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AMY PORTERFIELD: “Does your messaging clearly speak to your IC’s number one desire and want? In other words, are you clear about what they want? And let me tell you, it's not always what you think. Just as with a promotion of a launch, there are layers here, too.”
“So, for example, with my course, Digital Course Academy, it's not just a digital course that my audience wants. If I'm truly listening and going deeper, I know they want to scale their business. They want to move away from the one–on–one work, and they want to make more revenue than they could in, let's say, the one–on–one coaching or consulting or in a nine–to–five. And they want a different lifestyle. They want a different financial situation. They want creative freedom. By getting clear on that, I can now use that in my messaging to show them that I truly get them, and I have a solution for what they want.”
INTRO: I’m Amy Porterfield, ex-corporate girl turned CEO of a multi-million-dollar business. But it wasn't all that long ago that I lacked the confidence, money, and time to focus on growing my small–but–mighty business. Fast forward past many failed attempts and lessons learned, and you'll see the business I have today, one that changes lives and gives me more freedom than I ever thought possible, one that used to only exist as a daydream. I created the Online Marketing Made Easy podcast to give you simple, actionable, step–by–step strategies to help you do the same. If you're an ambitious entrepreneur, or one in the making, who's looking to create a business that makes an impact and helps you create a life you love, you're in the right place. Let's get started.
AMY: I'm going to take a moment and call all my launchers to the table. Attention, please. We have something very important to discuss. Oh, and by the way, if you haven't yet launched, this episode is going to give you an edge and help you to improve your launching efforts when you're ready to put that product out there. So stick with me here. All right. Here it is. We got to talk about what to do when your messaging isn't converting during a launch or any kind of promo or mini promo that you do. And holy heck, I have been there, and it's the worst. There's no easy way to put it. I mean, you put all your heart, sweat, and tears into preparing for this, and you're so excited about putting your thing, whatever it is, out into the world, and then crickets. Nobody's listening. Nobody's buying. It's the worst feeling ever. But have no fear. There are things you can do within your business to get right back on track and improve things so that next time you launch, your audience will be shouting from the rooftops, “This is exactly what I need! Where do I sign up?” That's what we want them all to be doing, right? So today I'm going to walk you through a checklist of five things that you can examine within your messaging to get your launch stats back on track and knock it out of the ballpark the next time around.
I've also put these five things into a free PDF checklist resource, and you can go grab that by heading to the show notes at amy.online/351. So simple as that. Amy.online/351. So go grab that PDF checklist. It’s totally free. You can use it to follow along and then of course use it for your next launch Let's get to it.
First things first, when you're using this checklist, you must—and I repeat must—only look at one single launch or promotion. When you're working on something that is this important, you want to centralize it to one specific thing versus an overhaul of your business. That's just too big. Plus, you know me, and I'm all about keeping it simple. With one specific launch or promotion in mind, you'll be able to move through this checklist quickly, get to the root of the problem, and pivot.
Also, I want to take a quick moment to speak directly to my listeners who launched for the first time and heard crickets. And what I mean by that is no one really was paying attention and no one bought. Please remember to just do the best you can from the start. If you get twenty sales your first time, and you thought you should have gotten 100, I want to challenge you. Who says? Why says you should have gotten 100?
Let me speak from experience. In most cases, one launch isn't enough to say you're messaging is off. Now, if you got zero sales, okay, okay. Maybe you want to take a look at that messaging. And you'll know deep down if you're messaging is off. This is hard to explain in a podcast or even with words. But there is a knowing. When you're speaking to your audience, if it doesn't come natural to you, if you're really struggling to get the words out, if it feels really scratchy and uncomfortable, you know that you probably haven't honed your message just yet. That's normal. So typically, and this isn't for all of you, but typically when you're messaging is off, you can feel it. You could feel it inside. But know that you won't hit it out of the park on your first launch. Nobody does. Well, at least 99 percent of people don't.
And here's a side note about industry averages. Do not compare your first–launch stats to industry averages. Absolutely not. Now, your third launch? Fine, maybe. Your second launch, maybe. But comparing industry stats to your first launch, it's just not fair.
And listen. You know that I'm all about goal setting, but you must recognize where your goals are coming from. So, for example, maybe you once heard me say to be converting at 10 percent on a webinar. And so that becomes your goal on your first launch. No, no, no. Please understand this is a goal for someone further along than a first launch. If I were coaching you one on one, I'd say, “Hey, let's shoot for 2 to 3 percent the first time out. We’ll only go up from there.” So just be clear on that and be realistic. There's a fine line between setting realistic goals and really going for it. So be careful.
