Why Your Launch Flopped (And What to Do Differently Next Time)

If you've ever launched a course or program to disappointing results despite doing everything you thought was right, or if you're sitting with the sting of a launch that didn't go as planned and wondering whether to ever try again, this episode is going to help you understand exactly what went wrong—and what to do differently next time.

Here's the thing about a flopped launch: it's rarely a sign that your offer is bad or that you're terrible at marketing. It's almost always a sign that one or more critical elements were missing. And once you know which ones, every single one of them is fixable.

Transcript

Welcome to the New School of Marketing podcast. I'm Bianca McKenzie, and this is the place where we break down marketing strategies that actually work without the overwhelm.

Before we dive into this episode, I want to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land I live and work on, the Palawa people of Lutuita. I pay my respects to elders past and present and acknowledge the deep connection they have to this land, culture and community.

Now let's dive in and make marketing work for you.

If you've ever launched a course or a program and you got really disappointing results, or you're sitting here wondering why your launch didn't go as planned despite doing basically everything right, or if you're afraid to launch again because the last one hurt so much, then this episode is going to help you understand exactly what went wrong and more importantly, what to do differently next time.

Today we're talking about why launches flop and how to fix them.

Because here's the truth. A flopped launch isn't actually a sign that your offer is bad or that you're terrible at marketing.

It's usually a sign that one or more critical elements are missing and every single one of them is fixable.

So let's figure out which ones actually cost you sales.

Now, let's actually start by defining what I mean by a flopped launch, because context really matters here.

So if you have a list of people of like 100 people and you sold two spots in your course, that is not necessarily a flop.

That's a 2% conversion rate, and that's actually industry average.

If you have a list of 2,000 people and you sold two spots, that's a 0.1 conversion rate.

That's a flop.

So a flopped launch is when you've sold significantly fewer spots than you needed to make the launch viable, when your conversion rate was well below industry standard, and that's usually between 1 to 3% when your revenue didn't justify the effort that you put in, and when you feel like you did everything right but you got terrible results.

Now let's look at why it happened.

The first reason often is that your audience wasn't warm enough.

And this is one of the most common reasons that Launches flop.

You try to launch to an audience that didn't know you well enough yet to invest.

And here's what that looks like.

You grow your email list quickly, but your subscribers are practically brand new.

Like you might be like launching two weeks after someone joins your list.

Or your social media followers are mostly new people.

They might have seen like maybe 5 or 10 posts from you, not like 50 to 100.

And also if you haven't been consistently showing up and building trust over time.

And here's why it doesn't work.

Most people need 7 to 15, yes, 7 to 15 touch points with you before they trust you enough to buy.

If they've only seen you and your content like a handful of times, they're not going to be ready.

Cold audiences need massive nurturing before they'll invest in a course or a program.

So here's how you can fix it.

Build your launch timeline to include at least four to six weeks of pre launch content that really warms up your audience.

Look at when people joined your list. If most of them joined in the last month, then delay your launch or accept smaller results.

Also, create content that builds authority, that demonstrates value, that really creates that desire before you even mention the launch or your product or whatever you're selling.

So the benchmark is your best buyers will probably be people who've been on your list for three to six months minimum.

If your whole list is newer than that, you need to kind of, you know, lower your expectations.

Reason number two is that you didn't create enough urgency.

So your launch had no real reason for people to buy now instead of, you know, I'll buy that someday.

And here's what that often looks like.

So maybe your course is always available. So there's like literally no deadline.

Or your launch had like a cart close date, but there were no consequences.

Like because people kind of know that you'll open it up again in a few, like in a few weeks.

And maybe you had no bonuses, no special pricing, no limited spots, like nothing that really created that fomo.

And here's why it doesn't work without urgency.

People are going to just sit there and go, oh, I'll do it next time. And then they forget or they just never feel the push to make a decision.

Like, because it's just not strong enough.

Humans procrastinate.

We all do it.

We need deadlines to take actions or like really big juicy carrots, like, you know, bonuses, special pricing, things like that.

So here's how you can fix it.

Create real urgency, like a limited enrolment period with an actual card close or you know, a founding member price that won't be available again, bonuses that expire starting on a specific date. Like, you know, sometimes you do it like live in a group. You going to start on a specific date, make the urgency real.

