The idea for launch journal prompts came up last month when I did an intense round of market research interviews. I met individually with 12 coaches and asked them all about their beliefs, ideas, struggles, and opinions on launching.
***I HIGHLY recommend doing this about once a quarter – or at least twice a year – in your business too. There’s no better way to get to know your audience than asking them direct questions and getting honest answers.
I found that my coaches are basically divided between two groups:
The ones who love writing and are stoked to write copy for their launches, and the ones who hate writing and can’t WAIT to outsource that shiz.
Interestingly enough, BOTH groups said there are some fuzzy areas when it comes to writing launch copy. Here are some of them:
- “I need to find a way to marry strategy and flow.” ~ This came from a coach for accountants and she’s up to her ears in strategy, so she needs a way to mix in the connection aspect.
- “I have a hard time explaining my reiki service and what kind of results people will get.” ~ I know you spiritual, mental health, and mindset coaches have a difficult job showing ideal clients who necessary your work is. It can be hard to clearly put it into words.
- “I have to be in the right mood to write my sales page, and even then it doesn’t come out the way I want it to.” ~ Sound familiar? We’ll take care of that with these journal prompts.
All 3 of these conundrums are not just frustrating. They cripple effective launch copywriting.
Not being able to clearly explain what you do is like stealing money from a stranger and saying “I need this more than you do.” (That happened to me once. Ask me about it.)
When your ‘mood’ doesn’t cooperate and you can’t sit down to write your sales page, you end up wasting precious time in your launch strategy. Not only that, but when you’re not feelin’ what you’re writing, it never comes across convincingly.
And finally: all strategy and no flow makes Jack a dull boy…er, makes your launch dull and lacking connection. Which results in little to no sales.
My suggested cure: launch journaling.
Mad Benefits of Journal Writing Before a Launch
I know many of you have tried (or regularly practice) journaling for your business goals, journaling for money mindset, or even keeping a fitness journal.
But I don’t see a lot of coaches journaling about their launch.
Yesterday, I listened to a podcast by Manifestation Babe, where she said she always holds a candle lighting ceremony before each launch. She sets her intentions for the launch, and says a prayer of gratitude for all the lives she’s going to impact.
I don’t do candle lighting (unless I want my room to smell good) and I know many people don’t do it either, so launch journaling is my preferred method to get everything clear as day for compelling, sleaze-free sales copy.
The Rochester Medical Center states that journaling can help you “Prioritize problems fears and concerns…, provide an opportunity for positive self talk…, and identify negative thoughts and behaviors.”
Lynda Monk, founder of Thrive Training and Coaching, coaches health professionals on Transformational Journaling. In an interview with IPC&M, she claims, “Therapeutic [or Tranformational] Journal Writing implies the conscious intent and deliberate attempt to write in ways which will produce change, healing, and growth.”
When you launch a new program or product, your goals (in general) are:
- Grow my business
- Grow myself as an entrepreneur and human
- Help people take charge of their life and live with fulfillment
- Make moolah
The best way to do all of these? Reflect on your past launches, and use that to set goals for the next one. Even if you outsource every drop of your copywriting to a sleaze-free sales copywriter (ahem), you’re not going to be fulfilled by your business unless you are growing, improving, and aligned with your values.
So take a crack at these launch journal prompts for entrepreneurs, coaches, course creators, etc., and watch your next launch go legendary.
19 Launch Journal Prompts for Entrepreneurs
Reflecting on Your Most Recent Launch
I’ve created these ideas for journaling based on insights, comments, and feedback from my past clients, discovery calls, market research, and collaborations with many coaches.
1. What were your top 3 goals for your last launch?
2. Did you reach them?
3. What did you learn from your last launch?
4. What is one action step you can take to put that learning into practice?
5. How did you feel during your last launch?
6. What was your biggest struggle?
7. How will you overcome that struggle in the next launch?
8. What was your biggest win?
9. Where did that win come from? (e.g. If your win was making lotsa sales, did the signups come from your sales page, email, an IG dm, or what?)
Goals For Your Upcoming Launch
Many of these goal setting prompts come from my background in education, where measurements of progress and planning for future lessons were the backbone in getting results for my students.
10. What are your top 3 goals for your next launch?
11. How will you know if you’ve reached them? (e.g. I’ll make x amount of sales, I’ll feel x emotion, I’ll help x number of people…)
12. How do you hope to feel during this launch?
13. What will you keep the same and what will you do differently from your past launches? And why?
14. Who will be your support through this launch?
15. Will you outsource?
16. Why, or why not?
17. Why does your ideal client need your offer?
18. Why the heck are you selling this offer?
19. How does this offer fit in with your personal values and your business mission?
Next Steps
Once you finish these questions, you’ll be so pumped for your launch, I have no doubt you’ll be able to dive right into your sales page, emails, or whatever else you’ve been procrastinating to write.
I encourage you to get on that right away, before your passion and inspiration subside.
If you’re not that far along in your launch, and are just starting to prep for an upcoming launch, you’re the perfect candidate for my all-in-one launch checklist.
It will tell you everything you need behind the scenes for your launch – social media, design, and copywriting included.
If you’ve finished your journaling and you realized your sales weren’t what you wanted them to be or you didn’t feel very aligned with your process, I’d love to gift you access to my masterclass, Steadfast: What to when sales are slow.
And finally, please let me know if these launch journal prompts helped you! Whether you tag me on IG, comment below, or send out a skywriter, I would love to hear the result of your reflections.
