Hey you guys, welcome back to the podcast. I'm really excited to share an interview I did with my friend and client, Kaelynn Priest. And I invited Kaelynn because she is very masterful at many things. She's an amazing coach, she's an amazing copywriter, she's an amazing business owner. I love the way that she does business, lives her life, and I've really enjoyed working with her and I'm so excited to share our interview all about launching.
You'll hear more about Kaelynn’s story, but Kaelynn has owned a product business, she has sold courses, she has sold coaching. I asked her a lot of questions about what it takes to have a successful launch. She just recently wrapped up a launch called “The Launch Crew” where she helps women launch. And so I'm really excited to share our conversation all about launching and her perspective. And she shares so many golden nuggets, I know you're going to love it. So without further ado, let's jump in.
Amber: All right, Kaelynn, welcome to the Conscious Coach Podcast.
Kaelynn: Thank you so much for having me.
Amber: I am so excited. We were talking before we jumped on about perfect timing of this, talking about launching, you coming off a launch about launching. I just think it's perfect timing.
Kaelynn: It is very interesting timing.
Amber: I agree. Many people in my audience will know you, but I would love if you introduced yourself for the people who don't know you.
Kaelynn: Yeah. So my name is Kaylin Priest and I started my first business almost seven years ago now. It was a product business that I started on Etsy and then scaled and ended up selling about a year and a half ago. And right around that time is when I found Amber. I had always thought even when I was running my product business, I have these memories of like when I was hand making products, I was sitting at a sewing machine, sewing baby mats, and I was listening to podcasts by coaches, thinking to myself, I want to be that girl one day who's like the host of the podcast, who is teaching people a better way to run businesses.
And so I think I've always had little seeds in me of being a coach. It wasn't until after I sold my business, Poppy Seed Play, that I felt like I was really able to really step in to being a coach to that role with both feet. And it has been the craziest, most amazing ride and Amber's been with me side by side through all of it. Now I am helping coaches and service providers launch their offers, their services, their packages, their experiences in whatever way that looks like.
But in a way that feels peaceful, that feels calm, that doesn't feel hustly or stressy or anxiety inducing. That's something that is really resonant for me because I came from this experience of not launching that way. And so I figured out this sweet spot of having very successful launches where I'm not on my phone very much, where people are buying and I check my phone once a day and it's beautiful and peaceful.
Amber: Yeah, you kind of skipped the part. So I'm going to pull it out a little bit just because I know your story. You've had successful launches and six figure businesses in three different domains. You aren't going to say that, but I'm going to say that because you built Poppy Seed and then you started a course business.
Kaelynn: Yeah, I did sell a course that was actually working really well. Anyway, there was this moment that I came to where it was like, do I want to keep selling this course? Do I want to keep coaching exclusively Etsy sellers or do I have something to offer to other business owners? And the first time I really realized that I have a friend who's a photographer and I was like, I could totally help her, even though my experience is very deeply in the e-commerce world.
So it was right around the time that I hired Amber to be my private coach two years ago now that I was like, actually, I don't think I want to sell a course and I think I want to help more than just Etsy business owners. I've experienced a big transformation, lots of transformations all over the place in the last few years.
Amber: Yeah, that was a big decision. And what's interesting is, like you said, like the Etsy goldmine was working, but it didn't feel good. I think that's part of what I really want to talk about today, because in the world of like online business, a lot of people get obsessed with like the outcome of the launch, the five figure, the six number. And I think what makes it unique is you're like, yeah, like I want you to have a five figure launch, but you don't have to burn your house down and neglect your children while you do it.
Kaelynn: Yeah. And to be totally honest, my first experiences with actually launching were that course. And I was like trained by very masculine mentors. So that was how I launched. And I did sort of burn my house down, for lack of a better word. During those launch weeks, it felt like a literal marathon. I remember one of my launches, it went really well. But I remember like laying in my bed at the end of the week, just crying like I didn't have energy to do anything else.
And I had two little babies, right? I had a two year old and maybe an almost three year old and a one year old. And I didn't really know there was another way. It was just like this is the thing I was trained that you just push so hard and you push yourself to the point of exhaustion so you can say you didn't have anything left to give.
Amber: Yeah. What a marker. It's like, yeah, I gave everything I have to the launch. It's a sneaky thought, though, because it's not that work isn't required. So maybe you can speak about that, because I know that you also teach your clients that you can't just not show up for your launch.
Kaelynn: Absolutely. So over the last two years, I've launched 26 different offers now. And a lot of those have gone really well. I have had a handful that did result in zero dollars in sales, which is everyone's deepest fear. Guess what? I survived and thrived and came through on the other side a million times better. And so, yes, I'm not the kind of coach who's going to be like, if you just sit on your couch, you can manifest a five figure launch. There is intention. There is planning. There is strategy. I really like to talk about creativity and design and fun that can go into creating a program that's a transformational experience for the women you design it for.
Amber: Yeah. And I think when I hear the word creativity, it's like you have to have the mental space for that. And if you're so focused, almost like I'm going to focus on this launch, I'm going to give everything that I have. It's like there is no room for creativity.
Kaelynn: Yeah.
Amber: I've watched you in your launches be creative.
Kaelynn: It feels like I'm just the kind of person where I arrive when I have a lot of variety. I like to have a lot of different stimulus. I love to travel for that reason. I don't consider myself a homebody. I like to see new things. And so building that into my business model has looked like I launch a lot of different things. And I really like that. And it's super fun for me. Is that for everyone? Maybe not. But for people like me, if there is someone like me who's like, yeah, I do like to switch it up. And I also think it helps activate my audience and get them excited, too, if I'm selling something unique and fun.
