Ep. 105: How to Launch Without a List
Is it possible to launch an offer without a list? Absolutely! But you need to focus on a few other things to make it a success.
I was recently asked if this is even possible and it got me thinking of my own launches and where those clients came from.
While an email list is important, it's not absolutely essential when it comes to selling your offers. And even if you have a list, and really you should for several reasons, it doesn't have to have tens of thousands of people on it for it to be lucrative.
In this episode I share how to launch your thing without a list if you don't have one yet, and ways to grow your email list other than the traditional "opt in."
SPECIAL LINKS: Here's my affiliate link for ActiveCampaign. Please make a note that it's an affiliate link.
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Welcome to the sell at sister podcast. Today, we are talking, can you launch without an email list? And this was actually inspired by a question that I got recently on Instagram. So if you don't follow me, be sure you are. I met Eric Kevin's consulting and I had posted my stories that, um, I was going to be doing a IgG live and IgG live about.
Launching launch questions, launch Q and a, and I plan to do a series of these. So if you have a question, please feel free to slide into my DMS. Um, but a, a follower of mine, somebody who have actually had the pleasure of working with as well recently, she messaged me and was like, yeah, I've got a question.
Uh, can you launch without an email list? And I was like, Oh, this is, this is too good. Just to leave it over there. I'm going to bring it to the podcast as well. So that's what we're gonna be talking about today. Um, so first and foremost, if you do not have an email list, I am going to highly, highly, highly recommend.
That you start one, there's a lot of platforms you can use. I use active campaign. Um, there is going to be an affiliate link of mine in the show notes. If you want to check that out, there's also convert kit, uh, MailChimp, mailer, light flow desk, all sorts of them. And, uh, the reason why you want to do this in case you don't know already is because you, when you have an email list, you own that list, meaning that if you ever switch, uh, like email providers, like, uh, like you're going from active campaign to convert kit or MailChimp to active campaign, you can actually.
Take all of that contact info and move it over with you. That is sort of like what people are agreeing to when they, um, you know, sign up for your list to be on your list in some form or fashion. So you, you own that list. Now, if you build up a following on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. Clubhouse Tik TOK, wherever you do not own that list.
Meaning if that platform went down, if your account got compromised, if something happened, you actually don't have any way to reach out and connect with those people. So it's, it's just a way it's like a, kind of like a more permanent way of having access to, um, to those people. Right. And, uh, You know, there's like, it might feel like, Oh, you know, email's dead.
Or why bother? None of that is the case. It's like a conversation for a different day. People do still read emails, um, and you know, you'll get unsubscribes and stuff. That's totally normal too. Um, but you, it it's, it's just a, it's a really good idea. Just to have one. And I'm going to talk a little bit too about like how you can get people onto it, even if you don't have like a standard opt-in, I'll talk about that in just a second, but, uh, just for like full transparency.
When I went to go do the live I checked and I like, I I'm usually in my. Uh, in, in my active campaign, like a few times a week, but I was like, let me just check right now and see how many, um, how many people I had. And it was like around, I think it was like 868 or something, even as of this morning, I think it was like eight 74.
Right. And I've been, I've been doing this. I've had that account since. I think the end of 2017. And so it, you know, it ebbs and flows goes up, goes down, goes up, goes down. This is totally, totally normal, but my list is still under a thousand people. So you don't need even like once you have that list, I don't want you to be stressed out that you need to have like tens of thousands of people in order for it to be worth your while.
And you also don't have to send them like a bajillion emails. You can really like systematize that for yourself and everything as well. Um, but it's just, it's a really, uh, it's, it's really important to have that, so you can continue to, um, to nurture people because again, we cannot control algorithms. We can't control, we can't control any of that stuff.
Right. So one of the primary ways that people get onto your list is within opt-in or what is called like a freebie, right? So I'm sure that you have gotten on people's lists through this method. It's usually like a guide or a video series, a download. There's something that you get in exchange for putting your name and your email address in on somebody's form.
But some other ways that you can get people onto your list is if you are hosting something that you want people to sign up for, that is, it totally can be totally free. Um, but you're still going to capture their information for this could be things like if you run regular, um, co-working times and you are getting people onto your list, so you can send them the reminders about.
Coworking, he could do that. Um, if you're doing free coaching, like hot seat coaching or anything like that, and you want people to sign up, to get the link for where that coaching is going to take place. Um, that is another way to get people on your list. And then also, um, things like free trainings. If you're doing a free workshop, webinar, training, masterclass, anything like that, they are also getting on your list.