And I think before I even go any further, just be kind to yourself, please. Take it from a girl who has said all the nastiest things anyone could say to me. I've said them to myself probably ten times when I was just getting started and struggling to make money in my business. If I was just a little nicer to myself, that whole experience would have been easier. Be kind to yourself. I know it's cliché. I know I sound like your mom. But speak to yourself as though you were speaking to your best friend, because at the end of the day, it's you, my friend. You got to be on your team.
All right. So first up on this checklist that I want you to go grab, I'm coming in with a little bit more tough love. And here it goes. Ask yourself, Did I actually do enough? I know. I know. You're probably thinking, “Amy, it sure felt like I did a ton.” But I want you to get super honest with yourself. I don't mean, Did you hustle? I don't mean, Did you work yourself to the bone and couldn't get off the floor? I didn't mean, Were you in constant overwhelm the whole time? I'm not talking about any of that. I'm just saying that, Did you do the work that gets you the results, meaning it's not enough just to send a few emails and say, “Yep, I did it.” And then no one buys, and you say, “Yep, I'm not cut out to be an entrepreneur. My messaging must be dead.”
So I believe there are layers to a launch, even if it's a mini promo. Those layers look a little different, depending on whether you're doing a full launch, like in Digital Course Academy, or maybe a mini promo. But usually the layers include a Facebook Live or an Instagram Live or a webinar or posting on social, sending emails, finding ways to go above and beyond to support your customers in crossing that invisible bridge of where they are now to where they need to go. So to remind you, the invisible bridge is how you address your audience's pain points or desires to create a bridge that your audience can move across and be ready to get on your webinar, buy your course or product or your coaching package by the time they get to the other side. So that invisible bridge, one more time, is how you address your audience's pain points or desires to create a bridge that your audience can move across. And once they get across, they're ready to get on your webinar, buy your course or buy your coaching program by the time that they get to the other side.
I've told this story before about when I was in a mastermind in Mexico with Marie Forleo. She was the leader of the mastermind. And I told her that I was just going to send a couple of emails and post a couple of times on social, and that was my launch. It was my first launch. I was just starting out. I was not going to put myself out there and embarrass myself. And she let me have it, in a loving way, of course. And basically she said, “Amy, you either show up and you play full out or just don't bother.”
Now, I know that's a harsh message for some, especially because I actually subscribe to this idea of keeping it simple. So I want to explain myself before I go any further. When I say show up, play full out, again, I don't mean kill yourself over this launch and go to full exhaustion. I mean, make sure you're doing the strategies that will get you the conversions you're looking for. You know the difference of hiding or being too scared to put yourself out there versus working too hard. You know the difference. So let's just get on the same page there.
So are you doing the strategies that truly are going to get you those results? If you're in DCA, you know the strategies. So if you're in Digital Course Academy, you know what I'm talking about. And if you're not, hopefully you'll join me down the road. But you need to make sure you're following somebody who’s had results before and you can follow their roadmap because it's your first time out, how would you know, right?
Okay, next on the checklist, Does your messaging clearly speak to your IC’s number one desire and want? In other words, are you clear about what they want? And let me tell you, it's not always what you think. Just as with a promotion of a launch, there are layers here, too.
So, for example, with my course, Digital Course Academy, it's not just a digital course that my audience wants. If I'm truly listening and going deeper, I know they want to scale their business. They want to move away from the one–on–one work, and they want to make more revenue than they could in, let's say, the one–on–one coaching or consulting or in a nine–to–five. And they want a different lifestyle. They want a different financial situation. They want creative freedom. By getting clear on that, I can now use that in my messaging to show them that I truly get them, and I have a solution for what they want. And I must, must, must be very clear on how my product is the solution for them.
Let me give you an example of how I actually had to reexamine this part of my business to ensure I was clearly speaking to what my IC wants and desires. So my first time launching DCA, I led with the thought that my audience wants to create a digital–course business. However, this was not the case. When I slowed down and I really listened, I started to see the subtle but powerful shift that they wanted to add a digital course to their existing business, not necessarily create a full–blown digital–course business, which means that's what you do to make money, and that's all you do. Like, I have a digital–course business, but some of my students do coaching and consulting. They have a service–based business. They don't want to give that all away. They would just love to charge more, do it less, and have another stream of revenue. So because of this, my messaging was off a bit. So here's the fun part, the part where taking a step back really pays off. As we adjusted our messaging—just a few fine tweaks—our launches got more successful.