And I bring them along the process of creating it and they watch me create it. They get excited about joining the program. Yes. But it also gives them ideas for how they can create their programs, that it doesn't have to be you create this one membership and you sell it for the rest of your life. It's like, oh, if I get bored of that, I can close the doors for it or leave the doors open or whatever and create this new mini offer or this new mini experience or this Voxer group or whatever it is for the purpose of my own creative inspiration first.
Amber: That, to me, one should like mastery because it's not something that you can just like make up. This is what I wanted to ask you. The difference between like winging a launch and being creative in the launch.
Kaelynn: They are different. I have experienced both. I think winging a launch is like, I don't really know who this is for. I'm just going to sell it and see who joins and then paste the pieces together and make a program out of this. To be honest, I have sold offers that way in the past, mostly just because I didn't have the mastery of what it looked like and felt like to sell something that I was very intentionally designing as an experience for my clients from day one. And so now it's like, I don't want to just put up Instagram stories that say, here's the thing. I wanted like the name of it to just like be given to me by inspiration.
I want to have a brand for this offer that has visuals and colors and textures and fonts that communicate this experience that I'm aiming to help people create beyond just the words. And I actually think the words can be an artistic expression too. Have they always been that way for me? No. They used to be very like cut and dried. Here's what you get when you get access to the program. Here's the transformation. Here's the process and whatever. But looking at my launches as an artistic expression feels amazing and also works really well.
Amber: I love that. Each one is like a work of art.
Kaelynn: Each one is its own unique painting.
Amber: Yeah. I love something that you do with your clients, which is like a vision board for the launch.
Kaelynn: Yes.
Amber: Do you call it a vision board, like a mood board?
Kaelynn: Yes, both. Or a vibe board. I called it before.
Amber: Talk about that. That's such a good idea.
Kaelynn: I learned this secretly from Rebecca Peterson. She didn't like sit me down and teach me like, this is how you create a vibe board. But she did teach me the power and the impact of visuals and using visuals in your marketing besides a blank screen with color and words on it, which I have done and marketed that way. And it also works great. But it becomes a really fun experience for me to hang out in Pinterest.
I’ve become best friends with Pinterest again. My high school self is like very proud of that. I spend a lot of time in Pinterest collecting visuals that capture the feeling of being in this program or the feeling of this transformation that you've been yearning for when you finally realize it. That's what I try to teach my clients to do is to spend some time in Pinterest creating a vibe board where you use pictures to capture the vibe of this experience.
Amber: So good. What does that do for you and your clients to see it visually represented? Because you do it before you do anything else, right?
Kaelynn: It's the very first thing that I do. I have done a vibe board before I even knew like the name of the program or how many people are going to be in the group. What's the price point going to be? It just kind of like starts from something that I've noticed. Like, okay, it seems like a lot of the women in my world need fill in the blank. And then it's like, okay, what would it be like for someone to join? I'll use the Launch Crew as an example, especially on my mind. I just wrapped up filling it yesterday.
So for the launch crew, the pieces that I knew from the beginning was that it was going to be a group and I was going to help them learn how to launch in a way that is very successful and makes the results without burning them out. Amber and I actually played around with the name of it. That was actually the last thing to come through, but I knew I wanted it to be.
Amber: What was it before? We were like, what was it? This will be interesting for people. Like what actually happens when you're creating a program? We were like writing it out. I was like rocket ship. Remember? We were like launched like to the moon, kind of like spacey theme.
Kaelynn: It was like a space theme and then it was a military theme. It had something to do with a cockpit. That's all I can remember. So it's going to be like army green camo.
Amber: Yes.
Kaelynn: But then I was like, that's just like a little bit more masculine than I wanted. I have no problem with green and camo. That's fun too. But for this one, I feel like it's like a beach or an ocean.
Amber: Yeah, it was like a boat launch. We're like launching a boat.
Kaelynn: And then it went to the boat. Yeah. And then it turned into what if this was like the crew on the boat? This is the launch crew.
Amber: So good. Yeah. Because I think that imagery matters too. Even like the imagery of space, like we're launching a rocket because you've seen the rocket emoji used in launches before. And it's interesting. I love the boat imagery that you did for the launch crew, because that's much more your vibe. It is not to the moon, like hardcore launch. We're going all the way. You know, it's like we're going on a journey. Like my Zoom background, I have like water. Water really resonates. So it's like we're going to go on this current where maybe it's going to be a little bit bumpy, like maybe the wind's going to take us. We're here for the ride. You know, we're here.
Kaelynn: One of the funnest things I learned again, this is where like the words also become part of the artistic expression to me. But the phrase “learn the ropes” literally comes from sailboats, from learning how to manipulate a sailboat. So like learn the ropes, teach someone the ropes. That's exactly what this is with launching. Or do you pull this lever at a certain time or do you let it go at a certain time and you steer it the certain direction? Absolutely. If you don't know how to do that, launching can feel very overwhelming. And we've all launched by ourselves before. So let's not do it that way again and work together on it.
Amber: Yes. I feel like what you teach is the art and the science of launching. So we'll move to the science in a little bit. Just tell us how to launch, Kaelynn. But we're in the art. So part of that is imagery. What else feels like art to you about a launch?
Kaelynn: I think the actual offer itself, the program can be artistic. I really like to think about for these specific women in this moment that they want and need my help. How much time do they need access to me? How much access do they need to me? And this is where it becomes like strategy too. It's like, okay, how many months is this going to be? Are they going to get access to me privately? Are they going to get Voxer access? But when I think about it from the needs of the client, the offer becomes clear very quickly. And I've already mentioned the words to me are also very significant. The name of it is very significant. The subtitle, if you have a subtitle for it.
Amber: I highly recommend a subtitle.
Kaelynn: Yes. A subtitle, I didn't learn that until very recently, but it was like, I can create a fun, creative name and a subtitle that helps make sure that everyone knows exactly who this is for and what the purpose of this is.