So again, it's just anywhere where there's going to be that form name and email address wherever you see that that is, you know, when somebody puts their info in and click submit, then it gets captured on. On a list and usually right away, you'll get like a thank you, email something of that, of that nature.
Right? So there are lots of different ways that you can grow your lists that don't necessarily require you having to do this like enormous opt in funnel situation. Um, so that aside. Yes, you can launch without an email list, because really all that you need is for people to know, like, and trust you in order for them to spend money with you.
This can be done a lot of different ways. Uh, one of those ways is that it can be done on social media. If you've already curated. In audience there. Um, so if you already have, you know, let's just say Instagram, that's primarily where I am. So if you have a following by following a guy, don't mean huge numbers here.
I just mean you have engaged people who are following along with whatever you're putting out. Um, You can talk about the thing that you're launching over there. You can do a full launch plan that relies heavily on. Your social media. This could also be, let's say your business lends itself to like a lot of Facebook lives and things like that.
You can do that over there. Um, you can talk about your thing on your podcast. You can, uh, talk about it. Um, if you have weekly coworking, right? You have that captive audience. You can talk to them about it there. So there's lots of different. Um, avenues different places besides just your email list where you can do this.
If you listen back, uh, to my episode, a few episodes ago about my sold out launch and I walk you through what I did, a lot of that was just on Instagram. I was emailing my list, but a lot of it was on Instagram. Um, so it's, it's really just more important to have some engaged. Eyeballs on you and then be sure they know about the thing that you are launching.
And I will also say, do not underestimate the power of personal outreach. I cannot emphasize this enough, uh, in less you are. Running launches that are predominantly based on paid ad campaigns, like paid social ads, like Facebook, Instagram, stuff like that. If you were somebody like that, who already has like a huge following and you're doing primarily ads, um, and it's, you know, a big, big, big launch, like you're trying to get thousands of people in.
Personal outreach is going to be hard. So like I have some, I have some clients who, uh, who do this, who've done this. And when you are hoping to enroll thousands of people, it's kind of impossible to be doing. A lot of personal outreach, right? Your time is better leverage than to be really present during the launch to really be showing up, to be really visible, to be talking about it and all of that, but you're not necessarily creating a list of like people who've expressed interest and then.
Following back up with them, that would just be so exhausting. Um, however, that is not most of us, right? Most of my listeners are people who have an offer that is a bit more high touch and, uh, where, you know, where they have that, that time and that capacity. Um, and the, the ability to. Actually be tracking like who has expressed interest and then sending a quick message, just saying, you know, Hey, just a reminder that the cart is closing or can I answer any questions for you or, uh, or anything like that?
A lot of us have the ability to do that and that you might also be thinking like, Oh my gosh, that sounds daunting. It sounds really time consuming, honestly. It's, it's not really, it's just a matter of being organized ahead of time. Having a place where you can track those people and having, uh, a system that allows you to be able to follow up, uh, relatively easily.
So I'm going to tell a story, uh, that this literally just happened. So at the time of recording this, uh, Hillary Weiss is in her launch for her program called hot seat beast. Now, Hillary and I have mutuals in common. And I fall followed Hillary for some time, a friend of mine did the beta round of, um, Hotsy beast and said it was great.
Another friend of mine who works with Hillary, um, was telling me about it. And I was like, Oh my gosh, I love, love, love, hot seat coaching. Um, I just want a bit more of like a framework around it. So I was like, this sounds right up my alley. So I was watching Hillary's stories and. I saw that she was like, it, the cart wasn't open yet.
It was going to be opened the very next day. Um, she was talking about, she was hyping it, so the next day I'm going about my business. And I see in my DMS that she had reached out and was like, Hey, um, it's live now. Like the link is up. Uh, here you go. Cause I D I had expressed interest. We were chatting back and forth and DM.
She wasn't just like being creepy. She gave me the link and I was like, Oh, rad. Awesome. Thank you. So then another day had gone by like, I just, I got busy with her. I forgot. And then she sent me an audio DM that was like, Hey, I just want you to know the early bird ends in a few days. Um, don't know if you had a chance to look at it yet, but if, you know, if you have any questions, let me know.
