Before the Launch with Brenna McGowan

Launching is changing… but maybe not in the way you think.

In this episode, I’m talking about the difference between changing your entire launch strategy and refining what’s already working. Because if you’re an experienced business owner, chances are you’re not making one giant marketing mistake. You might already be 80% of the way there. 

It’s that last 20%—the messaging, specificity, intention, and nuance—that can be surprisingly hard to see on your own.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• What has actually changed about launching—and what hasn’t
• Why I’m recommending live launch events more strongly than I did a few years ago
• The difference between “doing it” and then there’s doing it really well
• What experienced business owners should be refining instead of overhauling
• Why A-level marketing matters more in today’s skeptical market
• How AI can accidentally take your marketing in the wrong direction (even when you’ve trained it well)
• How small messaging refinements helped one experienced business owner have a huge launch

If you’re realizing your launch doesn’t need another shiny tactic—it needs more intention and refinement—this episode is for you.

Listen now.

Ready to refine your own pre-launch?

The Fall Implementation Experience of the Pre-Launch Plan Program is open through September 30th. To join click here: https://brennamcgowan.co/ppp/

Also, here’s where you can listen to Steph Crowder’s episode that I mentioned in the episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/211-from-6-to-41-how-i-turned-around-a-failing-launch/id1193065784?i=1000790978289

Your Next Steps:

Want to plan your next launch in seconds? Grab my free AI Launch Calendar

🔹 Let’s work together! Book a strategy call

🔹 Join the Behind the Launch Facebook Group

🔹 Connect on Instagram

Thanks for Listening!

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⭐Hit the “follow” button! This keeps you in the loop, and you’ll be the first to get notified when the next episode drops!

In this episode, I’m sharing 3 things I’d tell you about your launch if I wasn’t afraid to hurt your feelings. And warning: these aren’t beginner mistakes. They’re blind spots I see with smart, experienced business owners who know their audience, know marketing, and have launched before. Sometimes that experience is exactly what makes these things harder to spot.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why knowing the ingredients of a pre-launch doesn’t mean you’re using them strategically
• The question to ask about every piece of content you create before a launch
• Why experience can create blind spots in your marketing
• How one business owner did less marketing and saw a 214% increase in sales
• Why “I need to do more” may be the wrong response when sales slow down
• The part of your launch you may need to analyze before obsessing over click-through rates and webinar attendance
• Why your launch may simply be revealing a problem that started weeks earlier

I also share the story of Annemarie and what happened when she stopped doing Instagram for two months and focused on what was actually moving the needle. You can hear more of that story in last week’s episode: https://brennamcgowan.co/episode65

And if you’re wondering what you should be doing before your next launch, join me for my September 23 masterclass, where I’m teaching the three pre-launch moves that build demand, pre-sell spots, and take pressure off your launch:

https://brennemcgowan.co/masterclass-2026

Your Next Steps:

Want to plan your next launch in seconds? Grab my free AI Launch Calendar

🔹 Let’s work together! Book a strategy call

🔹 Join the Behind the Launch Facebook Group

🔹 Connect on Instagram

Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed this episode, please help us share it by:

⭐Hit the “follow” button! This keeps you in the loop, and you’ll be the first to get notified when the next episode drops!

Annemarie, an experienced business, came into the Pre-Launch Plan Program frustrated with her membership sales. After revisiting her messaging, looking closely at where her sales were actually coming from, and becoming more intentional about her pre-launch, saw a 214% increase in sales — while stepping away from Instagram and Facebook.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why struggling sales don’t automatically mean you need to do more marketing
• The messaging question I want you to ask before changing your entire strategy
• Why your ideal client — and the way you talk to them — may need another look
• What Annemarie discovered when she stopped assuming social media was necessary
• Why buyer psychology matters more than a “post this Tuesday, post that Thursday” content plan
• How a strategic four-to-six-week pre-launch can take some of the pressure off cart-open week
• What happened when Annemarie focused on the channels that were actually producing leads and sales

If your launches have felt heavier lately, this episode will give you a different place to look before you decide you need to burn the whole thing down.

Listen now.

Ready to rethink what happens before your next launch?

Join me for The New Launch Model for 2026, where I’ll show you three pre-launch moves designed to build demand, pre-sell spots, and take some of the pressure off cart week:

https://brennamcgowan.co/masterclass-2026/

Your Next Steps:

Want to plan your next launch in seconds? Grab my free AI Launch Calendar

🔹 Let’s work together! Book a strategy call

🔹 Join the Behind the Launch Facebook Group

🔹 Connect on Instagram

Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed this episode, please help us share it by:

⭐Hit the “follow” button! This keeps you in the loop, and you’ll be the first to get notified when the next episode drops!