Amber: And sometimes, especially if you have an artistic name, everyone's like, don't be cute, be clear. But for women, we often want our offers to be cute. It's like, yeah, make it cute. But then add one liners, you know, whatever you want to call it, that goes underneath the title that is like, this is what it is. Very clearly, you know. I love that. Anything else artistic? Maybe some examples from your launches, some artistic or creative things that you've done. First of all, I thought it was like the sweatshirts for the greenhouse.
Kaelynn: Yes. So that's been something super fun. Again, thinking from the perspective of curating an experience for people beyond just we get on calls, we chat on Voxer, and that's great. So one of my favorite ways to curate an experience is with gifts. And with the greenhouse, I decided to make it a very greenhouse specific, but I didn't want it to be like the greenhouse logo. Just because, I mean, you could totally put a program's logo on your clothes.
But for that one, I actually hired a cute girl to design a little thing that showed like a plant growing that said expect miracles underneath. Because that's basically like the mission of the greenhouse is to learn how to watch for and expect miracles in our businesses and to bring God along in the process of growing our businesses. Yeah, that was a super fun one. And that one had a couple of different stages in the process. What it turned into, I'm really proud of, but it didn't just land in my lap to be like, this is the logo and you should put on sweatshirts. There was some like steps to the process.
Amber: Whenever I'm sure you have your own like process with your clients, but it's like, for me, it drops like that is how I would describe it. And if it hasn't dropped yet, whether that's the name or like the details of the offer, I think that's a really frustrating place to be where you're like, I kind of know what it is, but it hasn't landed yet. So when you had the greenhouse, I can't remember what you're going to call it because you're going to call it something else.
Kaelynn: So something interesting about the greenhouse that I have now is that I actually kind of ran a test for it a few months before. Because what I wanted to test for, basically the greenhouse has a little bit of me teaching and a lot of group coaching. So I ran kind of a test experience. I think it was eight weeks, but it was also called the greenhouse that was purely for me to test if I like running an offer this way. Like if I'm going to commit to selling a membership for the next few years, I want to make sure that I really like it. I guess you could say that was part of the artistry of like really making sure that this program fulfills my creative needs first so that it's something that I can do for a really long time.
Amber: Say more about that. I don't think that's very common.
Kaelynn: Give me a question.
Amber: Okay, so you said it fulfills my creative needs. It's like you created a container that you could be yourself in where you're creating there's no limits versus something like different offers that like maybe you feel boxed in by.
Kaelynn: So one of the things that I guess this is when the greenhouse first officially landed. This came through with a lot of extensive conversations with Amber. This one was not just like it didn't really land in my lap. This one took a couple of months to develop but it was like what I know for sure is that I want to teach. I don't just want to coach. I want to be able to like put together a slideshow and a presentation of whatever is interesting to me right now.
That was kind of like where it started and then it was like yes of course I want to coach too and I want there to be a community too but that was really like the core of it was that I want to just be able to talk about whatever I want to talk about because I've also sold programs before that had a similar layout to the greenhouse but I was like in month one we're going to cover this and then in month two we're going to cover this which is totally fine and I think that works great but for this specific one it was just like I really enjoy teaching. I don't want to feel constrained by what I can talk about really.
Amber: Yeah I resonate with that. I think there's different kinds of offers that go along with our launches. And this is what I love about what you do is you help people line up like, okay this is the offer, this is the vibe, this is the sense that I have of what it's going to look like, what it's going to feel like, these are the details of the pricing, how many months or weeks it's going to be. And then the other part is like the delivery so of course a live program. I like to create offers that is like a home for my content and experience. For you it's like the greenhouse. Even like the imagery of a greenhouse is like something's happening on the inside. Greenhouse isn't like step one.
Kaelynn: Yeah. Grow one inch. Then grow two.
Amber: Yes. This is an experience where you're going to grow. My program called the Matrix is that too. It's like a place to grow. What's interesting about your launch and launches because now you've launched the greenhouse a couple times, but like you've kind of tweaked it to match who you want in there. Your launch helps you get the vibe right.
Kaelynn: Something that really helped too is having my knowing my personal brand is like, of course it's the greenhouse it's like duh. And even with the launch crew too it was like, of course it's a sailboat. Of course it's not the cockpit or the rocket. I think that's something that has also been super fun is like the imagery of the program isn't just random it's stuff that draws people closer to me that helps them get to know me specifically, which is part of how you can create a blue ocean for your offer because no one else is going to be able to duplicate that.
And so, from just like a strategic standpoint it makes so much sense. Also from a strategic standpoint it's like everyone is selling offers, but you can really make yours stand out by helping people connect to it emotionally, not just logically so they feel drawn to the lifestyle of someone who's in this program or the way their life looks or the results they create beyond just the financial results, that's I think what really magnetizes people to an offer.
Amber: I agree. You have to be living what you're going to teach an offer. The other thing that I think you can speak to really well is, I think the way that an offer is created is the way that it's received. And what I mean by that is like there's people who are very like formulaic or like very logical like this is the offer and it's not a lot of fun. It's almost still like school. Versus like you and I I think both like I enjoy the drop of the name. I’m like, I love getting that inspiration. I can tell you do too, but like looking at Pinterest, you feel it and it's like this artistic experience as you create the launch. It always lands so much better than like I'm going to do this launch to make money, you know what I mean?
Kaelynn: Hundred percent. Yeah and I think I can speak to that too because I have created offers from, how could I maximize the sales? And those are always the ones that fall flat, which I think is perfect. And that's exactly how it should be. So it's just helped me like check my intention and my service and my integrity. And I'll even take it to this extent too. Something else that I've offered for actual human beings who I actually know, instead of, I wonder if there's someone in my audience who might resonate with this, which I've totally done.
But recently it's been like I'm gonna write down names on a piece of paper of women who I've had conversations with because that tells me that I know what they're actually experiencing. I know what hang-ups she's getting stuck on that I can help her with. Although when I make a list of names it's not like all of these people had better buy, but it's just like, it feels really good to know that there's demand.
