I put my head in the sand for nearly 2 years out of fear to be a sell-out

And then I came to the conclusion that it was worse to wait for permission from someone else than to just figure it out myself

Mar 22, 2024

To launch something new is never easy (and you’ll probably never feel like it’s the perfect timing). It’s bound to be an emotional roller-coaster regardless of what the business coach tells you.

It’s equally bound to be an emotional roller-coaster no matter how many times you’ve done it before. It’s a bit like going on stage.

Even the most seasoned speakers and singers share how they have a flutter of butterflies in their stomachs before entering the spotlight.

I used to bring my embroidery art out with me on the streets of Paris. Though I didn’t realise it at the time, it definitely helped to get out of the “sale-fright” stage as stitching in public draws quite a bit of attention… It forced me to not only learn to talk about my art IRL, but to do so in a new language…

To put a new product or service on display is a bit like stepping out into the light of scrutiny.

Everyone’s eyes are on you. Watching closely as you walk across, scrutinizing every movement in an attempt to assess what’s in it for them.

Because no matter how passionate you are about your cause, your art, your writing, nobody cares as much as you do - unless you make them care too.

You need to talk about it; share, show, express.

It seems so easy in theory, yet I’d argue that one of the biggest problems for most creatives who try to make a living off their creativity is the syndrome of stage-fright, but more like launch-fright, marketing-fright, sales-fright and dare I say “what-will-others-think-fright”.

I was scared too.

So scared that I completely dismissed the need to learn to market, sell (and build an email list?!) for almost 2 years when I first launched my art business.

I deliberately tried to put my head in the sand and safeguard the belief that it would work out anyway.

It may in the short-run depending on the sales platform you use (and current social media trends), but it won’t in the long-run.

It sucks, I know.

But it’s also pretty cool.

Because if you’re able to reframe sales and marketing as a way for you to regain control over something that otherwise feels so utterly uncontrollable, you’re suddenly in charge again.

You don’t have to submit yourself to the unknown of “let’s hope this works”.

Instead, you take action and ownership. You make the pitch, you build the story, you sell the work. And if it doesn’t sell this time, it will the next or the next after that.

I BELIEVE YOU IN YOU

Process shot of my embroidery work. I successfully built my first business inviting viewers into the process and I intend to do the same on here as well.

Ps. This is the second email in my launch sequence for my paid offering to the Follow Your Gut publication.

It’s a transparent effort to bring you behind the scenes of what it involves to work as an independent artist (including launching a new product…in this case an upgrade to a paid newsletter).

When crafting a launch sequence destined for email, especially if it’s a new product, it’s a good idea to build the story throughout the launch.

That means;

Build relatability (like me admitting that I didn’t feel prepared to launch two days ago, or that I tried to avoid to learn about sales for a significant amount of time…), which makes a potential buyer feel more connected, understood and see that you know where they’re at (because you (and I) have been there too).
You position yourself as the guide (not necessarily the expert… I believe it’s a risky game to claim expertise of anything in a constantly changing online environment), who have EXPERIENCE in the things the buyer may be living or have an interest in at the moment (In this example, I also used to run away from sales and marketing… If I can commit to be a forever learner in figuring it out, you can too! Especially if we do it together)
Show by example; I sell my book and reflective newsletters around creative life (personally and professionally) in the pursuit to help you flourish, which is why it’s important to adapt the launch to reflect what the buyer will get… valuable writing to get a taste of what I’m about as opposed to a stale direct sales pitch (think bullet point list of benefits type of thing).

Heads up before enrolling!

I’m finishing up the last edits of the book When will you get a real job? which will be available to download for all paid members within 28 days (so that both monthly and yearly sign ups are guaranteed a digital copy within their first month). Upgrade now to secure the best deal ❤️ 30% of all profits goes to a personal non-profit project for women empowerment through midwifery education and holistic birth centres (more on this soon).

An actionable example of something I did a few weeks ago to battle launch-fright

Before I leave you to contemplate on your own potential “sales-fright”, I want to show you one thing I did a few weeks ago in an attempt to break through my own launch-fright (despite being intentional with it) here on Substack (this is applicable to any platform).

I created a reader survey and invited YOU, the reader of my words, to answer questions around reader behaviour in relation to paid newsletters.

This was both market research to be able to adapt my own offering, as well as an emotional strategy to feel less alone in the process of figuring it out.

Ps2. It’s very difficult to figure anything out alone… better start asking more questions and observing what goes on around you.

So, how did I adapt my launch?

More than anything (and I know from comments that you agree), the survey was a huge RELIEF and confirmation that the value of the writing matters more than anything else.

If the writing doesn’t resonate with the right person at the right time, it doesn’t matter how much added bonuses you’ve got. So there is no point in trying to bend yourself back-words for work nobody asked you to do.

PHEEEEEEEEEW.

For me, this meant that I could go ahead with my initial intention of NOT including video trainings or live calls as a part of my up-sell from free to paid.

Instead, I went ahead and added a relevant WRITTEN product; My self-published book ‘When will you get a real job’ (2019) as the immediate benefit in addition to the value of the letters themselves (reminder: you can download the digital version within the next 28 days, I’m doing some last re-edits).

Second,

The results shows (surprisingly!) that discounts are NOT valued as important by the majority. 55% don’t care at all and 14% even find it as de-valuing the content overall (!)

Personally, in this motherhood season, I don’t have an unlimited budget to reading and appreciate the spontaneous discount (I’m the 33%).

BUT, I agree with the 14% when the discounts appear too frequently (it should be balanced or else I’ll ignore it…). Furthermore, I find the discount to only matter when applied to the yearly deal (unless it’s massive). 6€ or 4€ is not that big of a deal, but 72 (6x12) or 48 (4x12) is a big deal. Add an extra discount to the yearly and it makes it worthwhile.

Ultimately I kept the 5€/month, but made a 25€/year deal for this exact reason (50% off the regular pricing of 50€/year that I’ll adopt as soon as this launch ends).

PLUS to emphasise on the yearly, I hope to incentivise investment into a long-term reader-writer relationship, which I LOVE!

Overall, to send out the survey felt scary, but definitely unblocked some of the hesitations I had had around the process of going paid (especially as this is a new platform for me despite previous endevours).

Thank you for reading!

Elin, xx

NOW, over to you:

Do you have sale-fright, launch-fright or perhaps even stage-fright surrounding your creativity ?!

Follow Your Gut