In this episode, Caroline shares the ins and outs of launching an offer. Going through this process can and will bring out all the emotions you can imagine. Caroline weaves her most recent launch experience throughout the episode. She emphasizes the importance of tapping into trust during this process.

Caroline also explains how no launch is ever a failure. Click play and learn why she thinks this is true as well as other nuggets of wisdom she's learned along the way.

🔥🔥🔥 Here are three reasons why you should listen to this episode:

1. Learn why the most important thing to communicate to your audience is the transformation they will experience by joining your program.
2. Learn the best things you can do for yourself and your nervous system during your launches.
3. How to tap into trust as you are launching and hold space for more people to buy your offer.

📘Resources

• Private Biz + Brand Mentorship Application

• Not ready to jump into a podcast course, but want to learn how to launch your own podcast? Download Caroline's FREE Podcast Launch Starter Guide here to learn all you need to know to start your own show.
• Don't miss an episode of the Creative Visionary Podcast
• Connect with Caroline: Instagram l Website l The Get A Helmet Podcast

🎧Episode Highlights [04:26] Little Seed of Intention

• What is the container you feel called to hold?
• What do you want to call it?
• What is your audience's need?

[05:27] Let's Talk Transformation

• There's the outward transformation - creating a podcast, a mastermind, a course, whatever it is you know your audience needs and is ready to soak up.
• There's also a deeper, inner transformation - the empowered shift that happens within knowing you're a leader in your industry, and you're sharing your knowledge, voice, and power online.

[05:36] Caroline Aylward: "The deeper transformation is that you leave feeling and really embodying being a leader in your industry. You are a podcast host, your voice has been activated, your power is online."

[05:38] Caroline Aylward: "You leave feeling and really embodying being a leader in your industry. You are a podcast host, your voice has been activated, your power is online. That to me is the deeper transformation."

[09:34] Be in the Energy

• Lean into knowing what this transformation offers your audience.
• Know the need your show or service offers people.
• This is the energy to stay in when creating, sharing, going live, and interacting with your people.

[12:26] The Best Thing You Can Do for Yourself

• Go. Live. Your. Life.
• The feeling of scarcity, worry, and doubt is not your friend.
• Trust that you've done your best, you've launched with everything you have in you, and let the Universe do her thing.

[14:02] Caroline Aylward: "No matter how your launch goes, no launch is a failure. Period. You learn something from every single time you launch."

[14:04] No Launch is a Failure. Ever.

• There is always something to be learned, tweaked, or changed from each and every launch you do.
• Caroline explains all the things you can grow and shift between each launch.

[15:02] Caroline Aylward: "Entrepreneurship and being an artist is one of the most healing journeys because you have to stare those old stories and limiting beliefs in the face every single f*ucking day. And then they become less loud."

[21:31] Podcast Growth Strategy

• Word of mouth. It's that simple.
• Share episodes with your people who you think will grow and benefit from listening.

I hope something landed with you in this episode of The Creative Visionary Podcast!

The Creative Visionary is a podcast for all of you powerful, heart-centered, fiercely passionate, paradigm-shifting, bad*ss women on your entrepreneurial journey. It's here to tell stories that inspire you to lean into what lights you up most as you create art through the channel of your brand. This show was created to give you a consistent drip of inspiration and unshakeable faith as you hold the duality of entrepreneurship. "Together, we can empower more humans to take up space with their stories, visions, and missions - and from here we change the world."

If you enjoyed this episode of the Creative Visionary Podcast, help us spread the word!

Leave a review! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you had any 🤯moments, took away any thought-provoking nuggets from this podcast episode, and want to help inspire and support other women, please write a review.

Share it! Share this episode with everyone you think will benefit from it - let's get as many incredible women on board and grow this energetic community! It's simple - just click the share button on whatever platform you listened from.

Questions? Suggestions? Just wanna say Hi? Visit me on Instagram @iamcarolineaylward! Connect with me in all my places for more episode updates and the awesomeness that is yet to come with The Creative Visionary Podcast!