Amber: Yeah.
Kaelynn: That there's an actual need, that this program is actually filling. And so it's not like an attachment to these specific people, but just like a container for people like this, almost like a prayer. Like will you send me more people just like this that I can help?
Amber: Yes. I teach that seed concept where it's like if I'm praying for a tree, I have to start seeing where the seeds already are in my life. I think launches are like that. I always say like my best ideas my best podcast episodes. My best launches come from my clients.
Kaelynn: Yeah.
Amber: And I think that's something that's hard because it's kind of like the chicken and the egg scenario. For people who are listening who don't have clients or maybe they don't have the kind of clients that they want or whatever, what would you offer them as like how do I get inspired if I'm not talking to people?
Kaelynn: I would start talking to people.
Amber: So do you mean just maybe you're not coaching them, but talking to them?
Kaelynn: Yeah, like DM conversations.
Amber: Yeah.
Kaelynn: Are my jam. And first of all, again it is a little bit selfish because it feels like a need to me, that feels very serviceful. It feels very good in my soul, which is one of the reason why I do that, but DM conversations, inviting people to free calls, putting out stuff, like free workshops. I like free workshops that people come to live better than just like putting out a podcast because I like to know who's in the room.
Amber: Yes.
Kaelynn: You don’t know who is listening to your podcast always. And also I think it requires a different type of intention if someone's willing to schedule into their calendar and find the link for this free experience, that's a different person than the person who just listened to a podcast. Not always, but it's a person who's in the right spot. So anything that you can do to get people either in your DMs, in your Voxer chats, in your zoom room, for free or for a low ticket rate to start, for me, those are where those seeds of some of my best offers have come from.
Amber: Yeah. And I know that you're really good at listening to people and like the words that they use, you will almost like noted. I'm gonna use in my launch.
Kaelynn: Absolutely. I used to do this. I did this with the etsy store goldmine back in the day, but I did a couple of these calls and I recorded them and transcribed them and like literally copied and pasted the phrases that they said. I don't think you need to go to that extent, but I do think it is important to be mindful, to be listening for your messaging. Those conversations will give you your messaging very often. Sometimes you can like create it from your own mind, but it'll land so much better when you know that sneaky thing that she's doing that she thinks no one knows about that, you call out, like one example that I just used for the Launch Crew was like, I want to help you have a launch where it's the middle of your launch week and you don't even know where your phone is because you're sitting by your kids while they play in the bathtub.
You're not checking your phone every 25 seconds because I know that's what all of us do right, but I know that because of conversations that I've had with women who are like, I feel like my launch week I really struggle to be present with my family. I feel super stressed all the time. I can't not think about it. I struggle to sleep is another one that I found super interesting. I can't go to sleep or I wake up in a panic. Those are like sneaky things that if you start talking about that in your messaging instead of have a launch that makes five figures, right, which is awesome. She goes, how did you know? You must know my experience so deeply that now I trust that you could possibly help me solve this problem.
Amber: One of my mentors was like, imagine you're a fly on the wall in their house like what do you see? Yes. And so I think a lot of women will resonate with that and why I love what you do and why I want to talk about launching with you is because there are women who like are addicted to their phone, especially during launches but other times too.
Kaelynn: Yeah.
The launches don't feel easy. And like lunches aren't easy and that there's no effort, but it can go smoother than you think, where you like to schedule time in to go to the park with your kids. You don't have to like hustle, hustle, grind, grind the whole week. And I think you know them, one because I know you've had launches that didn't feel good, but you've also lost so many clients through launches that didn't feel good and then turned it into feeling good in the future.
Kaelynn: I think we should speak to that moment a little bit. We talked about the free fall of a launch just a little bit the other day because one thing that helped a lot was just knowing that it wasn't just me experiencing this. Like when you open the cart for your launch and you're like everyone's gonna buy on day one and then no one does or very few people do. And you're like never mind. I take it all back. I'm just gonna stop talking about it. I'm gonna burn this all to the ground, which every single person has had a launch like that. If they don't it's in their future.
My opinion, I just want everyone to know that that's a thing, but that is 100% caused by your own brain. And you have so many options of ways to look at it, and your brain's gonna instantly default to, I'm the worst. This was a terrible idea. No one wants what I sell. No one wants to buy for me. I did something wrong. But what's more true is that this is a belief that Amber has helped me instill because she's watched me walk through a lot of hard launches. But it's like what if I just chose to believe that the result from this launch is perfect, that it's exactly the way that God designed for it to be. I used the example just the other day.
I had a couple of launches back to back that didn't go very well. And then the very next one did there were actually four in a row. The first three made very few sales. And then the fourth one it's very same offer, totally different messaging by the way. Totally different launch strategy. That one worked, but during those three back to back to back really hard launches. One of them it was a group experience and it was going to be Wednesdays at 10 a.m. and no one bought. And then the very next week I got an email from Grant's school teacher saying, is anyone available on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. to come help in his class?
And I was like I actually am you know, and it's already blocked out on my calendar. But things like that where it's like, if you can really lean into the free fall of believing that it's gonna work out exactly how it's supposed to even if it's not what you would choose, and that you can still pick yourself up and dust yourself off, and then go sell it again with the new lessons that you've learned, I think that's the difference between a business owner that makes it and a business owner that doesn't. And that ability is key.
Amber: Yeah. I've walked many of my clients through launches, you included. Like you had kind of talked about it. Sometimes it's not all we want. It's just something that I've learned. I know you teach this too and so I'd love to hear your thoughts, but I'm like you're launching for now, but you're also launching for the future. So it's not just this launch. It's like I'm speaking to the people who are ready to join now, but I'm also speaking to the woman who's not ready now but she's like, I'm sitting. I want to do this.