What if the actual launch isn’t where most of the selling should happen?

In this episode, I’m sharing why I think launching can be a little boring. And that’s actually a good thing. By the time you open the doors to your offer, your audience should have already made a series of smaller decisions that make the final “yes” feel like the natural next step. 

I’m breaking down what this means for your pre-launch content, why urgency can’t manufacture demand that doesn’t exist, and how helping buyers shift their beliefs before cart open can create more internally motivated customers.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why your launch period might be more of a formality than the real sales period
• The small decisions your buyers are making before they ever see your sales page
• Why I have more room for storytelling during pre-launch than during cart open
• What urgency and scarcity isn’t enough in 2026
• Why internally motivated buyers can become some of your best customers and testimonials
• How to think about your pre-launch as your audience’s “consideration time”

This conversation builds on what I shared last week, so if you haven’t listened yet, catch Episode 63 here: https://brennamcgowan.co/episode63.

Your Next Steps:

Want to plan your next launch in seconds? Grab my free AI Launch Calendar

🔹 Let’s work together! Book a strategy call

🔹 Join the Behind the Launch Facebook Group

🔹 Connect on Instagram

Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed this episode, please help us share it by:

⭐Hit the “follow” button! This keeps you in the loop, and you’ll be the first to get notified when the next episode drops!

You’re sending emails. You’re nurturing your audience. You’ve got a waitlist. Maybe you’re inviting people to a webinar or talking about your upcoming offer.

So… you’re pre-launching, right?

Maybe. But maybe not.

In this episode, I’m breaking down one of the biggest misconceptions I see around pre-launch marketing — and why simply “doing the things” before your launch doesn’t mean those things are actually preparing people to buy.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why “nurturing your audience” and pre-launching aren’t necessarily the same thing
• The question I want you to ask about every piece of content you publish in the 4–6 weeks before your launch
• The invisible gap between an ideal client knowing you and actually being ready to buy
• How belief shifts and micro-commitments can make the actual sales period feel a whole lot easier
• Why good messaging is imperative this year for your launch 
• How to think about creating a repeatable pre-launch system instead of reinventing your content every time

If your pre-launch currently looks like “post more, nurture more, mention the waitlist, and hope people are ready when the doors open,” this episode will give you a different way to think about what happens BEFORE you sell.

Listen now and ask yourself: Is my content actually moving people toward a buying decision?

Also, if you’d like to see if you’re a good fit for the Pre-Launch Plan Program, head over to https://bot.brennamcgowan.co. 

Your Next Steps:

Want to plan your next launch in seconds? Grab my free AI Launch Calendar

🔹 Let’s work together! Book a strategy call

🔹 Join the Behind the Launch Facebook Group

🔹 Connect on Instagram

Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed this episode, please help us share it by:

⭐Hit the “follow” button! This keeps you in the loop, and you’ll be the first to get notified when the next episode drops!

I actually had a completely different podcast episode recorded for today…and then I scrapped it.

Why? Because I keep hearing a few misconceptions about pre-launch that are driving me a little crazy! 

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why thinking “they were going to buy anyway” about a pre-launch misses a huge part of buyer psychology
• The 3 beliefs your audience needs before they're ready to buy
• Why having a problem isn't the same as making that problem a priority
• How pre-launch content can do the heavy lifting before your sales period begins
• The hidden opportunity cost of saying, “I'll do it next time”
• What I mean when I say, “You're not selling your offer—you're selling your process”
• The client result that showed a 214% increase in sales after implementing a pre-launch process
• Why trying to figure everything out yourself might cost more than getting support

And I’m saving misconception #4—the one that really gets me going—for next week.

Listen now and rethink what your pre-launch content is actually supposed to do.

Also, if you’d like to see if you’re a good fit for the Pre-Launch Plan Program, head over to https://bot.brennamcgowan.co. 

Your Next Steps:

Want to plan your next launch in seconds? Grab my free AI Launch Calendar

🔹 Let’s work together! Book a strategy call

🔹 Join the Behind the Launch Facebook Group

🔹 Connect on Instagram

Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed this episode, please help us share it by:

⭐Hit the “follow” button! This keeps you in the loop, and you’ll be the first to get notified when the next episode drops!

Ever feel like you’re putting more work into your launches only to get the same—or worse—results?