Thanks for listening! 🙏

Transcript

Caroline Aylward: As I sat with, what's the next thing that I wanna speak on and teach about and really connect with you about? And I really wanna be so transparent with things that are unfolding in my business so that you can feel inspired by that, activated by that transparency, so you can know that it's all possible for you too. Here's how I did it. Here's the behind-the-scenes.

This is The Creative Visionary Podcast. I'm Caroline Aylward, film director, podcast producer, storyteller, and coach to powerful women like you on your entrepreneurial journey as you become the creative director of your vision. I'm also the founder of Get A Helmet Studio where we make brand documentaries and launch top-rated podcasts. This show is a platform to tell stories, to inspire you, the heart-centered, fiercely passionate, paradigm-shifting badass leader, to lean into what lights you up most as you create art through the channel of your brand. I created this show to give you a consistent drip of inspiration and unshakeable faith as you hold the duality of entrepreneurship. My mission is to elevate more of your unique voices and to be a support system as you navigate the inevitable highs and lows of your creative journey. Together, we can empower more humans to take up space with their stories, visions, and missions. And from here we change the world.

Hello, my beautiful creative visionaries. I'm so happy to be back recording another episode. It is November when you are hearing this, it's November right now, but it's later in November when you're hearing this. October was such a full, juicy month. And as I sat with what's the next thing that I wanna speak on and teach about and really connect with you about? And I really wanna be so transparent with things that are unfolding in my business so that you can feel inspired by that, activated by that transparency, so you can know that it's all possible for you too. Here's how I did it. Here's the behind-the-scenes.

So in October, I launched a brand new program called Spoken. Spoken is a podcast creation and launch course that is now my signature podcast course. It's kind of wild. I've been podcasting for six years and now finally offering a container for people to come in and launch their shows that they've been waiting to launch, wanting to launch, but not sure how to do it, feeling overwhelmed of where to even begin, all of the above.

So the launch was beautiful, and I wanna talk about how to launch with the most ease possible, how to trust the process of launching your offer, especially in those beginning stages of business, because truly that launch time can feel so vulnerable, can feel so tender because it, it is because it is, especially again, at the beginning of your journey. So I wanted to just crack open the doors and let you in on creating Spoken and launching it. So perhaps you've created a container, an offer, a one-on-one program, and you're selling it. You're out there, you're doing the thing, you're telling your stories, you're showing up on Instagram, you're creating your content, right? And you're like, Okay, now I wanna take this a step farther and I wanna launch something intentionally. Rather than just leaving the door open consistently all the time, you wanna have these launch periods, right?

This create this demand so that people have a window of time to opt-in. And if they miss that window, then they miss that window and you can then launch it again later. There's a lot of strategy behind that. It works. It works. You see people doing this in the industry over and over and over again. So I wanted to dig into this for Spoken. I had, we had a big month in October, not only was Spoken successful, but we enrolled private clients and sold, resigned podcast clients and brand documentary clients. And so I wanted to share with you how Spoken helped contribute to our successful month. So of course, it all begins with this idea. It all begins with this spark of inspiration, this burst of creativity of I wanna create this. Maybe you're not exactly sure what it is yet, or the name, but you've got like a little seed of intention, a little seed of creativity.

So the next thing is to get really specific on what that seed is gonna be called, what that seed is going to do, like what transformation it's going to provide for people and what need it's filling. So question number one is what is the container? What is the container for Spoken? It's five weeks, well, technically six weeks with a week for integration during Thanksgiving. But a five-week process to break down every single step of launching your podcast. So we're in it right now. We're breaking down every single thing that goes into the entire podcast creation and launch process. From technical stuff to activating your voice, to naming it, designing your cover, writing your show notes, all of the above. So the need for the people that I'm selling to is that they want to launch their podcast, but the deeper need is they wanna grow their brand, they wanna grow their community, they wanna expand their reach.

