Launching a new course can be daunting.

It can be challenging to know when to announce your course and how to draw people in for a successful launch. I’ve seen lots of entrepreneurs overcomplicate things, doing too much in the name of ‘the big launch’, but what help get to the next level is simplifying everything into a method I call the Skinny Launch™.

Utilising Skinny Launches enables you to get your minimum viable course to market in 90 days or less. It’s based on principles found in the Minimum Viable Product and The Lean Startup Methods by Eric Ries and these business practices that have fast become the norm in the tech and start up world.

Skinny Launches take your course launch to the next level without the chaos of a hectic marketing plan and allow you to learn and improve your offerings as you go.

The 4 Phases for Success

Basically, a Skinny Launch approach is about treating each program launch as an experiment. Your goal is to get it out there quickly, not to put out a half-baked product but to get feedback. There are four phases that make this method work:

1. Get completely clear on your Offer

Take the time to get clear on exactly what you’re offering your audiences. You need an understanding of why your course is valuable to ensure that you can communicate that with your audience. Ask yourself questions, look at what your customers will get out of your course, and make sure it’s clear.

2. Understand your Audience 

Make sure you understand who you’re marketing your course to. It’s hard to sell anything if you don’t know who you’re selling it to, the problem you’re solving for them, and the reason they should buy from you. Take a look at how you will direct your messaging to your audience and also where you and your product fits into the market.

3. 6-8 weeks of Pre-Launch

Before your course officially launches, build buzz and anticipation with a pre-launch period of 6-8 weeks. During that time, nurture and build relationships with your audience, answer questions, and connect. This period is critical for keeping your launch part of the discussion and selling your audience on why they should care about what you have to offer.

4. 8-14 days Sales Period

After your pre-launch period, you move into an 8-14 day sales period. This looks like launching your course and then actively selling it.

This method gets your course to market quickly and, as you start selling, you can use this time to examine what works and what doesn’t, what your audience likes and what might be lacking.

Then you can start planning for your next Skinny Launch with an updated or new course offering based on what you discover.

How is the Skinny Launch™ Method different?

This method prioritises nurturing your audience, taking the time every week to build connections and create high-value client relationships. It provides an opportunity for passive and active lead building, with the opportunity to hold content webinars that don’t require you to make a pitch, which is quite rare in this space.

Overall, this method is different because it gets you to market faster, in a matter of weeks as opposed to months and years.

It gets you on the path to success, allows you to quickly grow your audience, and validates your offer. My client have used these methods to find five-figure success, even with their first launches. There’s a reason it works as the Skinny Launch™ method allows you to launch and iterate quickly by over-simplifying and spending your time on nurturing and selling to your audience for long-lasting success.

Destinee Berman is a 7 figure Launch Strategist who specialises in working with offline business owners, entrepreneurs, experts and educators to market and monetise their courses. Her clients benefit from her innovative and modern approach to marketing as well as her 15 years of prior experience running large scale marketing campaigns in Silicon Valley for brands like Twitter, HP and Microsoft. Destinee is also the host of her podcast, Make The Shift. Connect with her on Instagram @desberman