Um, before the early bird price ends and I was like, Oh my God, thank you. I'm literally on my way to an appointment right now. Um, I said, I, I really appreciate the reminder. I'd completely forgotten. Like I'd pulled up the page. I looked at it, everything. I just spaced it. So got home. And then, uh, I knew like, I was like, Hey, first thing, when I get home, get it, got it, got it for the early bird price.
And, uh, and I was, I was ecstatic. I was so incredibly happy and them in the video. So I like binged it over the weekend, so, so good. She talks about this power of personal outreach. And I was like, yes, this is why I wanted to like, spend money with Hillary because we're on the same wavelength with a lot of our approach to business.
And, um, and she also talks in there about the importance of at least one. Follow-up like, if you don't hear back from somebody, if they don't take action, if they don't whatever, at least one follow-up because we shouldn't assume that somebody's like hated it and they don't want it. And now they're just ghosting us.
It's just. It could be like me where I had all the best intentions and I just completely forgotten to do it. And I also didn't know when the early bird price was going to end. So in my mind, I might've thought, Oh, I have like a whole week or whatever. We know in reality, it was just a few days. Right. And so, um, and I know for myself, a lot of my, um, rebellious success folks, they have said to me, I'm so glad you followed up with me because I'm so busy.
I would have forgotten. Like I wouldn't have noticed that time was running out or that spots were filling or whatever. So this is really, really, really essential. If you are, um, launching to somewhere that is even if it is on an email list to keep track of the people who have expressed some interest and do not be afraid to at least once check in with them, follow up, um, see if they had any questions or anything like that.
Um, because I will say too, that just to illustrate, like, just to hammer home this whole point, The first group program I ever did, which was, uh, fall of 2018 was my, my first group program called success squad. I did like a really low key beta launch for it. Um, and I was not. Doing like what you would think of like a launch I didn't do for that program.
I wasn't like sending a bunch of emails. I wasn't doing a lot of social posts. I literally was like, I have all these people I've been connected to who, uh, Have expressed to me, they want to work with me, but they cannot afford my one-to-one, which I knew was like, it was for real, for real. Like they weren't as like, ah, you know, um, my I'd love to, but I can't afford it.
Like, cause they don't want to hurt my feelings. Like I, they genuinely were like, I'm going to put you on my list to work with hopefully next year, I just can't do it right now. So I thought to myself, what if I do a group program, I can, uh, reduce the deliverables on my end. I can reduce the time on my end and serve more people at a lower price point.
So I quickly jotted down. Okay. What would that look like? What would the container look like? How many people do I want, um, what would the deliverables deliverables be? What would the schedule be? All of those things, what would the price be? And then all I did was I like, I'd put it in bullet points with like a little bit of a blurb about the program.
And I sent it individually to people who I thought would be a good fit now. Did I get some nos? Of course I got some nos, but what ended up happening is I got 10 yeses before we started on October 1st. I had 10 yeses, one a woman did end up having to drop out. So we only continued with nine, but I still like 10 was my number.
I sold out that first launch and I don't even know if I sent. A general email to my whole list at the time, which at the time my list was probably not even more than like 300 people. Um, it was literally just based on personal outreach. So if you are the type of person who is, you know, not running a traditional large style launches with.
Paid ads. Uh, it is really, really, really important whether you have a list or not to. Uh, show up multiple places because people need to see things multiple times. They need to hear about it multiple ways. Um, they need to, they need the reminder, they need all of that. Like somebody might not be in their inbox that week, but they might be spending a lot of time on Instagram or vice versa.
So. Wherever you are visible to people talk about your offer and then to anyone who expressed interest, but doesn't buy, be sure to follow up. And for anyone who hasn't expressed interest, but you genuinely are like, this would be freaking perfect for you and you don't want them to miss out on. Maybe not seeing it.
Don't be afraid in a very like. Honest sincere and integrity way to reach out and just let them, let them know about it. Uh, so yeah, so there, there you have it. Um, also be sure. Get yourself an email list. If you don't, you could start one. Now don't worry about it having to become massively huge. Um, it's just another tool in your marketing toolkit.
Again, if you love this, uh, I mentioned at the top, you know, find me on Instagram. If you're not following me already, Eric toads consulting, screenshot this, post it in your stories tag me. So I can say hi so I can ask you. You know, what you like your biggest takeaway from this episode, or if there's anything that you want to hear me talk about on this podcast?
I would love to hear it too. And as always happy selling.
