What if You Were Launching in 30 Days?

Discover 5 things you can do now to make your next subscription box launch a success.

I am a procrastinator. A lot of creative people are, including subscription box owners. If I have too much time to get something done, I’ll wait until nearly the last minute to get started. It always gets done and it always gets done well, but there’s usually not a lot of breathing room. 

A couple of years ago, I launched a new course for subscription box owners who were ready to take their subscription boxes to the next level. I felt good about this launch. After all, I was launching to a mostly warm audience and I had years of experience launching subscription boxes and memberships.

The launch date was on the calendar - March 24th - and I knew what needed to happen before the launch. I had plenty of time. 

Until… 

One morning, as I juggled all the things of a busier-than-busy first quarter, I realized something. 

March 24th was less than 30 days away.

It was time to jump into action and start working on those things that make the difference between a successful launch and one that falls flat. Those things I teach my students inside my coaching membership, Launch Your Box. 

Let’s talk about five things you can focus on right now to make your subscription box launch a success.

1. Set your launch date.  

If you haven’t set a date for your launch yet, today is the day. Setting a date is a great way to force yourself to take action. Inside Launch Your Box, members who set specific dates for their launches tend to make more progress, faster than those who don’t. 

But what if you don’t have 90 days? What if you - like me - put things off and suddenly find yourself only 30 days from launch? 

You can still have a successful launch! 

If you are just getting started and don’t yet have an audience, set a date 90 days from now.

I want you to take 90 days to prepare for a launch because it takes that long to build an audience filled with your ideal customers. Spend these 90 days on audience building. Learn more about how to build an audience in Episode 50 of the Launch Your Box podcast.  

If you have an audience and have been working toward a launch, set a date within the next 30 days. 

Now that you’ve set your date, it’s time to really get to work.

2. Email your list before your launch.  

Your email list is one of the biggest assets in your business. 

Why? 

Because you own your email list. If social media disappeared tomorrow - or went down for hours like Facebook and Instagram did last month - you would still be able to stay in contact with your email list. 

Don’t wait until your launch to email your list. 

Not emailing your list regularly negatively impacts open rates and deliverability when you start sending emails. If you haven’t been emailing your list and suddenly send a launch sequence, many email service providers (ESPs) will see that as SPAM, and your emails will end up in people’s junk folders. 

Email your list once a week, all year long. 

Send nurture emails, product emails, and behind-the-scenes emails. Share yourself and your business with your audience. Serving them this way helps you build connections, authority, and your know/like/trust factor. 

Wondering what to put in these weekly emails? Don’t overcomplicate it. Your emails should contain the same type of content you put in your social posts. 

I go into more detail about what to email your list each week in this blog post.

Building your email list is an important part of audience-building - listen to episode 109 of the Launch Your Box podcast to learn 10 ways to build your list - every month!

3. Increase your video views. 

Did you know Facebook and Instagram allow you to retarget people who view at least three seconds of a video with an ad? These people have shown they are interested in what you are offering. 

Videos help you connect with your audience and build authority as well as know/like/trust. Videos are more personal - they allow your audience to feel like they’re getting to know you in a way that static social posts and emails cannot. 

Your goal is to generate more video views. How can you do that? Create engaging video content.

• Short videos for Instagram and Facebook
• Facebook LIVES - these count as video views 
• Live videos 

Audiences love it when you take them behind the scenes. Show them what packing day looks like. Share an item from one of your boxes with them. 

Use video to invite your audience into your world.  

These videos do NOT have to be elaborate. Keep things simple and engaging… And have fun!! 

Learn more about using short video effectively in episode 37 of the Launch Your Box podcast.

4. Drive people to your waitlist.    

During these 30 days, talk about your waitlist several times a week. Your call to action (CTA) - your only call to action during this period - is to get on your waitlist. 

When someone joins your waitlist, start emailing them right away. 

People join your waitlist because they are interested in your subscription box. They’re not yet committing to becoming a subscriber. Use the time between when they join your waitlist and the launch to nurture them, moving them further down the sales funnel. 

You need an automated email sequence that kicks off as soon as someone joins your waitlist. These emails should include: 

• Sneak peeks
• Behind the scenes
• Get to know you 

I take you through a waitlist email automation in detail in this blog post! 

5. Generate more leads with opt-ins.             

Use this pre-launch period to generate more leads and get more people into the top of your sales funnel. 

One of the best ways to do this is with an opt-in. Opt-ins are simply an exchange of something of value for a prospect’s email address or phone number. 

A high-converting opt-in will build your list with high-quality leads faster than any other marketing tactic. 

Use opt-ins to serve your audience and build authority. What makes a good opt-in? 

• Discounts 
• Freebies
• Wallpaper or 8x10 prints
• Giveaways
• Bonuses or free gifts
• Sneak peeks
• Tutorials or digital resources 

Once you’ve established some opt-ins, run them all year long, continuously adding to your waitlist. 

Check out this blog post for more email opt-in freebie ideas! 

I’m going to give you homework now. A blog post with homework? Yep. It’s just that important. 

Today I want you to set a launch date. Then put together a plan to start nurturing your audience with emails, short videos, and LIVES - and start working that plan. Finally, set up your opt-in and waitlist. 

These five things to do when you’re launching in 30 days are things you should be doing all year long. Your goal is to fill the top of your sales funnel consistently. 

Planning your launch starts with setting a launch date. By taking steps to nurture your audience and fill your sales funnel all year, you’ll be prepared for a successful launch!