in building a whole Mass Control or PLF'esque launch sequence if you cannot get JVs to feed the sequence.

    Before working on the structure, make sure you can generate the buzz!
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    • Profile picture of the author James Sol Radina
      There are a few different types of launches. A JV launch is the most desirable because it is what everyone sees the big players/ masters doing. But they did not do JV Launches in the beginning. They will all tell you that they did an Internal Launch first.

      If you have never done a launch before, you should really focus on doing an Internal Launch before you try and manage a JV Launch. There is so much that could go wrong with a JV Launch and you dont want to burn your name/ reputation. Imagine working for 2 months to line up your launch, then during the launch period (which is the time the shopping cart is open), your videos start skipping and the bandwidth you are sending to your landing pages freezes up the videos or worse, the servers. Now remember, you are doing a JV Launch so these JV's just sent hundreds of thousands of their own personal prospects your way, only to have them run into issues. Everyone loses!

      So you should focus on an Internal Launch until you get some postitive Metrics that you can go to JV and JV Brokers with. A Product Launch will put you in the spotlight and all eyes are on you... including your competitors, bloggers, and sometimes the media. So, I hopefully have stated a case for why you should focus internally before you go and ask an external team to launch with you. **Now when you do an Internal Launch, that does not mean you can not have Any JV's mail for you. I recommend you have about 5 JV's that are your friends or people that are not going to nail you to the cross if something goes wrong. Sometimes these are JV Partners that are not the big IM guys. Ex. I was consulting for an Author/ Guru/ Personal Development Speaker and his target was business owners. So on the internal launch one of our JV Partners was a list owner who had 60,000 Dentists. This list owner did not care about the Metrics because he was not a professional internet marketer.

      It's all in the Post Launch Audit. Did you launch on time? Did you launch at the right time? What were the opt-in conversions? Sale conversions? Upsells and Downsells? And so much more that will help you on a future MASSIVE JV LAUNCH!

      Would be happy to help more, just IM with your questions. Cheers!
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      I offer Product Launch Blueprints and Product Launch Management Services. I studied under Jeff Walker's Product Launch Manager Coaching Program. I also provide online marketing for Personal Development Guru's in the Self Growth Industry. Looking forward to support you in any way I can. Namaste, James Sol Radina http://www.facebook.com/briantracydirector

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  • Profile picture of the author NicholasX
    In my opinion, you got to make people trust you and see you like a friend first by giving them something valuable for free and ask them to share it on social media (viral marketing). Create the sales page and other technical stuff. And then contact people for JV. Launch the product.
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  • Profile picture of the author James Sol Radina
    Yeah JaniG, Great summary. Very vague but you basically hit the main point. Keep up the great successes.
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    I offer Product Launch Blueprints and Product Launch Management Services. I studied under Jeff Walker's Product Launch Manager Coaching Program. I also provide online marketing for Personal Development Guru's in the Self Growth Industry. Looking forward to support you in any way I can. Namaste, James Sol Radina http://www.facebook.com/briantracydirector

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  • Profile picture of the author masterdj
    Hey there, I think a successful product launch delivers sales momentum for your product. It's one of the few opportunities to go from small to huge sales. So why do so few companies get it right? I don't think it's because they're lucky. I think it's because they understand a few steps of a winning product launch:

    Matching Product abilities to Market Needs
    Power Positioning
    Setting Clear Launch Goals
    The Power of Leverage (affiliates)
    Priming the Pump
    Timing the Launch to explode Sales

    Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author OllieGo
    Yes, the profit margin is a BIGGIE (obviously).

    I lay it all out on a spreadsheet for client before we get started. You can download the spreadsheet here and put in your own numbers. There's a video there too that explains the spreadsheet if need be.

    We are all conditioned to believe that the JV launch is the be all and end all of product launch marketing. Not so!

    Currently I'm doing a launch where we will launch internally and use all that content and email sequence, sale letter etc. for a fixed funnel....likely with a CPA program attached once we know what a lead is worth.

    Why would we do this?

    Well, this launch is for real estate brokers and agents. In other words we know who our prospect are...we know where to find them. As opposed to real estate investors who could be anybody and are found anywhere.

    The funnel will be optimized over 12 months with sales targets.

    Best,
    Oliver
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