How to Know if Your Launch Will be Successful

You have a product ready. You know it will change people’s lives. The question you ask yourself now is: “Will my launch be successful?” How can you know if your launch will be successful?

Will be product launch be successful?

This is the exact question I get asked frequently. Here’s a recent example from a reader:

Do you have criteria for “what should be in place” to judge whether a launch would be successful or not? (Email list numbers, FB page Likes etc..)

The Guarantee of Success

Humans are intrinsically wired to do things which have a certain guarantee of success. Even climbing Mount Everest, where 1.6% of climbers die trying, has a success rate of 50%. In other words, you are 31 times more likely to reach the summit than die…sounds appealing.

We want to know if we are ready to launch. We want to make sure everything is in order to guarantee success.

But here is the harsh (or perhaps promising) reality:

You will never be ready to launch your product…

…Until you actually launch!

Why You Should Launch Now

Here’s how I responded to that reader’s question:

Who freaking cares what should be in place? Launch now.

The longer you wait to launch, the more doubt will creep in. The more you’ll tweak the product, the offer, etc.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for testing, but test while you are live. Test while you are making money. Test while you are making an impact, not sitting on your hands.

The Definition of “Success”

I then asked this reader to define “success” on her terms.

I continued by telling her:

I think what you are doing is super important, so do it.

I would also ask you to define “success.”

Is it $1,000 or $100,000? Is it changing the lives of 5 people? Is it getting a start in making your dent in the world? Is it _______?

What is your blank?

Whatever it is, define it your way. By your metrics and no one else’s.

Yes we have all sorts of metrics and I can accurately predict your sales total within 20% based on your list size and engagement levels.

But who cares?

Whatever number I tell you is going to be the number you hit, because we are innately wired like that. Call it the law of attraction or whatever you want, but that’s how we are.