Ever hear of pre-selling your course? Sometimes it is called Beta Launching.
This is one of those things that you never knew was complete genius until you learned it. When I first started creating online courses, I didn’t know about it and later, didn’t understand it. But now I do, and let me tell you it makes A TON of sense. Let me explain why.
#1: Hone in on your ideal client, their pain points, their desires. Really target the solution that will transform their life. What does that look like – TO THEM? What are their fears about getting these results?
#2: Plan out how to get your students to the promised solution. Outline the process from high-level steps to sub-steps. Be absolutely sure the learner will get the promised solution if they follow the steps. This outline, along with the promised solution becomes your OFFER.
#3: Get the word out. This is the Pre-Sell part of the process. Pre-sell your Beta course. Create a sales page based on what you’ve pulled together so far. Drive traffic to the sales page. Promote your offer to social media or your email list. Facebook or even Google ads, if you like. This “Buzz” gives you “proof” that your course idea is strong, and that people want what you are offering, enough to buy it.
#4: Congratulations, you have some people that were interested enough in your Beta Launch and they clicked “Buy!” Now comes the detailed part – you have to build out your lessons. You can build the Beta course out before you deliver it, or you can stay in the moment and only create “the next” module. Either way, my advice is to create the content and deliver it live. The value of a live course is you see how your content lands – real-time. You can capture questions, feedback, confusion, unclear points, and more. Don’t underestimate the value of this.
#5: Collect as much feedback from the beta launch as you can. Who bought, who didn’t? What struggles did they have in the course, what worked and what didn’t? What do they wish was included and what didn’t seem to be needed?
#6: Use everything to improve the course, the offer, the targeting of your client, even the course promise or result. But now you have experience from your first round to help you tweak and streamline your curriculum. The Beta Launch phase is all about feedback, reflection, and change.
What do we do when it’s all over? We do it AGAIN!! HOWEVER. Don’t get lost in the idea of perfection. Get the course to the point where you have made the major tweaks, and don’t keep redoing it (Try to keep it to 1-2 Beta launches). Then, let it fly. Record everything, and launch your full program. Every six months to a year, give it a review.
Pre-selling is an invaluable process that ensures value to all involved. Learn from your learners and exceed their expectations!
