How to Launch a Digital Product Without a Product or a List

Flashback to seven years ago…

I was winning at life, but not at digital marketing.

I ran a marketing agency and had 30 one-on-one clients who needed more care than tropical fish. Very demanding and rightfully so, they had paid a lot to work with me.

I was using many of the marketing strategies I now teach, and money was better than it had ever been, but I exhausted. Like too tired to wash my face or change my clothes each night before crashing into bed. I wanted/needed/was desperate for something I could sell that wouldn’t require my time—a digital product that didn’t require shipping or a factory. Just that could sell on auto-pilot.

The problem was, I thought you needed a list to sell a product well, and I didn’t have one. At that time, I only had about 500 people on an email list, and all of those had come from me going to an event, getting a business card, and manually entering it into my database.

So what choice did I have?

Thankfully a really, really good one.

It was about this time that I was asked to be part of an “online summit.” I was asked if I’d come on as a guest and share marketing strategies I was using to get clients, and then I could share a link to viewers so they could join my email list. All I needed to do was be willing to share a link to the event on social media and email my “list.” (Size didn’t matter. In this case, anyway.)

I did the Summit, had a blast, and grew my email list by over 500 more people. (For all of my A.D.D. friends… that meant I doubled it.)

Lightbulb moment 

I thought if I could grow my list that much from being a participant, what could I do if I ran one myself?

So I went to my circle of clients, friends, and vendors and found people who also served the professional services market and asked if they would be a guest for my “Talk Show Webcast.”

All they would need to do is send one email to their list and share with their social media audiences. I would even create the social media posts and write the emails for them.

I got 8 guests for my first online event and grew my list by 2,000 people. Plus, I sold the recordings of the program and netted over five figures!

My first digital product launch with no list, no ad budget, and no clue!

Since then, I’ve used this same model over and over again to launch my books, membership sites, and digital courses. And our coaching members have too, giving them best-selling books and five- and six-figure launches.

How to do it?

Here’s how it works:

1. Pick a topic/theme for the event.
2. You invite people to be guests for your Talk Show Webcast. Let them know they will get publicity out of participating by being promoted to the lists of others and they can mention a link or opt-in on the webcast. Plus, they will be included in a bonus package with the recording. You will promote each of them to each other.
3. Conduct the interviews ahead of time and record them, then play them the day of the event… or do them all live during the day.
4. Set up a sale of the recordings on the Thank You page.
5. Draft emails your speakers can send to their lists.
6. Draft social media posts your speakers can use to promote.
7. Promote to your own audience and list.
8. Run the event.
9. Grow your list and profit!

At our April Powerful Professionals Masterclass on Friday, April 12, at 2 pm, you’ll not only discover how to set up the campaign, but you’ll get the emails, landing pages, ads, posts, and more!

(Not currently a member? Join us at powerfulprofessionals.com/action)

Want to launch? Let me know your topic of choice in the comments!