So here's an important distinction with this one. In most cases, you got to launch to really understand if your messaging is off. You're never going to be sure unless you launch. So that's why it's scary. That's why it's tricky. So if you do get the courage to launch once, knowing that your messaging might be slightly off, this allows you to identify how people are using your product, how they're talking about it, how they're thinking about maybe buying it, what's going through their mind. When you launch, you learn this more. And when you really pay attention, little different shifts on how you were messaging versus how you’ll message the next time could make all the difference. So pay attention, listen more than you talk, and I promise that you'll succeed at checking this one off with flying colors.
Next step on the checklist, Did you identify at least three main objections and speak to them clearly through your messaging? These should be in all of your messaging, and they should be very clear. Are you starting to see a pattern here? If anything is not clear in your messaging, it will reflect in how you convert. If you're multitasking, come back to me right this minute. Come on. Come back to me because I want you to hear this. If anything is unclear in your messaging, whether it be the objections or desires or outcomes or promise or your offer, it will reflect in your conversions, and if you're doing a webinar, in your sign-up rate. Identifying objections is something I have my students do very early on before they create anything, and I suggest the same for you.
So, for example, for my course List Builders Society, the objections include tech overwhelm, not knowing where to start with building an email list, and uncertainty around their content creation for list building. Because I identified those very early on, I knew that when it comes to promoting or selling that digital course, I need to speak to my audience about how tech doesn't have to be overwhelming. Why? Because I provide them with a tech library in my program that walks them through step by step anything they need to know when they're first starting out. Also, I drill down on the first steps they need to take, and relate to them by telling stories about when I was first starting out and trying to figure out how to grow a list. This is for that objection that they're not really sure where to start or they're feeling really overwhelmed getting started. So I tell my own stories to address that objection so they know I get them.
Okay. So to check this one off, revisit your messaging and the content you use for the specific launch or mini promo that you've done. Can you clearly see the objections? They need to be clear as day. And if you haven't yet launched, I want you to come up with three reasons why someone would not buy your next or your first digital course. Another way to say it, three reasons why someone feels like they're not ready to spend the money. Three reasons why someone would think they're not a good fit, even when they are. That's where you start.
Now, if you're like, “Amy, how do you know? I'm not sure,” again, it's better to listen than to talk. Get in the comments, see what questions they're asking, encourage them to ask questions of you, but also you can make an educated guess in the beginning. That's why that first launch is so important. You are making some guesses. I call them educated guesses based on what you think you know. But then the second launch, you kind of iron them all out and get them all dialed in. My friend, you got to have the courage to launch first in order to make stuff better.
All right. So let's move on to the next one on the checklist. It‘s all about your ideal community, your IC. Are you clear on who they are? And, to take this one step further, did you create something that would resonate with them? I know that it can be tempting to create something we think will resonate with our audience. But trust me, it doesn't work that way. And listen, if you get to this one and you realize, “Uh-oh, I need to do a little more work on identifying and validating my community,” don't sweat it. Better earlier on this than later in the game.
So my first question would be, Did you do any validation calls for whatever you're launching or promoting? And remember, we're only talking about only one launch or only one mini promo right now. Don't think of your whole business. Just think of maybe if you've already launched something that didn't succeed or if you're getting ready to launch your first thing. Have you done some validation calls, which basically are calls where you get on a Zoom call with your ideal customer or someone in your ideal community, and you ask them some questions. Not like, “Would you buy this program if I sold it?” But more like, “Tell me where you're struggling. What have you tried in the past? What are you looking for?”
I did an entire episode where I interviewed a potential student of mine. She hadn't yet purchased my course, but I felt that she was in my ideal community, and I did a sample validation call with her. And so I’ll link to that in the show notes. It's with one of my students, Jamie Trull. So I'll link to the Jamie Trull episode in the show notes if you want to hear me do a validation call with a potential student that ended up being a student, ended up now being a star student. So it's really cool to see her progression.