I see this with both newer businesses and million-dollar businesses. When the strategies that used to work stop producing the same results, the instinct is often to do more. But what if you don’t need to work harder? What if you need to check whether you’re still heading in the right direction?

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why working harder on your launch doesn’t automatically produce better results
• The question to ask when strategies that used to work suddenly aren’t working anymore
• How shifting market conditions can quietly affect your messaging
• Why experienced business owners can fall into the “I should know this already” trap
• The difference between creating more pre-launch content and creating the right content

If your launch feels like you’re paddling against the wind, this episode will help you look at what might actually need to change for your next launch.

Listen now.

Follow me on Instagram @BrennaMcGowanCo

Your Next Steps:

Want to plan your next launch in seconds? Grab my free AI Launch Calendar

🔹 Let’s work together! Book a strategy call

🔹 Join the Behind the Launch Facebook Group

🔹 Connect on Instagram

Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed this episode, please help us share it by:

⭐Hit the “follow” button! This keeps you in the loop, and you’ll be the first to get notified when the next episode drops!

What does the mafia have to do with your marketing? More than you might think.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why patience might be one of the most underrated parts of your launch
• What an FBI agent can teach you about buyer readiness
• The difference between pushing someone toward a sale and creating an environment where they want to move closer
• The question to ask yourself if you want your marketing to pull people toward you instead of pushing them away

If selling sometimes makes you feel a little itchy, this one’s for you.

Catch up first: Listen to last week’s episode here

And come follow me on Instagram at @BrennaMcGowanCo for behind-the-scenes updates as I head into my own pre-launch for the Pre-Launch Plan program.

Your Next Steps:

Want to plan your next launch in seconds? Grab my free AI Launch Calendar

🔹 Let’s work together! Book a strategy call

🔹 Join the Behind the Launch Facebook Group

🔹 Connect on Instagram

Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed this episode, please help us share it by:

⭐Hit the “follow” button! This keeps you in the loop, and you’ll be the first to get notified when the next episode drops!

In this episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes of my own upcoming launch and sharing exactly what I'm doing over the next six weeks to prepare.

From affiliate outreach and voice of customer research to planning content and refreshing messaging, I'm walking you through the pre-launch activities that create momentum before you ever make an offer. 

I'm also introducing a simple framework that every successful pre-launch needs.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why your September launch actually begins in August
• The biggest reason pre-launch gets pushed aside
• What I'm doing behind the scenes before my own launch
• One quick action that will dramatically improve your messaging
• How to decide whether to batch your content or create it in real time.
• The 3 elements every successful pre-launch should include.
• Listen now and start building momentum before your next launch begins.

Connect on Instagram: https://instagram.com/BrennaMcGowanCo

Your Next Steps:

Want to plan your next launch in seconds? Grab my free AI Launch Calendar

🔹 Let’s work together! Book a strategy call

🔹 Join the Behind the Launch Facebook Group

🔹 Connect on Instagram

Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed this episode, please help us share it by:

⭐Hit the “follow” button! This keeps you in the loop, and you’ll be the first to get notified when the next episode drops!

It's summertime, which means I'm taking a little break from recording new episodes. As an '80s kid, I grew up looking forward to reruns of my favorite TV shows, so I thought we'd do the same thing here on the podcast.

Throughout July, I'm bringing back some of the most downloaded episodes from the show. Whether you're listening for the first time or giving this episode another spin, I hope you hear something that lands a little differently this time around.

Thanks so much for being here. Enjoy the episode, and I'll be back in August with brand-new conversations!

I get asked all the time about summits.

“Should I host one?”

“Should it be video or audio”

“Are they still even worth it?”

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on Behind the Launch, my audio-first Voxer summit, and giving you the real talk on why I created it, what I did differently, and what I learned the hard way.

This is part one of a two-part deep dive where I break down what works, what I’d never do again, and the strategic (and accidental) decisions that made all the difference.

Here's what you'll hear:

• The wild idea that launched Behind the Launch — and why it worked
• Why I ditched video and embraced a “lazy” audio solution
• How to structure your summit around your business goals
• Three things you must decide before planning a summit
• The sneaky-smart move I made without realizing it

🎧 Listen now to start shaping your own summit or online event idea!

Your Next Steps:

Want to plan your next launch in seconds? Grab my free AI Launch Calendar

🔹 Let’s work together! Book a strategy call

🔹 Join the Behind the Launch Facebook Group

🔹 Connect on Instagram

Thanks for Listening!

If you enjoyed this episode, please help us share it by:

⭐Hit the “follow” button! This keeps you in the loop, and you’ll be the first to get notified when the next episode drops!