How Jess did 5-figures in sales for her online course launch –
with organic email marketing…
By: Christine Blubaugh
Last Updated: January 23rd, 2024
Sometimes a small shift is all it takes to boost sales and create a 5-figure online course launch.
Like with my client, Jess – a bad*ss non-profit fundraising coach I had the great pleasure to meet in person – and then support with her program launch.
Jess and I worked together in my Sold-Out Offer Intensive for the annual launch of her course, Fundraising Campaigns that Convert. She wanted help with sales copy and messaging to boost enrollments.
Here’s what Jess had to say going into her Intensive…
“Leading up to my annual course launch, I wanted to make sure the messaging was working.
Sometimes when you’re so in it – it’s hard to spot what reads weird or ineffective to the potential buyer, and I wanted Christine’s help with that.
At the time of purchase, my launch was only a few weeks away so this was the perfect container for me – fast and actionable.”
Jess already had a few things in place that helped create a 5-figure online course launch, including:
* Proven Program *
Jess had sold her course in the past, which helped boost her results. Here’s why:
Idea validation: people expressed interest and then purchased – which showed demand for the course topic.
Social proof: students went through the program, got results, and shared their experiences. Yay! The curriculum works and happy students gave testimonials to use in future marketing.
* Engaged Audience *
Jess went into her launch with a group of ideal buyers on her email list, AND she spent time warming the folks up before selling.
This was key for her organic launch (no paid ads) using primarily email.
* Marketing Strategy *
When Jess booked her Sold-Out Offer Intensive, she already had a pretty solid plan in place for marketing her course. Especially in the leadup to her promo (pre-launch for the win!)
Notice what’s NOT on that list…
I didn’t mention anything about ads, affiliates, or even social media.
Those tactics can be amazing – if you’ve got the experience, infrastructure (team support, etc.), and social following. But they aren’t necessary for 5-figure results.
So what *did* we focus on in Jess’ Intensive to help her launch?
Mostly messaging (the language used to describe her course) and sales page copy (the specific words and structure used on that page.)
Keep reading for the details…
4 Messaging Tweaks for a 5-Figure Online Course Launch
A few messaging tweaks were the most important pieces Jess needed to create her biggest course launch ever. Let’s walk through them…
1. *Must-Have* Program Promise
The Promise she was originally making was very “work-focused”.
Before we updated her messaging and copy, right at the top of Jess’ sales page were words like:
-
- Plan
- Create
- Execute
Then she went on to list out ALL the things her students would have to DO inside the program.
But humans are hard-wired to seek the path of least resistance. We don’t generally look at a list of stuff we “have to” get done and get excited about it.
We rewrote her Promise to be focused on what her people would get to have – the big, juicy end result – instead of what they’d have to do.
(hint: the purpose of a Promise or USP (unique selling proposition) is to showcase the main outcome – not the process)
Here’s what Jess’ Program Promise makeover looked like:
Before:
-
-
- Plan, create, and execute your end of year fundraising campaign to be the most successful yet.
-
After:
-
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- Spend just 2 hours a week between now and Nov 1st, ease into the end-of-year giving season, and have the biggest donor campaign you’ve ever run.
-
“One simple thing Christine said to me that I think about still is at one place in my copy I had a laundry list of actions and steps and she said, “That sounds like a lot of work. 🤯“
2. ICA Deep Values Highlight
Saving time and bringing in money for their organizations are the two biggest desires of Jess’ clients. in the non-profit world.
Hence the “just 2 hours per week” language in that Promise above.
Her ideal clients’ biggest concern is that they’ll have to add endless amounts of work to their already overloaded plates.
So we addressed that right off the bat.
3. Specific Results and Tangible Outcomes
Instead of listing out every single thing they’d have to do inside the program (not necessary on a sales page, yo!)
We listed out a bunch of the very specific outcomes people were experiencing in the program.
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- Actual fundraising numbers
- Email open rates
- Other tangible wins that her past students had reported
And then we gave them “here’s what’s included” – making sure to highlight why each of the features (trainings, templates, reviews, etc) was high value.
4. Exponential Benefits
Her students wouldn’t *just* have one big campaign this year.
They’d also be set up with the tools and knowhow to raise more money in every campaign they run – FOREVER.
Showcasing the potential for future results helped her people see the exponential ROI – which made the initial investment a whole lot easier.
Read more of what Jess had to say about her 5-figure online course launch…
“I had 16 course buyers (and a 5-figure launch!) from a mostly email-only marketing effort. My most successful yet!
I love a quick and power-packed session compared to something long, drawn out, and full of process – so the Intensive was perfect for me.
I loved that Christine came to the session with some ideas – so we had a jumping-off point and could dive right in.
I loved that within just a few days of meeting – she came back with a whole list of additional marketing and content ideas.
And one thing I really loved was how once my launch started – Christine took the time to check in with me, even giving me a last-minute content suggestion. It just felt like she was really rooting me on.
Stop thinking about it and just hire Christine!
She has a really kind way of massaging your copy in a way that attracts your buyer.
10/10 would use her services again and recommend her!”
– Jess Campbell, Non-Profit Fundraising Coach
Ready to create results like these for your course or program?
In my Sold-Out Offer Intensives, you’ll get clear on exactly what to say and how to show up to sell out your course, program, or service.
We’ll work 1:1 to make your offer a *must-have*, clarify the words to attract YOUR people, and create a simple marketing strategy for more sales with more ease.