So back to you. Did you do any of these calls to validate your idea? And if so, if you did, did you really listen and implement what they were saying? Listening must be one of your superpowers as an entrepreneur. So if you did these calls, revisit what they said. Take notes of the layers underneath what they're saying. Notice the words that they're using to describe their wants and their needs and their desires and experiences and objections, and really try to find those gems. Like, remember I said, in my messaging for Digital Course Academy, I don't make it all about, “So you want to create a digital course.” I go deeper than that. “So you want to create lifestyle freedom. You don't want to be tied to one–on–one work or work in a cubicle.” Like, I go deeper because I know what my audience wants. You'll get there over time, but you got to do the work.
Now, here's an important part of this, too. By listening to the words that your ideal community is saying to you and the words they're using, you can take those exact words and use them in your messaging. Like, on my sales page for my courses, there are sentences that literally came out of the mouth of one of my ideal customers, someone that's part of my ideal community. I use the words they used. That's when it gets really powerful. So I want you to do some of these validation calls.
And if you've already done your validation calls but still missed the mark on your messaging, try doing a new call or maybe asking some more questions on social media. You can even send out an email asking your audience some clarifying or validating questions if you've already interviewed some of them and you want some more answers. So there's a lot of ways to engage your audience and gain more clarity. It takes a little time, but it’s worth every minute. And remember, Grasshopper, listen more than you talk.
All right. Last thing on the checklist, Are you standing out in a unique way? Have you found the blue ocean in your industry? And are you conveying your uniqueness and what sets you apart through your messaging? Here's what I mean. You have a unique and special approach to how you teach and what you offer. This is what sets you apart. Listen, make no mistake. I one million percent believe this, in you and in me. And I teach something that many people teach. I still feel like I have a special approach, and I know you do, too. Even if you're in an industry that feels over-populated, there is something that makes you stand out and a perfect match for your ideal community. However, sometimes, especially for my newbie entrepreneurs, it's challenging to fully embrace what makes you unique, and rightfully so. You may still be identifying it.
So, for example, if you're a life coach but don't have a specific focus, your messaging may be lost on your audience because they're confused as to what makes you unique and if that angle aligns with what they are specifically looking for. So I want you to narrow it down. Trust me, it's worth it.
Here's an example from my business. What makes me unique is that I offer a tangible step–by–step approach to creating a digital course and launching it using webinars. The other piece that sets me apart is that I give my audience a very candid look behind the scenes of what works and what doesn't work in my business. And I know that this is something that my competitors might look at me and say, “You're crazy for revealing that, or you're sharing way too much in your free content.” But it works for me, and it works for my audience. So by keeping these two things that are very specific to me in mind when it comes to my messaging, this is how I stand out and how I attract the right community members. So if you're doing something right now and you're thinking, “People must think I'm crazy for doing this,” keep doing it, my friend. Keep doing it.
Let me leave you with this one last thing that is extremely important. And you know what that means. If you're multitasking, come back to me. Listen, there are more than enough people out there who need what you do, what I do, and what your competitors do. You will never run short of people who you can serve, and when you are authentic and you set yourself apart by doing what feels right to you, you're going to attract more and more people who want exactly what you have, exactly the way you're delivering it. The beautiful thing is that when you start hearing, “This is exactly what I needed,” or “You must have read my mind,” you've hit the jackpot. It will happen, my friend. It will happen. And that is one of the most rewarding feelings ever. So don't be afraid to show up authentically and in your unique way and go in the direction that your competitors won't or are too afraid to do so. Trust me, it will pay off in your launches, in your mini promos, and all other places in your business. So get clear on what it is that makes you unique, and convey that through your messaging.
All right. Let's recap those five components of your checklist to make sure that you identify, one, if you need to pivot your messaging, and two, if so, in what direction.
All right. Number one, ask yourself, Did I really show up and go all in? Examine what you did. Be honest and just adjust if needed. Remember that if you're going to do a launch, even a mini promo, you either go all in—heart and head—or just don't do it. There's no in between. Number two, review your messaging and ask, Does my messaging clearly speak to my IC‘s number one desire and want? Number three, make sure that you identified at least three main objections and that you spoke to them clearly throughout your launch and the messaging you used. Four, double, triple, quadruple check that your IC, your ideal community, is clearly identified. Are you using words they say? If you need to revisit or do new validation calls, just do them. And last but not least, five, are you showing up authentically, and are you conveying what sets you apart through your messaging?
Take this checklist. You can grab a copy of it on the show notes page at amy.online/351. And go through it one by one. I have a sneaky suspicion you'll start to see where your messaging may have been off a little bit or a lot—that's okay—and you'll find the perfect way to get it back on track.
Thanks for joining me today. I'll see you next week, same time, same place. Bye for now.
