There are certain questions I keep getting, and one of them is, “Karrie, what tools should I have in my tech stack for my upcoming launch?” My answer? The ones you know how to use. Remember, I’m all about launching with ease! So your launch is no time to complicate things for yourself and start learning new platforms. Keep it simple and start with what you already have and use every day. You might be surprised to learn my eight favorite tools for launching are really nothing fancy.
My 8 Favorite Tools for Launching
ClickUp (or your favorite Project Management Tool)
Launches have A LOT of moving parts so you need to keep things organized: dates, the copy, assets, all the tech & tech integrations, and testing before a launch. You can’t afford to miss a beat. You need a good project management tool. Some of my favorites are Trello, Asana, or ClickUp.
Wondering if you can use a tool like Airtable or Google Sheets? Well, these two spreadsheet-like tools do have their place, but they aren’t able to keep track of subtasks, due dates, comment threads, and assignees, in the same way.
Additionally, I prefer having all my to-do’s in one place so I can keep track of everything I need to manage. I find if I am toggling between boards or sheets or tables, I’m likely to forget something and that’s another reason I prefer a more comprehensive tool like Asana or ClickUp.
Bonus: If you need a launch plan that’s ready to go, you can download my Panic-Free Launch Planner which is in Google Sheets. This can be exported as a CSV file and then imported into ClickUp or Asana. I recommend saving it as a template and then duplicating it for each launch so you can tweak it as you go changing any dates and assignees as needed.
Google Suite
Google Drive. It’s universal between PCs and Macs. For launches, I recommend creating different folders for your team to store graphics, images, product mockups, etc. Within each of these folders, you can put the images and then use Google Docs to add the copy for the registration pages or sales pages, the emails that correspond to the invites and confirmations, the reminders, any sequences, and so on.
I LOVE Google Sheets to track your launch metrics. When you download my Panic Free Launch Planner, you will see a tripwire popup for the Analytics Tracker to help with this or you can also create one of these yourself. Pop that into a folder for reference as well. Having information about your numbers will be useful during your launch debrief process so you’ll know what worked and what didn’t when you review your launch and begin planning your next launch.
ConvertKit (or your favorite email service provider)
You need a way to communicate with your audience, so an email service provider is a must-have. I love ConvertKit, but there are many options available such as Mailerlite and ActiveCampaign.
If you’re choosing an email service provider for the first time, look for one that allows you to send emails using automation. Some do have free options, for example, ConvertKit and MailChimp do have a free version, but they don’t have automation at that level. Make sure you can set up automatic sending, even on weekends (after all, you do want to have a life and don’t want to be tethered to your laptop manually sending).
Zoom
If you’re launching with a webinar, you need a way to deliver. Zoom is a perfect solution. After two years of the pandemic, nearly everyone knows how to use Zoom, and it’s more affordable and easier to use than more expensive options than WebinarJam and EasyWebinar.
Another bonus, you can pay for the webinar upgrade for the month only, and then it will downgrade you for the following month. You won’t be locked into the higher pricing when you don’t need it or forget to cancel the subscription!
I know, I know. Everyone wants to be off Facebook. But the truth is, if you’re running challenges, Facebook just works. I have seen a lot of business owners try to move challenges into community platforms like Circle and Mighty Networks, and engagement seems to tank. Why? Because everyone is already hanging out on Facebook even though they don’t want to seem to admit it.
Create a pop-up group for your challenge and archive it. Everyone is there, we know how to work it, and even though people say they want to get off, in reality, we aren’t or we’re too lazy to click into yet another platform.
Hello Audio
If you’ve been following me, you know I have been crushing on Hello Audio as one of my favorite tools for launching – or well, pretty much everything! Audio has become the new video, especially if your audience consists of moms (or anyone) who is on the go.
You can use this podcast-style format for mini-courses, challenges, and lead magnets. I recently used it to enhance my blog post and even built a Micro Audio Summit™. I reviewed several different ways to use Hello Audio in your business in this blog post.
A Landing Page
You need a landing page as someplace to send your audience to sign up for your lead magnet or a registration page for your webinar, challenge, summit, etc. A landing page will provide the details of what it is.
Many email service providers offer landing pages and have easy-to-use drag and drop templates. You can build a landing page on your website. I use Elementor Pro for WordPress, for example. If you need a full sales page you might want to look at software like ClickFunnels, LeadPages, or Kartra. Whichever you choose, your customer may have different levels of options from something as simple as being able to leave a name and email address, to something more complicated like being able to make a purchase and having a course hosted within the platform. So be sure to understand what it is you’re getting and what you’re needs are.
That's It!
Pretty simple, huh? I bet you were surprised to see that you had almost all of my favorite tools for launching already! So all you need is your stellar idea all mapped out, your audience primed to buy, and a launch plan and you should be ready to go.
If you need support with a Launch Strategy VIP Day or done with you full Launch Management Services, you can learn more about my offerings here.