And so you have to launch hard. And you can't see this as a podcast I'm putting in quotes. Launch like you mean it. There is a free fall where it doesn't seem like anything's working and you could make that mean that you're not good at launching or that something's wrong, but like seasoned launch we’ve both have had lots of lots and lots and lots of launches. It's like, no, that's just how launches are.
Kaelynn: It's just day one.
Amber: Trickle in. Sometimes nothing happens. And then everyone joins on the last day.
Kaelynn: Yep. And I used to launch where like, I would like check out on the last day because I'd be like everyone who would have joined would have joined by now. And then on the last day just be like radio silence. And then I had one launch in particular. I think it was with the Goldmine course, but over 50 percent of people, there were 15 people that joined. And I told them I was gonna close the doors at midnight. Between 11 p.m and midnight, I was like on my phone honestly crying because I was a little bit discouraged by the results of this launch. And then just opened my phone and it was like ching ching ching. So like for those of you who are listening, who feel tempted to space out on the last day, you might have missed the moment where people were making the decision. And most likely would have if you had helped guide them through it.
Amber: Yeah. I have a similar story. I remember I did a Matrix launch. I had learned this lesson though. So I was like I'm sending two emails, but my when it closes right and I close it at 9 p.m. And I had two people join, which the Matrix is, at the time, was a five thousand dollar investment. So I made ten thousand dollars in an hour, but if I had stopped I would have never reached people. And I feel like this is something that I want to hear you talk about is like it's not just your belief in your commitment. I think it's also the belief of the people on the other side. Right like that they're reading your email and be like oh, do I do it? They're like reading your email, opening it, thinking about it, delaying their action. And so it's like you have to reach them as many times as it takes.
Kaelynn: Yeah, until the very last hour, very literally.
Amber: So we're kind of into like the science of launching. We've talked with the freefall. You've mentioned terms, but this might be helpful people have never launched like open cart, closed cart. Do you want to just get like an overview of like the science of launching?
Kaelynn: Science of a launch, yeah. So that is basically it. It's actually very simple. It's very easy to over complicate too, but it's an open cart moment where you're talking about an offer, but it's not for sale until this specific day or moment. And then eventually the cart closes, which is what makes it a launch versus an evergreen program, which is one that you've probably seen people market before. You've probably gotten facebook ads for it because it's open all the time.
There's pros and cons to both ways to do things, but I've tested both and have just obviously really stuck with launching because one, I think it's very serviceful to people who maybe this is like a new thing for them, jumping into a program or an experience like this. It's like, let me help you make this decision by a certain deadline instead of ruminating on it for the next two months, like you might if this was just available all the time.
It's also very serviceful for me as the business owner because I can sort of move into a selling season and then sort of, I don't want to say hibernate because that's not quite what I do anymore. That's what I used to do. I would like open the cart, hustle, run a marathon and then just like peace out for two months.
I'm like, bye. My job is done here. But now it's like, I don't have to do that because my energy stays pretty even keel the whole time. For me, why I'm so sold on launches and why I like to help women who are coaches and service providers try launching because it can feel really good to know, like, this is when I'm opening it and this is when I'm closing it.
That also tells me exactly what type of content I need to create for at least 30 days in advance because I want to get people interested in this offer before I open the doors. So I like the structure of it helps answer so many questions that a lot of us have, like, what kind of content do I create? What am I selling right now? How do I sell it? Once you have those answers, the path for the next couple of months ahead feels very clear.
Amber: This is something that I had to learn is like, once you set a date to open the cart, you can kind of back into what do I do from now until I open the cart? You get ready for the launch by talking about the concepts that you're going to be teaching.
Kaelynn: You're warming the people up. This is something that I learned from Amber that has worked so well, but I used to just like jump right into the offer. I'm launching a course. And it's called this, and it talks about this, but Amber is masterful at this because she'll just start talking about like teasing it.
Like something is coming and you're like, what is it? I don't even know if I'm interested or not, but now I am because my brain has to close this loop. And so I've added that stage into my launching process. And I help my clients do that too, because I think it's just like a really fun marketing skill.
And it's fun now because my audience who followed me for a while, they like, know if I say something's coming, they're like, all right, Kaelynn’s in launch mode. There's things like that that you can do months in advance. And I used to do like two weeks in advance and feel like that was a long time. But now I'm like, for one of big offers, it's like 30 days minimum in advance that I start this process of teasing and getting people interested.
Amber: Yes. And what I've noticed is the more experienced you get, the longer…
Kaelynn: The longer it gets.
Amber: I started planning for the Conscious Coach Academy launch, which is in September and it's like, it's July when we're recording this, but I started planning like two months ago for September. So like you start expanding your horizons and so if you're new, 30 days might seem like a long time. Like I'm sure some people that you work with, it's like, I can't wait 30 days. I got to talk about it. It's like, no, no, wait 30 days. Because this is science right here. Why wait? Why extend the time horizon?
Kaelynn: The biggest reason, I think, is that you give yourself time to cast a wider net. I think all of us think, every time I post an Instagram story, everyone in my audience sees it. So, if I just talk about it one time, then everyone must know about it. We forget that that's the opposite of the truth. It's actually less than 10 percent of your audience sees it on a given day. And if they did see it, they were probably in the middle of school pickup or drop off and saw it and then got distracted or they saw it and they were like, hmm, that's interesting.
And then they didn't care. Or they saw it and they were like, hmm, that's interesting. I wonder if that's for me, but they didn't have all the details, right? There's so many phases, stages. It's like a customer experience, but they need more time to make that decision, especially for an offer that's probably one like you are creating. If you're listening to this, it might be a higher ticket offer. It's probably not just a physical product that they just buy on Amazon and they don't think about it twice. It's probably something that requires a little bit of thought and intention…
Amber: And messaging.
