5 Ways to Make Your First Product Launch a Resounding Success

“I think it’s very important that whatever you’re trying to make or sell or teach has to be basically good. A bad product and you know what? You won’t be here in ten years.” – Martha Stewart 

Every time you launch a new product online, you have the chance to drastically increase your profits. As I explained last week, the best way to generate momentum, interest, and monster cash flow is to turn the launch into an event. Internet users have millions of messages vying for their attention all day long. And by creating an exciting event, you’ll break through the clutter and get tons of eyeballs looking in your direction.

I’ve already given you some ideas on how to do that. I showed you how to use a “pre-launch” to get people salivating for the actual launch. And I talked about how to use different media to grab the attention of as many potential customers as possible.

Now, here are five more strategies to make your first Product Launch a huge success.

1. Use social proof.

Social proof is a mental trigger that makes people want to do what other people are doing. So if you can show that other people are buying your product (or planning to), you will have an easier time selling it.

During your pre-launch, for example – when you get lots of people commenting on your blog or on message boards about how much they like your product… that’s social proof. Your prospects can see that other people are excited about buying it. That will make them more inclined to buy it as well.

How do you get all that buzz? One easy way is to run a contest where you give a prize to whoever who posts the best comment on your blog.

Another good example of social proof is testimonials from people who have benefited from your products in the past. So be sure to include lots of them in your marketing copy.

Yet another way to use social proof is with “case studies.” (Actually, a case study isn’t much more than a long testimonial.) For example, when I began the pre-launch for my new Product Launch Formula 2.0, I published an extensive video case study of a man (John Gallagher) who literally went from food stamps to having a six-figure business. At the end, I invited my readers to comment on the case study on my blog. Within a couple of days, I had more than 300 “rave reviews” from people who had seen it.

You can see the John Gallagher case study here.

2. Use scarcity.

Scarcity is another mental trigger that makes people want to buy. When there is less of something, they want it more.

You can create scarcity by limiting the quantity of whatever it is that you’re selling. But I usually don’t like to do that because it limits the amount of money you make. I prefer to limit the amount of time people have to take advantage of the deal. So I set a deadline, after which the price will be higher. And I offer extra bonuses that people will no longer get after the deadline.

I do this with almost every launch. For example, in the pre-launch for a membership site for loan officers, I offered bonus teleseminars for people who signed up on the very first day. This gave them a big incentive to act right away when the launch went live.

Your prospects will respond to a deadline like you wouldn’t believe. Don’t forget to send a last-minute notice 24 hours before it expires. And again about six hours before the deadline. Get ready for a rush of orders right at the end.

3. Get joint venture partners on board.

When you get other people promoting your launch to their lists on an affiliate basis, you multiply its effectiveness.

Give your partners a reason to mail to their lists when you are still in pre-launch by giving them some high-quality content to use. The content should lead people back to your site so they can sign up to be on your pre-launch “priority notification list.”

Communicate with your partners throughout the launch. Let them know what’s coming and why they should continue to send you traffic. And keep giving them reasons to mail to their people multiple times. The best way to do that is to give them a series of pre-launch content pieces to be released at different times.

For example, in a recent launch in the massage therapy market, one of my students released a series of content-rich downloadable PDF reports. These reports not only had solid information that would appeal to massage therapists, they were designed to get people excited about the launch. The joint venture partners were encouraged to send their lists to a page where they could download these reports… and join the pre-launch priority notification list.

4. Don’t be afraid to keep e-mailing your prospects.

I call each e-mail leading up to a successful launch a “touch”… and you want to keep touching your prospects. But you have to have a reason for each touch. (No one wants to get an e-mail telling them to watch out for another e-mail in a day or two.)

For example, long before the product launch (and while the product is still actually being developed), I often send a survey to my list, asking them what they think the product should have or do. When I get their feedback, I send another e-mail to thank them for their responses and tell them what I learned. I follow up that e-mail with one or more e-mails that answer any questions or concerns they may have raised about the product. (I take one question per e-mail, and answer it thoroughly.) What I’m really doing here is pre-selling the product.

None of these e-mails are hype-filled sales messages. I am either asking for or giving solid information in each one.

As I get closer to the launch, the frequency of my e-mails increases… and I start to talk more specifically about the product and the offer.

Now this might sound like a lot of work. But it really isn’t hard to do… especially when you consider the enormous payoff.

5. Perfect the launch process.

The single best thing about your first product launch is that it’s just your FIRST launch.

You can take what you’ve learned and do it over and over again. And each time, it will get bigger and bigger. Soon enough, you’ll be thinking about your own six-figure (or even seven-figure) launch.

So good luck. Go get ’em!

[Ed. note: Jeff Walker is the creator of the Product Launch Formula.

You can read lots of real-life case studies (including the amazing story of a guy who went from food stamps to a six-figure income using product launches) at Jeff’s site.]