Podcasting is a really beautiful way to do that. So what is the transformation for the people opting into Spoken? Well, the transformation is you leave with an authentic, creative as f*uck podcast. And the deeper transformation to that is you leave feeling and really embodying being a leader in your industry. You are a podcast host, your voice has been activated, your power is online. That to me is the deeper transformation of that. And so what I love to do before I go into offering something, I sit in the energy of the program like, what feels best here? Is this good as a one-on-one? Would this be good as a, you know, a two-month-long container? Would this feel good as pre-recorded videos? How do I wanna show up here? And in addition to that, what time do I have? If this is something that I wanna birth into the world this month, what does my month look like, right?

Do I have time to sit with this to pre-record the videos or does teaching it live feel more spacious? You get to choose, right? You get to create your business and your brand the way that feels good to you. So maybe you've done all of these pieces already, but I wanted to share my process a little bit and the process has really fine-tuned, been fine-tuned for me this year. Sitting in the energy of the program, really feeling into its power. And a way that I can help myself do this is to start working with the graphic designers on my team to create the branding for the offer. So what does this offer feel like? What does it look like? Like clearly, I'm a visual person. So when I can start designing the branding, like the sales page, the logo, the title, the color palette we're going to use, the Instagram story slides, we're gonna share. When I start to feel into that, I can feel into the power of the program, the power of the offer itself.

And this feels like an energetic hack for me because I would get really stuck in this area of, okay, I have an idea and then I'm gonna sell the thing and I'm gonna tell everybody what's included in the thing, but I'm not really gonna tell any stories about it or make them feel anything. I'm just gonna let them know it's $222 and it's a four-week program, or whatever it is, right? Really kind of focused on telling the data and not, and the features, but not actually talking about the transformation that the work provides. So starting to shape those visuals and my branding and whether you have a graphic designer or not, you can just go into Canva, create a mood board for what is this offer gonna look like and feel like? What's the branding? How will the branding feel in my body? Again, this has really felt like a big hack for me.

So I start to do that, and I start to the visuals then help me feel into the power of the offer. So I understand what the container is, like, how long it is or how I'm gonna show up. Are we gonna do virtual calls? Is this something I can do in person? And then I start to develop the branding. I start to develop the branding and the branding within that is the name, right? Like really landing on a name that feels powerful. And so once I've done that, it's time to start talking about it. I like to give myself as much time and space as I possibly can to find that beautiful balance between, Go for it, Do the thing, Take action now. And give myself some spacious weeks to create content, to plan things out, to get that copy written for emails and Instagram captions, to think about some Instagram live topics, or maybe run some sort of free master class or three-day free training like I just did for Spoken on podcasting, which was all on Instagram Live. Having some sort of pre-party celebration that can directly invite people into your bigger offer. But I cannot even stress enough giving myself time and space.

So having your offer in mind, being really clear on what the need of your people, what, what is that need? And then what is the transformation? How are they going to feel coming out of this program with you? And for me, staying in that energy the entire time I'm launching, really having my finger on the pulse of those things every time I'm showing up online, every time I'm showing up on Instagram live, every time I'm writing a caption, I'm on my stories. I'm in the energy of the need that this program will fill or the transformation that this program will provide. So those are really, really important things for you to stay plugged into. Now, deepening into the intensity that is felt during launch periods, the trust that is required of you, not only during launch, but just as an entrepreneur in general, as an artist, putting your work and your programs and your offers and birthing them out into the world. Giving myself spaciousness and time feels like, so deeply beautiful and there's no urgency or lack or scarcity behind it.

And so for Spoken, I decided to give myself, I think it was like two or three weeks, and then I just started to put out content that was really speaking to the power of podcasting, right? Telling people how it's not as overwhelming as you think. What can happen for you when you launch your podcast, what it does for your brand, what it does for your leadership, and creating content around all of these things. And spending like two to three weeks really trickling that out, doing a free three-day IG live series and taking my time, taking my time, and then really starting to tease that something is coming, right? You want people to get excited about something that you're dropping, you want them to feel your excitement about it. And then putting some pricing out there and launching the offer. I love to work with an initial price that's a little bit lower than the full price.

