5 Ways to Differentiate Your Offer During a Launch 

Think about the last time you scrolled Instagram or Facebook. Did you get ads or even see feed posts from people you follow that… kinda look the same? The same colors, the same designs, the same style? In the online business space, you might have noticed we’re all kinda starting to look like high school freshmen who all shop at the same store.

If you’re about to launch a new offer, though, you kinda sorta maybe wanna be like the grunge chick with the cool cut who doesn’t give a...

Whether it’s a new course, product, or membership launch you’ve got coming down the pipeline, you don’t want it to look, sound, or feel like everything else, right? No! But that’s easier said than done. So, how are you supposed to differentiate your offer and help it stand out during a launch?

How to create a different launch experience for your offer

If you genuinely want to stand out from the crowd, you’ve got to be willing to make changes and take a few risks. To — dare I say it? — go against the grain. You know what you’re offering is special, but everyone else doesn’t know that yet. That’s why you have to get a bit creative and think outside the traditional launch box. Here are five ways that might work for your offer:

1. Get to know your competition

You know the accounts that you petty-scroll through during your weekly wine and doom-scroll sessions? The ones who steal your clients or always seem to do what you want to do (and just a little bit better)? Well, it’s time to take a deeper look at them. I know, I know. Take a deep breath.

Look at their latest offers or launches and ask yourself: What are they doing to stand out? What are they doing that you begrudgingly like? What are they doing that you love to hate? You’re not looking to copy them, just gather information.

Pick apart their strategy and really ask yourself what they do and don’t do that stands out. Take notes of their branding, their messages, even their imagery. Where can you improve your own launch and where do you think you can go a bit against the grain? Maybe there’s a special point you’d like to draw attention to that they don’t, or maybe there’s a bonus you can offer that would solve a different challenge your audience has. Find opportunities to fill in the gaps.

2. Build relationships beforehand

You know those scammy DMs you get on Instagram from “brands looking for influencers”? They’re more likely to get them blocked than to get a response, right?

That’s not how you want to engage your followers, and yet that’s how most of us approach a launch. We reach out and ask our followers to buy a product without building a relationship or even explaining why it would benefit them. 

Instead, you need to build relationships by connecting organically. Engage with your followers in your Stories or through DMs. Share their content or hype them up. Create joint ventures with them. Attend conferences or summits that reach your ideal audience. Get to know who they are — and show them who YOU are — so you can build a relationship that feels real. Then, when it comes time to launch, they’re primed and ready!

3. Take your audience along for the ride

Everyone wants to feel like a VIP. Give your audience a backstage pass to what’s happening behind the scenes. It’s advice I give a lot and, inevitably, my DMs explode with, “If I share what I’m doing before I launch, someone might steal my ideas!” Sure, you might have some troll who slaps together a half-assed version of your offering without paying. People steal and that sucks, and we can’t stop them. They can do it after you launch, too.

But instead of assuming the worst, think about the benefits of sharing your new offer creation process. You can build interest, show people how it’s different, and even have conversations about what goes inside it (so you can improve it before you ever even launch)! You also stay present and top-of-mind for people — instead of going dark while you’re in creation mode. I’m guilty of this, too, don’t worry.

Honestly, this is a huge part of a unique launch experience. Imagine having people frothing at the mouth to get their hands on your offer — all because you’ve shown them little peeks here and there to get them interested. 

4. Have fun 

I think there’s a lot of rhetoric around how “hard” and “exhausting” launches are — and they definitely can be. But if you want your launch to stand out, ask yourself: How can I make this fun for myself, my audience, my team? Take a while to dream up something. Create something totally novel in your space. Engage with your followers and offer them something exciting for a change.

Don’t just settle for the same crappy webinar formula everyone uses to kick off their cart open, and don’t just slap up a launch and hope someone buys. Instead, make funny Reels, offer short 1:1 coaching sessions or a free module of your course, try some new graphics, or host a  contest (with prizes people actually want)! This is a place where your launch can really shine, so have fun with it.

5. Create a launch plan that matches your goals

You need to have a goal for your launch and a plan to help you achieve your goal. For example, let’s say your goal is to get five new members for your membership program. You decide on a 3-day open cart. Do you think that gives your followers enough time to think about the offer, decide on payment options, and then sign up? Not really, especially for newer followers who have just found you or for people who have questions about your offering. 

You have to meet your customers where they are. Here’s another example: Let’s say you’re catering to stay-at-home parents and you plan a live event for 3:30 pm. Well, that’s probably not going well because that’s smack-dab in the middle of school pickup. Those are the kind of things you have to consider. Putting yourself in your customer’s shoes and thinking of these types of details can help you create a launch that works for them and you.

So before you launch your offer, think about your ideal customers. What do they need from a launch? Do they have the funds to buy your offer up front, or will they need a payment plan? When is the best time for them to attend a webinar? How do they best absorb information (via video, writing, audio)? 

Put some time and energy into researching your customer base and make a launch plan that works best for you and your customers.

BONUS TIP: Create your own launch recipe

If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this blog, it’s that you don’t have to follow a specific launch formula. In fact, following an old, overdone launch formula can actually hurt your new offer launch more than help it.

So… let’s get into the Test Kitchen and start mixing up some launch recipes that actually work for you and your audience, shall we? With my launch recipe cards, I walk you through a few unique launch recipes you can use to inspire your own launch. Best of all, I’ll show you how you can put your own special twist on these recipes to create a launch that’s all yours. 
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Ready to cook up your best launch yet… and create something that really stands out from the crowd? Download your launch recipe cards today to make it happen.