Kaelynn: Is this right for me? Yes. And messaging. So I think it serves your audience really well to give them more time to first learn what the thing is, and then decide if they want the thing, and then make a decision about buying the thing. So I like to say, you have to sort of move them through a process where you activate their desire, where they're like, oh, I'm actually really interested in this. And I think it's for me, and I think this could really help me and solve some of my problems. And I should actually put money into this.
And there's like a different phase that you move into in the decision making phase, where it looks a little bit more like, answering questions and clarifying concerns. And how long is this program? Is it the right fit for me? Am I the right fit for it? What kind of a time commitment is there required?
Is there anything that I am going to be asked to do that I don't want to do? So extending the length of your launches helps people cross that bridge all the way. I also think it's just a really good skill as a business owner to be able to confidently repeat yourself that often. It's a very rare skill and it's not something that we're taught. And so…
Amber: I've had so many people like, how many times should I email them? Like three times on the last day? They're like, oh, that's so many.
Kaelynn: Like what?
Amber: Yeah. Oh yeah. Like at least two. Ido three.
Kaelynn: Minimum.
Amber: And they're like, won't people be annoyed? I'm like, some people will, but like you learn little things that it's like launching is different than what you think as a consumer. You have to think like a marketer and a creator. And so I love what you shared about that because you might discount the length, right? Like, it doesn't need 30 days. And it's like, no, slow down. Kailin's done dozens of launches.
Kaelynn: The reasons why we resist it are one because we want to make sales sooner. I kind of like that reason from a coach perspective too. I'm like, I want to push you to like, really question if you really need sales. That quickly like that to me is a mindset thing. Your brain's going to be like, no, this is actually true. I need this much money in the next two weeks. And it's like, that's the first thing to play with, but then it's just a marketing skill that's learned through experience. You could read all the launching books about it, but it's actually like kind of a physical experience to feel like I'm over here talking about this same thing all the time.
Am I being annoying? Our brains want us to easily think that we're being annoying. And it's like, what about the people who didn't open their phones today?
Amber: They were on vacation.
Kaelynn: They were taking an Instagram break or whatever.
Amber: I always think about the person, how distracted our world is. It's like, you think you've talked about it so much and people will still not even know what it is. I've had that happen on the last day of launch. I'm like, okay, people are so tired of hearing about this. And then I got a message that was like, can you tell me more about this? Oh my gosh.
Kaelynn: Yeah. There was one specific launch. It was one of those really hard ones. One of the triple threat launch. That was really hard.
Amber: Triple threat launch.
Kaelynn: I'm so grateful for that now because I gained something, a fire in my bones where I was like, I know there's a way to sell this. I just haven't figured out how. That's all it is. So I'm gonna keep launching this until I figure out how to sell it, but one of them I remember I think I was working with Rebecca Peterson on my rebrand. We were having a chat and I was like, I'm having this launch. It's not going very well. And I'm just trying to like power through it.
She was literally like, you're launching something? I had no idea. And we're also really good friends too. And she's in this business world. So I know she knows what a launch is, but the fact that she had no idea was like, whoa, I'm over here thinking that everyone and their dog knows, but…
Amber: They don't even know.
Kaelynn: They don't even know I'm selling something.
Amber: It's so useful because I think we're so quick to make it like, we're not worthy of a successful launch or we're not skilled enough to have a great launch or we don't know enough or people don't like us. Like our brain wants to go there. When in reality, it's like, oh, I didn't even know you had something to send.
Kaelynn: I didn't even know. And you're like, but I sent three emails. They're like, I haven't checked my email in a month.
Amber: Yeah, or like, oh, I accidentally archived it. Like that happens. This kind of stuff happens.
Kaelynn: Totally.
Amber: Or I read it and then I thought I was going to go back and then I kind of forgot. Like, this is what's real. I always, like, imagine my client, who's like watching my Instagram stories while she's cooking dinner and then like her kid needs, cause like this happens to me, right? Should she be watching Instagram stories? I don't know. This is what I imagine. and she's distracted and I could make it mean that she doesn't like me.
Or I could be like, no, I'm going to keep showing up for her. So the last thing I want to talk about, cause I know you have your own words for it, but I feel like there's three phases of a launch, right? One way that I've heard it is like whisper, tease, shout. That's the launch arrangement that I do. Something's coming. It's here. It's closing, The way that Russell Branson taught it was like, it's emotional, it's logical, and then it's emotional again, right? It's open! So exciting! And then like, you get into the logistics, kind of what you said, like you're answering questions, you're sharing how long it is, what the price is, are there payment plans, who's this for, when does it start, what time are the calls, those kinds of questions.
That's like the launch free fall, when it seems like nothing's happening. And then the day you close the cart, unfortunately the emotion is often fear, right? Like I don't want to miss out. And maybe not fear. Like FOMO maybe it's like or some sense of pressure to stop delaying their decision making. I don't know if you have different words, but I'd love to hear your take on because like every launch that's the sequence.
Kaelynn: Mine are basically the same. Like I said, from Amber, I've learned to add the tease week at the beginning because I used to be like, I'll tease it once. But no, it's like, it's kind of fun to like drag it out a little bit.
Amber: Yeah. So what is it?
Kaelynn: Yeah, what is it? I like to call the next phase activating. Well, actually it kind of goes more into educating, like, hey, just so you know, here's the thing. Here's an option. It's like, first I need you to even know that there's an option. So maybe I'll spend a couple days, like this is the name of the program. This is the basic gist of it. But then I like to talk about like activating their desire. And that's kind of like, this is all pre cart open. I used to do this after I opened the doors, which is just doesn't work very well. Spoiler alert, but like this activation phase is my favorite because that's when we play with the messaging.
And it's also the part that I see from the women in my world. That there's so much room for growth because it's like, oh, you are talking about your offer in this way, but what would have activated her desires if you talked about it this way. It's the same program, just the way that you talked about it activated her desire, it didn't. So, you know, I am a huge nerd about messaging and I love to play with the way that you talk about things in a way that makes people actually get their attention instead of just scrolling past it because they're scrolling past offers like this all the time.