So doing that early bird special and putting that out there, leaving that live for a few days or however long you want, and then having that price go up to that full price. So for Spoken, quite a few people opted in during that early bird window, but this is where the trust comes in, y'all, because I had somebody purchase Spoken day, one of that free three-day training. I was like, Amazing, this is gonna be amazing. I'm gonna get so many people, right? And then crickets. Crickets. I went on vacation, I had my content planned out. And even though I was still posting and showing up on Instagram, there was a part of me, this older part of me that was like, It's not working because I'm not working. People aren't buying because I'm not actively pushing and pushing and pushing. Which is an old, old capitalistic, patriarchal story.

So I did everything that I could in those moments to get back into my body, to get back into my truth, to get back into my power. When you are launching, the number one thing that you can do is take care of yourself and live your f*ucking life. Live your life. You have done the thing you've shown up, you've put your content out there, your sales page is live. People can click the link in your frigging bio and they can buy the thing or they can send you a dm. It is out there, go live your life. Because even though I had someone buy and then nobody buy for a little while, I stayed in my trust because I know better at this point in business. I know that no matter how many people opt into the program, that I am still infinitely valuable and worthy of love, that those numbers do not define me.

And of course, we have these goals and we have bills to pay and things that we wanna do, right? So when you're just getting started, don't put all of your eggs in one basket, don't have your rent payment hanging over the launch of your course, your first launch. That's going to, as Elizabeth Gilbert says, "suffocate your creativity". We want your creativity to be able to expand and to be juicy and to soar. So if you're in that kind of transitional space right now, coming out of maybe a corporate job or freelance and going into that solo entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship identity, get yourself a bridge job. Get yourself a part-time job. Support yourself, right? Because otherwise that scarcity is going to be felt not just by you, but by everyone who's reading your content by everybody you're selling to. So staying in that unshakeable faith that number one, no matter how your launch goes, no launch is a failure. Period.

You learn something from every single time you launch. You learn how to share your voice, you learn how to tweak your messaging, you learn what lands and what doesn't. You learn more about your people. You learn maybe I was gonna try and run this as a prerecorded course people could purchase, but I feel like it's gonna be better now if I do it live. Or maybe it's a membership or maybe this is a one-on-one program. Everything that you're doing is collecting information. So please stay in your body. Remember how powerful you are, especially at the those beginning stages when it can feel so you can feel so like just dysregulated and just ungrounded in those moments of, Oh my God, this isn't working right. And of course, mind and old stories living in your body, they start to flare of, this isn't gonna work out, nothing works out for me.

I'm not enough, I'm not doing it right. Like whatever. Whichever one of those phrases lands for you, that's the core belief that's stuck in the tissues of your body and in your subconscious, right? And so this is why entrepreneurship and being an artist is one of the most healing journeys because you have to stare those old stories and limiting beliefs in the face every single f*ucking day. And then they become less loud. And I'm so grateful for that because I was at the beach literally like tmi, but like feeling a deep love connection blossom and navigating some interesting dynamics and spending time on the beach. And I was, I was present for that. I was present for that because that was what's was unfolding in my life. And while I was at the beach, nobody purchased and I stayed in my faith and my trust, and I kept showing up every single day.

And yes, I felt some panic rise in my body. Then I was like, You know what? We're good. We've got other things coming in. What can I learn from this? What can I learn from this? So ask yourself that question. I think I posted something on Instagram a while back about how I don't believe in failed launches. I just don't believe in them. Because you did the d^mn thing. What can you learn from the d^mn thing? What about it was out of resonance for you? Because if something isn't working, something is out of resonance for you. So how can you go back and be more truthful to yourself and authentic to your desires of how you wanna sell that program? And if that program is even relevant to your desires. Are you creating this because you think you should? Or are you creating it and selling it because you really f*ucking want to?

