What if You Were Launching in 30 Days?

Launching your subscription box soon? Here are 5 must-do steps to help you prep, grow your list, and build excitement, even if your launch is just 30 days away.

Like a lot of creative people, I’m a procrastinator. If I have too much time to do something, I’ll usually wait until the last minute. Sound familiar?

A couple of years ago, I realized I had just 30 days before a big course launch. And while I teach people how to launch inside Launch Your Box every day, I had to take my own advice. Fast.

If you're 30 days out from launching your subscription box (or you could be if you picked a date), this post is for you.

Here are five things to focus on right now to set yourself up for launch success, even if you're short on time.

1. Set Your Launch Date (and Stick to It)

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.

Need help building your audience from scratch? Listen to Episode 50 of the Launch Your Box podcast now and grab a notebook. It's packed with ideas you can implement today.

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. Warm Up Your Email List Before Launch Day

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 in 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. Use Short Videos to Build Connection and Retargeting Power

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 Traffic to Your Waitlist & Start Nurturing    

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 does join 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. Create High-Converting Opt-Ins to Grow Your List Fast            

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!

Whether you have 30 days or 90, you don’t have to do this alone. And you don’t have to do it perfectly.

What matters most? That you start.

Pick your date. Work the plan. And take one step at a time toward the business you’ve been dreaming about.

I’ll be cheering you on every step of the way.