Not like that manufactured urgency. People are going to actually sense that they know that and make sure that you communicate the deadline multiple times. Like literally keep repeating yourself. You know, cart closes Friday.

Like you need to say it like five to 10 times because people are going to miss it.

So the key is that urgency without value, that's just pressure.

But value without urgency, people just gonna kind of go someday and that day will never come because they'll just keep procrastinating.

So you need valuable urgency.

Reason number three is that your messaging didn't resonate.

You know, maybe people didn't actually understand what you were selling, who it's for, why they need it.

And here's what that looks like. Your launch emails may have talked about features, not transformation.

You know, module one covers X, module two covers Y. That is features, that is not showing them the transformation. What's in it for them?

Maybe your messaging was generic. You know, if you say things like God, transform your business, that could mean anything to anyone. Like, you got to get real specific with your messaging or maybe use some industry jargon or buzzwords that may not have connected emotionally.

And I really started digging into this recently because I heard a whole lot of things and I was like, oh, what does that mean? And what does that mean? And I was like, oh, maybe you don't actually understand because yeah, it makes sense to me, but not to some others. So industry jargon. And here's why it doesn't work.

Firstly, people buy outcomes, they don't buy features, they don't care what's in module three, they care whether it's going to solve their specific problem.

Generic messaging literally doesn't speak to anyone.

You need to get specific, specific messaging makes your ideal customer thing, oh my God, this is for me.

So how are you going to fix it?

You need to lead with the transformation.

You know, something like this course helps overwhelmed service providers go from feast to famine, feast of famine revenue to predictable 10k months. Like that gives them an outcome. It's like, oh yes, I am in that up and down. And I really want predictable 10k months.

Use language that your audience actually uses.

You know, pull, literally pull the phrases from customer conversations.

Not like marketing books, AI or whatever. Like listen to what your customers say and use that specific language.

Also, you need to address the specific situation that your ideal student is in right now. Like, paint a picture of their current reality and the reality that your course creates.

Like, you know, from this to this.

So here's the test.

If someone reads your sales page and can't immediately tell whether it's for them or not, your messaging is too vague.

All right, Reason number four is you didn't demonstrate enough value.

Your audience didn't believe that your course was worth the investment because you hadn't actually proven that you could deliver the results.

And here's what that looks like.

Like having no testimonials or no results to share.

You're launching a brand new course with no social proof. And that is okay because everyone starts from zero.

But can you use social proof from another setting? Or can you run a beta round and have a lower price and, and get some people through it so that you get those results and you can share that?

Maybe your content, your free content is like all like inspirational fluff, but there's no real substance to it, so people are not going to recognise you as an expert.

And maybe you haven't actually shared your own results or your methodology that makes your approach unique.

If you are literally vanilla and you're blending with everyone else, then why should someone choose you?

And here's why it doesn't work.

Trust is earned through demonstrated value.

If you haven't shown that you can help people get results, they're not going to risk their money buying your course.

You need to prove yourself first.

And sometimes that is by, you know, inviting a few people to go through the course so that you can get those results before you do your big launch.

So here's how you can fix it.

If this is your first launch and you have no testimonials, do a beta round first.

Offer it, like, at a huge discount to like, I don't know, five to 10 people in exchange for honest feedback and testimonials, because you need those.

Share the results, like in your pre launch content. Just go all out on it, like your results, client results, student results.

Make that transformation really visible.

Give away genuinely valuable, free content that showcases your expertise. Like,

show them that you know what you're talking about.

Not just talk about it, but like actually show them.

Share your methodology or your framework and help people see that you have a system. It's just not, not just like random tips here and there.

So really, in the end, your goal is by launch day, your audience should already believe that you can deliver results. Like, the launch is just kind of like the invitation to the experience.

People should already kind of be lining up going, yep, I know that I want to work with her because she's walking the walk, talking the talk.

Reason number five is that your pricing was wrong.

And this is often what people change first. And it's usually not the issue.

It could be, you know, either you price too high for what you've proven that you can deliver, or maybe too low. And then you act, you attract like freebie seekers who never really pay.

So, and here's what that looks like. So you're brand new and you're charging like $2,000 for a course when you have no track record, you haven't proven yourself, you haven't gotten testimonials, all of that.

Or you're an established expert and you're charging $97 when your transformation is worth like 10,000 to people.

