How a Successful Pre Launch Can Increase Your Teachable Course Student Numbers
Are you thinking about creating a new Teachable course but worried no one will sign up? There are a number of methods you can utilise to try to ensure that this doesn’t happen which are discussed on our blog or website. But one of the most effective is creating a captivating pre-launch.
What is a pre-launch and why are they so effective?
A pre-launch is a marketing technique which builds anticipation and excitement before the product launch date. This can be done in a number of ways (which we will talk about later on in the blog) but the primary aim should always be to generate buzz around the product, which in this case, is your Teachable course. So, why do a pre-launch? Well, the real question is -why not do a pre-launch?! You don’t have to spend mass amounts of money and the sooner you can get people talking about the course, the sooner sales will start appearing. Why wait until your course date to start gathering data, generating buzz and collecting prospective students’ information? Executing a successful pre-launch will also trigger anticipation in the student's mind. They will start looking forward to being able to access your course, and what’s better than that?
Do I need a pre pre-launch?
Sounds silly right? But a pre pre-launch can actually be a very useful concept which was discussed in Jeff Walker’s book — ‘ Launch: An Internet Millionaire’s Secret Formula to Sell Almost Anything Online, Build a Business You Love, and Live the Life of Your Dream’s’. A pre pre-launch entails reaching out to prospective students in their communities (this can be social media groups, forums, etc) and asking them what they specifically need advice on. Looking for common areas of concern is a great way of building course content that people need and are actually asking for, but also engaging in conversation with prospective students and providing them with answers in the pre-launch phase. This is a great way to build trust, conversation and authority with potential students.
How to create a successful pre-launch for your Teachable course
So, you’ve gathered your information about what your potential students want, you’ve started to engage in conversation and you are beginning to build trust and authority. Now, what about the pre-launch? Which method works best for Teachable? The most important aspect to consider in your pre-launch is building an email list who are interested in your product. One of the most effective methods of doing this is giving away free, valuable information. All the students need to do is trade their email address in order for it to be sent to them…. There you have it, a ready-made email list of people who you know are interested in your product because they have signed up to to receive snippets of the information that you will be providing in your course. This is a method talked about in Jeff Walker's book described earlier. Walker states that the information you provide must be valuable to the potential student, not generic tips they could read off any website. This will generate your potential students’ trust that you are not just trying to sell to them, as well as the confidence that you know what you are talking about. And, after the free tips are over, guess what… They’ll want more, and when you email them that your course is ready for action, they will be more inclined to buy.
What could a pre-launch look like in Teachable?
First, you’ll need to build a squeeze page for potential students to sign up to receive your free, valuable information. You could either offer a lead magnet with this or just state that they will receive tips and tricks, as well as information about your upcoming course. Either way, ensure the only options prospective students have on this page is the option to opt-in or leave the page. Other links to information might entice the student to leave looking for more information and not return. This could be accompanied by a countdown clock for the release date of your course to build anticipation. An example is shown below.
After this page is built, it’s then time to promote it. Try going back to the communities that provided you with questions in the pre pre-launch phase and sending them the answer, plus the link to where they can find more great, free information — your squeeze page. You could also run social media ads to promote your squeeze page.
The informational email sequence should then lead up to the launch date. Try for 1 a day or 1 every other day and ensure you are not yet being promotional, just providing potential students with valuable knowledge. If you have offered a lead magnet, this should be delivered immediately in an email proceeding the email sequence.
And there you have it, a fully built, engaged email list who you can email when your Teachable course has been launched, all thanks to your pre-launch full of valuable information. Another great aspect of this campaign is that it can keep being used, even after your launch date! Promote your free, valuable information and keep building that engaged email list.
For more help with your Teachable digital marketing, click here to receive your Reachable Audit today
