When you're ready to launch for the first time, you want to go big—but not so big that you mimic everything the launch pros are doing. We asked 7 of the most successful course launch professionals to share their wisdom.
Marisa Murgatroyd: Focus Your Product Mission
After testing your idea, your course needs a really clear, specific focus. Define a clear mission that your customer wants and that seems possible to them. Most people create courses that lack focus and try to do way too much.
"If you try to serve too many masters, you'll soon suffer."
Grant Weherley: Find Your Minimum Viable Audience
A common struggle is getting super excited to build a course, then releasing it without any audience and... crickets. If you can't get in front of enough people, it doesn't matter what else you do.
2026 update: While Grant originally suggested 5,000+ emails, today's creators are succeeding with much smaller, more engaged lists—200-500 true fans who trust you can outperform a cold list of 10,000.
Beth Kempton: Build Your List First
Don't launch in a vacuum. Spend time building your mailing list before you launch, so you have a primed audience. Offer value in every newsletter so when launch time comes, they'll be keen to learn more.
Joseph Michael: Sell Backwards
Write the sales letter before creating a single lesson. This forces you to know your target audience inside and out, and know exactly what you're going to teach.
Use the "So That" technique: "People want my course SO THAT..." The most important part comes after the "so that"—you find that wording through research.
Melissa Anzman: Test Before Going Big
Thoroughly test your course idea before launching big. Listen to what your market is talking about. Make sure your course solves a very specific pain point with actual results. Think small—go deep and solve one thing really well.
Anne Samoilov: Co-Create with Your Audience
Include your audience in the creation process. Share behind-the-scenes images, send surveys, do live broadcasts. Enlist your audience to be co-creators of your course—it'll make it easier to create and easier to launch.
The Common Thread
Every expert emphasizes the same principle: connect with real people before building, validate before scaling, and embrace imperfection as part of the journey.