So your pricing doesn't match the perceived value that you've built through your content and your authority.

And here's why it doesn't work.

Overpricing without proof, it's literally going to shock your audience.

But underpricing can actually repel your ideal clients, your ideal buyers, because they are going to associate low price with low value.

So pricing is a sticky one.

Now, how can you fix it?

You need to price based on the value of the transformation.

So not on the number of modules or the hours of content, all of that. Like, what is that transformation worth?

Consider your audience's actual financial capacity, because that's another one. You know, pricing a 5K course to an audience of like, you know, broke college students is not going to work.

And you need to test your pricing. Like, maybe 497 converts better than a 997 for your audience. Or maybe, you know, 1997 attracts more serious bias than a 497 course.

Like, you need to test it if you're new.

Like, you need to consider starting lower to build that proof and then raising prices for other launches or just keep it the same for like a year.

The sweet spot is it's the price. Where serious buyers say, yep, that's fair, and where tire kickers say, that's too much for me.

You want the last group to self select out, but you want the serious one to go, yep, I can do this.

Reason number six that your launch has flopped is your launch mechanics were broken, the tactical execution of your launch had problems, and it cost you sales. And this sometimes happens.

So it could be like, you know, your email sequence had errors or maybe didn't send properly or Your sales page was confusing and it had like broken payment links or your.

You didn't actually email your list enough. Like you know, maybe like two or three emails over like a week long launch.

Not enough.

Or maybe you didn't show up on social media during the launch because you know you were being authentic and not salesy. Whatever. Or maybe your webinar was boring or maybe it's too long or didn't, you know, make a clear offer.

Like all of these launch mechanics can play a part as well.

I know there's a lot to launches and it's not easy. It isn't.

And why it doesn't work is that if people can't easily buy or they don't see your offers enough times, they're not going to buy.

People need to see an offer like seven to 10 times before taking action.

If you only mention it twice, most people are going to miss it. I know it's ridiculous and it sounds crazy, but they need to see it seven to 10 times. This is why your launch period and your pre launch needs to be long.

So here's how you can fix it.

Well, firstly, and you should do this anytime, but test everything before launch.

Test your payment links, test your email sequences, your sales page on mobile and on desktop.

Don't forget mobile and email. Your list more than feels comfortable. Like during a week long launch.

Daily emails, like that's appropriate.

You're not annoying people who are interested. You're reminding them.

I know this is one that a lot of people kind of like get stuck on.

You're not annoying people, you're reminding them.

Show up everywhere during launch week.

Like social media, email stories, lives be visible.

Like literally to the point where you're like oh yes, that's arrogant.

If you're using a webinar, make sure that it actually delivers value but also makes a clear, compelling offer with a strong call to action.

Like the reality is you're going to feel like you're over communicating and your audience will only feel like you mentioned it a few times.

Like that gap is real. Like you're going to feel like you're doing way too much and your audience are going to just see it enough.

That's crazy.

Reason number seven, you launch to the wrong audience. It's possible.

Sometimes the problem isn't how you launch, it's who you launch to.

And what that looks like is that your free content attracts beginners, but your course is for intermediate users.

Or your audience is like hobbyists but your course is priced for serious business, business owners or Your followers love inspirational content, but they don't actually want to do the work that your course requires.

It's possible, and it doesn't work because audience mismatch means that you're marketing to people who will never buy, no matter how good your launch is.

So how do you fix this?

Well, you need to get brutally honest. Like, really, you need to get honest about who your audience is, your current audience, versus who your audience needs to be for this course to sell.

If there's a mismatch, either change your course to match your audience, which is a really big undertaking, or change your content to attract different people, which is probably slightly easier.

Survey your audience before launching. Like, ask them directly if they would be interested in what you're planning to create.

Like, before you build the whole thing, you can actually pre sell as well. Like, sell the course before you even built it.

Because the hard truth is that sometimes you need to grow, like a different audience before you can successfully launch certain offers.

It's just the way it is.

All right, so your launch flopped.

Here's what you should do right right away.

Firstly, feel your feelings.

You know, 48 hours, just let yourself be disappointed.

It's okay to feel discouraged. It hurts. It does.

But I don't want you to sit there and wallow for weeks. Like, give yourself like, you know, two days and then get analytical.

