You’re ready to launch your digital product (or you’re thinking about launching), but you don’t know what happens first — or even second, third, fourth… You get it (and you’re not alone).
It’s true there’s a method behind the madness and a way to organize your launch to get the best results — aka the phases of a digital product launch.
Each phase is based on what’s worked for my clients and the way I host my own digital product launches, but it’s not a recipe for a six-figure launch. Rather, it’s designed to help you achieve a successful launch (because money isn’t the only way to measure success).
The 5 Phases of Your Digital Product Launch
During a digital product launch, there are five main phases: prep, pre-launch, launch, post-launch, and making it evergreen. Each phase is listed below, along with a general timeline and what you can expect to do—at least, a general idea.
Adjust each phase to make your launch work for you — not the other way around.
Phase #1: Prep
TIMEFRAME: 8-12 WEEKS OUT
Prep time is for mapping out your launch timeline (exactly what we’re doing here, but with more details), hiring any contractors (copywriters for your funnels/sales page, designers, etc), and brainstorming your launch promo event and marketing.
Essentially, you should write down and map anything you want to do during your launch (trust me, it’ll be a major help over the next few phases of your launch).
Phase #2: Pre-Launch
TIMEFRAME: 4-8 WEEKS OUT
Pre-launch is when you really start taking action and pulling your content together. This is when you create your targeted email funnels, write your sales page copy (just be sure you avoid these common mistakes), write your emails, and start thinking about how to gather some testimonials and feedback (a must for any good pre-launch marketing strategy).
I also recommend planning a Q&A about your offer — nothing fancy; you can just opt to go live on Instagram — and creating swipe files for your affiliates (if you have any, don’t stress it if you don’t).
Phase #3: Launch
TIMEFRAME: 0-4 WEEKS OUT
This stage is what you think of when you imagine a “launch.” It’s the time to actively promote and encourage your audience to purchase your offer. During this phase of your digital product launch, you should upload stories to your Instagram with links, create engagement-style posts, and share updates as people buy or join your offer.
If you’ve ever witnessed a Reveal launch, you should know I’m a huge fan of a sticky-note wall and recommend doing one — or at least something similar — to welcome your students!
Phase #4: Post-Launch
TIMEFRAME: N/A
Time to celebrate! At this point, you’ve successfully launched your offer and shared it with the world (your world), and it’s time to celebrate your launch and the hard work you’ve put into it. If you had affiliates, this is a good time to reach out and say thank you for their help!
Take a few minutes to archive any posts that no longer make sense and update your sales and revenue data (don’t skip this; you’ll need it for your next launch).
Phase #5: Turning it Evergreen
TIMEFRAME: Forever! (until you’re ready to pull the product)
You’ve launched, learned, and created amazing transformations with your product, and now it’s time for the final(ish) step: making it evergreen!
This phase is for creating your evergreen email sequence (this template can help), choosing your new top-of-funnel, and adding your offer to your welcome sequence and Instagram bio.
I also recommend creating a stagnant offer highlight on IG and tweaking your sales copy to work for evergreen sales (remove any time-sensitive language).
Keeping Up with Your Digital Product
It’s super tempting to just “set it and forget it” with your evergreen funnel, but the best digital products get check-ins and updates to make the student/buyer experience oh-so-good and unforgettable.
Set a time in your calendar to review your product performance and contact past buyers about their experience and results (you can and should also build this into your post-purchase workflow).
If it’s a course, track student completion and audit areas where students are dropping or slowing down. If it’s a template, guide, or almost anything else, review the material included to make sure it’s up to date with best practices and that you still stand by the information shared.
Taking this extra time leads to more referrals, more sign-ups, and better results (and that’s the goal, right?).
If you loved this and want to sell your digital products, but you’re a little overwhelmed by the whole “launch” thing, here’s a tool made just for you to help you know what to do and when to do it, and have the templates, resources, and training to make it happen — meet the Digital Seller’s Copy Kit! Click here to learn (and love) more about it.