You have the opportunity to say something unique that she doesn't hear all the time. I love using like analogies for things where, I'll use one that's fresh in my mind. I was talking about when I was launching the launch crew and I used, like I said before, the analogy of showing people the ropes and teaching people the ropes.
It was like, let's use this actual like boat as the analogy. I'm going to show you how to use basically like the wind to help you not have to do so much heavy lifting. The wind is your messaging. I'm going to help you learn how to use the current of the water to make it so that this boat goes where you want it to go. The current is, I don't even remember what the analogy was now. The current is like the type of marketing that you're doing. And there was another one that was like, I want to help you avoid the pitfalls and skip, like do some shortcuts because I know what the pitfalls are.
I know what the shortcuts are. There's no reason you need to recreate the wheel. I've already done this 26 times. So let me just help you skip over those. So I really like to use analogies to just wake people up and get them to listen because they're just scrolling all day long. They're consuming so much content.
Another example is the one that I used earlier. You talked about the fly on the wall example. There's another one that I like to use. I basically call it get more specific because i'll use an example this happens so frequently, especially with coaches. I think the reason why this happens is because we can see their blind spots.
We can see the problems that they can't see, but then we market to the blind spots and it's like, that's not going to activate her desire because you are telling her in your content that she needs to shift her identity and shift her mindset. And that's true. But she's over here, like, how do I make sales?
So if we can speak to that desire, even though, it's probably an identity solution that she needs. We have to speak to the problem that she has like her goggles on, a periscope. She is searching for the solution to this problem. Yes. And so instead of saying, I'll help you be more confident.
I'll help you stop people pleasing. I'll help you live an abundant life. I'll help you reach your next level. You have to get at least one layer more specific. So I've talked about, I tell my clients about this, but this is an actual exercise that I do that I want to share for your listeners, but I'll open up a Google doc and I'll start writing my messaging.
And if there's a sentence that comes out, that's like, a little bit fuzzy and unclear, I'll actually add a line underneath it and then tab it over and ask my brain to like, what do I actually mean by that? When I say she's going to feel more confident, what do I actually mean by that? And then write out a line.
And if that needs to be even more specific, I'll do it again and tab it over one more line. And then eventually, gets to a point where you're basically describing an exact situation in her life where like, improve your marriage. feel better about your relationship with your husband. What about, after this exercise, it's like, how about I go on a date with my husband and we don't look at our phones the whole time because that's what we sometimes end up doing?
We just end up scrolling cause we have nothing to talk about. That's what actually happens when you improve your relationship with your spouse. So it's a little bit more situation specific instead of just fluffy and hard to wrap your mind around.
Amber: The way that I've heard it described, it's like, it's a symptom, whether it's something that they don't want or it's something that they do want. It's like, if you're currently in a marriage where your husband walks in the door and you don't even make eye contact because you guys are not in a good spot.
I help people like you where we worked together for six months. We talk about communication. We talk about sex. We talk about parenting. We talk about date night, talk about being really raw and vulnerable and, sharing your feelings in a way that makes sense over the course of six months. You experienced a transformation where you leave the program, your husband comes to the door and you like run up and give him a big kiss.
Cause you're so excited to see him. You're having a weekly date night. You're more connected than ever. You're excited to talk to him about what's going on. Two different, like you said, scenarios, not I help you shift your identity.
Kaelynn: Which is true.
Amber: It's true, but it's not for a lot of life coaches who are listening to this, ike, I think talking about anxiety is an interesting thing to talk about. I'd be curious how you would explain like, what does anxiety look like on your client? Talk about that. Are they scrolling on their phone instead of going on a walk with their kids? What is anxiety presenting as?
Kaelynn: And even, like, I think you can provide her so much service because she might not even be aware, like, that's why I'm doing that. One that I always think of, that I used to be the worst at. If you wake up in the morning and you check your phone immediately looking for DMs, and emails from potential clients, from potential customers, from whoever, that's just a sign that you're, fill in the blank.
You could sell a solution to that problem instead of, if you want to be more present. I definitely think I started to say you can help you become aware of the problem that she has that she might not even know is a problem.
Amber: Right. You're shining a light on what she's actually doing, what you can physically see. I love that exercise that you said, like, what do I mean by this? And then you ask yourself again, what do I mean by this? What do I mean by this? What would I see if this was true? If my client didn't, shift your identity, shift your mindset, it's like, okay, what do I mean by this?
I mean that you have more confidence. Okay. I have more confidence. Okay. What do you mean by confidence?
Kaelynn: What does that mean?
Amber: It's like, what would you see her doing if she had more confidence? So I love that exercise. Amazing. Okay, cover the art, cover the science. Any tips and tricks that you have? Not just for like how to make a successful launch, but like how to enjoy your launch.
Kaelynn: I have so many tips for how to enjoy a launch. You mentioned a couple of them previously, like intentionally building fun things into your calendar and not just as a distraction so that you don't think about your launch, but just like a reminder about what this is all for.
You know this about me, Amber. I sometimes get very serious about my launches because I do take this work very seriously. For me, it's like, it is my career, it's my art, it's my science, it's all the things, but it can be very easy for me to get very…
Amber: I'm going to give you an A on this launch.
Kaelynn: Oh, this has to be perfect or else I will fail. The perfectionism is so prominent in launching, and it's interesting because, what even is that? What does perfection look like in a launch? No one knows.
Amber: Never heard of a perfect launch.
Kaelynn: Right. So I like to give myself a lot of space. I don't like to overschedule myself, even though it would be really easy to do that because that would be very distracting, which is great. But I like to give myself a lot of space. I take a lot of baths during my launches because my brain likes to have the white space because my brain is thinking about this stuff constantly, but especially during a launch, but also to just allow any emotions to come up and come out because if I don't, then I just trap them in.