So the next step is to gather data. How many people are on your list at launch? How many. How many people open your emails? How many visited your sales page? How many started you know checkout but didn't complete? Like, how many bought?

This is going to tell you where the breakdown happened.

Like, you know, do you have low email open rates or like low or high page visits, but no sales like you need to look at. Like, if you have low open rates, your email subject lines or your list engagement is a problem.

If you have like a lot of page visit but no sales, like the sales page might be a problem. Or your offer.

Like, you need to start looking at the story of your analytics.

The next step is to survey people like email people who didn't buy. Like, you know, saying, you know, I'm trying to improve and I'd love your honest feedback. What kept you from enrolling?

Was it timing? Was it price? Not the right fit? Something else you're going to get valuable data about objections, maybe pricing concerns, messaging issues.

You know, you might get people saying, I didn't know, which means you didn't actually tell them often enough.

So find out.

The next step is to identify the top Two to three issues, like don't try to fix everything, but based on your data, what were the two to three biggest problems? Like maybe it was, you know, your audience wasn't warm enough or maybe your pricing wasn't quite right.

Obviously you need enough data to make this call because you know, if only one person said that, then that's not enough data.

Maybe your sales page was unclear.

And then make a plan to fix those specific issues. Like you know, for each issue. What's the fix?

Is your audience not warm enough? Then add four weeks of pre launch nurture to the next launch.

Is, is the pricing not right? Well then test a different price point.

Maybe your sales page was unclear.

Rewrite it, focusing on the transformation and not the features.

And then the next step is to set a relaunch date. Like don't let the flopped launch be the end.

Decide when you're going to launch again, three to six months out and commit to fixing the issues before then.

So how can you launch better next time?

You need to have a long Runway, like eight to 12 weeks out. You need to start building anticipation. Drop hints, share related content, get people thinking about the problem that your course solves.

Then six weeks before your launch, like you're really going to go hard on that pre launch content.

Share your framework client results behind the scenes of course creation. Build authority and build that desire.

Then four weeks before you launch you're going to open your your wait list. You know I'm launching my course on this date.

Join the waitlist for early access and bonuses and then continue giving them valuable content that like warms up your audience.

Then two weeks before you launch, send exclusive content to your waitlist. You know, maybe a live training, a Q and A, a preview and create urgency around like founding member benefits.

And then your launch week, you know you've got your on Monday card opens with a big announcement.

Tuesday to Thursday, daily emails addressing like different objections or highlighting different transformations.

And then Friday cart closes tomorrow and then you know, push final day on Saturday, you know, send two to three emails or on that last day to say you know last chance.

Be visible everywhere. Social media, stories, emails, lives, all of it. And then post launch you need to survey your bias and your non bias and then you can make changes based on the feedback and then you can start planning your next launch.

This structure is going to build momentum, it's going to create urgency and it's going to give people multiple chances to say yes.

Now finally, let's talk about the mindset shift that helps you launch again. After a flop, I need you to sit there and go, instead of saying my launch failed, I need you to say my first attempt didn't work or if it's your second or whatever.

Launches are a skill.

Your first attempt is data collection. It's not a final verdict.

So I also want you to shift from, you know, nobody wants what I'm selling to my messaging or timing or audience wasn't right. Like, this has got nothing to do with you unless you know zero people bought.

There is demand.

And even if zero people bought it doesn't mean that it's not good enough.

You just need to find the right people or message it better.

I also don't want you to say things like I'm terrible at marketing.

Say I'm learning what works for my specific business.

What works for someone else might not work for you. And that's okay.

You're finding your way.

And here's the one thing I don't ever want to hear is I'll never launch again.

Say I'll launch smarter next time.

Successful course creators, they launch multiple times. They learn, they improve.

Really? First launches are rarely a knock it out of the park.

Every flop launch is basically something to learn from, and you can't get that any other way.

So there you have it.

Why your launch flopped and what to do different next time.

The key takeaway is that a flop launch isn't a failure. It's feedback.

It's feedback.

So if you had a launch that disappointed you, go through the post launch analysis, get your data together, survey your people, and then fix those top issues.

All right, thank you so much for tuning into the new School of Marketing podcast. Remember, flopped launches, they're not failures, they're education.

Use what you Learned.

I'm Bianca McKenzie and I'll catch you next time. Until then, keep making marketing work for you.