Have you ever wondered what it is you should talk about on your course sales page or in your launch emails?
It’s a topic that plagues the minds of so many course creators.
And I get why.
Your copy (the words you use to promote your digital course) is the only thing standing between your ideal student and your course. Say the right things, and they’ll enroll without giving it a second thought. But, say the wrong things, and they won’t understand why your course is important or why they should buy it.
To uncover the “right words” for your launch copy, you need to spend some time on audience research.
This is something I do before any launch project I work on. Mainly because when I’m working with clients, I need to get to know their ideal student (because they’re usually different from my own). But, I also perform audience research because it's what inspires every line of copy I write.
How do you research an audience?
The easiest way to start is by reading through any testimonials or feedback forms you’ve sent out to clients or past students over the years. You can also read through comments in Facebook groups or forums on the internet to get a little more insight into an audience you don’t normally work with.
But one of my favorite ways to get to know an audience is to have in-person or digital conversations with them.
When I’m chatting with someone in real time, it’s easy to ask follow up questions to clarify things or pull out more details. I can also see body language when certain topics are brought up…which gives me clues about how bold or soft I need to be when writing the launch copy.
What you uncover during an audience research session can help you to…
…Create a course offer that’s full of value and easy for your ideal student to implement and get results from
…Plan your launch strategy so that it supports your abilities and the needs of your ideal student
…Write launch copy that’s compelling and straight from your heart
To get the most out of your audience research time, I’m sharing nine things you should know about your ideal student (in their own words) before you launch a digital course.
Here they are:
What is their biggest struggle?
Are they dealing with any smaller struggles that could hinder their ability to successfully complete your course?
What is this struggle preventing them from doing or having?
Why is that such a big deal for them?
What does life/business look like without the big struggle?
Do they believe they can achieve this version of their life/business? Why or why not?
What do they believe will help them achieve this version of success?
If they’ve tried to solve their problem in the past, why didn’t those efforts pay off?
Why are they seeking out a solution to their problem now?
What’s next?
You can incorporate these questions into your end-of-project feedback forms. You can get on calls with ideal students and use the questions as a script. You can create a question sticker on Instagram stories for your followers to answer.
The point being, you need your ideal student to answer these questions for you.
The words/phrases they use to answer these questions are the same words/phrases you need to use in your launch copy to help your ideal student relate to what you’re saying, see the value your course is offering, and actually want to buy it.
For example, let’s say you’re launching a digital course for watercolor artists.
You know one of their small struggles is “not being able to control the water on their paper.”
It just so happens that one of the modules in your course is all about the water-to-paint ratio…but if you use those words, your ideal student may not understand what “water-to-paint ratio” even means. They might assume that your course can’t help them, and they’ll have no choice but to leave your sales page and go search for some other course that can.
BUT…
If you were to use the language from your audience research and say that the module “will help them control the water on their paper,” it’s perfectly clear what that means. They’ll know your course can help them (because you’ve just told them it will solve a problem they’ve specifically said they struggle with), and they’ll buy the course without giving the action much thought.
This is the power audience research can bring to your launch.
So use it.
Want to work with me on your upcoming launch?
Click here to check out my launch copywriting services and find the right one for you and your course offer.