Timing is everything when you are launching your online course. Not only can it hugely impact your sales, but it also influences your workload and your financial planning for the year.
Plus, after you have poured so much love, time and energy into creating your language group course, you want to make sure it gets the attention it deserves.
So, the question is, when is the best time to launch?
Read on to discover everything you need to consider when planning your launch timeline and some common mistakes you will want to avoid.
What to consider before setting your launch date
This may not be the straightforward answer you are hoping for, but the truth is really that your ideal launch timeline depends on who your potential students are and what you’re offering. Let me explain.
Your students
Your target audience should be the first thing that you consider when you are planning your launch. Because if you don’t work around them, then it probably won’t be a success.
So think about:
- What is going on in their lives at certain points of the year?
- What is their monthly/daily routine and when are they on social media?
- When are they most likely to be thinking about their language goals?
- What cultural holidays or festivals are happening that may mean investing in something new is off the cards?
For example, if your students are in western Europe, after Christmas may be a great time to launch your course. But that would probably be a terrible time to launch for Chinese students, who will be thinking about Chinese New Year by then.
Your course topic
Your course topic may seem insignificant in the bigger picture of your launch plan, but it actually plays a very important role.
That’s because your offer may sell better at certain times of the year.
For instance, the CEFR exams only run a few times per year in many countries. So if you are running an A2 exam preparation course, for example, then you will want to time your course to begin when your students are thinking about booking the exam.
If you run it too early, then they may not be interested. And if you run it too late, then they may have already started studying with another teacher.
It’s better to wait and run your launch at an optimal time than to rush your preparation just to get it out into the world.
Is there a best time of year to launch a language course?
Like I said, this really depends on who you are targeting and what you are offering. But you may be happy to hear that, generally speaking, there is an ideal time to launch a language course.
The best months for launching
January
At the end of 2023, I decided to try something different and launched a brand new offer during mid-December. As you may guess, I didn’t sell as many spaces as I wanted.
My point is that there are certain times of the year when people aren’t thinking about investing in their business or their language skills, and others where they are.
January is typically one of those months because students are often looking for support and accountability for reaching their new years goals. That means it can be an optimal time for a successful course launch.
April/May
Some of my clients on my program, the Rocket Accelerator, have had great results from launching their language courses in spring.
I think that’s because for many people, the start of the year can be super busy. But by spring, things are calming down a little. And there’s still time before summer to take action towards achieving their language goals.
This time of year works well for any teachers helping people prepare to use a language on holiday, or even for kids going to language summer camps.
September
It shouldn’t be a huge surprise that September is another good time of year to launch your online course. It’s another month that symbolises fresh beginnings, especially in the education world!
Plus, many people are feeling refreshed after their holidays and wanting to use the last few months of the year to reach their goals.
Which days are best to launch?
Once you have chosen which month you will launch in, you will need to set the actual launch dates. Days can be tricky because you want to catch people’s attention both at the start and the end of the launch period, but you don’t want it to drag on for too long.
In my experience, starting a launch on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays and ending it on Thursdays or Sundays works best. That allows you to maximise attention for around 7-14 days.
Avoid these common course launch mistakes
There is a certain belief that the way to launch is by basically setting a timeline and speaking about your offer. Nope.
There is a lot more that goes into a successful launch, and unfortunately that means teachers often make mistakes that stop them from selling as much as they could. So, let’s look at those mistakes.
Launching as soon as the offer is ready
I know that when you’ve created an offer you’re proud of, you just want to tell everyone about it. But launches don’t work like that, I’m afraid.
Because if you haven’t warmed your target audience up before you launch, they will not be ready to buy. It doesn’t matter how perfect your offer is.
Therefore, you need to spend time sharing content that relates to the topic of your course several weeks before you launch it. This is how you build desire in your students for what you’re going to release and help them realise that they need it.
Not preparing for long enough
This warm-up period means that behind-the-scenes preparation for a launch actually starts several months before the offer goes live.
However, even those teachers who do prepare a bit before announcing their offer often don’t realise how much time they need.
You will need to prepare your content plan, the tech set up, payment plans, the online course platform, the terms and conditions, the email marketing software, the sales page and emails… SO MUCH. Only when you give yourself time to do all of these things can you have the best chance of selling more spaces.
Forgetting to create a sales strategy
In order for your language course to sell, you will need to have a clear launch strategy. And by that I mean you should have a marketing plan with a clear message that is communicated throughout your sales page, launch emails, and all your social media channels
The way in which you position your course will determine how successful it is. So spend some time thinking about what benefits are going to appeal most to your ideal students.
Launch your language course with full support
I won’t pretend that launching isn’t an overwhelming experience. Especially if you are doing it for the first time. But that’s why I created the Rocket Accelerator.
The Rocket Accelerator is my 6-month group coaching program that takes you through every single step of planning and running an online course launch for a signature group language offer. Over 100 teachers have been through the process with me, and have since turned their fabulous ideas into full blown courses that sell out time and time again.
I’d really love to help you do the same. So if you are interested, then you can learn more about the program and join the waitlist for the next round here.