You Don’t Need A Subscription Box Idea. You Need the RIGHT Subscription Box Idea.

Learn what makes a subscription box idea worth pursuing and how to choose the right idea for you, your customers, and a subscription built to last.

If you’ve been thinking about starting a subscription box, you probably already have ideas. 

You might even have too many ideas.

Ideas about what you could put in the box. Lists of products you love. You may have even imagined what your box might look like when it arrives on your future (obviously delighted) subscribers’ doorstep.

Coming up with ideas is the easy part.

The harder part is knowing which of those ideas has the potential to become something people want to buy and keep buying month after month.

Because you don’t need a subscription box idea. You need the right subscription box idea.

And there are a few things I want you to think about that can help you decide which idea is worth pursuing.

The Right Subscription Box Is for Someone Specific

One of the biggest mistakes I see Launch Your Box members make when they’re starting a subscription box is trying to create something everyone will like.

But when you try to create a box for everyone, it gets a lot harder to give anyone a reason to say, “That box is for me.”

When you try to create a subscription box for everyone, it ends up not really being for anyone. 

I say it all the time because it’s true. The riches are in the niches.

Getting specific about who you serve and how you serve her is step one to creating a successful subscription box. 

Think about the person you want opening your box every month. 

• What does she love? 
• What does she look forward to? 
• What does she want more of in her life?
• What problem is she looking to solve? 

Your subscription doesn’t need to appeal to thousands and thousands of different people.

It needs to connect with the right people.

The more clearly you know who those right people are, the easier it becomes to make decisions about what belongs in your box, how you talk about it, and how you market it.

Read this blog post for more on choosing your niche. 

The Right Idea Gives Them a Reason to Come Back Next Month

A great first box can get someone excited to subscribe.

But what happens after that?

A subscription is different from selling a one-time product because you’re not only asking someone to buy. You’re asking them to keep buying. You’re asking for a commitment. 

That means your idea needs to have staying power.

Can you create something your subscriber will look forward to receiving again next month? And the month after that?

Maybe it gives her new ways to enjoy a hobby she already loves. Maybe it makes something in her life easier. Maybe it gives her a little time to herself. Maybe it helps her discover things she wouldn’t have found on her own.

Whatever your answer is, there needs to be a reason the experience is worth repeating.

The Right Idea Makes Sense for YOU

This part sometimes gets overlooked.

Your subscription box needs to be something your customer wants, but it also needs to make sense for you. 

What are you interested in? What do you know a lot about? What products do you already sell? What kind of community have you built or want to build?

You’re going to spend a lot of time thinking about this subscription. Curating it. Talking about it. Marketing it. Serving the people who subscribe to it.

Choose an idea you can see yourself staying connected to. Building a successful business is a LOT of work. Build something you’ll love. Something you’ll be excited to work in and on every day! 

And if you already have a product-based business, start there. Your best subscription idea may be closer than you think.

Look at the customers you already serve and the products they already love. A subscription can be a natural way to serve those customers again and again while adding recurring revenue to your business.

Don’t miss this blog post on 7 Steps to Turn Your Product Business into a Subscription in 90 Days! 

The Right Idea Gives You Room to Keep Going

There is one question I want all potential subscription box owners to ask themselves. 

Can I come up with enough ideas to keep this going?

One great box isn’t enough.

Before you commit to an idea, start thinking beyond month one. What could you send in month two? Month six? Month twelve?

This doesn’t mean you need to have your first year of boxes completely planned before you launch. You don’t.

But you do need to know your idea has enough room to grow.

This is one reason I love doing the FREE 6 in 60 Challenge. I take you through my own process for curating subscription boxes, planning six months of boxes in just over an hour. 6 in 60 gets you out of your head and helps you see how many possibilities there are inside your idea.

If coming up with six possible boxes feels nearly impossible, pay attention to that.

If you start filling the page and suddenly see all kinds of directions you could go? Pay attention to that, too.

The Right Subscription Is More Than a Box of Stuff

Your subscriber isn’t paying you every month because she needs more stuff.

She’s paying for how she feels when she receives that box. Your box. 

You choose and curate the products. You create the experience.

Think about how you want someone to feel when your box shows up.

Excited? Inspired? Relaxed? Seen? Ready to create something? Eager to discover what you chose for her this month?

That feeling is such an important part of what you’re selling.

The products matter, of course. But the value of a great subscription box is bigger than the individual items inside it.

That’s what turns a shipment of products into an experience someone looks forward to.

You Don’t Need More Ideas. You Need a Plan.

If you’ve been sitting on a subscription box idea - or five of them - you don’t need to keep brainstorming forever.

You need to figure out which idea makes sense for your customer, makes sense for you, and has the potential to become something people will want to keep receiving.

That’s exactly what we’re going to work through during Subscription Box Week.

I’ll help you get clear on who your box is for, what belongs inside it, and how to take your idea and start turning it into a subscription you can move forward with.

You don’t need to show up with everything figured out.

You don’t even need to know yet which of your ideas is the idea.

You just need to be ready to stop circling around the possibilities and start building a plan.

JOIN SUBSCRIPTION BOX WEEK