And that's when I turned into grouchy mom by the end of the launch week right and I don't want that. And I'm very intentionally not creating that, but if I don't want to be that way, I have to give myself space to process the emotions during the experience. So that's one of my favorite things. I like celebrating with my husband, Nate. I like, I text him every time, not every time, but when someone joins, because he is the best hype person, he'll be like, Are you serious? That is amazing. Way to go, babe. Every time, which feels very, very good.
So I always appreciate someone to celebrate with. I celebrate with Amber. I celebrate with my other business friends, too. I used to do this a lot more, but I would like plan a celebration for the end of the launch. Like, we're going to go out to dinner as a family, no matter what, no matter what the results are. This is not like, we're only going if I hit my goal. This is like, we're doing this because we accomplished something really hard that most people doing and there's a reason why it's because it's not the most easy. It's not just super natural and intuitive.
Amber: Launches can become natural and especially beginning. They don't feel like…
Kaelynn: It does not feel that way.
Amber: Yeah. So true.
Kaelynn: Those are some of my favorites.
Amber: I love that. I think deciding to celebrate ahead of time has been huge for me, too. I like including my kids and I'm sure you do too. Because like your kids are watching you work. And this is the result, like it's a positive result. You don't want launches to be like, oh, mom's launching again. Like, she's grouchy mom. We never get to see her and you know. Yeah. it's no fun that week 'cause she's always angry. It’s like, you don't want that for your kid, you know.
Kaelynn: Yeah, totally.
Amber: I love that. Well, you're amazing obviously. You can talk about it in such a place of mastery. Like you just had quick answers for everything. And I knew you would, cause you've done this so many times. I want to kind of close with just like words of encouragement. I know I have clients and I know there's people listening who are either in a season, kind of like what you described, what'd you call it? The triple threat.
Kaelynn: The triple threat.
Amber: Sometimes launches fail. What would you say to them?
Kaelynn: Oh, this is probably not the answer that they want to hear, but sometimes I like to think of myself as like a sports team coach. If I was the coach of the high school soccer team, I don't show up to a game, like, we're probably going to lose.
What are we going to do if we lose? It's like, how are we going to win? So, from a coach's perspective, and I like to think about if my soccer team that I have worked so hard to coach does lose. From a coach's perspective, I'm like, it's okay. That's a really good thing because my team is going to learn something from this.
That will literally open the doors to future success. Sometimes I think of my launches as like a video game, where you're like running around on the first level, and then you unlock something and then you move up to the second level, but you can't move up to the second level until you unlock the door on the first level.
And so, sometimes, I've felt this way before but it's like, why am I not having six figure launches right now? It's like, oh, it's because I haven't unlocked the doors on level two or three. Okay, cool. It's very honest, but in a comforting way that it's like, oh, it's not something that I'm doing wrong or it's not because I suck at this or I'm not cut out for this.
There's just a lesson that I haven't unlocked yet. And there is no reason why she's having six figure lunches. That doesn't mean I never can. Actually, I think her having those is a very good sign that I very well could. But, she has done something that I haven't done that has allowed me to receive those results.
Amber: Yeah, that's such a good metaphor. She's not special… I mean, everyone's special. But you know what I mean. She doesn't have something that you don't have. She's unlocked doors that you haven't unlocked yet.
Kaelynn: I also think of it like a runner. If she's been out running five miles a day, but I've been running three a week, that's the reason why, which is also, again, I don't want it to be like, it's because you're not doing something right. I feel like it's comforting for me to be like, okay, there's room for expansion here.
This is not the end of this story. I'm not going to keep launching this way forever. It's just because, like I said before, it's because I haven't learned how to sell the specific offer yet. And then it's like, oh, this is an interesting challenge instead of this huge risk even though it feels that way.
Amber: Especially when you’re not running ads and it's just like an organic launch, which is what I know what you teach, there really is no risk to watching again and again.
Kaelynn: Your brain's gonna make it seem like there's the risk of like, oh, if I didn't make those sales or I think it's like what it actually is, is like an emotional risk. Like, what if I put myself out there? People watch. Again, I just think it's just one of those things where if you can not just like survive through a launch like that, but legitimately thrive through a launch like that, like I mentioned before, I do look back on those really hard launches with the utmost gratitude and like, gratitude for Kaelynn for picking herself up and doing it again and doing it again. And I'm so grateful for that and I did learn a lot about messaging, about strategy, all those things.
Amber: I'm going to speak this for you because like, I remember that triple threat. That's a funny thing to say, but it's cool to see now. There's no way you could have led a program called the Launch Crew if you didn't go through that. Because now, you have no fear for your clients. You don't have judgment. You're not afraid for them. You're not like, oh no, you have no one signed up. This is a problem. I've been here before.
Try this, try this, try this. We're going to be okay. You can be the voice of calm and reason instead of like on the rollercoaster that sometimes we get into because you went through that. And so I think that's true for our clients as well. It's like, you have to see even failed launches as working for you. Unlock the door to the next level. So good. Okay, Kaelynn, last thing, where can people find you?
Kaelynn: You can follow me on Instagram. My handle is @KaelynnPriest.
Amber: I'll link it in my show notes.
Kaelynn: On Instagram. That's the best place to find me right now.
Amber: Okay, perfect. And you have the greenhouse coming up?
Kaelynn: The greenhouse launch is coming beginning of September.
Amber: Very cool. So once they follow you, they can find out more about that too.
Kaelynn: Totally. This is fun. I have had already a handful of messages from people asking when does it open again? So I'm like, well, maybe there'll be a second version. I don't know. But when that inspiration lands, you guys will be the first to know.
Amber: Congrats. Okay. Thank you for coming. You're amazing.
Kaelynn: Thanks, Amber. Appreciate you.
