Thread by @tom_hirst

Here we go!

I'm creating and launching a course this month.

And I'll be building everything in public:

- Strategy
- Time invested
- Revenue figures

All documented in this thread.

So far, I've made $2,592 in pre-sales.

The course: tomhir.st/th-pwp

Follow along...

Backstory:

Last year, I entered the creator space to find fulfilment and add another income stream to my portfolio.

I made a note named "Product Ideas" and jotted a few down.

One was my favourite:

Teaching independent workers how to create opportunity through their websites.

I've been using my personal website to drive interest in my freelance services for a long time.

The leads it collects provide fuel for six-figures' worth of work yearly.

My content brings interesting opportunities my way.

And I've monetised with a coaching programme too.

Having options allows me freedom.

And many of these options come via my personal website.

I've learned a lot in this space.

And I'm passionate about sharing what I know.

Testing the idea:

I like to test my product ideas with threads.

This gives me:

1. An inkling whether the idea is good or not
2. A rough structure for the product should the idea be good

Ex:

Pricing thread:

https://twitter.com/tom_hirst/status/1277933730078785537

Website thread:

https://twitter.com/tom_hirst/status/1317420628547350529

While I think it's smart to test the water,

You can't properly validate a product idea until you put it to market:

People will either pay for it or they won't.

I'm intrigued to see how this product fairs against the last one: tomhir.st/th-pfp

Equipment:

I decided the course was happening in December.

This gave me a reason to upgrade my video equipment.

An ~£800 outlay.

https://twitter.com/tom_hirst/status/1338571973484556289

You can see how my camera is set up in this short office tour.

I've since added additional lighting.

https://twitter.com/tom_hirst/status/1336998476190715905

Planning:

I began by getting all my ideas out of my head.

I opened a Google document, sat, and typed.

Anything and everything of relevance I wrote down unedited.

Here's my version 1 outline.

(Version 2, perhaps, if we include the thread.)

I set up a @trello board to break the project down.

This approach gives me a clear overview of what's done and what's left.

Here's how the board looks currently.

Tracking:

I'm using a Google sheet to track time.

It feels weird because I don't do this.

But it's important to know that a product makes financial sense—even in the short-term—because I could be making money elsewhere.

And I think this exercise will be valuable to people.

Some effort will benefit me beyond this project, so it's not clear cut.

But I want to include everything—right back to floating the idea as a thread—for a true picture of the work involved.

Here's a link to the sheet I'll be updating: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

Pricing:

My favourite topic.

I wanted a firm pricing strategy in place before I started creating the course content.

I studied the product launches of @dvassallo, @stephsmithio and @thepatwalls—among others—and combined this with my own experience.

Here's what I came up with:

- $24 at pre-order
- $49 at launch
- Then the price will rise in increments dependent on its success

When I first saw the latter technique by @stephsmithio, I loved it.

Here's my thinking:

1. Being a new creator, I first need reach.

2. I don't rely on the money from sales, so I can experiment.

3. There are nuances between pricing services and products.

This tweet by @JamesClear makes a lot of sense.

https://twitter.com/JamesClear/status/1344776696860467202

Marketing:

My second favourite topic.

I know I can improve on my last launch.

So I'm well prepared:

- Documenting the whole process in public
- Email list for interested parties who don't want to buy yet
- An early launch to people who've bought a product before

- A landing page on my own website (not just @gumroad)
- Better distribution plans to get the word out
- Tweets scheduled in advance
- Gathering social proof early

Last time, I did it all off-the-cuff.

This time, I'll properly sell my sawdust.

h/t: @jackbutcher

I started direct marketing with the tweet below.

If you want to drive interest in your products, you need proof of having knowledge that other people want.

The interest I stirred provided:

1. Awareness of my skill
2. More "validation"

https://twitter.com/tom_hirst/status/1343515280627138567

I also started tweeting about personal websites more.

Ex:

https://twitter.com/tom_hirst/status/1343587912009580546

https://twitter.com/tom_hirst/status/1343948966820503553

I asked questions—in the tweets and the replies—to understand what people value most on this topic.

This will help me choose what to include in the course.

Next, I went obvious.

I know what you're thinking...

"Don't ask if they *would* buy, ask them *to* buy."

h/t: @tferriss

But I threw it out there.

As a consequence, I got the most useful feedback.

https://twitter.com/tom_hirst/status/1344305891651297282

And clarity on what I want the product to be:

"There are tons of resources out there on, 'How to build a personal website'."

But there's nothing about how to use it as the centrepiece of your marketing strategy to gain opportunities."

https://twitter.com/tom_hirst/status/1344309769306308608

Next, I created the cover for the course.

I'd need this for:

- The @gumroad product page (tomhir.st/pwp)
- My own landing page (tomhir.st/th-pwp)
- Open Graph image for social sharing

https://twitter.com/tom_hirst/status/1344672754184966146

I set up a @Mailchimp audience.

Separate from my newsletter and customer list.

I thought about using tags, but I didn't want to spend too much time on the integration.

This lets people sign up for updates who're not quite ready to buy.

tomhirst.com/products/perso…

On signing up,

People receive this email automatically.

With a deal.

I wanted to show more proof of my knowledge.

I'd never analysed my website's traffic/leads correlation before.

So I ran the numbers and summarised my outcomes.

https://twitter.com/tom_hirst/status/1345271103099432961

This gave me a hook:

"When your personal website is good, you need less traffic than you think."

Here's the spreadsheet: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

I put together a landing page template.

Something I can use again, across more products.

Here's the page for the playbook: tomhir.st/th-pwp

Sections include:

- Hero (product summary)
- Backstory (who I am and what I know with proof)
- Curriculum (what you'll learn)
- Social proof (kind words from buyers)
- Answering objections (FAQs)
- Clear direction (what's next)
- Lead capture (not ready to pre-order)

I copied (some of) the landing page text to @gumroad,

Set up the pre-order product: tomhir.st/pwp

Then used @gumroad's embed code to allow people to buy without leaving my site.

help.gumroad.com/article/44-bui…

Short URLs are useful; especially as you create more products.

I use @RebrandlyBuzz:

10 Steps: tomhir.st/10-steps
Pricing Projects: tomhir.st/pfp
Personal Website Playbook: tomhir.st/pwp

I can type these links from memory without breaking flow.

I wanted to harness social proof early.

To get that, I announced pre-orders to my existing customers in advance.

Here's an excerpt from the email I sent.

It drove some buzz and early momentum.

https://twitter.com/dan_spratling/status/1346044574125486081

And gave me plenty of early social proof.

(Thank you!)

https://twitter.com/dennisleytonb/status/1345731704259018752

I added screenshots of the purchase tweets to:

My own product page: tomhir.st/th-pwp
And @gumroad's product page: tomhir.st/pwp

I scheduled tweets with @hypefury to announce the pre-order on Twitter.

And that brings this story up to date.

Follow along for more...

https://twitter.com/tom_hirst/status/1346156315748524034

Sales update:

- 125 courses pre-ordered
- $3,000 in revenue

Thanks for your confidence ❤️

I'm excited!

(Look at those round figures)

Stats update:

15.87% conversion rate on the product page.

I'm happy with that!

Progress update:

I defined 13 modules for the course today!

AND, wrote outlines for 5 for them.

🚀