Those are two completely different energies, and your audience is far too smart. They're gonna feel into that right away. So live your life when you're launching. Take care of yourself, get off of your phone, Rest, rest, rest, rest. Take long baths and luxurious showers. Go for walks. Go out with your friends. It's okay. It's actually really important that you do that. Once you have put your content out there during your pre-launch runway, and you have made that sales page live and you've run your free class or done your Instagram lives or whatever other creative thing you decide to come up with, which I help you workshop inside of my one-on-one container, by the way, But it's out there, it's done, it's done. And you can say that out loud. It is done. It is done, and it is enough. It is done, and it is enough.

Show up and then go live your life. Your content is out there, It's doing its thing. And if you've got a podcast, even better, your podcast is doing its thing your emails are doing their things, you can trust that. You can trust it, and you can learn from whatever the outcome is. It is enough. One of the biggest tools in your toolbox during your launch and during your entrepreneurial journey is unshakeable faith. So how can you get yourself there? How can you bring yourself back to the deep knowing that you're enough that your work is powerful? Go read the screenshots from people that you've gotten that told you how powerful it was to be with you and work with you or be on set with you or whatever it was. Go back to those. And if you're just getting started, wait, they're coming. They're coming.

Keep going, keep going. This entire experience is a real, real test of your faith, and it's a real kind of like workout of your faith. And then you just get better and better and better and better at it. No matter what your launch turns out looking like. No matter what the numbers are, no matter how many people you hoped would sign up and how many people did or didn't. You learn something and you make adjustments and you keep moving forward. And that's all we know. That's all we know. And right now, if digging into this offer creation, this launch process, the energetics, the strategy and really taking your brand to the next level is feeling like something that you really want to do. You wanna jump in, you wanna commit fully to your entrepreneurial journey to really embody that identity and to make money doing what you love.

I have two spots available for my private mentorship program. It's my business and brand storytelling, mentorship. It is a two-and-a-half-month-long, one-on-one container with me. So we go down and in to your business, your strategy, your content, your offers, your sales pages, anything that you are needing support on. Your leadership, right? Your leadership, your trust, your knowing that you can do this. So the application is in the show notes, it's there for you. I like to sit with the applications and just really feel into your vibe, what you're moving through. And then if your application is accepted, you'll get a voice note DM from me and we'll move forward. And so, you know, actually during the application for for my one-on-one container, you'll see what I mean by how much the branding affects my sales. That application is a work of art in a huge thanks to Hannah, one of the graphic designers that I work with who helped me design it. But really bringing that vision to life, right?

Like my business and brand storytelling, private mentorship is a total transformation for you. So I don't wanna just throw together a sales page, I wanna make art. And we talk about this in all of my work. You're making art. Everything that you do is art. You're creating something from nothing, and you're putting it out out into the world for other people to see an experience that is art. So, while you're filling out the application, take it in, light a candle, sit with it, feel into the expansion that's possible for you, because I know for sure I have coaches now and I would not be where I am today without my mentors. Having that outside perspective to really take things to the next level, stop feeling like your dog paddling and just make some headway and feel really empowered in doing that. So I'll keep an eye out for your applications. Two spots open, first come served.

I love you. Thank you for listening. If this resonated, please share this episode on social media. Tag me at @iamcarolineaylward I would love to share it, to celebrate you. And if you know somebody who you feel like this would really land with, send it to 'em. Honestly, like one of the biggest podcast growth strategies is word of mouth, good old word of mouth. So if you've got other entrepreneurial friends, creative friends, send it to them. I'd love to chat with them. And of course, if you have any questions at all, you know where to find me on Instagram and send me a dm. I absolutely love connecting with you. You're amazing. Keep going. Your launch is going to be so successful in all of the ways, and I can't wait to hear how it goes. Come tell me on Instagram. Okay, I love you so much. I'll see you soon. Bye.